i went to yoga the other night for the first time since getting pregnant. okay, let's be honest, for the first time a long time. too long, because i really do enjoy it. i always leave feeling refreshed and calm and centered. being aware of my breathing and my body and how it occupies space always seems to reset my brain.
but this! i thought i had gotten used to this body finally. i'm really getting to love my pregnant body, even as i'm a bit fuller than i used to be in places other than my belly and certainly not as agile as i was before. i mean, it takes some effort to put socks on in the mornings. and i really love my tummy. i thought i had figured out this new body of mine, how to move with it and to move myself around it, how to handle this new bulk that i'm hefting around.
and this was not "real" yoga to me - mostly just stretching, none of the usual poses that i'm used to. easy yoga for the pregnant ladies. and yet when i lifted my arms over my head and brought them back down again - where did these boobs come from that are completely in the way? my body never used to behave like this. i'm used to making the effort to put on socks or shave my legs, but sitting indian-style with this belly? how did that become difficult? and then there's the kiddo squirming around, pushing up against my insides, and can't she just sit still for an hour so i can get something out of this class? it was a shame too, because of all the body wierdness that i was bumping up against, i couldn't relax and slow myself down enough to enjoy being there. better luck next week, i suppose.
we are at: 29 weeks 5 days.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
sales and marketing
another doctor appointment this morning, everything is fine as usual. all my test results have been perfectly normal and i am measuring fine so the kiddo is growing okay. the doctor said i am probably the most "normal" pregnancy she has ever seen, very low-risk. good words to hear.
we registered yesterday, what a nightmare. just like registering for our wedding of course, that little gun and brian being completely bored and frustrating, but of course how annoyed he would be if i picked everything out myself and didn't "force" him to do it with me. at least with our wedding registry, i knew what we wanted and needed and what we would and wouldn't use and the hardest decision i had to make was do we want red placemats or blue ones and do we care about china or do we just want to pick out a pretty porcelain pattern and just have one set of dishes (YES thank heavens). but this! i mean, good Lord. i'm faced with an entire wall of bottles, and i'm supposed to know which ones i'm going to like best? and which are the "best" ones to use? i mean, what makes this one better than that one? and they all say "designed to reduce colic" which i guess is a good thing but doesn't help me distinguish one from another. and some are plastic and some are glass and they're all bpa-free which is good, but are they phthalate-free, and is it that huge of an issue because the bottles my mom used on me were likely even more full of chemicals than these are and i'm fine, and glass would be great because it doesn't have any chemicals at all and it is easy to clean, but do i really want to be toting around glass bottles in a diaper bag that's going to get dumped on the ground and tossed into the backseat of the car or the trunk or accidentally dropped when i have my hands full? and in the end i'm sure they're all basically the same, just pick one, but still, the choices! and those are just the bottles! there were two whole aisles of strollers, and all i wanted was an inexpensive umbrella stroller, don't they make those anymore? these were like the cadillacs of umbrella strollers. what about the poor people who can't afford $89 for a flipping collapsible umbrella stroller? and that didn't even include those behemoth graco travel systems, one of which we already have THANK GOD WE DON'T HAVE TO REGISTER FOR IT. and it weighs 25 pounds, do you see why i want an umbrella stroller, why does it have to be so hard?
bright spot:
brian really wants a child-sized armchair for the kiddo. at least, he says it is for the kiddo.
my mother strongly suggested that we register so people would know what we need, or i would have probably not even bothered, because i feel with this kiddo like i did with our wedding - so insanely marketed to, and i hate it. we already get parenting magazine, because you get a couple issues free from motherhood maternity, but they keep sending it anyways, fine, as long as i don't have to pay for it, and it's just full of ads for all kinds of crap that will make my life as a mother so much easier and better and my kids smarter and more beautiful and all kinds of hype like that, and i wonder how in the world did anyone raise children before all this? i mean, seriously, how did anyone ever get along without this?
and i'm trying so hard to resist all the plastic crap and disney princesses and bright colors and commercialism, i don't want to be a walking advertisement for fisher price. brian says i should just give in because resistance is futile, but i'm trying, am i fighting a losing battle?
we are at: 29 weeks.
