So much is happening at once, it's hard to keep up with it
all! I read my friends blogs and see all of their pregnancy updates and I feel
shameful! I have been SO NOT
on the ball with this! ...and I SO wanted to be! So here's the first update (of hopefully many): the good, the bad, and the ugly.
How far along: 0-19 weeks (this update should be interesting with so much to cover!)
How big is baby: Obviously started as a twinkle in Nic's eye, and is now anywhere between 6.5-9 inches! Wowza!!! Tuesday's ultrasound informed us that baby is around 10 oz right now!
Weight gain/loss: Not exactly sure about this one... I think prob around 7 right now. I do know for sure (thanks to the appt today) that I gained 2 lbs within the last month.
Stretch marks: None yet! Which is amazing since my boobs feel ginormous and are itchy all the time! I put Vitamin E oil on the high stretch zones (when I remember, which is about 2-3 times per week)... I hear it works out pretty well!
Maternity clothes: Around weeks 16-17 I noticed it was harder to button my jeans. Maybe it was the baby, maybe it was all the delicious homemade food my mother-in-law made for all of us. ...regardless, things were getting a bit tight in there. At that point I started leaving them unbuttoned and using a rubber band or hair tie, looping it through the hole and around the button to give me some extra room. That's still what I'm doing now, though, truth be told-- I can barely ZIP them now. I think here in the next few weeks I'm going to have to get some maternity pants. Lucky for me, I have quite a few long shirts that completely hide the button/zipper area, so I've been getting away with it.
-ALSO- my mother in law bought me a belly band, which has really come in handy. I'm able to leave the pants unzipped & unbuttoned (though I still like to use the rubber band or hair tie to keep them from hanging open) and I can cover up that area with the belly band, which looks like a shirt (for times when I don't have a long enough shirt) and also smooths out any muffin-toppage that may be happening. (Not that it does. ...I'm so sorry for that horrible image in your head I may have just created.) The band has been EXTREMELY helpful.
Sleep: In the beginning, I was waking up SERIOUSLY 2-3 times a night to pee. I am not exaggerating! I found it hard to go back to sleep as well, because... well, a baby is EXCITING! Around 14 weeks, we got brand new furniture (so the little wiggle worm can have our old stuff), along with a Tempurpedic mattress. I kid you not, my bathroom usage has cut from 3 to 1 and sometimes zero! I'm pretty confident that this is due to the fact that this new mattress puts less stress on my body, and therefore my little one isn't pushing as hard on my bladder. I'm finding it easier to go back to sleep now, too, which is nice. :)
Week 18 I had a pretty nasty upper respiratory infection, which left me super drained and made it hard to sleep (coughing, phlem, wheezing, the whole fun thing). Since that's been over, sleep has been blissful.
Diet/Cravings: Well, in the beginning I couldn't get enough tater tots! ...with ranch dressing! Yummmm! Then there was a while when I would eat whole pineapples by myself. Now, I'm pretty much just craving nutritious food. We had been eating a really well-rounded diet for months before getting pregnant, and after we found out I just ate whatever I wanted because I wanted it SO BADLY. I started to feel the sluggish effects of not eating healthy (or is that just called being pregnant?!?), so I've started trying go back to our old ways. So far, so good! I feel better about what I'm taking in, knowing it's good for me AND BABY!
Gender: At first, we wanted to wait. Then I decided the new mom in me wanted to know for planning purposes. Nic still didn't want to know. And he made it VERY clear that he didn't want to make a big party out of it.
~WELL~
We found out the gender on Tuesday and will be revealing to friends and family on Monday! The original plan was to just have a dinner and cut into a gender cake. Then I started thinking about how week nights are bad for a lot of people since their kids have sports, meetings, etc... so then we made it a Saturday thing. Then decided people shouldn't have to pay for dinner, so now it's just a little 2 hour shindig. So far [today is Thursday] we've got about 20 people total who'll be there (including us). We'll have a table full of tots, pineapple, and cheese (of course) for my cravings, also a table for the cake and other nicely colored sweets. Pics and updates on the gender reveal in next post. :)
Movement: At our 16 week appointment, the MD said I should feel it any time. She also said, don't be alarmed if I don't because some don't feel it until after their 20th week. There are times I think I feel it, but then I talk myself into thinking it's gas or me being hungry. I just can't tell! So, I'm going to say no... but when I do, you'll know all about it!
