Update

Well, life has taken off, and I haven't blogged...I expect it will probably be like this for a while. Things are crazy busy now with school ending in just over 2 months (?!) and trying to find a job SOMEWHERE and having a baby...

I was finding myself eating a lot to quell the morning sickness, and then getting overfull and uncomfortable. Not barfing or PBing at all, but very uncomfortable. Then I was also having pretty frequent reflux, so I went back to the band doc for an unfill. I wasn't sure if they would insist on a complete unfill or if I could get away with just a partial.

As it turns out, the PA I saw actually didn't have any experience with pregnant bandsters. (Say what?) Being in the fairly secluded and specialized world of bariatric surgery, he didn't really have experience with pregnant women at all, and didn't understand why I would tend to have more reflux in only my first trimester. (Answer: increased hormones like relaxin start early in pregnancy, causing the lower esophageal sphincter to loosen and reflux as a result.) He didn't really see why I needed an unfill at all, and questioned whether I could keep my eating under control with no fill in my band. I answered: no! I can't! I'd prefer a small unfill please, just 1cc?

So I went from 3.5cc to 2.5cc. It has helped a great deal. I can eat, but I still have reasonably good satiety. The reflux is almost gone now, just the occasional Tums. And I have the morning sickness under better control (thank you B6, Unisom and Phenergan) so I don't have to keep eating all the time to keep that under control. I've gained about 6 pounds, more than I'd like at this point but still not terrible.

The pregnancy seems fine. I'm having a screening ultrasound in a couple weeks, and I'm going for all the testing, due to my "advanced maternal age". I want to be prepared for anything. There is a history of birth defects in a family member, so I want to know ahead of time if I should be prepared for something.

Someone asked in the comments if I have to tell potential employers that I am pregnant. That is a dicey question, and there's no easy answer to it. I am going to tell anyone that I interview with, at or before the interview. I think it's only fair, since I am looking at taking leave about 3 months after starting work, if all goes well. If they don't hire me because of it (which is technically illegal) then it's probably not a place I'd want to work anyway. I want them to know that I wish to start work as soon as possible, and I don't want any later problems of trying to figure out how to tell them.

Finding work with a pregnancy hanging over it all isn't easy and is a bit more stressful. But there is no perfect time to have a baby, and I'm just glad this is all going okay so far. Fingers are still crossed, though.