we registered yesterday, what a nightmare. just like registering for our wedding of course, that little gun and brian being completely bored and frustrating, but of course how annoyed he would be if i picked everything out myself and didn't "force" him to do it with me. at least with our wedding registry, i knew what we wanted and needed and what we would and wouldn't use and the hardest decision i had to make was do we want red placemats or blue ones and do we care about china or do we just want to pick out a pretty porcelain pattern and just have one set of dishes (YES thank heavens). but this! i mean, good Lord. i'm faced with an entire wall of bottles, and i'm supposed to know which ones i'm going to like best? and which are the "best" ones to use? i mean, what makes this one better than that one? and they all say "designed to reduce colic" which i guess is a good thing but doesn't help me distinguish one from another. and some are plastic and some are glass and they're all bpa-free which is good, but are they phthalate-free, and is it that huge of an issue because the bottles my mom used on me were likely even more full of chemicals than these are and i'm fine, and glass would be great because it doesn't have any chemicals at all and it is easy to clean, but do i really want to be toting around glass bottles in a diaper bag that's going to get dumped on the ground and tossed into the backseat of the car or the trunk or accidentally dropped when i have my hands full? and in the end i'm sure they're all basically the same, just pick one, but still, the choices! and those are just the bottles! there were two whole aisles of strollers, and all i wanted was an inexpensive umbrella stroller, don't they make those anymore? these were like the cadillacs of umbrella strollers. what about the poor people who can't afford $89 for a flipping collapsible umbrella stroller? and that didn't even include those behemoth graco travel systems, one of which we already have THANK GOD WE DON'T HAVE TO REGISTER FOR IT. and it weighs 25 pounds, do you see why i want an umbrella stroller, why does it have to be so hard?
bright spot:
brian really wants a child-sized armchair for the kiddo. at least, he says it is for the kiddo.
my mother strongly suggested that we register so people would know what we need, or i would have probably not even bothered, because i feel with this kiddo like i did with our wedding - so insanely marketed to, and i hate it. we already get parenting magazine, because you get a couple issues free from motherhood maternity, but they keep sending it anyways, fine, as long as i don't have to pay for it, and it's just full of ads for all kinds of crap that will make my life as a mother so much easier and better and my kids smarter and more beautiful and all kinds of hype like that, and i wonder how in the world did anyone raise children before all this? i mean, seriously, how did anyone ever get along without this?
and i'm trying so hard to resist all the plastic crap and disney princesses and bright colors and commercialism, i don't want to be a walking advertisement for fisher price. brian says i should just give in because resistance is futile, but i'm trying, am i fighting a losing battle?
we are at: 29 weeks.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
11 weeks and counting
wednesday evening, at 28 weeks 2 days.
brian is starting to complain about being woken up in the middle of the night, as i try to get comfortable with that hulking belly. i am starting to remind him that it will not be any better once the kiddo is here.
we are at: 28 weeks 5 days.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
uncomfortably pregnant and i know it's not going to get better from here
the third trimester started two days ago and boy did it ever get itself started with a bang. monday morning about 3a i woke up HUNGRY and hot. guess that metabolism is really picking up! on the bright side i don't have to wear as many layers of thermals as i usually do to keep warm in the winter. and boy can i ever eat these days. that kiddo is really growing, judging by my appetite.
this morning about 4a i woke up with a sharp pain across my lower abdomen. it felt better when i stood up (even better when i walked around) than when i was laying or sitting, so i took a shower to relax and ate a little breakfast and then tried to catch some sleep. it did not feel like baby pain and she was kicking so i tried not to worry too much. the book didn't make any mention of sharp abdominal pain which was a bit frustrating, but i did not seem to have any of "symptoms" that i thought i should be worried about (bleeding, cramping, pain that is not alleviated by changing position, et cetera) so i just cuddled up in brian's comfy recliner and fell asleep. i felt a lot better when i woke up.
the pain came back this afternoon so i called the nurse for a little reassurance, and fortunately she thought it was nothing also. my belly doesn't get hard (like braxton hicks) and i don't have any warning signs of pre-term labor. prescription: tylenol, hydrate, take it easy, discuss with doctor at my next regular appointment (monday). this gal has been kicking around like usual, so hopefully all of this will ease brian's mind as well.
the nurse did suggest that it could be normal stretching pains, or round ligament pain, which i thought had started about a week ago. apparently it can be sharper stabbing pains; i thought it was mostly a dull ache, the achy pain i had felt in my hips, mostly when getting up from sitting. i guess this is the uncomfortable part rearing its head.
we are at: 28 weeks 2 days.
this morning about 4a i woke up with a sharp pain across my lower abdomen. it felt better when i stood up (even better when i walked around) than when i was laying or sitting, so i took a shower to relax and ate a little breakfast and then tried to catch some sleep. it did not feel like baby pain and she was kicking so i tried not to worry too much. the book didn't make any mention of sharp abdominal pain which was a bit frustrating, but i did not seem to have any of "symptoms" that i thought i should be worried about (bleeding, cramping, pain that is not alleviated by changing position, et cetera) so i just cuddled up in brian's comfy recliner and fell asleep. i felt a lot better when i woke up.
the pain came back this afternoon so i called the nurse for a little reassurance, and fortunately she thought it was nothing also. my belly doesn't get hard (like braxton hicks) and i don't have any warning signs of pre-term labor. prescription: tylenol, hydrate, take it easy, discuss with doctor at my next regular appointment (monday). this gal has been kicking around like usual, so hopefully all of this will ease brian's mind as well.
