About two weeks ago, I wrote a bit about my pregnancy, and it’s time to do so again. This is week 27, and the little guy is about the size of a head of cauliflower (or roughly 2 pounds). He kicks and shifts a lot, and everyone has been able to feel him, and we can even see him punching around in there, which is exciting.

I had to have the glucose test this past week, which I fortunately passed. We were a little concerned I might fail because of the daily prednisone, but it turned out to not be an issue.

The less exciting news is that this past week (on Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon), I got ocular migraines. Both times, I started out feeling like I was seeing a glare on my computer screen (fri) and the TV screen (sun). I ignored it on Friday, because I was busy working and a glare is annoying at best. After awhile, I realized it wasn’t a glare – I couldn’t see a patch directly in front of me. I could see around that patch, but not really through it – it’s hard to describe, but it started a lot like a glare on screen, but everywhere I looked, and progressed to looking like wavy or pixelated lines, which I saw with my eyes open or closed. Finally on Friday I packed it in – mostly because I finally realized I had the same visual issue that lead to that intense migraine a few weeks before, but also partly because I just couldn’t see to work anymore.

I went to bed and sat in the dark for a few hours. If you’ve never tried this, it can get really boring. I did end up snoozing for awhile. I listened to Serial for a bit. I would have preferred to read at least, but I didn’t dare risk it.

After sevearl hours, I had to go get the kids (and ended up picking them up late, which I felt very guilty about), so I ventured out. My glasses (which I put on as soon as I stopped working, rather than contacts) have transition lenses, which may have helped with the bright sun. Nonetheless, that evening, night, and part of the next day, my head felt very tender, bruised. It hurt a little bit, but not terribly. Most of Saturday I felt like a lump (but I think the whole family did, really). We went to a park in the afternoon to play, but mostly sat around and watched movies. We needed a lazy day!

On Sunday, I got up early with the kids, made pancakes, and had fun with them. Suddenly, in the early afternoon, I saw the same glare on the TV, and Bob couldn’t see it. I went to take a shower (to not look at any screens for awhile and to get clean), and the glare progressed into the pixelated shape, so I just got right into bed and laid a wet washcloth over my eyes for a few hours. I listened to This American Life. I’m not sure why sound doesn’t bother me, but I’m grateful. Meanwhile, Bob had an afternoon out with the twins – they went to a bounce house and got Mexcian for dinner. I’m jealous I missed it!

During this particular episode, I noticed that I felt sick, like how when you’re in intense pain it makes you feel sick – not exactly nauseated, but sick nonetheless. But I wasn’t in intense pain. Both times this weekend, I avoided the migraine itself, although after my vision normalized, my eyes were sensitive to light (and backlit screens, so I mostly read a real book when I got very bored), and my head felt tender again. Migraines are sort of like DNS – they can take up to 72 hours to resolve, so I’m not really sure that I had two separate episodes and not just one that sort of relapsed.

I have put the question in to my midwife and doctor, but what I suspect is that the migraines are caused by hormone changes due to my body trying to normalize having prednisone replacing progesterone in my system. Which is sort of good news – they shouldn’t last when I stop taking prednisone. This may make it sound like stopping the prednisone sooner than later would be for the best, but unless there is a alternative way to resolve the itching – I would prefer this. I can’t emphasize how terrorizing the itching is – it is inescapable and inexhaustable. This would have to get significantly worse for me to consider the itching the lesser evil.

Switching gears, the kids are still very excited to be a big brother and big sister. Henry asked me this morning to tell dad (Bob had already left for work) that he (Henry) was going to feed the baby with a bottle when he was born. Eleanor wants to teach him to walk. They both told me at breakfast today that they want to get him presents when he’s born (“but just one,” Eleanor stipulated). They keep checking in on the timeline; “will he be born when we move into our new house? Will he be born when we are 5?” They both kiss my belly and hug it (they let me know they’re hugging the baby, not me specifically). Even though this will be a very big change for them, I am really proud of how excited they are, and how happy they are.