While I am thrilled to be having another baby this pregnancy does not seem to be shaping up the same as my other pregnancies. I was feeling fine for the first week or so after I took the test. Life was good. The Greatest loved his job, my children were happily living in the kiddie pool turning into brown sun babies, and I had a new baby to knit for. Not just any new baby. A WINTER baby! This means hats, booties, and sweaters of all kinds.
I became enamored with the idea of a hooded cabled sweater for the baby. I wanted to knit a little cabled sweater. I have the most wonderful cherry red wool that either sex could wear. It has great stitch definition and would make the cutest cabled sweater. I could feel it in my bones. I had to knit a tiny red cabled sweater. This obsession with a cabled sweater had absolutely nothing to do with the fact the I received the Vogue Stictionary Volume 2: Cables for Mother's Day.
I picked out a simple cable pattern.
Please excuse the bad photography. It's called French Cruller. Because who doesn't like to think of pastries while they knit. I know I do.
The Greatest decided that I should knit tiny baby booties into the sweater. *shrug* Not loving this idea, but I love the Man. And this is his baby too. So textured baby booties I knit.
Again, forgive the bad photography.I'm thinking of adding little yarn bows to the booties to make them stand out more. But that is neither here nor there.
I sailed through the back of the sweater with no problems. I was feeling good. Life was good.
Then we were struck with the flu. The Greatest brought it home, and it wasn't long before Pork Chop and I were infected as well. Even Bird had a mild case. Only Meaty escaped this plague. It was an especially bad bug that stayed for a week. As I laid around and sipped seven up I knit the right front of the sweater, then the left, then the sleeves. I sewed the shoulders and still felt crummy. I knit the button bands and still no relief. I started the hood but nothing made me feel better. I felt so bad I abandoned knitting all together in favor of lying in bed and praying for death.
Finally there was hope. First Bird perked up, then Pork Chop and finally The Greatest felt like himself. But I still laid in bed and waited to feel better. The children had free roam of the house and I didn't care. They ate all 12 packages of Pop Tarts from the big box in one day and I was just happy they did it quietly. Pork Chop learned to run the DVD player and instead of worrying about how much TV they were watching I said prayers of gratitude. Algae grew on the abandoned kiddie pool. The situation was dire indeed.
My flu had morphed into full blown morning sickness.
My other pregnancies were not like this. No morning sickness at all with Pork Chop. A little queasy with Meaty, a little worse with Bird. But nothing like this. I've tried every home remedy known to man, and a few I made up myself. Only vitamin B seems to help a little. And I wouldn't swear in a court of law that the effect isn't psychosomatic. It works because I desperately need something to work.
I'm feeling a bit better and as long as I am careful and take it pretty easy I can function. But here is the bad part. Yarn makes me feel queasy. It's now forever linked in my memory to those first weeks of illness where I just wanted to die. I have no desire at all to knit. Red yarn makes me instantly dry heave. I can not even look at the tiny unfinished cabled sweater. I get hot flashes and have to throw up. I THROW UP WHEN I LOOK AT MY SWEATER! The sweater The Greatest and I designed together for our much longed for baby! Now you know why the pictures were so bad. I could hardly stand to take them this morning. This is serious indeed.
Tell me that like the morning sickness, this too shall pass.
11 comments:
Of course it will pass. And I'm sure you are sick of hearing it but morning sickness means a healthy baby. I think your yarn thing is psychosomatic too and will get better when you get over this. Maybe this is natures way of saying take a break from knitting (as only a jealous of your knitting skills, non-knitter could suggest)?
No worries. Put the sweater aside, out of sight, for a couple of months. You'll be good as new. I know that all the knitting-love will come right back as soon as those hormones level off.
Who knows what strange combination of factors determine how much (if any) morning sickness you'll have? It's really weird. I got sicker each time with the 3 girls, then with my son I was just barely a bit queasy for about an hour each morning. The good thing is that it almost always ends abruptly and completely by the 12-14 week point. Unless you're having twins... then all bets are off.
I am sorry you are feeling so miserable, not fun at all. If it's any comfort the knitty love came back for me, I'm sure it will return. And then when you feel better, you can knit like crazy for your little winter baby.
The sweater is beautiful! Sorry you're not feeling the best! Luckily it will pass! take care!
Congrats! And sorry to hear about your MS, too. I had it BAD with DS2, but not at all with DS1. Go figure. *Everything* made me sick, but not knitting.
I hope you feel better very soon!
Oh man, I know it's not really funny (is vomiting ever?) but the fact that the sweater makes you hurl is a tad bit giggle worthy.
Just wait til little baby is wearing it and he/she burps up all over it for the first time. You'll get all nostalgic remembering your own barf in regards to that sweater. (Ok, probably not!)
Oh, I am having sympathy stomach flip flops for you!! I can clearly recall the most awful morning sickness I had with DD #2 - the morning sickness that seemed to never end! Here is my sage advice - the daughter I was so sick with is now 16 - ginger ale - and if you don't like to drink that - send your husband down to the health food store and get some ginger capsules. Ginger settles the most upset of stomachs. Also, keep your potassium levels up - low potassium levels increase your queeziness. I had to gag them down, but bananas are an excellent source of potassium.
If you want to send the red yarn here to me - I will be honored to knit this sweater for the longed for winter baby! I am a winter baby myself and would love to knit it up for you!
:-) I hope you are feeling better soon!
Oh, yeah! The previous poster mentioned ginger ale. I forgot to mention that ginger worked well for me too. I couldn't take the capsules (nausea+pills=something ugly) but I would go to the health food store and get ginger BEER. It's like super strong ginger ale. If you have Vernor's or, if you're in KY, Ale-8-1, those work too. I also liked ginger tea. If carbonation doesn't work for you, try that. My tummy loves carbonated beverages when I'm nauseated but I hear that most people's don't.
Congratulations!
And yes, this too shall pass. :)
If you haven't already tried it, go find some of those seasickness bands you can buy. They go around your wrist like a rubberband. My SIL swore by these when expecting my twin nephews last year.
And again, congrats!
I do not knit. Well, my mom tried to teach me, but her own skills were pretty basic and that's what I do -- long scarves. :) But I must say, I love the name of your blog and I'm really impressed by your skill with knitting needles.
Congratulations!!!! I was wondering what dark cave you were holed up in. The morning sickness....GAH. Mine was ridiculous, Nothing, Nothing Nothing, gack. Then nothing again. Passes after a little while. I hope some of the others suggestions work for you, as for the knitting, try NON-VIBRANT colors. Sounds dumb, but I think cream colored things, like your Dads sweater probably won't have the same effect. Think of bulls and color, especially red. Good Luck and again YEAH!!!!!
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