Another look at the not so pretty side of pregnancy

Since my last blog was a look at the not so pretty side of pregnancy I figured, hey why not let's write another one on that topic.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm actually one of those crazy women that has in fact enjoyed most of my pregnancy, but there are those few occasionally side effects that really make you want to scream. Early on in my pregnancy I   was plagued with what I like to call charlie horses.  You know those cramps that occur in your calves during the middle of the night.  They happen when you move your legs to stretch them out, and in the process of stretching you can feel the muscles start to tighten, and then there is no going back.  It's extreme pain from there on out.

Luckily these cramps had disappeared for awhile.  I don't believe I had a single incident during my entire second trimester. Trust me when the say the second trimester truly is the honey moon phase of pregnancy. However, as I mentioned in the last blog...THE THIRD TRIMESTER HAS STRUCK.  OK, yes I'm being dramatic, but I am not enjoying that I have been woken up by these charlie horses again.

Last nights occurrence was the worst.  Typically for me the cramps only occur in one calf, but I received the grand prize this morning when I woke to charlie horses in not just one but both of my legs.  Honestly, it hurt so bad I couldn't help but yell, and my poor husband had to be woken up because of it as well. And all my husband can do is wonder whats wrong with me as I am laying there having spasms in bed. I try everything to get the cramps to stop when they occur.  I've heard pull your toes upwards, so I try that.  When that doesn't work I try pointing them down, anything to help stop the cramping. Nothing seemed to work this morning, and now I'm walking around as though I have limps in both my legs.

The only thing I can do now is make sure I'm drinking enough water.  Lets hope water can save me from this pain.

The third trimester has struck

I guess it is true, what I have so frequently read, that the second trimester is the honey moon phase. And that honey moon phase is OVER!  I expect  the last couple months of pregnancy to become more challenging, but I figured it would be more of a gradual process.  I expected that starting back to work would bring on some challenges that I haven't had to face over the summer such as: swollen tired feet, and an achy back.  BUT I haven't even started back to work yet! And its not my feet that are the problem, yet.

Sometime I think that I may have brought this onto myself.  I've been getting to cocky.  Pregnancy overall has been fairly easy for me.  Mild morning sickness in the begging, and just overall a pretty easy go of it, until now.   I have to admit I had started to think this is it, whats the big deal?  And that's when God goes oh wait I have some challenges in store for you. Challenges you did not even see coming.

    I like to think of these challenges as a way to mentally prepare us for having the baby.  Instead of worry about labor or caring for the baby after it comes. All we are forced to think for the last few weeks is that I'm ready to get this baby out of  me.

Although,  I'm not begging for the baby to come yet...I still have to much work to do for that...I am nervous that this is something I'm going to have to suffer through for the next 12 weeks.

It has been a hot summer here in Atlanta with record hundred degree temperatures several days in a row.  With so much heat and humidity in the air most days ended in a thunderstorm.  I did my best to stay inside during days such as those.  However I believe the heat has still affected me causing a rash to develop on my stomach, and underneath my breast.

If you can remember back to having chicken pox and the torture of being so incredibly itchy, and not able to scratch for fear of making scars (or in my case creating or making stretch marks worse), the way I've been feeling these last couple days is very similar.

Weighing in on Diet

Weight is one of those issues that I hate to talk about because it is a sensitive subject, pregnant or not.  However it has been a subject of concern for me often during my pregnancy.  Of course like many women I don't want to over gain weight during my pregnancy, and began my pregnancy with the goal to be healthy and gain the appropriate amount of weight slowly.

Prior to finding out about my expected bundle of joy I had recently started a Yoga, and Pilates class that I went to twice a week. I attended this class through most of my first trimester with permission from my doctor.  During my first trimester I was eating healthy lots of spinach and other vegetables in addition to a fairly high protein diet.  I was very conscious of what I was eating at the time I wanted to make sure my baby was getting all the nutrition she needed, and tried my best to avoid sweets.  Not intentionally, but I actually lost weight during my first trimester...I think mainly to the fact that I of course had cut out drinking and was living a healthy lifestyle.  I was a little nervous about the weight loss, but it didn't seem to phase my doctor to much at the time.  It can be normal for women to lose weight during the first trimester because of morning sickness, although luckily that was not the case for me. 


