Well, it's time for my weekly update. I swear, these weeks are just speeding by. It feels like I just wrote last week's post about 2 days ago.
25 weeks! That's almost 28 weeks, which is the THIRD TRIMESTER. I can't believe I'm so far along.
Baby is about the size of a cauliflower. Or, in normal human terms, between 13.5 and 14.5 inches, and weighing between 1.5 and 2.5 pounds. Baby is getting so big! I can tell. Sometimes I'll feel movement on opposite sides of my belly... at the same time! It's so weird. Or I'll feel something all across the front of my belly all at once. It's so much fun to lie in bed and feel the kicks and rolls. Speaking of which, Jon FINALLY felt the baby this week, which is super awesome! =] Baby's inner ear is working now, and s/he can tell if s/he's upside down or not! Also, Baby is gaining more fat and filling out the wrinkly skin. Also, according to everydayfamily.com, the structure of Baby's spine is forming: all the rings, joints and ligaments. Keep growing, Baby!
As for my symptoms, I think the swelling in my hands has gone down somewhat, or is at least not getting worse. I attribute this to the increased amount of protein I've been eating. I don't really count how many grams of protein I get a day, but I do make a conscious effort to choose the foods with the higher protein content. Like, instead of doing jelly on my toast now, I'll opt for peanut butter. Plus I've been drinking 1-2 glasses of milk a day, plus having yogurt or cottage cheese or things like that. I find I stay fuller longer eating more protein, so that's good, too.
My hip and back pain/stiffness have been really rather irritating, particularly at night. I wake up from it at night more often than I need to pee, which is saying something. Of course, once I'm awake, I figure I might as well pee, so I'm up several times a night and that got old, fast. But I'm not sure what to do about it. More stretches, probably.
I had a headache today, and chugged a bunch of water in case it was from being dehydrated. And apparently it was, because I just realized that since like 20 minutes after drinking so much water, my headache went away. But since then I've also been peeing what seems like a lot more than before... I hate having to get up to pee... and it's only going to get worse.
Otherwise, I feel like I don't have too many issues to deal with; no indigestion, constipation, or very much joint/muscle pain (except at night, see above). I will say that I feel more irritable and emotional these last couple of weeks then I had been before. And that's been quite annoying (for Jon, too, I'm sure).
As far as getting ready for Baby, Jon got all the paneling off the walls in Baby's room last week, just before he got sick... we're going to buy paint this week, and as soon as he starts feeling better we (he) will be sanding off the paneling glue, texturing the walls, and painting. I can't wait to post pictures! I have a couple of projects I want to do for the room, and we also still need to seal and put back together the dressers. I can't wait until it starts to look more like a nursery! I feel like we have to get our butts in gear, though, because this pregnancy is flying by.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Pregnant After IUI: Week 24
I am already almost done with my second trimester: Only 4 more weeks to go! That's just crazy.
This week, Baby has been gaining weight and length, but thebump.com is still pretty vague about exact size. It does say my baby is the size of a cantaloupe... oh dear Lord. Baby's skin is more opaque instead of translucent, and is getting a pinkish tinge due to capillaries that have been forming. So that's cute. Otherwise, not a whole lot going on this week, it seems. (Because we all know growing and developing is "not a whole lot," right? //sarcasm//)
As for symptoms: Same as they have been. My hands and feet are definitely swollen, but not a lot or to the point where it's uncomfortable, just enough to notice. So I've been eating more protein; according to a Dr. Brewer, if the swelling is due to toxemia protein will help keep it under control.
My skin is super dry and itchy, but I got a lotion from the store today that I hope will help. I'm so cheap when it comes to buying lotion... oh wow. This bottle was 12 oz and cost 9.99. It was the best deal. I was going to get some body butter stuff, but it was WAY more expensive, and I was like, "Psh, no way I'm spending 13 or 14 bucks for that much lotion!" Then I got home and spent $80 on a probiotic... priorities, people. In my defense, it's a LOT of probiotic and I am taking it in the hopes that I test negative for GBS when the time comes. More on that at a later date.
