Vitacalendar

Since the day I found out about the little bean in the belly, I have been taking prenatal vitamins. Actually, on the same day I bought the pregnancy tests, I also bought a pack of prenatals. I was pretty sure about the test result, even though I didn't fully believe it.

When I went to the doctor 10 days later, she "prescribed" me the non-refundable kind of prenatal vitamin that all the women in France apparently take. It's called Gyn�fam, which I cannot say at the pharmacy without blushing slightly. I don't know why this is, I guess because of how close I feel "Gyn�" is to "Gyno" and how close "fam" is to "femme." Every time, it feels like I am buying yeast infection medication, when really I just need extra iron. I really think they could have named it something different -- Vitaplus or Femmevita or something with a little more zing.

For the past few months, the vitamin packages have served as my little time markers, a sort of advent calender for this pregnancy, if you will (just without the surprises behind each window). I've divided my time up according to the vitamin breakdown: each pack has three foiled sections, and the packs are bought in month-long units. I began calculating important dates or events by how many more vitamins I needed: was the event in question just one row away? One full foiled section away? A whole new box away?

Imagine my surprise when I came to end of my third box recently. How did that happen? I thought, and then set out to spend more money on folic acid.

At the pharmacy, I mumbled my request for my Gyno-Lady, and the pharmacist got extra excited. Very happy to sell me vitamins!! I didn't know Frenchies even showed this much emotion to strangers, much less customers! Why the excitement?

It appears that Gyn�fam is having a promotional sale, and you can buy an extra-large box of vitamins: a three-month supply for the price of two, or 90 capsules instead of 60. Without thinking, I snagged up the deal and headed out the door.

But now I find myself at home, totally overwhelmed. The sections of this promotional deal are a several vitamins longer per section, and there are five sections in total, instead of three. My previous counting system is completely off, and I'm taking it as a prophetic statement: these next few months are going to fly by. Hell, I'll already be one foiled section down by Jan 3 - the date of my next doctor's appointment. Just one foiled section! That's nothing!

It occured to me, as I opened the pack for the first time, that when I finish this pack I will be almost 13 weeks further along, which will put me at just under 30 weeks. That's about the stage that I consider Really Damn Pregnant, and it's kind of insane to me that a time like that is anywhere on the visible horizon at all.

In the way that only stupid details can sometimes, these damn vitamins made the whole thing suddenly seem so REAL, and that was a fascinating sensation indeed. An exciting one, just definetly not one I'm used to.