In the time that I've spent away from blogging, I've probably gone through another 7 weeks of pregnancy. That being said, I'm now one month into the last trimester- woohoo!!
I have learned quite a bit from books, mainly lots and lots of articles, and apps on my phone, what I'm supposed to expect or experience during pregnancy, and what constitutes "normal."
Truth is, almost anything goes with pregnancy. So much of what we experience just varies from woman to woman, and most of it is unavoidable stuff that just... happens.
For instance, I have mainly battled fatigue, sciatica discomfort, and Braxton Hicks contractions. The fatigue happens mostly on days when I don't have something planned, so I really think it's just an extreme version of boredom. If I wake up with a purpose, excitement, or a cup of coffee (2 cups/day is fine, not to worry), then I'm usually a happy camper. It helps much more if I shower right away in the morning and not try to go about my day with "day-old makeup" or yesterday's clothes, because just freshening up is rejuvenating enough. Thankfully, Justin has been really encouraging me to take this time while he's away to rest and enjoy the pregnancy as much as I can, without worrying about working. He liked to ask, "so when are you going to stop working?" as if I just wanted to. But now, I'm realizing that cutting back and really taking this time to be at home, with family, and friends, is helping me tremendously.
My sciatica discomfort seems to be short-lived. I thought it was the beginning of something that could be chronic, but apparently I had either lifted something too heavy (totally believable) or sat on my booty too long and needed a good workout! Either way, I learned to stop trying to do so much at home, and to workout more, and the sciatica pains are gone.
The Braxton Hicks contractions are simply an annoyance. They are mostly annoying because I've heard (and seen this happen to someone) that, if prolonged, they can actually put a woman into legitimate stages of labor. I know of a girl who went into labor at 32 weeks from having Braxton Hicks contractions for an extended period of time. Mine usually pop up if I eat too much and then move around, instead of sitting down and letting my food settle. It sounds silly, but that's the only time I notice my stomach feeling like a big rope has been tied around it and it's just tightening and tightening. My cheeks usually get flushed and I have to recline and breathe through them. They do not hurt at all, but they sure are annoying.
As far as feeling my daughter move- she moves a ton! I feel fortunate enough that I haven't had to really shake my stomach or press on it to encourage her to move. After 28 weeks, doctors told me to count them twice a day, hoping for 10 movements felt within an hour. I usually feel 10 movements in about 2 minutes and I'm woken up by them in the mornings, and I feel her going crazy right as I lie down for bed. I hear that as she gets bigger, she'll just have less room and may seem less mobile, but then I can just poke and prod and hopefully agitate her to get moving and let me know all is okay in there :)
I happen to have an anterior placenta, so for a long time, her movements weren't very strong for me, and I didn't quite feel her kicking as early as some moms. But, thankfully she's forceful enough these days that there's no question what she's doing in there!
Other than that, I get a little heartburn when I eat the typical acidic, spicy foods, but TUMS are all I need to get through the discomfort. I feel a little heavy in the front, and I'm feeling more and more like there's a person in there, rather than just a bloated belly that's rounding out and just... cute. It's weight-gaining time for Anneliese, and I'm sure it'll be noticeable with every passing week.
And finally, I have had the fortune of passing my glucose test and staying within the weight gain requirements for this pregnancy (according to the docs). I scored a 123 on the glucose test (my doc office sets the cutoff at >140) and I have gained a total of 16 pounds. I don't eat a ton, but that doesn't mean I don't get insane sugar cravings. I still love my salads, microwave steamed veggies, and chicken... but I love me some monkey bread, cinnamon toast, french toast, and basically anything with syrup. I feel like I overdo it so many days, but when I crave the other healthy items, I guess it creates a bit of balance. I've also started going back to the gym. Since I'm not working as often (almost not at all in the past few weeks), I figured I'm desperately needing to walk and stretch. I know that it's always recommended to walk it off and stretch, and throw in some yoga, but I was getting so much walking done at work, that I had been able to keep the weight down. But I have to say, nothing compares to getting a solid, purposeful workout at the gym- pregnant or not.
Honestly, that sums up the last 7 weeks, and actually the whole second trimester, as well! I really cannot complain about my experiences, and if the delivery/birth goes well, I could be alright with being pregnant all the time (no barefoot-and-pregnant-with-a-kid-in-each-arm days in my future, though!).
Soon, I'll have a post about my 3-D ultrasound experience, and other home projects- as they are never ending.
Friday, January 11, 2013
I'm 31 Weeks Today!
Pardon the delay in posts. I've got many, so they will just keep funneling through today and tomorrow, quite frankly, as they are long overdue.
This pregnancy has flown by, with every ounce of energy going with it! Saying that I'm 31 weeks pregnant has a very out-of-body feeling to it. I remember taking my test and looking at Weezy, saying it was a waste of a good pregnancy test, only to look down and be in complete shock when I saw the digital screen display the word "pregnant" after a few moments. (See... it was a good test!)
Since Thanksgiving, I would have to say my only poor experiences with pregnancy have been fatigue and sciatica pains. If I don't have something to really perk me up- a cup of coffee or big plans- I usually find myself eating breakfast and falling asleep on the couch shortly after. I have been upset in the past because it's a bummer to wake up and have missed the whole day, but all of that rest has kept me healthy and away from sickness. So, it's really all in how you look at it, I guess.