Hm... what else... I really don't have a lot to report... baby is moving around a lot, and I got to hear the heart "beep" today, which is the best ever. It was at about 150, so that's good. I think that's a "boy" heart beat, according to old wives' tales... I think above 140 is considered boy. So, I guess my point is that it could be a boy... but there's an equally good chance it could be a girl, so you just never know. =]
I'm getting excited for my baby shower. The planning is just in its beginning stages, but hopefully I'll be able to have it by the end of June. We shall see.
Also, Jon and I decided on the color to paint the nursery, so we just have to take of the paneling in the room, sand down the glue, texture the walls, and then paint it! (Yes, I realize that's a lot of work, and Jon's doing most of it. He's a good man.) We also got some curtains from Savers at $6 a piece before Jon's discount, and some fabric from JoAnn's to make some wall hangings. I can't wait to get all these projects started and see the nursery come together! We also need to buy a sealer for the unfinished dressers we got from IKEA a few weeks ago. It's starting to get real, folks!
This week, Baby has been gaining weight and length, but thebump.com is still pretty vague about exact size. It does say my baby is the size of a cantaloupe... oh dear Lord. Baby's skin is more opaque instead of translucent, and is getting a pinkish tinge due to capillaries that have been forming. So that's cute. Otherwise, not a whole lot going on this week, it seems. (Because we all know growing and developing is "not a whole lot," right? //sarcasm//)
As for symptoms: Same as they have been. My hands and feet are definitely swollen, but not a lot or to the point where it's uncomfortable, just enough to notice. So I've been eating more protein; according to a Dr. Brewer, if the swelling is due to toxemia protein will help keep it under control.
My skin is super dry and itchy, but I got a lotion from the store today that I hope will help. I'm so cheap when it comes to buying lotion... oh wow. This bottle was 12 oz and cost 9.99. It was the best deal. I was going to get some body butter stuff, but it was WAY more expensive, and I was like, "Psh, no way I'm spending 13 or 14 bucks for that much lotion!" Then I got home and spent $80 on a probiotic... priorities, people. In my defense, it's a LOT of probiotic and I am taking it in the hopes that I test negative for GBS when the time comes. More on that at a later date.
Hm... what else... I really don't have a lot to report... baby is moving around a lot, and I got to hear the heart "beep" today, which is the best ever. It was at about 150, so that's good. I think that's a "boy" heart beat, according to old wives' tales... I think above 140 is considered boy. So, I guess my point is that it could be a boy... but there's an equally good chance it could be a girl, so you just never know. =]
I'm getting excited for my baby shower. The planning is just in its beginning stages, but hopefully I'll be able to have it by the end of June. We shall see.
Also, Jon and I decided on the color to paint the nursery, so we just have to take of the paneling in the room, sand down the glue, texture the walls, and then paint it! (Yes, I realize that's a lot of work, and Jon's doing most of it. He's a good man.) We also got some curtains from Savers at $6 a piece before Jon's discount, and some fabric from JoAnn's to make some wall hangings. I can't wait to get all these projects started and see the nursery come together! We also need to buy a sealer for the unfinished dressers we got from IKEA a few weeks ago. It's starting to get real, folks!
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Pregnant After IUI: Week 23
I seriously can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going... Maybe it'll feel like it'll slow down once we get in the hot summer months and I'm uncomfortable, but for right now it's just flying by.
Baby is about the size of a papaya or a grapefruit, depending on who you ask: approximately 11 inches long, head to heel, and weighs somewhere between 12 and 20 ounces. That's crazy big. Like, I feel movement on BOTH sides of my belly at the same time sometimes now. Or really up high. It's the coolest thing ever.
My symptoms have been super easy to manage still. My hands and feet ARE swelling, now, which is, I believe, the only new symptom. I asked my doula about it, and she said to go to blueribbonbaby.org, so I did. It's a website about the Brewer Diet. Dr. Brewer had no cases of toxemia in his practice, by having his patients follow a very high-protein diet. So I've been working to increase my protein intake (which I know was abysmal) in order to combat the swelling. I'm hoping it at least doesn't get any worse. It's not uncomfortable or anything, I just don't want it to become an issue.
I got a cold this week: First time I've gotten sick since I got pregnant. And here I was, just sitting here, all proud of how I didn't get sick all winter long. There goes my bubble. Ah, well. I'm on the mend now.
