Baby's First... Drugs?

During the first trimester I was very careful not to take over-the-counter medications, touch/breath harsh chemicals or even ingest certain foods. I was trying to give baby the best chance at being put together I could give him/her. Sadly, last weekend I came down with a cold and have had to resort to taking over-the-counter medicines. I am taking the medications that are believed to be "safe" and recommended for pregnant women, but it's definitely not something I would have chosen (I'm not really sure how "safe" they actually are).

Being sick with a cold is the worst possible thing I can think of. I hate it. The stuffy head, ear pressure, sore throat, fever and other various symptoms that lead to sleeping on 3 pillows (or sometimes not at all) is miserable. I'd do almost anything to get well, so I've tried taking the medications that are deemed ok. Here's my grade for them so far:

Extra Strength Tylenol = B
(Makes the aches go away, but did very little for my 101.5 fever.)
Robutussin = D-
(Didn't do anything for my severe head congestion.)
Sudafed = C
(If I take the recommended dose it makes my heart pound [and I'm sure the baby's too] so I've been trying to take only half the dose which doesn't quite do the trick.)
Benadryl = B+
(I finally was able to sleep an [almost] uninterrupted 7 hours last night.)
Afrin = A-
(It makes my sinuses burn a little and make me feel the perpetual need to sneeze AND I can only use it for 3 consecutive days.)

So basically, I'm just suffering through it. Baby and I slept 5-20 minute cat naps the other night - which meant Ruggs did too (I was trying to let him sleep, but he's a pretty light sleeper so when I get up he wakes up). I'm sure it won't be last sleepless night we have together (if in fact baby was awake with us). When baby does get sick (and I know it'll happen) I'll feel terrible for him/her. It's a bummer when you can't find anything to make yourself feel better, much less your baby. Let's pray we don't both get sick or Dad will have double duty!

On a positive note, I think I began feeling the baby move late last week (which is called quickening). The Dr said I probably wouldn't feel it until after 20 weeks, but there's definitely something going on in there! At first I thought it might be something else (like gas), but then I began feeling other sensations (like my stomach dropping [like when you're on a roller coaster] and what feels like muscle spasms) that make me believe it's baby. We can't feel it on the outside, but the internal activity is there. I've felt it the last few nights somewhere between 8-10pm. It's a pretty fun feeling!

Next week we have another Dr's appt (and maybe another ultrasound if we aren't successful with the Doppler again) and I'll get some of those requested belly pictures up!

Week 16: Avocado
Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender.