February 26, 2011
Good OB news
Thursday was our 24 week OB appointment (postponed by a week since my dr. was on paternity leave), and S joined me so that he could give them a piece of his mind if they upset me again. ;-P The dr. that we were meeting with was the one that I have wanted from the beginning, so I made S promise to give him the benefit of the doubt…and the appointment couldn’t have gone better.
For the first time, I really felt listened to and supported…and he even gave me a few other things to try for my numb legs. S was making fun of me…”you just want them to tell you SOMETHING!”…but he’s right, I’m in a lot of pain and I want them to take me seriously! Dr. T (maybe that’s a good sign, the RE that got us pregnant was a Dr. T… 😉 ) said that fluid retention could add to nerve compression, so for me to try a low-sodium diet for a week and see what happened. (…waiting to start that until AFTER girls night tonight… 😉 )
He also recommended trying a pregnancy support band to shift my center of gravity, so that’s another thing on the to-buy list for the weekend. To be fair, he acknowledged that neither thing might work, but said they were worth a shot. That’s all I care about…I’ve already been dealing with this for three months and I’m willing to try just about anything at this point!
The other big news from this appointment was the scheduling of my glucose test, which you all know I am TERRIFIED for. Not the actual test…I am just so nervous about my pre-dispositions to diabetes and do NOT want to have to deal with GD in my third trimester. So in addition to cutting out salt, I’m planning to cut WAY down on my sugar intake for the next few weeks as well. Not really happy about having to find my willpower again, but it’s all worth it if I can avoid GD complications. I’m not ready to completely cut out all carbs, fruit, etc…but any other tips from folks who have had experiences with GD?
February 24, 2011
Changes
In honor of 25 weeks, I thought I would share a few of the (physical) changes that have come to a head over the past few weeks:
- BOOBS. For anyone who knows me – and anyone who has also had to suffer the curse of not-quite-A’s – you will know how exciting it is that I’m finally growing a set of boobs! 😉 I officially had to retire my regular bras a few weeks ago, and took a trip to VS where I discovered that not only had I increased a band size, but also a full cup size! And yes, I’m loving every minute of being a B. 😛 Although for the first time in my life, the underwire in my bra is killing me – even after the saleswoman told me it might and I was like “oh, nooo, I love underwire!” – I had to go back and get a second bra in the wireless version.
- BELLY. My belly has gotten so big that I can’t see what’s ahem, beneath it…so my poor wax lady is probably in for a shock this weekend. And I officially can not bend over and touch my toes anymore, which means that putting on socks and shaving have become acrobatic events, and I am starting the process of regular pedicures going forward. (If anyone has seen my husband’s nails, you’ll know why I turned down his kind offer to cut my toes for me.) 😉
- WEIGHT. At today’s OB appointment, I officially hit a new “category”…i.e. a digit in the tens place that I’ve never seen before! I still have a good 10-15 lbs to go, at a minimum (depending on whether I start counting from my pre- or post-IVF weight), and S and I just find it totally hysterical to guess how big I might get. I know that I’m eating healthy (and the baby is measuring perfectly on track), so I don’t really care how much I gain. The summer will be the perfect time for long walks to work off the lbs. 😉
In case it isn’t obvious, I am LOVING every aspect of my changing body. I realized the other night it’s probably because, even though my stomach is big, it’s tight, and I haven’t had a tight stomach in years!! 😛
February 17, 2011
24 week update
How am I feeling? Not feeling well from my cold, but no new pregnancy symptoms. And I’m feeling really hopeful that the chiropractor is going to help with my leg pain…it hasn’t gone away, but she showed me a few tricks that are definitely helping to lessen it a bit.
Oh, and I think I figured out what happened to my belly button! I mentioned it to my prenatal exercise instructor and she was like “did you have a belly button ring?” Umm, yes…(and even though I took it out 5 years ago when we started trying)…I guess the scar tissue can sometimes end up causing pain like I had! Only for the lucky few ;-)…but at least I know now!
Weight gain? +10 lbs (the most recent 5 lbs of which was 100% in week 23, no joke! I’m the same weight today as I was at 23 weeks)
Cravings/aversions? None at the moment!
