3-14
My Journey Through the Labyrinth
back. One woman talked of taking her hands off her belly and placing them behind her back, surrendering to her baby, letting her baby lead the way. I keep talking to my baby, asking for an arrival in the near future, but really I have no control over this. Letting go of control. Surrendering to my baby. Yes, remember that. ”I’m wearing this flower in my hair from yesterday’s flower show at the de Young museum. It represents springtime and opening to welcome my baby into my arms.”3-6
Last week I accepted the fact that I’m about to have a baby- and I’m really, really excited! Until then, I was having difficulty comprehending that I may at any point drop everything and cancel the rest of my plans for the week. The problem with deciding that I’m ready is now I’m impatient. I waver between earnestly trying to enjoy my last days of pregnancy (and freedom) to being disappointed that the baby’s still on the inside. Plus, I’m overly emotional about everything! There have been mornings that I’ve woken up really upset that I didn’t go into labor in the middle of the night. For some reason, I have the idea that I’ll go into labor at night and that if I make it through the night, it means I have another day to wait.
Baby takes after mom. I generally start packing for a trip a week in advance, making piles so I don’t forget anything. Two nights ago my husband’s arm was draped over my belly as he fell asleep when Baby decided to start the usual aerobics. The second these massive movements began, my hubby was in shock. I forget that he doesn’t feel it several times a day like I do. Every time Baby would fall asleep, he’d give my belly a squeeze and Baby would play more- until I put an end to playtime because I wanted to sleep! I told my midwife about this and she laughed, saying her husband was the same way and she’d given him a stern talking-to, explaining that once her baby was on the outside, disruption during sleep was forbidden.
When I arrive at the hospital in labor, they’ll check my platelet count again and if it has dropped any lower there is a chance I won’t be allowed an epidural. I didn’t ask why but found this ironic because I would really like to skip the epidural anyway. So, if the option is off the table, that’s that. I know there are other drugs I could have but my goal is to rely on my hypnobirthing techniques and other natural methods suggested by doula and midwives. We’ll see!2-19
I am 63 inches tall and 43 inches round. My husband measured me last night for his entertainment. I’ve gained 35 pounds and I can feel every ounce of it. This is totally acceptable health-wise, yet completely unbelievable to me.
We came home instead of going out after the symphony concert last night because I was exhausted, but instead of going directly to bed, I ate. Then I cleaned. Then I read. Just before midnight I finally closed my eyes and immediately fell asleep. I’ve been awake since 4:30 and finally decided to get up and write until I’m tired enough to fall back to sleep. I have one of the very cute Hebrew songs I’m learning going round and round in my head. Only problem is, it quickly turned from cute to annoying when I couldn’t get it out of my head and I only know two lines. Each time I woke up to pee last night I started singing it, then tried to sing something else, then went back to Parpar Nechmad (nice butterfly). Finally, as Baby was rolling around inside of me, insisting it was playtime, not sleep time, I made up another cute little song to the tune of “I love my cello very much.” It goes like this: I love my belly very much, My baby lives inside, I love to feel her(him) kick and play, While I try to sleep.
My days are scheduled around afternoon naps because otherwise when I can’t sleep at night I stress out about not sleeping and how I’ll get through the day. If I know I’ve got time to sleep, that’s one less thing for me to think about in the middle of the night. What exactly am I thinking about in the middle of the night (or various other times when I’ve freaked out lately)? I really don’t know. What should we name the baby? When is it coming out? Why can’t I sleep? Why won’t it stop moving when I want to sleep? I haven’t been allowed to sleep on my right side for several nights. Baby’s feet are up near my right ribs so when I roll onto that side, the kicking begins and doesn’t subside until I roll back over. I’m already doing the guilty parent thing. Twice now when I missed an afternoon story time I’d promised to Baby, I felt bad about being a bad parent. Then I caught myself, laughed, and decided it was way too early to feel like a bad parent. Yet another thing to stay awake worrying about. What good is all of this worrying doing me? None whatsoever! I don’t actually think I’m going to be a bad parent. I know the baby is going to come out soon. I know we’ll come up with a name.