It wasn't until the beginning of my second trimester that I had finally put on weight, and put on eight pounds fairly quickly.  I still tried to be conscious about eating healthy, but became a little bit more lax about this time. My Yoga and Pilates classes had ended, I was still walking but not working out as much.  I had also started drinking the occasional protein shake due to the suggestion of my doctor as a way to help with weight gain.  This seemed to be working until I hit a wall a few weeks ago.  I've been informed by my doctors that I should be putting on about a pound a week, and this hasn't been happening.  So of course the idea of allowing my self to indulge in sweets a bit more has crossed my mind...


I have always been weary of sweets while pregnant because I know gestational diabetes can be an issue.  And with a history of diabetes on both sides of my family I've wanted to be extra cautious. So of course when the time comes for me to take the glucose test I'm a little nervous but hopefully because I've been trying so hard to avoid to much sugar.   Needless to say when my results came back high I' was a little upset. How am I suppose to gain weight when  there is now even more food I should possibly avoid such as: carbs, or other things high in sugars foods like my protein shakes. With these thoughts looming over my head I tried my best to continue to eat as healthy as possible with whole grains before going back to the doctor for additional testing.  


{{ Oh and I haven't mentioned other diet challenges for me.  My husband has been struggling with diet issues for a few years now, and we are continually trying to pinpoint what the issue could possibly be. Lately we started to suspect that he could possible have a gluten intolerance, and have been attempting to put him on a gluten free diet. So know if I want to eat whole grain we have to make two types of pastas, and even two types of rice.  Yes I know rice isn't gluten but for some reason the brown rice seems to agitate his esophagus.  Lets just say we hope that our little girl doesn't inherit her fathers diet issues. Eating right for two very different dietary needs is a challenge.  I guess the way to go is a meat and veggies every night.  We don't run into as many issues if we stay simple. }}


Still contemplating how I should be eating I go back for my FOUR HOUR glucose test.  By the end of it my butt is numb and I feel a bit like a pincushion after having my blood drawn twice out of each arm .  Luckily the results were good.  I'm still going to keep eating the best I know how, and allow my self a few indulgences every now and then.  My mother didn't gain that much weight and had small babies.  If I take after her then that's the way it's going to be.  We were healthy and I have faith that my daughter will be.

Nursery Progress

Progress has finally been made in the future nursery. Yes,  I know I still have 16 weeks to go which is plenty of time, but getting the nursery ready has been one of my biggest stresses. More because I know I have the time to do it right now since I'm off work for the summer. The problem lies in the fact that I'm a fairly independent person and like to do things myself, but not being able to lift things has made this difficult.

One of the first major hurdles in the nursery was to remove the unwanted furniture, and finally move the bed. We have decided to keep a queen size bed in the nursery as well. I knew once the bed was in place things would start to fall together. There are still a couple odds and ins the room that need to be removed but overall it is starting to look more like a nursery.  Zach put the crib together and I love it! The only thing left to be put together is the dresser.

It was important for me to see the crib in place because then I could make my final design decisions. I have decided to paint a moderate mural on the wall behind the crib, and needed to know where it will go so that I can plan out the mural. 

This is basically what I have planned for the mural...

 I plan to paint coral on either side of the crib like this.  I haven't decide what art work I want to hang above the crib, but I am strongly considering something like what's in  this photo.  The more I look at this photo the more I really like the simplicity of the artwork. 

I have however begun making a few art creations myself to go in the room.

There is this piece that I plan to hang over the bed.  What I love about this piece is, it is surprisingly personal to me.  The four sand dollars in this photo came from my very first ocean dive.  I originally wanted to make a mobile out of them but decided I liked them as a wall hanging instead.

I have however tried my hand at creating a mobile of my own creation.  I'm not sure if this is the one I want to use in the final room, but I still like the progress.  I'd love to hear opinions.  I'm think making mobiles might turn into something I want to continue making and sell on Etsy. 

