Silly Precautions

Ever since finding out that I am pregnant, I've been taking some precautions.  After three losses, I find myself trying to be extra careful.  Sure, I follow all of the "what to eat/what not to eat" guidelines and such, but there are a few other silly precautions that I've taken on as well.  I am fully aware that some (okay, probably all of these) are so entirely completely unnecessary...and yet I continue to observe them.

First...I haven't licked an envelope since finding out I'm pregnant, for fear of random toxins in the glue.  In the last few weeks, I've have so many students contact me to ask for letters of recommendation--which I am more than happy to provide.  But instead of holding the envelope up to my mouth and wetting the glue with my tongue, I lick my finger and wet the glue that way.  If I need more saliva, I lick a different finger (just in case).  Yes, my fingers are probably just as nasty...but I can't bring myself to lick the glue.

Second...I try to avoid the microwave as much as possible.  If I do need to heat something up, I hit the "start" button, and then hurry to the other side of the room.  I'm sure that the safety of microwaves has improved dramatically since they were first introduced, but I figure it doesn't hurt to stay far away from them, just in case they do indeed send out some sort of "waves" that could hinder the baby's development. 

Third...I cover my nose and mouth if there is any sort of fumes that I think could be bad.  My husband and I were driving in to church a couple of weeks ago, and we happened to be stopped at a red light behind a historic hot-rod car which was exempt from the same air quality regulations as most other cars.  I covered my nose and mouth with my sweater, and my husband sweetly turned off the air so that we weren't inhaling the black smoke that was billowing out of the car.  I even do the same thing when writing with a Sharpie marker. 

Fourth (and probably the most ridiculous)...after having that bad dream, I avoided a certain bathroom stall at work.  I could argue that the first three silly precautions may have some validity behind them, but this precaution is totally 100% mental.  (But I am proud to share that I used that stall last week--although I admit that it was more out of "necessity" rather than "bravery").

And lastly...my poor husband has had to be "patient in the bedroom".  Even though the RE told us at 8 weeks that it was totally fine, I asked my husband to wait.  At the time, I was still on the progesterone supplements.  Those continued until 12 weeks, so I kind of had an "excuse".  Then when I went off the progesterone, I was concerned that my body may react to the lack thereof, so I wanted to wait a bit to see if there would be any spotting (thankfully, there wasn't).  My husband left last Monday when I hit the 14 week mark, and will be back this Friday.  I know that it should be perfectly fine to return to those sorts of activities, but I'm just a little bit scared to do anything that could be potentially damaging.  It's not that I don't want to be intimate with my husband--because I really do.  It's just that I'm concerned about doing anything that could possibly jeopardize the baby and his/her environment.

Like I said, I realize that these silly precautions are probably so entirely unnecessary, and plenty of people will probably think that I'm completely ridiculous.  I honestly hope that I can look back 25 weeks from now and laugh at myself (and I hope that my husband will understand and laugh along with me).  Sadly, after experiencing three losses, I don't feel that I can be totally "care-free", even in the second trimester.  Even though I recognize that these are probably totally unnecessary, I admit that I'll probably continue to follow them.  I just want to keep this baby growing inside of me.  I wonder if there are any other silly precautions that any of you are observing and are brave enough to share...

It was a couple of days ago now, but I wanted to share that I was blessed on Easter to be "adopted" by my very-dear friend's family.  I was initially disappointed that I wouldn't be able to celebrate Easter with my husband, but when my very-dear friend realized that I would be alone, she immediately insisted that I join her family.  Their family tradition is to celebrate with a picnic, so we headed out to her parents' property in the mountains for delicious food, fun games, and amazing scenery.  It really is a blessing to be so accepted and welcomed--especially on special holidays.