Speaking of Baby coming out soon… I will be holding my new baby in my arms in a month or so. It’s all suddenly very real. I went to 
see my midwife Friday and she proclaimed me to be at full term. Of course we’re hoping Baby will stay inside and cook for another few weeks, but he/she is fine to come out any time. Crazy!!! I’m feeling braxton hicks (warm-up) contractions frequently. They aren’t painful, just sometimes mildly uncomfortable as my belly hardens and becomes lopsided for several seconds. It’s so weird to observe and until my doula told me otherwise, I thought this was just big baby parts really pushing out for longer periods of time than usual. I guess if I’d done some reading, I would have known more about this. A good friend of mine always says, ignorance is bliss, where racing is concerned. She and I share the attitude that if we don’t know about the big hill at mile 23 of the marathon we won’t worry about it through the entire race, thus enjoying ourselves more throughout the day. In my ten years of racing, I’ve used this theory successfully, so I see no reason why I need to know every little detail about childbirth before it happens. I am practicing my breathing and doing my meditations, so this is my way of preparing for the big day. Plus, I have been reading about after Baby comes out. I picked up several breastfeeding books from the library (one of which I loved so much I promptly bought copies for friends) and we’ve got two sleep training books. Each of us is reading one and comparing notes.
This week I took an oatmeal and peanut butter bath. Partially on purpose, partially because I was snacking in the tub and dropped my peanut butter stuffed pear. The oatmeal bath did the trick and helped soothe irritated skin. The peanut butter didn’t seem to have any effect either way but I think I’ll save it purely for eating next time. I can’t seem to get enough peanut butter, but these days I’m combining it with fruit instead of chocolate for a healthier snack. I’ve been going a little easier on the sugar intake and I, of course, feel better. Veggies are the most difficult for me to consume, purely out of laziness to prepare, so I’m making a point of adding them into cooked meals and ordering salads when I’m out. I’ve also been stockpiling food in the freezer for after Baby joins us. So far I’ve got two kinds of soup, turkey pot pie, lasagna and wild rice pancakes. The cupboards are stocked with dry foods and fruits I canned myself. I’ve been prolific in the kitchen these past few months but it’s getting harder to maneuver as my belly sticks out more and my back hurts from leaning over the counters!
As far as pregnancy side-effects go, I still think I’ve had it pretty easy. Aside from a really itchy belly for a few days, occasional achiness in my low back, exhaustion, and shooting pains when Baby moves certain directions, I’m doing fine. That sounds like a long list but compared to what it could be, I don’t think I should complain. After all, I’ve got a wonderfully supportive husband who loves me even when I do complain! I can still wear all of my cute shoes. I don’t have indigestion unless I eat three pounds of citrus. And I only look pregnant from butt to neck. And I’ve been told I have the pregnancy glow. And, if I do say so myself, my belly is quite pretty!
2-7
Yesterday I treated myself to one of my favorite pregnancy activities so far- a photo shoot! I found Anastasiathrough a friend and realized I’d already seen and loved some of her photos, so I made an appointment for what we hoped would be a sunny morning. She arrived and immediately began exploring the house, looking at lighting, colors and textures everywhere. We then opened my closet and chose the first outfit, consisting of a blue wrap I thought would be perfect and a white skirt I hadn’t worn in years. I felt glamorous and goofy over the next few hours as she arranged me in every room of the house, fully clothed down to nothing. As I spent time shirt-off in a front window, I was grateful for the big tree I usually hate because it blocks the light. The cute onesies my friends made during my baby shower were still hanging from corner to corner so they created a nice focal point for the window shots. Anastasia quickly discovered I do “smiley” much better than “sexy” but she kept going for the sultry looks so we’ll see what comes out! After we finished everything imaginable at home we walked to the park, random props in hand. Magnolia tress are my favorite so I requested a shot between blooming branches (which she deemed cheesy at first but finally agreed that I’d “made it my own”). She likes a three-dimensional quality in her photos and experimented with throwing flower petals in front of the camera as she snapped the shot, only her timing was never quite right so we enlisted two guys walking by to help. They became my flower girls and we all had a good laugh but got the photo! After spending nearly five hours feeling beautiful I had a renewed appreciation for my heavy, changing body. Thanks, Anastasia!
