For those of you that have known me for awhile, you may already know that I have a condition known as Hypothyroidism and have been dealing with it for well over 10 years now. For those of you that are not aware of this condition, Hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland is not making enough of the thyroid hormone/s. The thyroid produces two hormones called Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine and these hormones help in things such as regulating the rate that calories are burned, influence the rate at which food travels through the digestive tract, control the way muscles contract, and control the rate at which dying cells are replaced. Because my body has a hard time producing these hormones, I have to take medication daily for the rest of my life and have been taking it since I was 12 years old.
It isn't a terrible thing to live with, it just means that I have to make sure that I take my pill every day and that I try to keep my weight regulated; trying to lose weight is much more difficult for me than it may be for others.
For the last three years I have been on the same dosage of Synthroid; which is a medication that has the hormones that I need. When I was 12 years old and diagnosed, I was prescribed 25 mcg (micrograms) and now, I am 22 years old and prescribed 137 mcg.
It has taken 7 years and numerous amounts of blood drawn to find the correct dosage for me, so you can only imagine the defeat I felt when the doctor's office called me and told me that my levels were elevated and I needed to have my prescription dosage upped.
It isn't uncommon for pregnant women who have Hypothyroidism to have their dosage changed multiple times throughout a pregnancy, but it was just something I wasn't expecting to happen, even though I should have been expecting it. I think that I had it in my head that I had made it through my first trimester with no problems and therefore I would not have any other issues. It really is not an issue having my dosage changed because this means that the doctor's are doing a wonderful job at keeping track of my levels and nipping any problems in the butt. If I were not to take this higher dosage it could threaten the life of my baby, so, accepting the fact that my body is trying to work against me, I will be taking these little guys and hoping that everything stays leveled for the remainder of my pregnancy.
On a side note, today I thought I felt the baby! (The first time I actually thought I felt something was around the end of week 12) I am still a little unsure about it particularly because the doctor said I may not feel anything until week 18, but I have read that it is indeed possible to feel baby's movements sooner. It is hard not jumping for joy at the thought that what I felt could have been our baby, but it is still a little exciting even thinking about them moving around. I'm not saying that is what I felt, but I don't think it was gas because trust me, I know very well what gas feels like. Haha! I will be able to say that I felt my baby as soon as I feel it again and I can't even begin to describe the feeling; I would say something along the lines of flutters just because that is what I have read it feels like, but I think the way that butterfly kisses feel on your cheek would be more appropriate. It is almost a feeling so delicate that you don't even notice it until it really catches you off guard. This feeling caught me off guard, that is for sure! Who knows though, maybe it was just gas? But my intuition is telling me that it was something much more than that. <3
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