So I might do a separate post on this (I say that too often and then never follow up on it) but I've been reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I have learned so much from these books! The biggest thing I've been thinking about is the use of pain medications (or any drugs, for whatever reason, really) and how untested they are and all that... And now I wish more than ever that we had been able to afford a home birth, and that having to deliver at the hospital the cards are stacked against me... It's hard to explain. I just don't want to put my baby--or body--at risk for unnecessary interventions. Yeah, I think I need to do a post on it...
I've been doing more exercises and stretches to get ready for labor. Squatting, Kegels, the cat/cow stretch (I think that's what it's called) and things like that. Nothing major.
So anyway, I'm off to consume my high-protein meal of kidney beans and rice with ham in it. And eat my dessert of yogurt with chocolate in it. And spend time with my husband. Can't beat that.
Baby is about the size of a papaya or a grapefruit, depending on who you ask: approximately 11 inches long, head to heel, and weighs somewhere between 12 and 20 ounces. That's crazy big. Like, I feel movement on BOTH sides of my belly at the same time sometimes now. Or really up high. It's the coolest thing ever.
My symptoms have been super easy to manage still. My hands and feet ARE swelling, now, which is, I believe, the only new symptom. I asked my doula about it, and she said to go to blueribbonbaby.org, so I did. It's a website about the Brewer Diet. Dr. Brewer had no cases of toxemia in his practice, by having his patients follow a very high-protein diet. So I've been working to increase my protein intake (which I know was abysmal) in order to combat the swelling. I'm hoping it at least doesn't get any worse. It's not uncomfortable or anything, I just don't want it to become an issue.
I got a cold this week: First time I've gotten sick since I got pregnant. And here I was, just sitting here, all proud of how I didn't get sick all winter long. There goes my bubble. Ah, well. I'm on the mend now.
So I might do a separate post on this (I say that too often and then never follow up on it) but I've been reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. I have learned so much from these books! The biggest thing I've been thinking about is the use of pain medications (or any drugs, for whatever reason, really) and how untested they are and all that... And now I wish more than ever that we had been able to afford a home birth, and that having to deliver at the hospital the cards are stacked against me... It's hard to explain. I just don't want to put my baby--or body--at risk for unnecessary interventions. Yeah, I think I need to do a post on it...
I've been doing more exercises and stretches to get ready for labor. Squatting, Kegels, the cat/cow stretch (I think that's what it's called) and things like that. Nothing major.
So anyway, I'm off to consume my high-protein meal of kidney beans and rice with ham in it. And eat my dessert of yogurt with chocolate in it. And spend time with my husband. Can't beat that.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Pregnant After IUI: Week 22
Apparently this is the time when Baby hits growth spurts and not at the same time as all other babies... according to thebump.com, Baby can be anywhere from 10.5 (length given last week) and 11.8 inches long, and weigh between 12.7 and 20.8 ounces... any time during the fifth month. It also says, though, that baby is about the size of a papaya, so if you're familiar with those, you have an idea on the size of my babe. Baby has better-developed eyes and lips, so looks more like a newborn, and is sleeping in cycles... uh, duh. Right now, Baby is in an awake cycle, and is happily kicking and punching me. I don't mind, though; it doesn't hurt yet. It just makes me smile a little. =]
Symptoms have been so easy, lately. Kicking, punching, squirming, rolling, twitching... seems like all the time, sometimes. Except for at night, when Jon is home and wants to feel the baby, and then it's like, "oh, nap time!" and all movement stops for the evening. Go figure.
I'm still tired, but I feel good. Most days I have enough motivation to get things done. Most days. Some days I don't. But I think that's just me being lazy, and not me being pregnant. Although being pregnant is a good excuse to put my feet up now and again.
The swelling (if I even am dealing with that... sometimes I can't even tell) has not gotten any worse, which is awesome. Hoping that doesn't change.
I guess I am dealing with irritability and being grumpy quite a bit... I feel like this trimester has been more unstable emotionally than the first trimester was. Which is kind of annoying, but oh well.
Since I'm sure you all are dying to know this, I have not been constipated since I started taking the diatomaceous earth. You guys, I love that stuff. It's awesome. Although I just read a thing online that said it can be high in heavy metals, (Wow, took me 3 tries to spell "metals" right... I typed medals at first, and was like, wait, no...) and so I should be ingesting some selenium too... Hmm... I should see how much selenium my prenatal has.
