Week 10: Olive

Wow, it's been 10 weeks already. It seemed to have gone by so quickly, but then again, I was already 5 weeks when I found out that I was pregnant. 30 more weeks to go!

I found out yesterday that the little pod in me in now the size of an olive and that it is officially a fetus now (no longer an embryo). This makes it real. I've got a little person in me. Although I don't really feel much different. I'm still a bit tired, but not as much as I was a few weeks ago. Other than that, no other symptoms...so it's been good so far.

I think I started showing a little. My husband can notice it but I don't know if anyone else can. Maybe they can,but they just don't want to ask me if I gained weight. Actually, I had lost about 2 pounds around weeks 6 and 7 and last week I gained them back. So, I'm back to where I was when I found out I was pregnant.

I'm on week 3 at my new job. I don't particularly like my boss very much and I am getting increasingly nervous about telling him that I'm pregnant. I have a feeling he is not going to take it well. We had a meeting with a pregnant client last week and the executive VP (a woman) of my company told me "Anne (not her real name) is very pregnant. She was pregnant last time I worked with her. In fact, she seems continuously pregnant." That doesn't sound too positive. Does the VP have an aversion to pregnant women? This is not looking good for me. Plus, since I would have been here for less than 12 months by the time I deliver, my company does not have to give me maternity leave. I don't know how they'll handle that. Basically, if I take 3 months off, they do not have to guarantee me my job back, according to the Washington state law. It's crazy...

I'm from Canada, a country that gives every woman 12 months maternity leave. Most of those months, the new mom is paid 65% of her salary and if she's lucky, her company matches it to 100%. Having to take only 3  months off, not having them be paid and not be guaranteed a job when I'm ready to come back is really frustrating to me. I'm definitely worried.

Tough Work and Social Situations

I started a new job on July 1^st. I’m officially on my 6^th day now. They don’t know I’m pregnant yet. It’s been a little tough due to my extreme fatigue. Typically, around 2pm all I can think of is going home, eating some chips (I know, it’s bad) and taking a nap. I’ve been going to the restroom often, but that hasn’t disrupted my work or my life at all. What is increasingly hard in the position though is that my company holds Friday Mimosa’s every week at 10:30am. Last week, I said I would just drink water. This week, I’ll stick to a virgin Mimosa (ie, orange juice).  But how long can I go without joining my colleagues for some alcohol? I see only two possibilities: 1) I tell them I’m an AA 2) I tell them I don’t drink at all. The second option is probably best, although the first option would probably shut them up forever. Hahaha.

Last night, we had our first company event. It was at one of my colleague’s house. A simple affair: barbecue, drinks, food, badminton in his backyard. There were cheese and crackers. Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind is: is this cheese pasteurized? Luckily I was able to look at the ingredients without anyone noticing. Later in the evening, the host decided to do a bonfire. I sneakily looked at the package that he used as a fire started and it had a scary warning:

“California Proposition 65 Warning  The burning of natural firewood, natural gas, 

manufactured fireplace logs and fire starters can result in the emissions of carbon monoxide, 

soot and other combustion by products.  The State of California recognizes that these by-products 

may cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.”

 So, everyone was sitting around the fire and I had to find somewhere else to hang out at….so I sat inside the house and watched cartoons with the kids. I probably came off as very anti-social – not good for my first company outing – but I tried to explain to people that the smoke is not good for my asthma (not entirely a lie).  Seriously, it’s becoming a challenge for me. Always looking out for things that can harm baby and having to come up with original and believable excuses….

Last weekend, my husband and I joined 3 other friends on a little trip to a nearby Washington island. It was great…but again, I had to look out for a lot of things. We all went for smoothies, but I couldn’t have any as the menu said the fruits and veggies were not pasteurized. Then, we went out to eat and I had to quietly ask the girl at the counter if the cheese was raw or pasteurized.  Everyone wanted to go on a bike ride, which is fine, I wanted it too…but after 22 miles, I was having a real hard time keeping up. I don’t know if it’s just my physical shape (which I think it’s pretty good) or the pregnancy thing, but I was slow and I felt bad for holding everyone back. At the end of our stay, we promised to help my friend clean up her cabin. The tasks were vacuuming, laundry and cleaning the bathroom. Luckily my husband did the vacuuming and I quickly volunteered for laundry. When someone ask “what about the restroom”, I had to say “someone has to do that”. I couldn’t tell them that the chemicals could harm my future child…so they probably thought I was just lazy or didn’t want to do the nastiest job (not entirely untrue either….). There was also the thought of doing a bonfire on the beach and we had to blame my asthma once again. I look forward to announcing my pregnancy and clarifying all these things!