Bovine Bakery for double chocolate cherry cookies (okay, I’ll admit I was in on that too). I found us a lodge near the Pt. Reyes National Seashore, centrally located between our food destinations. It was the first really cold weekend we’d had in quite a while and as we sat at the Marshall Store, cyclists came in to warm up. I chatted with one and found out they were in the middle of a 200km ride up from the city. The wind was crazy strong that day and it had poured in the morning. For the first time since I quit biking, I wasn’t the least bit jealous of the folks on bikes. I felt lucky to be getting back into a warm car, belly full of delicious food! Our room at the Pt. Reyes Seashore Lodge was cozy, overlooking a rushing river (usually a small stream) and boasted a double jacuzzi tub. Double jacuzzi tubs are great- if one of you isn’t pregnant and the other doesn’t love to roast in really hot water. We made do but I’m looking forward to not being concerned about sitting in water over 100 degrees again! The following morning brought another downpour but we were determined to visit the seashore. I luckily had galoshes, raincoat and umbrella. My husband got soaked but was good-natured about it. Afterward, we stopped a second time at the Bovine Bakery stocking up for the drive home and next few days. The weekend was a perfect final Babymoon, close to the city and only a night away from the comforts of home!1-17
I’ve been on belly button watch for the past two weeks as mine slowly disappeared and I waited for it to pop. This weekend my innie became an outie. While I can’t say it’s exactly cute looking in the center of my enormous belly, I am still excited about each new change. They’re coming quicker and quicker as we move toward March!
together a play list of tunes I enjoy singing so that we can dance and he/she hears my voice. I’m trying to interact with the baby in my belly as much as possible and feel like I already have a sense of his/her personality. I also frequently request removal of baby body parts that are poking me and causing mild discomfort. A little rubbing usually does the trick and Olive-Herbert moves to a different position. I feel hiccups every couple of days, which are cute but somewhat annoying if I’m trying to sleep. Usually swaying on my hands and knees relieves the baby and we both sleep peacefully. It’s pretty funny when I take a step back and realize that as soon as my baby is on the outside, there will be less interaction of the type I believe we’re engaging in now. Perhaps I’ll continue right on doing what I’m doing even when there’s a screaming baby in my arms.12-16
A friend in yoga class commented how she could feel her “little dancer”moving around inside. I think mine is more of a kick boxer!
11-29
I decided last week in yoga class that the most wonderful thing about being a woman is having the ability to grow and nurture a tiny being inside my own body. There is nothing more spectacular than feeling those tiny kicks when I’m sitting quietly. I rub my belly and talk to it all the time and I love taking a moment every night to marvel at my profile in the mirror. My husband is also enthralled with my growing belly, although he continues to compare me to funny creatures, like “something from Lord of the Rings” or a whale. Whale sounds much more beautiful when he uses the Hebrew word- לויתן (livyatan). That one came from swimming beside me this past weekend when he supposedly noticed how graceful I looked in the water but “heard” my sonar and decided I was making waves. I informed him that he still splashes way more than I do.11-10
I have a new best friend. I talk to it everywhere I go. I should be referring to it as he or she, but for right now, I’m really just talking to my belly, hoping Olive hears my voice. The other night I was wandering around the house deep in conversation and my husband yelled, “What Honey? I didn’t hear you!”. That’s okay- wasn’t talk to you anyway. This little person inside of me has taken on a distinct personality and makes his/her presence known all the time. At first it was just when I was sitting still at work and playing Handel or Mozart, then it extended into bedtime and now it’s randomly throughout the day. ”Hey Mom, I’m hungry!” ”Yuck! What did you just eat?” ”Don’t mind me, I’m just doing my daily aerobics.” ”You need to rest. I’m tired!”
10-29
Olive and I had a chat yesterday. I explained to her/him that my stomach had been hurting lately from being stretched so much and that although I was doing my best to accommodate growth, I would appreciate it if s/he could be patient with me. Incidentally, my stomach hasn’t hurt in the same spot since!10-16
I woke up Friday feeling as if I’d been hit by a truck. I hadn’t slept well and woke up from one of those annoying dreams that are so difficult to end. Ironically, I’d been dreaming about shopping for bras at a maternity store but kept getting bothered by non-pregnant folks. Once I finally made it to the bra section my eyes were blurry and I couldn’t see the sizes. Ugh. As I pulled myself awake and wrestled out of the cocoon-like body pillow, my husband asked, “Honey, is it because you’re so huge that you can’t get enough sleep for all of you?”. He was half kidding and half making fun of me for thinking that I look much more pregnant than everyone else thinks I look. In fact, my body has changed drastically in the past week and he finally decided that I look pregnant. One of my friends has affectionately begun greeting me with “hey fatso”. Glad I think it’s funny!