I am still 1-2 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight... not expecting that to last long, although I'm happy I'm not gaining a ton of weight.
I MISS SLEEPING/LYING ON MY STOMACH. Seriously. Even my back... my hips wake me up from being sore from lying on them all the time.
As for how I'm doing emotionally, I LOVE being pregnant. I really do. Not because it makes me feel more beautiful or sexy or whatever, although I do think I have more confidence in my body... I think it's more because it makes me feel empowered. I have doubted myself for such a long time, in basically everything... but in this, growing a human, my body is doing perfectly. Plus, I've wanted it for so long, that I am just totally relishing in the feelings and emotions that I have been experiencing. I am, however, seriously terrified and doubting whether or not I'll be a good mom... so I plan on writing down some things I want to remember as I parent, and maybe make some wall art out of it, to help remind me. But that's another issue altogether... but this pregnancy thing is golden. =]
Anyway, I think that's mostly it for this week... I have been doing more exercises and am trying to prepare more for the birthing aspect of being pregnant. Now that the weather's decent, I plan on walking more. I ordered some red raspberry leaf tea and plan on having that most days. So, yup. Things are moving right along!
Symptoms have been so easy, lately. Kicking, punching, squirming, rolling, twitching... seems like all the time, sometimes. Except for at night, when Jon is home and wants to feel the baby, and then it's like, "oh, nap time!" and all movement stops for the evening. Go figure.
I'm still tired, but I feel good. Most days I have enough motivation to get things done. Most days. Some days I don't. But I think that's just me being lazy, and not me being pregnant. Although being pregnant is a good excuse to put my feet up now and again.
The swelling (if I even am dealing with that... sometimes I can't even tell) has not gotten any worse, which is awesome. Hoping that doesn't change.
I guess I am dealing with irritability and being grumpy quite a bit... I feel like this trimester has been more unstable emotionally than the first trimester was. Which is kind of annoying, but oh well.
Since I'm sure you all are dying to know this, I have not been constipated since I started taking the diatomaceous earth. You guys, I love that stuff. It's awesome. Although I just read a thing online that said it can be high in heavy metals, (Wow, took me 3 tries to spell "metals" right... I typed medals at first, and was like, wait, no...) and so I should be ingesting some selenium too... Hmm... I should see how much selenium my prenatal has.
I am still 1-2 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight... not expecting that to last long, although I'm happy I'm not gaining a ton of weight.
I MISS SLEEPING/LYING ON MY STOMACH. Seriously. Even my back... my hips wake me up from being sore from lying on them all the time.
As for how I'm doing emotionally, I LOVE being pregnant. I really do. Not because it makes me feel more beautiful or sexy or whatever, although I do think I have more confidence in my body... I think it's more because it makes me feel empowered. I have doubted myself for such a long time, in basically everything... but in this, growing a human, my body is doing perfectly. Plus, I've wanted it for so long, that I am just totally relishing in the feelings and emotions that I have been experiencing. I am, however, seriously terrified and doubting whether or not I'll be a good mom... so I plan on writing down some things I want to remember as I parent, and maybe make some wall art out of it, to help remind me. But that's another issue altogether... but this pregnancy thing is golden. =]
Anyway, I think that's mostly it for this week... I have been doing more exercises and am trying to prepare more for the birthing aspect of being pregnant. Now that the weather's decent, I plan on walking more. I ordered some red raspberry leaf tea and plan on having that most days. So, yup. Things are moving right along!
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Pregnant After IUI: Week 21
I am officially been pregnant for longer than I will remain pregnant... that's a strange thought. A slightly terrifying thought, haha.
Now, according to thebump.com my baby grew about 4 inches this week, and is now 10.5 inches long, and 12.7 ounces in weight. That seems like a HUGE growth spurt for one week--baby almost doubling in length--so I'm not sure if I trust those numbers completely, but it's cool nonetheless. Baby's digestive system is already producing, although not expelling, meconium; and, if it's a girl, her ovaries and eggs are formed, meaning I could potentially have my grandchildren inside of me right now, influencing their future health and all that... whoa. Trippy.
On to symptoms... do I really need to keep mentioning that I'm exhausted all the time? I feel like you should just assume that I'm tired... always.
Saturday I had bouts of mild dizziness all day long, and a few random ones since then, but nothing serious or debilitating.