the nurse did suggest that it could be normal stretching pains, or round ligament pain, which i thought had started about a week ago. apparently it can be sharper stabbing pains; i thought it was mostly a dull ache, the achy pain i had felt in my hips, mostly when getting up from sitting. i guess this is the uncomfortable part rearing its head.
we are at: 28 weeks 2 days.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
sugar, oh honey honey
i have had more blood drawn for this kiddo than i ever had in my entire life. i've had more tests done than i ever had in my entire life. case in point: last night i went to the lab to have my blood glucose test done, to check for gestational diabetes. i presume my medical group recommends the test for all expectant mothers (some doctors recommend it based on risk factors) though i do meet one of the criteria for an increased risk of gestational diabetes being that i am over 25.
it was an easy test, i just drank a cup and half of this orange flavored sugar water. i was expecting it to be awful, like drinking syrup, but it was actually not so bad. not that i'd want it every day, but it wasn't horrendous. it was a little carbonated so it was basically like orange soda except not so soda-y. then i had to sit for an hour which was the most annoying part, because i wanted to run out to the grocery store but the lab tech said NO ACTIVITY. it's not like i was going to go run a marathon but good thing i brought my book.
my dad insisted to me that it would be a simple finger prick but oh no, it was a full-on blood draw. they actually took two vials of blood and did a cbc test as well, i assume to make sure i'm not becoming anemic? it was the same test i had done back in september when i was newly pregnant, to make sure i have enough white blood cells and red blood cells and hemoglobin and stuff. and i actually already have the results of both tests which is the nice thing about my medical group, they get stuff done quick. all the bloodwork seems fine (within normal ranges) and my blood glucose level was 134 mg/dL. an "abnormal" result would be over 140 mc/dL, at which point they would do further testing for gestational diabetes.
results will be discussed at our next appointment (in about a week and a half) and i have a feeling there will be no cause for concern. after all, i'm normal... i just don't like being on the high (or low) end of normal. probably just the recommendation to eat a bit more carefully - more complex carbohydrates, less juice - and exercise more. so, we'll see.
we are at: 27 weeks 3 days.
it was an easy test, i just drank a cup and half of this orange flavored sugar water. i was expecting it to be awful, like drinking syrup, but it was actually not so bad. not that i'd want it every day, but it wasn't horrendous. it was a little carbonated so it was basically like orange soda except not so soda-y. then i had to sit for an hour which was the most annoying part, because i wanted to run out to the grocery store but the lab tech said NO ACTIVITY. it's not like i was going to go run a marathon but good thing i brought my book.
my dad insisted to me that it would be a simple finger prick but oh no, it was a full-on blood draw. they actually took two vials of blood and did a cbc test as well, i assume to make sure i'm not becoming anemic? it was the same test i had done back in september when i was newly pregnant, to make sure i have enough white blood cells and red blood cells and hemoglobin and stuff. and i actually already have the results of both tests which is the nice thing about my medical group, they get stuff done quick. all the bloodwork seems fine (within normal ranges) and my blood glucose level was 134 mg/dL. an "abnormal" result would be over 140 mc/dL, at which point they would do further testing for gestational diabetes.
results will be discussed at our next appointment (in about a week and a half) and i have a feeling there will be no cause for concern. after all, i'm normal... i just don't like being on the high (or low) end of normal. probably just the recommendation to eat a bit more carefully - more complex carbohydrates, less juice - and exercise more. so, we'll see.
we are at: 27 weeks 3 days.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
i take back everything i ever said about maternity clothes
yes, those are maternity jeans and yes i love them. they are insanely comfortable. as much as i hated the idea of it, i absolutely love that tummy panel in my pants. much more so than low-rise pants that button under the belly.
doing my best with the lotion not to get stretch marks but i think i'm fighting a losing battle.
we are at: 26 weeks 5 days.
doing my best with the lotion not to get stretch marks but i think i'm fighting a losing battle.
we are at: 26 weeks 5 days.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
except at christmas, you don't have to go through labor to get your present
i'm thinking being pregnant is a lot like christmastime. there's the whole build-up and anticipation and preparation, decorating, all that kind of thing. everything has to be done in time for the big day. and what a whole lot of stress too. how are we going to find the money for all of this?
and then the big day comes, and you have presents to play with afterwards. except i generally don't pack on 15 pounds (so far) in anticipation of christmas, and i don't get 6 weeks paid time off from work afterwards to recover (though Lord knows sometimes it feels like i could use it!).
we are at: 26 weeks 1 day.
and then the big day comes, and you have presents to play with afterwards. except i generally don't pack on 15 pounds (so far) in anticipation of christmas, and i don't get 6 weeks paid time off from work afterwards to recover (though Lord knows sometimes it feels like i could use it!).
we are at: 26 weeks 1 day.
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