I’ve been enjoying my run/walks and have nicknamed them prego runs even though I generally dislike the word “prego”. I still haven’t ordered that running support belt but through a combo of spanx hitched up over my belly and a bella band folded underneath, I’m getting by. Swimming and yoga continue to be what I really love and what are keeping me in working shape. Along with my changing body, I’ve also acquired more aches and pains. It’s especially difficult to sit through rehearsals without my back hurting and I’ve noticed twinges of what I think is sciatica. I’m counteracting these with stretching and yoga, and swimming before a day of work seems to really help. Sleeping has also become less comfortable again and I often wake with one or both hips hurting, despite using my body pillow. I am finding that my belly wants support so I usually wedge a bit of pillow there also. My husband continues to love the body pillow, often using the side I’m not. I even found him inside the cocoon after returning from a bathroom trip early this morning. I felt a little bad kicking him out because he looked so cute, but not bad enough to leave him there!
I’m 19 weeks pregnant and and am still loving every step of the way. Our next doctor appointment is Tuesday and we’re fully committed to not finding out the sex of the baby. My to-do list is long, full of research and preparation before Baby joins us, but I can never seem to fit one more into my day! By the time I work, exercise, make food, study Hebrew and spend time with friends & husband, it’s always time to sleep again. I know I can’t save everything for off-season beginning in December, but there’s always tomorrow…
10-3
I really miss racing and training with intensity! Yesterday morning as my husband and I were driving to my second birth and baby fair in two weeks, we saw the remains of an earlier running race at Crissy Field and I actually commented on how much I’d rather be running that than attending the fair. After about 30 minutes in the expo center, we were done and decided that would be our last birth and baby fair. Maybe I’ll be more interested as it gets closer to my due date?? I did meet two women I liked – one who teaches hypnobirthing and a prenatal yoga at the JCC and another who is pregnant with her second but usually heads a mom and baby running group. The group meets at several locations near my house and the leader is due March 1 so I’m guessing we’ll both be getting back into running around the same time. 9-23
I’m my old energetic, enthusiastic self again! As I look back through old entries, it seems as though I was exhausted only for a month and with no other pregnancy side affects so far, I’ve lucked out. Of course there is that pregnancy-brain thing. I’ve been doing the most ridiculous things and my wonderful husband just laughs, saying it’s because all of the blood is going to my belly not my brain. I have managed not to forget my keys or wallet, leave perishables sitting on the counter or completely forget what I’m doing for over 24 hours now, so maybe it’s just a matter of slowing down and being thoughtful in my actions at all times. I do “frazzled and rushing around” way better, but I’m working on it!
I’ve found a miracle cure for not sleeping and sore hips… a body pillow! This thing isn’t just a full length pillow, it’s a horse-shoe shaped pillow that takes up a good half of the bed. Luckily my husband doesn’t mind- and even shares the half nearest him sometimes. I love being cocooned by it because I can flip over without making a commotion in the middle of the night and there are so many comfortable sleep positions. I’ve used it consistently for over a week and haven’t woken up sore once.
Olive is about the size of an avocado now and growing like crazy. According to online pictures around 16 weeks, my baby actually looks like a baby already! I’m still getting shocked looks when I tell people I’m pregnant, even though to me the bump on my belly is very obviously a baby, not me getting fat. I forget that everyone else doesn’t take as much pride in my normally-flat stomach as I do; hence why would they notice that it looks any different than usual or wonder about the extra bulge? I can’t count the amount of times someone has said to me “You’re an athlete. I’m sure that’s why” when I answer a “How are you feeling?” inquiry with “I’m feeling really good and haven’t had any problems so far.” Someone else suggested that I didn’t have any morning sickness because I do only organic, hormone free dairy and meat products. Whatever it is, my goal is simply to have the healthiest, most joyful pregnancy possible. And I’ve only got 5 months left to enjoy it!