I sometimes wonder if it was a good idea for me to start a new job at this time. I know that it’s the best thing for my career. I couldn’t let the opportunity go by. But yesterday, at the company party I was talking to one of my coworkers who has been in this company for over 2 years, and he told me he often works until 11pm and sometimes on weekends. These days, it’s a stretch for me to stay at work until 5:30pm. I reach home at around 7pm and I just collapse. At my old job, things weren’t too busy. I could walk in at around 10am and leave at 4pm. It was really the perfect set up for a pregnant woman. I also had the opportunity to work from home once a week. All those perks sound so good to me right now. The worst about my new schedule is that I have not figured out a good time to work out. I like doing that in the  morning, but I keep hitting the snooze these days and in the evenings, all I can think about is lying down. My research tells me that I’ll gain more energy in the 2^nd trimester – I hope that is the case. I guess I should consider myself lucky for not having any morning sickness yet (knock on wood). 

What worries me the most about this new job though is the maternity leave. I found out after I accepted the job that in Washington, you need to have worked for an employer for at least 12 months in order to benefit from the family and medical leave (3 months). By the time I go on maternity leave, I would have only been with the company for 7 months. I don’t know what will happen. Will they give me 3 months anyway? That would be the nice thing to do…but corporations don’t have to be nice. At my last job, I knew I could have taken 3 months and 1 of those months are paid. 

I also worry about 3 months not being enough. Coming from Canada, where most mothers take 1 year off, 3 months sounds horrible. I can’t believe the US labor laws. They really do not protect or benefit the workers at all. I spent some time reading the Labor Laws on Monday and found out that employers are not required to provide breaks either. WHAT? I mean, I know most of them do, but how come that is not part of the law?

To end on a positive note, my mother is coming to visit in less than 9 days! She’ll be here for 2 weeks and I’ll finally share the news with her. I cannot wait. Plus, she’ll be there for the first time we hear baby’s heartbeat. J

Workshop at the Hospital + Carb Attack

Last Saturday, my husband and I went to a 1-hr workshop at the hospital. We were there with another 5-6 couples. A nurse walked us through the basics of pregancy, telling us what to eat, what not to eat, all the things that can go wrong, what to expect, etc.

Since I've been reading "What to Expect When You Are Expecting", I knew a lot already. But, I'm not going to lie, it was scary. To think of all the things that can go wrong, all the infections that can be passed on to the baby, all the things that can cause miscarriages...it was overwhelming. It made it so real - I'm 100% responsible for the well-being of this little creature growing inside me. I've never had so much power and responsibility - ever. It's scary.

After the 1 hr workshop, I did a bunch of blood tests to check if everything is ok, if the baby and I are susceptible to some diseases, etc. That went well  and was fairly uneventful.

Right after the hospital, I went on a 22 mile bike ride with my friends. I was the slowest one. I don't know if I can blame that on pregnancy at all. :)

One thing the nurse told us during the workshop was that drinking a lot of water can prevent many of the pregnancy symptoms. I'm drinking tons of water, which might explain why I haven't had any unpleasant symptoms  yet, other than tiredness. Oh and how am tired!

I started a new job on Monday, and come 2pm, all I could think about was taking a nap. Good thing it wasn't a busy day - but I'm a little worried about when the day does become busy. I have been going home everyday and taking a 1-2 hours nap. On Saturday, I slept in until noon! That's not like me at all.

Today, July 3rd, we get off work at 2:30pm in preparation for the long weekend. At 5pm, my friend is picking me up and we're taking a little trip during the long weekend. I was so happy when I heard it was going to be a short day. The first thing that came to my mind is: I get time to nap!

I'm a little worried about this trip with my friends. We're going to be 5 people, including my husband. We're all pretty active - but I'm worried that I'll just want to sleep and sleep and sleep. We'll see how that goes.

I've started experiencing cravings, but i'm not sure if it's a craving per se, or just that I'm not eating enough....even though I have started eating more. Since about a week, I come home and can't wait to eat bread and other carbs. Yesterday after work, I couldn't wait to go home so I went to a bagel shop and was devasted when I found it closed. So, I went to Starbucks and bought a pumpkin loaf. It was delicious, but it was too small. I got home, made myself a peanut butter croissant sandwich, ate some chips and and Ritz crackers. It felt soooo good!

I haven't gained any weight yet. I read that I'm not really supposed to gain in the first trimester. I've actually lost a little (1 lb) because I've been making a conscious effort to eat healthier.

I think the pregnancy hasn't really hit us yet. I don't know when that is going to happen. Maybe when we start spreading the news? Two more weeks before my mom comes to visit us and we share the news with her! Can't wait!!!