16W

隨著肚子慢慢變大, 懷孕的感覺越來越明顯
雖然現在沒有像之前一樣的疲累或不適
但我這顆孕前非常健康開心的胃
慢慢開始了解什麼叫做胃灼熱,胃酸逆流
尤其是傍晚 特別覺得好像有東西卡在食道的感覺
咳嗽或打噴嚏時 也會造成由胃酸逆流引起的嘔吐感
雖然醫生開給我胃藥 我還是想能撐著不吃就不吃

With my growing belly, the pregnancy seems to be a lot more real now. Although the fatigue and morning sickness have gradually faded away, I’ve started experiencing so called “heartburn” & “acid reflux” (which my happy tummy hardly experienced before). It seems like there is always food rising up in my chest, especially in the evenings. Or the nausea returns due to acid reflux induced by coughing or sneezing. My OB gave me a prescription for Zantac (she guarantees this is perfectly fine), but I think I can handle this without taking medication.

孕婦就是這樣 盡量將藥品視為拒絕往來戶
也不就是為了希望肚子裡的寶寶健康
但這次H1N1流感讓孕婦成為高危險群
在詢問過婦產科醫生及幾位醫生朋友
我也是毅然決然的挨了兩針(一般及H1N1流感疫苗)
雖然有人不信任疫苗安全性
或相信所謂”增加小孩自閉症機率”理論
我選擇相信科學根據(當然我知道科學不是100%)以及風險效應
尤其我冬天常常生病

Pregnant women often try to avoid medicine as much as possible for one simple reason: to keep the baby healthy. However, the outbreak of H1N1 has put pregnant women on the top of the high risk group. After consulting my doctors and several M.D. friends, I also received seasonal and H1N1 flu shots. Although some people question the safety of the vaccines and/or believe the “vaccine-Autism” theory, I chose to believe science and risk-benefit (though I know nothing is 100%). And on top of that, I get sick pretty often during the winter.

我雖然贊成用疫苗來保護媽媽寶寶以及廣大社群
但打不打疫苗是個人選擇 我也尊重反對意見的人
每個人的情況都不同 (至少我不會正面去批評)
但我就遇到有人當面嗆我說
“我才不相信流感疫苗這種東西, 那會導致自閉症, 我才不打”
不知道講的人有沒有心…
但我聽起來就是在批評我是個壞媽媽
或許是我太敏感 (孕婦很敏感喔…大家請小心)

Although I strongly support getting flu shots to protect expectant mothers, babies, and the greater community, I also think this is a personal choice. I respect those who choose not to get vaccinated; at least I won’t confront them. However, I encountered someone that brutally said to my face (can’t remember exactly how that person phrased it) “I don’t believe in flu shots, I never get them. They cause Autism. I don’t believe that kind of ****”. Maybe this person didn’t mean it, but I took it hard. I felt I was being criticized as a bad mother that put my baby at risk. Maybe I’m too sensitive….but I guess pregnant women are sensitive in general because of all the hormones.

不過願意打H1N1的孕婦還真不少
這個禮拜二下午接到醫院打來的電話
說當天四點到六點可以免費到醫院打H1N1
我翹班準時四點到…已經有一百多個人排在我前面
整個走廊擠滿孕婦坐在地上等著打針 (有點像孕婦難民營)
在我等待的45分鐘 大概來來去去有兩三百人吧
從來沒同時看過這麼多孕婦 應該照個像的 真的很壯觀
我想醫院也沒料到會有這麼多孕婦願意打H1N1吧

However, there are a lot of pregnant moms out there (at least in Pittsburgh) willing to get H1N1 flu shots. I got a phone call from my OB office Tuesday afternoon that they have a free H1N1 vaccine clinic for pregnant women 4pm-6pm that day. I arrived on time at 4pm, and there were already 100 pregnant women ahead of me. The hallway was packed with pregnant women sitting on the floor (like a refugee camp) waiting to be called. During my 45 mins wait, there was probably about 200-300 expectant mothers. I’ve never seen so many pregnant women at the same time; I should have taken some pictures!! The hospital probably didn’t expect so many women so desperate to get an H1N1 flu shot.

還有還有, 這個禮拜接到移民局的通知
我的兩年”條件式”綠卡正式已核准轉為十年”永久”綠卡
(由結婚拿到的綠卡只有兩年, 屆滿前要申請移除”條件”轉為永久綠卡)
這次移民局的動作還蠻快的 居然六個月就通過了(聽說有人等一年)
至少申請費變貴是有改善成效的

By the way, we got a letter from USCIS that they approved the removal of my “conditional” status on my permanent residency (which was necessary because I got it through marriage), and will give me “permanent” permanent residency within 60 days. I’m very pleased with USCIS’s processing time. It only took them 6 months to approve it, but it’s often twice that or more. I guess the increasing fee is worth it.

所以….這個禮拜很開心
打到H1N1, 永久綠卡沒問題, 星期六還去看了場學校的足球賽
只是工作上的事永遠做不完……………..

In general, I had a very good week, getting H1N1 shot, having my green card conditional status removed, and watching Pitt’s football game in Heinz Field. The problem is…….I’m still so behind in my work.