9-13
This weekend was utterly crazy. Between two opening nights at the opera and a never-ending park concert, I helped my husband move us from our rented big flat to a smaller (but our very own!!) condo 9 blocks away. He and our friends really did most of the work but I felt like I contributed a fair amount to packing/unpacking, carrying lighter stuff and cleaning. I’m super exhausted from it, but that could have just as much to do with still not sleeping through nights! I do love our new bedroom and this house has a wonderfully warm and comfortable vibe, even with our belongings piled high in every corner. I can’t wait to get organized but I’ll probably take a day off tomorrow then get going Thursday.
I saw my doctor again today and heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. It was strong and clear, and in between beats we heard other noises, which Doc said were baby movements! I got a flu shot, my first ever, and I’m hoping my arm isn’t too sore by the show tonight. I’m trying to keep it moving because I think that helps.
I tried a prenatal water aerobics class this morning at the JCC. I’m about to blog about it at Laura’s Training on the Go so I won’t say much more here, other than it was a great workout and I’m looking forward to going back! This will be the first time I’ve mentioned my pregnancy in my blog and anything goes online
9-5
Today I begin my second trimester! I can’t believe I’m already a third of the way through this pregnancy. I’m still feeling good, although tired but I can attribute the past few day’s tiredness to Friday night‘s red-eye flight. We flew to the east coast to share our news with my husband’s family in person and I couldn’t take much work off so it’s a quick trip, which is always semi-exhausting. I didn’t manage to sleep on the flight because I was so uncomfortable. I followed my doctor’s recommendations for preventing blood clots, which I guess are more likely during pregnancy, and took a baby aspirin & wore compression tights. I never take over the counter medicine, so I felt weird chewing an aspirin but luckily I already own stylish fluorescent green compression tights for running so that was no problem. Despite the compression and a couple standing/stretching breaks, my feet felt more swollen than they usually do flying. I’ll see how the flight hometonight feels then talk to my doctor and possibly re-think some late pregnancy travel I have planned.
Sharing the news with my in-laws was exciting, as they’ve been waiting for it practically since my husband and I met. Ours will be their third grandchild and my mom’s first. All of them are/will be spectacular grandparents and I think we’re pretty lucky to have two families who are so engaged.
Now we finally get to “go public”. Yay!
8-30
We hit quite a few milestones this past week! I tried running again and we saw Baby on an ultrasound beginning to look human! We picked out the shape of the head and body, saw arms with thumbs, and little legs. Olive is measuring around 2 1/2 inches, depending on if she (no, we don’t know it’s a girl) is more curled up or stretched out. We did see movement while we were looking around in there but of course I can’t feel anything yet. All I felt during the appointment was the overwhelming need to pee. I had to begin with a full bladder so it would push the uterus to a position we could see using a stomach ultrasound. I was in emergency mode by the time we finished! After the ultrasound, we met with a geneticist who gave us the information we were hoping to hear about the few genetic disorders they tested by measuring my blood protein. There will be another set at week 20.
I may have reached the end of my exhausted coma of the past couple week. I’m sleeping through nights again (except for 2-3 pee breaks, which I hope will diminish soon) and am waking up at a reasonable hour instead of absurdly early. Funny thing is, now that I’m sleeping more, I often wake up groggy in the morning instead of ready to tackle the day. But at least I feel more alive throughout the day instead of until just till noon! Since I have more energy and started to miss running, I decided to get back on the treadmill yesterday. I’m already looking forward to my first post-baby triathlon My goal yesterday was an easy mile, alternating every 30 seconds between running and walking, but I felt fine the entire time. It’s a new sensation to run with my belly bouncing!
I continue to love my every-other-day yoga and am going to begin exploring prenatal classes when we return from our labor day weekend trip. Nutrition has been a little difficult for me but I’ve been trying to keep the kitchen stocked with easy grab and go foods and pack plenty of healthy snacks for long days at work. I made a curry with broccoli and bok choy (both high in calcium) but disliked it so much that I blended it into a soup, which is delicious! My stomach has been more comfortable since I cut back on dairy but I still love my string cheese and keep a stick or two with me at all times for a quick snack with a piece of fruit!
I’ve got a long work day ahead of me but plan on fitting a bike ride in this morning first. Better get moving!