I talk an awful lot about the home decorating, organizing, and endless project list that I have, but if you were to visit, you'd quickly notice most of the work must be done inside my head because I've made very little physical progress. Along with keeping busy and being social, I've discovered some really great ideas for our home, yet I don't manage my time wisely, so much of it is still in limbo.
The office is the room that has served as a catch-all for the other rooms as I've dragged every item out of their prospective homes in an attempt to sort through them. The guest room is actually where I've slept for the past week due to the fact that the master bedroom is an utter disaster. I've piled all clean, unfolded laundry on top of the bed, miscellaneous items there (trying to organize, yet again), and it all gets jumbled even more when the dogs get excited and jump on the bed. It's just a mess.
What I've accomplished in this past month and a half is the following:
I've organized the pantry, as best as I can- sans labels. Everything has a home, expired items have been discarded, and I now know exactly what's missing/what needs to be purchased at the grocery store. That's a huge plus. I LOVE these baskets with handles because they make it so easy to just kind of pull them out like a drawer and reach what I need.
I've selected the wall color, and painted the entire nursery- with the exception of trim work.
I've painted and distressed the crib (with the exception of the feet), so it's that much closer to the look and feel of her room! This was Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint.
The kitchen has been literally ransacked of all the things that don't belong, including old pots and pans. It's about as organized as it'll ever be, just disregard all of the clutter on the peninsula (to the left of the sink). Those things are helping me give homes to items in junk drawers and the living room closet, however it's simply remaining an incomplete project.
I also re-finished the furniture in the master bedroom. I actually did these first, due to the fact that I was new to refinishing furniture and these were in much worse shape, which meant that it'd be great practice before I tackled Ali's furniture. These are done in Annie Sloan's Chateau Grey. The lighting just doesn't do it justice, I promise. I'm in love with these colors.
In addition to the projects, I was able to have a wonderful Christmas with my work family, my family, my husband's family, and my sweet, crazy dogs at home. This was basically how I ushered in 2013- I went to my sister-in-law's place for the goodies (yummy!) and in the following days, I celebrated on the couch with my sweet dogs. They aren't easy to pose in 10 seconds, so timers on cameras don't quite help after all.
I'm sure the theme of this post is "too many irons in the fire." Heck, I'll just say that's been the story of my life. If someone were to warn me that I'd be 31 weeks pregnant and feel like there was still so much to do, I wouldn't have believed them, due to the fact that I really thought my alone time with a hubby on deployment would have been beneficial to my productivity. But I've managed to still find lots of sleep and have a strong need for extra help when it comes to the house. I'm one big mess, I know.
This pregnancy has flown by, with every ounce of energy going with it! Saying that I'm 31 weeks pregnant has a very out-of-body feeling to it. I remember taking my test and looking at Weezy, saying it was a waste of a good pregnancy test, only to look down and be in complete shock when I saw the digital screen display the word "pregnant" after a few moments. (See... it was a good test!)
Since Thanksgiving, I would have to say my only poor experiences with pregnancy have been fatigue and sciatica pains. If I don't have something to really perk me up- a cup of coffee or big plans- I usually find myself eating breakfast and falling asleep on the couch shortly after. I have been upset in the past because it's a bummer to wake up and have missed the whole day, but all of that rest has kept me healthy and away from sickness. So, it's really all in how you look at it, I guess.
I talk an awful lot about the home decorating, organizing, and endless project list that I have, but if you were to visit, you'd quickly notice most of the work must be done inside my head because I've made very little physical progress. Along with keeping busy and being social, I've discovered some really great ideas for our home, yet I don't manage my time wisely, so much of it is still in limbo.
The office is the room that has served as a catch-all for the other rooms as I've dragged every item out of their prospective homes in an attempt to sort through them. The guest room is actually where I've slept for the past week due to the fact that the master bedroom is an utter disaster. I've piled all clean, unfolded laundry on top of the bed, miscellaneous items there (trying to organize, yet again), and it all gets jumbled even more when the dogs get excited and jump on the bed. It's just a mess.
What I've accomplished in this past month and a half is the following:
I've organized the pantry, as best as I can- sans labels. Everything has a home, expired items have been discarded, and I now know exactly what's missing/what needs to be purchased at the grocery store. That's a huge plus. I LOVE these baskets with handles because they make it so easy to just kind of pull them out like a drawer and reach what I need.
I've selected the wall color, and painted the entire nursery- with the exception of trim work.
I've painted and distressed the crib (with the exception of the feet), so it's that much closer to the look and feel of her room! This was Annie Sloan's Old White chalk paint.
The kitchen has been literally ransacked of all the things that don't belong, including old pots and pans. It's about as organized as it'll ever be, just disregard all of the clutter on the peninsula (to the left of the sink). Those things are helping me give homes to items in junk drawers and the living room closet, however it's simply remaining an incomplete project.
In addition to the projects, I was able to have a wonderful Christmas with my work family, my family, my husband's family, and my sweet, crazy dogs at home. This was basically how I ushered in 2013- I went to my sister-in-law's place for the goodies (yummy!) and in the following days, I celebrated on the couch with my sweet dogs. They aren't easy to pose in 10 seconds, so timers on cameras don't quite help after all.
I'm sure the theme of this post is "too many irons in the fire." Heck, I'll just say that's been the story of my life. If someone were to warn me that I'd be 31 weeks pregnant and feel like there was still so much to do, I wouldn't have believed them, due to the fact that I really thought my alone time with a hubby on deployment would have been beneficial to my productivity. But I've managed to still find lots of sleep and have a strong need for extra help when it comes to the house. I'm one big mess, I know.
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