Please excuse the terrible photo. And will hopefully put a better one on here later when I feel contently finished with it. Again I love feed back.  Tell me what you think so far?  I am thinking about a second layer, and possibly something to jazz up the brown ring.

Does the Camera Lie?

This is exactly how I have been feeling lately.  I finally uploaded a photo of myself from week 20, and also added a current photo of myself.  I was AMAZED at the difference that four weeks had made.

                   

In fact I'm shocked at how big I look in the most recent photo.  I don't feel as though I am that big.  I can still look down and see my toes, and can even still fit a few pre pregnancy shirts and dresses.  I also even have a few maternity shirts that are still a little big...or so I though.  But now I'm wondering if I look this big at 24 weeks, how big am I going to look16 weeks from now?  

I guess I have been noticing some difference in my body type.  I have still been wearing  my bikini, but felt the need to asked my husband last weekend if he thought I was at the point where I should stop wearing one.  His answer was a very sweet no.  He told me that he always dreamed of being proud of his pregnant wife in her bikini.  So I guess as long as that's still his answer I will keep wearing one.  Plus I have yet to find a maternity bathing suit that I actually like. 

What the most recent photo also tells me is that I need to make sure I am staying on top of applying lotions and oils to my belly.   I have yet to notice any stretch marks, and would like to keep that at bay as much as possible. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend I've been using a product called Bio Oil instead of Palmer's, and I believe it has been working.  

A Few Good Eggs

Special thanks to my friend Sarah Hesse Butts who lent me the book "A Few Good Eggs".  I've started reading about infertility from two Moms who lived through it and came out the other side with the babies they wanted.  Made an appointment to see my Primary Care Physician so I can get a referral to a Fertility specialist.

What's hidden in our dreams...

One of the common side effects of pregnancy is strange dreams.  However for me I have always had very vivid strange dreams so things have not seemed very different.  My dreams are still very random and can deal with any subject under the sun.  Never the less, it has bothered me that I have not had many, if any dreams about  babies.  Through talking to friends, and reading articles on-line it sounds like baby dreams are very common while pregnant. And I've often wanted to experience one of these dreams because I feel as though it will give me a glimpse into what my baby is going to look like and who she is going to be.  Yes, I'm sure she'll be very different then what I see in my dreams, but I'm still curious what my subconscious imagines.

And finally it happened last night, I had a dream involving what my subconscious see as my future child.   I don't remember much of the dream.  However there is one very important detail that I do remember.  My child was not a girl, he was a BOY.   Ever since I found out that we were having a girl there are always those few skeptical people.  That like to tell me that the ultrasound could be wrong, and that we may end up with a surprise four months from now. I often think about this possibility and worry that this may be the case and all I have is a closet full of girls clothes. Never the less, I'm usually pretty quick to respond to peoples skeptical comments about us having a girl. Our ultrasound tech seems very knowledgeable, and has been helping  mothers see their babies since before I was born, 29 years now.  When I asked her about the possibility of  some how missing the boys parts she was very quick to point out and explain how we can tell that these are girl parts and not boys.  Her detailed description convinced me, and I am positive we are having a girl.  But, my subconscious must think otherwise.

It's amazing how quickly time has gone. In four months Zach and I will be meeting our new baby.  I've noticed her moving more and more in the past two days.  Its funny how things happen.  Four weeks ago at my last doctors appointment I told the doctor that I wasn't sure if I was feeling her or not.  I think it was a day or two after that appointment I was positive I was feeling her. Just this week I was telling the doctor how she doesn't seem to move very much, and that I only feel her in the evenings after dinner.  The next day I was feeling her off and on through out the day, and its been that way ever since. It feels just like a little hand knocking on my belly, and she's telling me hello Mommy.

She is currently the size of a Mango or Grapefruit. 

And should weight about a pound. 

With 17 weeks left to go my to do list is growing.  Now to only get Zach on board with my urgency. : )

However, I have been very proud of what I've accomplished in the past couple days.  I cut what I currently have on my to do list in half.  Now if only I can stop adding to it. It's a good thing I have all this free time over summer to get things done.