8-24
My low point as far as exhaustion goes occurred last Sunday. Between a late Saturday night show, then an early trip to the farmers market and a bike ride to our park concert, fatigue set in early and didn’t leave all day. I hadn’t before gotten to the point of crying because I was so tired that I didn’t know what else to do but our lunch break Sunday found me doing just that. I called my husband and he tried to cheer me up, then I curled up in an empty spot of grass and rested for 20 minutes. I couldn’t fall asleep, but laying down helped me get through the afternoon concert. I’m sure that poor nutrition (all I wanted to eat was bread and more bread!) and extra energy expenditure to keep warm (it was in the 50′s all day) contributed to the exhaustion, but I’m guessing it was mostly general pregnancy tiredness. My What to Expect app told me sometime this past week that the placenta is forming so I’ll probably be extra tired, but that early in my second trimester I might start regaining energy. I hope so! I fell asleep on the couch last night at 9pm while listening to my husband play piano- a rare occurrence because the piano is so loud- but that was my clue that I needed to skip our movie and go to bed early. Of course I woke up this morning at 5:30 but managed to doze until 7, when I got up to do yoga. I’ve found a couple of prenatal yoga videos and am loving beginning every other morning with a practice. My favorite is Shiva Rea’s Prenatal DVD . I feel like it touches on every sore muscle that needs stretching and challenges me to find more flexibility. I’m already doing all of the second trimester modifications- not because my belly is big but because I’m not flexible enough for the un-modified poses! I’ve been told that my joints might be looser during pregnancy and to avoid over-stretching, but I’m sure not finding that so far.
On Monday I went for an acupuncture appointment. Near the end of the appointment, RH checked all of my pulses (different points in both wrists) and told me that my outer energy was way down but that inner energy is thriving. I’ll bet that’s because I’ve become a baby-making factory!
Olive is over 2 inches at this point and we have our first ultra-sound scheduled after meeting with the genetic counselor Friday. My belly seems to be a different size each day, not necessarily growing every day but inconsistent. My challenge at work is wearing clothes that cover the bulge (bought some cute maternity items that fit well already!) but don’t look like something obvious is going on. I’m nearing the end of my first trimester and it’s almost time to start spreading our exciting news!
8-16
I started work today and it’s the hardest thing for me to keep my mouth shut about being pregnant! It is the most important thing going on for me, yet I have to pretend it’s not happening and that I’m focused on regular everyday life. Only a couple more weeks!
Those maternity pants I ordered don’t fit at all. Obviously. Not sure what I was thinking. I’m keeping one pair that I think I’ll grow into and just sent the other two back. Today I managed to wear my regular skinny jeans, using a rubberband contraption to hold the button and buttonhole close together. It bulges a little but not enough that anyone besides me would ever notice. I can’t wait until I actually start showing more than just a doughnut ring around my belly and can wear fitted clothes that show off my new shape!
We had our second doctor’s appointment last Friday and couldn’t hear Olive’s heartbeat because my stomach was gurgling too much. Must have been the very healthy soup I ate for lunch just before the appointment. We saw the heartbeat again on the screen and came home with pictures looking very similar in blob-like structure to the first set, only she’s grown quite a bit. Next Friday we’re meeting with the genetic counselor and having our first ultra-sound.
I’m feeling great, considering all of the changes going on inside of me. I could use more sleep at night and am resting in the afternoons, and I’m doing a mostly dairy-free day to see if it helps my stomach feel less bloated. It’s evening and I’m feeling better than usual, so maybe dairy has something to do with it. I would hate to give up my yogurt!