Belly-button: I believe one of my childhood friends had a sister who used to tell me my belly button was like a black hole: it never ended. And I have to say, I think I agree. Who knows how far that thing goes in there? You need a flashlight to even get an idea of the depth of this anomaly. I hear that eventually in pregnancy, all innies become outies... but I'm having my doubts about whether mine actually will or not. Again, I'll keep you updated!
Exercise: I've done CrossFit Mom the whole time. There were about 3 weeks there (15-18) that Nic's family was in town and we were quite busy with Christmas stuff, so I didn't work out. And I missed it. When I did manage to workout in the 1st trimester, it was usually only 2 times/week, which was quite a change from my normal pre-pregnancy 4-5x/wk. Then those 3 weeks of ZERO working out made me pretty sad and gross feeling (and remember, that's the same time the pants stopped buttoning... didn't make me feel so great). This week I did two workouts, and I'm hoping next week I can get up to 3 and eventually keep it at 3 or 4. The workouts are meant for preggo ladies, and I have to say- I love it! At first, the low intensity was a shock to my hard-working CrossFitting system. But now, it's JUST what the doctor ordered! (And yes, she has OKed these workouts!)
I've noticed things that used to be extremely easy are getting harder and harder (like just trying to lift the bar above my head). The effects of this are elevated heart rate, which I keep track of on the monitor I wear. I take VERY frequent breaks to let my heart rate drop and then resume activity. It's usually in the 150s to high 160s as I'm working out but 170s make me nervous... mostly b/c every time it's that high I'm also getting to be out of breath. I mostly just listen to my body and when I feel like I'm pushing it too hard, I slow down or stop all together to get a big breather. There has been a lot of new research about working out and pregnancy and I find it all very fascinating. I have no plans to quit any time soon! :)
What I'm loving: Actually looking pregnant! People are starting to comment on my belly. It's nice to be out of that stage when the kids say, "Miss, you look fat!" (and yes, they have seriously said that) to the stage when they say "Miss, I can tell you have a baby in there!" But of course, adults are noticing now too. The in-between stage made me feel awkward, but I feel like enough people have assured me that it looks like a baby bump and not a fat bump. So I.am.happy. :-P
What I'm not loving: Keeping the gender a secret right now! I am such a spiller of exciting news!! (You will know it whether you wanted to or not! One year, I even ruined Nic's surprise I had planned for him... I wanted to whisk him away & not tell him where we were going, but before we even left town I presented him with the concert tickets. Sigh. This is the way I roll.) Tomorrow I can FINALLY tell my parents [b/c they'll be on a cruise during the reveal] but Monday is still SO FAR away!!!
What I miss: BEER! MARGARITAS! Hot chocolate with BAILEY'S! I'm making myself sound like an alcoholic here, but trust me, I'm far from it. I just enjoy being an adult and partaking in very delicious, very RELAXING adult beverages. For now I am settling with smelling Nic's beer (or his beer-breath, if that's all I've got. I just realized that probably sounds disgusting to you. But oh that sweet smell...)
Sickness and Symptoms:
The very first thing I noticed was my boobs hurting. That's actually what convinced me to take the tests. After that, I was nauseous during the rest of the 1st trimester. I never had to befriend the porcelain throne, but man did I feel like hurling on some kids sometimes. (I even told one particularly annoying kid to leave me alone before I puked on him. ...probably not my best teacher moment...) I was really sleepy (which is strange for me b/c I'm normally a night person), and went to bed around 7:30 or 8. Around week 14, I started feeling those round ligaments stretching. To me, it felt like stabbing sharp pains in my lower abdomen. But they'd be gone as soon as they came. Oh, and since the beginning (and I read that it would be this way throughout), my skin has been quite a bit more oily... which makes me break out more, and can really be noticed in my hair if I'm extra grungy and decide not to shower (which I would never do...). That's just lead to staying on top of washing my face and showering, since all of those things help rid me of the oils. So far so good! (And I'm also becoming a very huge fan of spay-in shampoo for Saturdays... [I mean, um, never mind, I wouldn't need it since I'm showering all the time...].) Oh yea, and pretty much anything cute with a baby makes me cry. Or anything cute in general. But that's all the more reason for Nic to laugh at me. ;)
So there you have it! The next one should be significantly shorter since I'll have less ground to cover. I have to say, it's been quite uneventful as far as sickness, pains and negative side-effects are concerned. And VERY eventful as far as excitement and planning are concerned! I am loving every minute of this pregnancy business! And most of all, I cannot WAIT to meet our baby!!!
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