Milestones? All baby-movement related. We’ve gone beyond flutters and bumps to real kicks and rolls…SO cool!
Best moment of the week? Starting to be able to tell where all the different baby parts are! There are times now when one side of my belly is bigger and super hard and you can tell that the baby has basically rolled its whole body onto that side! I’m having so much fun experiencing all of the movement…and definitely appreciating every little kick and wiggle. That’s one of the things I didn’t know if I’d ever get to experience, and I’m not taking any second of it for granted.
Photo to come…we finally got our good camera to work, but now can’t find the cable to download the pics. Good thing we have a few more months to get our act together, huh? 😉
February 16, 2011
Why can’t I just be ignorant…
…and blissful?
I know that the other IFers out there understand all too well the dilemma of knowing TOO much about everything that could possibly go wrong over the course of a pregnancy. Up until now, I haven’t really focused on the negative possibilities – thank God, I haven’t had any reason to – but I never realized how close to the surface my worries really were.
I spent yesterday in a mild state of panic because I had back and belly pain which my pregnancy books described as symptoms of early LABOR. After laying down on my side for a little while, the pain went away and I tried to convince myself that I had just pulled a muscle. Then I spent the afternoon and evening worrying because my stomach felt tighter than normal and the baby wasn’t moving around at all…which culminated in my drinking a big glass of cranberry juice at ten o’clock, just to make sure s/he was okay before I went to bed.
I feel better today…and little miss or mister is keeping me company as I write this post…but I never realized how SCARY the not-knowing would be. I think I’m a little gun-shy after my last experience with the ER…I don’t want to end up being the pregnant woman who cried wolf, but I equally don’t want to ignore something real! I’ve just decided to try lying down on my side for a while before making any decisions to call, and I think I was right to do that yesterday.
I think all of the worry came to a head because a few of the bloggers I follow are dealing with pre-term labor issues (granted, they are both pregnant with twins), and I know people in real life (and of course reality tv stars) who have had babies right around the gestational age our baby is now. I know that there is NO REASON why there would be anything that causes me to go into pre-term labor, but UGH! I just want a healthy baby in my arms at the end of all of this. I guess the worry never really ends though, even after the baby is born…right moms? 😉
February 15, 2011
Valentine’s Day recap (and yes, I’m still sick)
I know a lot of fellow bloggers have posted lovely heart-warming stories about their Valentine’s Day celebrations, so I thought you all might enjoy hearing how S and I spent that most romantic of nights.
Monday nights are busy for both of us, and neither of us saw any real reason to change our plans, so off we went…S to go-kart racing with my father, and me to prenatal exercise class. ;-P I guess that’s what happens on Valentine’s Day #9…although, it definitely would have been a different story if we didn’t both have plans (both of which were pre-paid), lol!
Oh and a doctor’s visit and two inhalers later, I’m still not feeling much better, although I did suck it up and go to my chiropractor’s appointment yesterday, which may or may not have been a good idea. I was having sharp back pain earlier today and totally freaked myself out by reading my book for the signs of pre-term labor. I felt better after laying down on my side, so I think I must just have pulled something between the chiropractor, exercise class, and all the coughing. Taking it easy today and actually hoping to get back to work tomorrow…
February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine’s Day (and reason #3,456 why I love my husband)
I woke up yesterday with some sort of ridiculous chest congestion, and after church and a quick grocery shop, arrived home in tears because I was having a hard time breathing. I also knew by then that I was getting worse not better, and that I would probably be ruining our Valentine’s Day/7 year anniversary celebration (we’re bumping the second part up a little bit, because we think we’ll probably be a little busy on June 12th 😉 ).
S calmed me down and tucked me into bed with a Vicks VapoRub back massage and a heating pad and I napped while he cleaned the house. Once I woke up, I felt a little better so we went out shopping for a much needed new winter jacket for me. By the time we were standing at the checkout counter, I knew that our fancy dinner out was never going to happen, so S cancelled and made plans for a romantic night in. Dinner was just what I wanted (steak and mashed potatoes), but I crashed so fast that we never made it to the “romantic” part. I was in bed asleep by 9:05.