Time for a nice warm bath
8-9
I’ve been floating on a cloud lately, enjoying the feeling of invincibility that settled over me during our Mexico vacation. The little things that would normally concern me, like strange plants on the hiking paths (are they poisonous?) and bugs everywhere (does that thing sting?) didn’t phase me. True, I’m coming home with souvenirs of bug bites and scraped ankles, but I found this great salve in Estes Park and true to “Mountain Mommy’s” claims, I don’t itch at all after using it! And the heat, which was oppressive and so uncomfortable to me that weekend in Chicago when I’d just discovered I was pregnant, barely fazed me. I’m sure it was every bit as hot and probably more humid in Mexico but somehow the calm beauty of my situation took over and I was comfortable. I found myself rubbing my belly often and smiling as I spoke to Olive. She’s actually prune-sized at this point but I like Olive better. She also took on a feminine personality sometime in the past week. Maybe it’s the name
8-5
The Santa Fe altitude and heat are rougher than usual for me and I’ve been pretty tired since I arrived Tuesday afternoon. I felt the best I’ve felt so far after this afternoon’s nap then swim. It was the perfect combination after more food at lunch time. I feel as though I’ve been eating constantly because if my blood sugar even begins to drop I start feeling a little queasy. Not a horrible remedy for a touch of morning sickness (if that’s what this is) other than I actually miss being hungry and feeling like my stomach is empty! I don’t seem to have any food aversions and the only smell that has bothered me so far was the compost a few nights back. (Not that that’s unexpected!) I constantly want more fruits and veggies, which is harder that usual when I’m on the road, but soon we’ll be at the cabin, grocery shopping and cooking all meals. I miss the comfort of my kitchen and the healthy snacks it holds
After our first doctor appointment Monday, this pregnancy seems even more real. We actually saw a tiny, beating heart, and have pictures of a little blob on the screen from two different angles. I love my doctor- she’s the opposite of alarmist and has a reasonable answer to every (stupid) question I ask.
We are now affectionately referring to Baby as Blueberry. I think my husband and I are both highly entertained by our code word. Hope this kid ends up liking blueberries!
7-21
I am getting winded doing the weirdest things. Strangely enough, swimming doesn’t seem to bother me, but carrying my clothes down the stairs on my way to the laundromat left me breathing heavily! Today’s trip was supposed to include a mid-wash run, so I dumped the clothes in the washers and took off. My short run turned into mostly walking because my back was hurting and running felt too difficult. I’m just not sure how much or little to push myself at this point so I’m erring on the side of caution. That said, still seeing no hint of morning sickness and exercise possibly contributing to this lack, I’m definitely committed to doing something each day.
Beside not being comfortable in my jeans after about noon each day and needing more support than usual on top, I don’t feel particularly pregnant. I guess Baby is only the size of a blueberry at this point so I probably won’t notice much for a while. Last weekend when I was reading over the changes that should be occurring this week and rattling off facts to my husband, he started giving me a hard time about being the most pregnant woman ever. Later, I told him if he’d listened to me instead of making fun of me, he’d know how our baby was developing. His response? ”I did listen. You’re growing a blueberry.” Very cute.
7-14
I found out Monday that I’m pregnant and it’s all I can do to not tell every person I see, including the woman I sat next to on the plane ride home from Hawaii and the pregnant woman who smiled at me in REI. I would love to be able to include this in my blog, but since I’m not telling anyone for the first few months, this will suffice.
I’ve scheduled my first doctor’s appointment for a week from Monday and already started flipping through What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I don’t want to read too much literature because I’m afraid it will put ideas into my head about what could possibly go wrong, and there’s no need for that. I’m mostly interested in food and exercise for a healthy pregnancy. I was fascinated to learn (how did I not know this?) that the 40 weeks of my pregnancy actually began on the first day of my last period. I got two weeks for free and I’m already in the middle of week 5. This means, if my calculations are correct, my due date is shortly after my own birthday in March. Wow- that’s pretty soon!
My husband laughed when I first said I’m already getting fat and it must be from eating too much because Baby’s barely the size of an orange seed. I always feel too full and it turns out, that’s probably from bloating. Fun stuff already.
I am now eating for two- not in quantity but in nutritional value. My already- healthy eating habits have improved and I’m being super conscious of omega 3, calcium and protein intake. I haven’t quite transitioned to eating less, more often. I still have a mental block against grazing after eating only three meals and not snacking during the cleanse and I was horrified when I read something about eating a snack before bed because I’ve been trying so hard not to eat late a night. I’ll have to see what the doc says about all of this. I assume that as long as I’m not feeling icky and can keep food down, I have a little more flexibility with quantity and timing of my meals.
As for exercise, I’m back into easy regular workout routines and I’ve started an upper body routine with very light weights. Once Baby is born, I’ll be doing plenty of lifting and carrying and basically since I began triathlons 10 years ago, I haven’t had a consistent weight routine.
Must finish lunch and lay down for a few minutes. Sleep hasn’t been consistent since I constantly need to pee and I’m training myself to sleep on my sides. My hips get so sore!
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