15 weeks

So, I'm 15 weeks today and it's not a whole lot different than 14 weeks. It's akin to having a birthday and realizing you're another year older but not feeling immediately more mature, or aged. I have, this particular week, been battling with some stomach discomfort, on the severity reminiscent of the first trimester issues. I've joked around to several friends that I've experienced the full gamut of stomach ailments listed in the catchy dance-move-promoting Pepto Bismal commercials. And I'm not even sure what I'm doing or eating to make it worse, because I don't even like a lot of types of foods and stick to a pretty limited (and most often bland) meal plan. I'm curious when I'm done with the pregnancy and nursing and can take pills again if I'll have to retrain myself to seek medication when needed, since I'll have been avoiding it for a year+. I doubt I'll have any issue picking up my beloved allergy medication again - what I wouldn't do to be reunited with some Zyrtec... :(

In other news, I'm still not showing in the sense that I look pregnant. I am, however, starting to look a bit soft around the mid-section (see: pudgy), much to my disappointment. Because I still haven't told work, and am not comfortable just looking like I've let myself go (which I'm sure my manager would question as she sees me head off to our onsite gym three nights a week...), I've started to wear my baggier shirts at work. And it's rather cold in the office and cold outside with the winter still raging so I've taken to wearing light jackets and cardigans at work too. Thank goodness for business casual office attire. I'll be in Honolulu next week and am placing bets that the moment I put on a bikini is when I'll really begin to look flabby, per sweet irony. I'll take a picture to illustrate next week to share with the world my insecurities...

Lastly, not to get into politics, but I really think we need to do something about healthcare in this country. I saw a claim yesterday for a premature birth with complications and 6 months of newborn care that was over $300k. Granted, the family wasn't served this bill, but the insurance company was because the providers/hospitals charged those amounts, and that was the "negotiated" rate so the amount actually charged was much higher. This is ridiculous. Yes, six months of care for a newborn with highly advanced support systems and specialists costs a lot I'm sure. But for the price of a house? That's insane. I mention all of this because for the first time in my adult life, I'm actually utilizing my medical insurance. Who knew that being pregnant required so many lab tests and MD office visits? Well, okay, so I sort of had an idea and actually made my medical plan election last year based on the potential of having to meet a deductible this year. And though I work in the industry, I've not really had any first-hand experience in incurring medical expenses and the cost of some services has caught me off guard. Ultrasounds are expensive. Routine blood work can be expensive, and specific blood screenings/lab tests can be very expensive. I haven't even had to pay into my deductible yet but am approaching the threshold quickly and not all that excited about having to use our own money to pay for traumatizing blood draws... It's just crazy how much stuff costs when you actually pay attention, or rather, when I actually have more than two claims per year to review. I've probably seen a physician more in the last two months than I did in the last two years. And who has time for these appointments? I already have four appointments pending in March and not only does that cost me money now, but it costs me time. In fact, the time commitment is easily harder for me to manage than the deductible. I wish more places were open on the weekends, when I didn't have to try and rearrange my work schedule around 1-2 hour provider visits. And I need to get to the dentist too. Aye.