I think my hands are a bit swollen... but it's so slight that I'm not even sure about it, and it causes no discomfort or anything. The only reason I've noticed is because my ring feels a bit tight.
Dry skin and dry eyes, paired with excess mucus... not a fun combo.
Irritability, still... which is irritating.
This last Saturday was really fun. Jon and I drove up to the cities and went to Buy Buy Baby and Ikea. The only reason we went to Buy Buy Baby was to try car seats in the car. Although my knees are like 2 inches from the dash, we've decided to go with the Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat and the Chicco Liteway Plus stroller. We're both really happy with the decision; I just wish the Jetta was a little bigger so I had, you know, leg room. We also walked around and marveled at the expense of buying baby things new and brand name. I mean, really. I think we saw one or two cribs that were UNDER 300 BUCKS (most were $400-over $1000) and most mattresses were $300+... I-I-I-I don't think so. I also wanted to go to Ikea to check out baby stuff there, since it's much more reasonably priced... and yeah. Their "expensive" crib was $130 bucks... the cheapest was $70 (and got good ratings in the Baby Bargains most recent edition!) and the mattresses were even cheaper. You can't beat THAT! We didn't buy a crib yet, but if we end up buying one, that's what we plan on doing. We DID, however, buy a 5-drawer dresser, a 3-drawer dresser, and a nightstand... all for under $200 bucks, thanks to their AS IS section. We weren't planning on buying anything, but at that price, we couldn't say no. So, baby has dressers and a nightstand for forever. Oh, the wood isn't finished, but we figure that's a small inconvenience given the price. And we're going to use the smaller dresser as a changing table. It's a win-win!
Hm... what else? Jon bought a little kid cushiony chair from Savers for cheap. So that's fun.
Anyway, I think that's pretty much it... until next week!
Now, according to thebump.com my baby grew about 4 inches this week, and is now 10.5 inches long, and 12.7 ounces in weight. That seems like a HUGE growth spurt for one week--baby almost doubling in length--so I'm not sure if I trust those numbers completely, but it's cool nonetheless. Baby's digestive system is already producing, although not expelling, meconium; and, if it's a girl, her ovaries and eggs are formed, meaning I could potentially have my grandchildren inside of me right now, influencing their future health and all that... whoa. Trippy.
On to symptoms... do I really need to keep mentioning that I'm exhausted all the time? I feel like you should just assume that I'm tired... always.
Saturday I had bouts of mild dizziness all day long, and a few random ones since then, but nothing serious or debilitating.
I think my hands are a bit swollen... but it's so slight that I'm not even sure about it, and it causes no discomfort or anything. The only reason I've noticed is because my ring feels a bit tight.
Dry skin and dry eyes, paired with excess mucus... not a fun combo.
Irritability, still... which is irritating.
This last Saturday was really fun. Jon and I drove up to the cities and went to Buy Buy Baby and Ikea. The only reason we went to Buy Buy Baby was to try car seats in the car. Although my knees are like 2 inches from the dash, we've decided to go with the Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat and the Chicco Liteway Plus stroller. We're both really happy with the decision; I just wish the Jetta was a little bigger so I had, you know, leg room. We also walked around and marveled at the expense of buying baby things new and brand name. I mean, really. I think we saw one or two cribs that were UNDER 300 BUCKS (most were $400-over $1000) and most mattresses were $300+... I-I-I-I don't think so. I also wanted to go to Ikea to check out baby stuff there, since it's much more reasonably priced... and yeah. Their "expensive" crib was $130 bucks... the cheapest was $70 (and got good ratings in the Baby Bargains most recent edition!) and the mattresses were even cheaper. You can't beat THAT! We didn't buy a crib yet, but if we end up buying one, that's what we plan on doing. We DID, however, buy a 5-drawer dresser, a 3-drawer dresser, and a nightstand... all for under $200 bucks, thanks to their AS IS section. We weren't planning on buying anything, but at that price, we couldn't say no. So, baby has dressers and a nightstand for forever. Oh, the wood isn't finished, but we figure that's a small inconvenience given the price. And we're going to use the smaller dresser as a changing table. It's a win-win!
Hm... what else? Jon bought a little kid cushiony chair from Savers for cheap. So that's fun.
Anyway, I think that's pretty much it... until next week!
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