I had really been looking forward to a night out with S, but his attitude and the way he took care of me all day was almost more romantic than chocolate and flowers. I am so proud and lucky to be married to him, and I can’t wait to see him taking care of our child the way he takes care of me and our furbabies.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my friends and supporters! I wish you all a day where you bask in the glow of all of the people that care about you. Much love!
February 10, 2011
Good news, and some pics
So here I am at 23 weeks…(standing in the nursery!)
23 weeks
And just to remind you what I looked like, ONLY 3 WEEKS EARLIER…
20 weeks
And just for fun…my first pic:
8 weeks
And back to the present:
23 weeks
Last night S and I had a good stare at the belly as I was changing for bed. We both think the belly is completely amazing (even with the BB issues), but finally realized how much bigger I could possibly get! 17 more weeks to go 😀
And here’s the good news! I think that the top edge of my belly button released a little bit overnight on Tuesday and it has felt MUCH BETTER since then. And so has my mental state… A few days of pain every time it needs to grow is totally manageable, now that I know it will pass. I just have my fingers crossed that I get a little break before the next growth spurt! 😉
February 9, 2011
Nursery update
After my whiny, depressing post of yesterday, I thought I owed you guys some happiness and light. So I thought I’d give you all a nursery room update…since we finally have made some decisions and some progress!
I’m sure you all remember that I’ve been looking for gender neutral nursery bedding/themes/colors since before I was pregnant…and it was not going well. Four different shades of green later and S was begging to find out the gender just so we could repaint the room. 😉
After giving up on bedding sets, I spent weeks looking (in stores and online) for a fabric that S and I both liked and that was truly gender neutral, both in color and in theme. And after much searching, we found a fabric online and ordered a sample. It just came last Friday and thank goodness! we loved it as much in person. In fact, we loved it so much that we couldn’t wait to start on the room! I went out on Saturday to get new paint and S painted the room Saturday night and Sunday.
Without further ado…
Our fabric, that will be made into curtains, a quilt, and potentially a dust ruffle:
From far away, all you see is the checkerboard pattern, but close up you can see all the cute little animals and toys. I’m just picturing myself holding our baby and teaching him/her all the colors and words…I can’t wait! 😀
And I finally abandoned my dream of “pale apple green”…trust me friends, it doesn’t exist…and we went with a pale aqua:
Behr - Pastel Jade
Once the baby is born, we are going to accent with pink or blue…sheets, pillow, area rug, wall art, etc…and S is going to make me an armchair/rocker in cozy off-white chenille.
So what do you think?? 🙂
February 2, 2011
22 week update
First of all, thank you so much for the great feedback regarding my OB freakout. I am going to wait and see what happens at my next appointment and then will make a decision for us moving forward. I’m planning to do a lot more reading and research about doulas, natural childbirth, and advocating for yourself…but I feel better that S and I will be able to work together to handle whatever comes our way.
I had a day full of appointments yesterday – first with my acupuncturist/herbalist and then a shiatsu massage (from his wife). Some of you may recall that I broke up with my acupuncturist over a year ago…well, when my leg got bad I decided to get back in touch with their office, in the hopes that something would help. (Some of you mentioned a chiropractor, but I was cautioned against doing that since pregnant muscles are extra pliable and may be stretched too far.) Despite a great few hours of being pampered (the benefits of snow days and “working” from home), my numb leg came back pretty soon afterwards. I’m still taking B12, under their guidance, and hoping that might make a difference. After that, I think I’ll just have to accept the fact that these are the cards I was dealt. In the grand scheme of things, I still got away easy. 😉
Here’s a quick 22 week update:
How am I feeling? Getting tired, and uncomfortable when I eat too much again, and starting to get heartburn. Oh and don’t forget my numb/burning legs. But loving the continued belly growth!
Weight gain? +5 lbs (as soon as I asked the doctor about my weight I started gaining…story of my life 😉 )
Cravings? None right now, still trying to cut back on the sugar and add in more fruits and vegetables.
Milestones? Feeling the baby move from the outside, and having S feel it for the first time!
Life by the Day 