Weeks 33 – 36
"We're going to check your hematocrit today," Vlad the Impaler said to me after answering my questions. Okay, Vlad the Impaler probably is a little harsh. This doctor was nothing like the real Vlad the Impaler. That was the doctor who delivered Lesa. He was so eager with his scalpel as he gave me the episiotomy. This doctor was only wanting to check my iron.
The fact that I was going to fail the hematocrit, all while my butt was stinging from the weekly dose of hell was not helping matters. There was no doubt that I would fail. The question was by how much.
When I was pregnant with Lyn, I had the same issue. I would take my medicine (Iron pill, prenatal vitamin, calcium supplement) every night right before I went to bed because that was when it was most likely to stay in. My body was so depleted from six months of morning sickness that the iron was a serious issue for me during the last four months of the pregnancy. I would feel like I was going to faint every time I stood up during those last few months. There were a number of times that I dropped to the floor to avoid passing out.
With Lyn, I discovered where I went really wrong with the iron. I was taking all of my medicines and supplements together. Calcium and Iron are like mortal enemies. They will fight each other, and they will take each other out of the equation. Your body will suffer from it. I know my body did.
I spent a lot of time having my blood drawn with Lyn. My results would come back and the doctor would send to the lab again because I'd failed. The people at the lab weren't friendly. They didn't want to listen when I told them my veins were horrible. I already mentioned this several chapters ago.
When I was thirty-six weeks pregnant with Lyn, the doctor ordered more lab work. I said to him, "Sir, I feel like it's a little silly to keep doing this. They're horrible to me, my iron isn't improving and it probably won't improve over the next four weeks. I'll keep taking my medicine, and I'll make sure I'm not taking it close to when I take my calcium."
And he was fine with it.
This time around, I was careful when I took my supplements and with what I ate in the couple of hours before I took them, but because I've been so sick, it hasn't mattered. My iron is low and I know it.
The nurse, my favorite nurse of all of them, walked into the exam room and ushered me to her station.
"You're not my favorite person today," I told her as I sat down. "Next week I'll like you again, but I'm just not feeling it today. I am thankful for what you do, though."
She smiled. She was cool like that. And then she became The Impaler. Well, she was already since she'd won the "Who Gets to Give Somewhat the Shot?" lottery that day. Or maybe she lost it. Either way....
"You know, I have to say that your morning sickness and its triggers are the worst I've ever seen. I don't know how you've managed because those smells are everywhere."
I laughed. "I hold my nose a lot and look like a fool half the time. It's funny because half the time, it's my own daughters doing it to me. We'll be going to the Y or anywhere with a hand sanitizer dispenser and it's like the hand sanitizer is wearing a sign that says, "Pump me." And they do it every time. In a few months I'll think it's hilarious, but right now, it's awful."
