Pregnant After IUI: Week 20

I am 20 weeks pregnant today... halfway done! I can't even believe it. That is just absolutely crazy. And as a result of being halfway done, I am beginning to freak out about the idea of labor and delivery, and making sure everything is ready for Baby to get here. I feel like there's so much to do, and all of it has to wait until it's warmer out (assuming that at some point this summer it will actually be "warmer"). So that's a little stressful, but over all I'm just excited to be at the halfway mark*.

Anyway, as for Baby's size this week, Baby weighs 10.2 ounces and is 6.5 inches long, crown to rump (I think that's a crown to rump measurement, anyway). And adorable. I have proof. Baby's taste buds are working, and Baby is practicing swallowing by drinking lots of amniotic fluid--to the tune of several ounces a day! 

As for symptoms... Movement is the most exciting and fun one. still. I am still tired most of the time, and have been ...irritable, maybe, or emotional... not sure what the right word is. Easily grumpified. Something little will happen, and I will be LIVID for a while. It's annoying, because I KNOW I'm being irrational, and that the fact that the jell-o dripped on the floor is no big deal, but OH MY GOSH DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, DOG, OR I WILL SCREAM. Yeah, it's not pretty here some days. Jon's been super nice, though...

What else... it's getting harder to breathe when I do things, like move. Stairs are... stairs are awful. I sound like a charging rhino after I clomp up a set of stairs. I have to squat instead of bend over, or my back pain (I think it's sciatic) flairs. I've been having a lot of stretching and round ligament pain, especially at night. The whole lying-in-one-position-for-several-hours-without-moving thing is not comfy on my hips and the muscles around them. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for a natural (or mostly natural, at least) body cream to help moisturize my skin? I am so dry. I got this lotion from the grocery, but it just sits on my skin and when I take a bath or a shower my skin feels slimy and I'm not a fan. It has to be something without a strong smell, because sometimes the smells make me feel sick and I won't use it if I don't like the smell. (Coconut oil doesn't work, either... I KNOW someone was going to suggest that.)

Anyway, remember the proof I had that Baby is cute? Here it is. Enjoy.

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*Assuming that I deliver at 40 weeks, not 42 like I'm planning.

Pregnant After IUI: Week 19

Baby is about 6 inches long, and gained almost 2 ounces this week (now baby weighs 8.5 oz)! Craziness! The vernix is forming (a protective coating on the baby's skin) and nerve cells in baby's brain are developing and improving baby's 5 main senses. Also, baby is moving around A TON, and although Jon has yet to feel the baby, I've felt it a couple of times by putting my hand on my stomach and feeling the kicks. =] I also feel the baby moving all the time inside. It's the coolest feeling ever.

Symptoms have been pretty mild this week. I've been tired, but that could be because we were on vacation and busy all the time. My hip pain while sleeping has not gotten any worse, and while I do have some back pain, I know now what triggers it so it hasn't been too bad. 

I have had some mild indigestion/heart burn, but it's been so minor that I haven't even taken any TUMS for it. I haven't had to take Tylenol much, lately, either; my headaches have gotten much better. 

I *might* have had some Braxton Hicks contractions, but I don't really know for sure. They don't hurt, and it's only been like 2 or 3 times that I've felt anything, but it almost feels like my uterus is tight or something... it's hard to describe. (I typed "describble" at first, and I think that's such a cool word that it should actually be one.)

I've been taking that diatomaceous earth still, and have been regular with very little, if any, constipation, which is awesome. 

Oh, mood swings... I'm not "moody," per se, but I do get LIVID at the dog once in a while, with very little provocation, poor pooch. 

I have started doing Kegels... I tried to do some the other day, and realized my pelvic floor muscles are weaker than my self-control, so I'm doing 10 Kegels every time I pee, for now. I will be increasing the number of Kegels I do, as well as how long I hold them, to help tone "down there" for labor.

I feel like this pregnancy is going pretty fast, and that before we know it, we'll be at the hospital giving birth. That is a moderately terrifying thought. There's so much we want to do before the baby comes. The next couple of weekends will be devoted to trying out car seats, both here and in the cities, and working on our registry... and we haven't done anything to get the nursery set up. Not that we can do much, right now anyway, since it's too cold to paint and we don't have any furniture yet. But still... lots to do.

Tomorrow, though is going to be super exciting, because we have an ultrasound scheduled. I will probably post pictures afterwards, so look for those. I can't wait to see what the baby looks like! 

We're going to be looking at some cloth diapers in the next couple of days, and I'll probably do a post with some pictures on the diapers we get, plus the ones we already have. So stay tuned for that, as well.

Anyway, I think that's it. Adieu! 

Pregnant After IUI: Week 18

Baby is moving around like crazy, and getting so big! Over 5 1/2 inches long and 6.7 ounces! I feel kicks all the time, lately... well, several times a day. Which is so much fun, and one of the things I was most looking forward to with being pregnant. =] Besides getting bigger and kicking, baby is also hiccuping, yawning, sucking, and swallowing; rolling, twisting, and punching. So much fun!

Pregnancy symptoms... If you'll recall, I'm in Florida right now, and my hands and feet are more swollen here than they were at home (I don't think they were swollen at all at home). I'm sure it's just from the heat, and nothing to worry about. Might not even be pregnancy-related at all.

Movement... lots of movement from the babe.

My hips, back, and other joints have been stiff, sore, and all around uncomfortable.

Lots of peeing.

I can eat chicken again! Well, our home-grown chickens... store-bought chicken still smells/tastes icky.

I have been taking diatomaceous earth daily, and HALLELUJAH AMEN my constipation is gone! I poo 3-4 times a day now! It's incredible. You have no idea how awesome it's been.

As for baby buys this week: I got some cloth diapers! I'm so excited about them. I got 8 BumGenius diapers, used, for $50... can't beat that! I'll talk more about them soon, but I'm not going to go into it a ton right now, since I'm on vacation.

I can't think of anything else, and I don't want to spend a ton of time on this, since I'm not home. So I'll update if I think of anything else.

Pregnant After IUI: Week 17

Baby is over 5 inches long now, and weighs about 6 ounces. Cartilage is becoming bone, and baby is getting fat--but it still pretty lanky. Last night I was awake for a bit, and I felt baby rolling around in there--I love feeling the movements! I can't wait until they're more regular and strong enough for Jon to feel them.

This week I've had quite a bit of joint/muscle pain in my hips, knees, and shoulders; especially when I'm sleeping/not moving for a long time. Even putting a pillow between my knees doesn't do much. My back has been hurting; stiff and/or sore, especially when I do a lot during the day. Eyes have been dry and tired. Oh, I've also had lots of bogeys in ma nosey. I usually wake up at least once every night, just to blow my nose because it gets so clogged. This has been going on for a while, I just forgot to mention it. Still exhausted... but my nails are growing like weeds. I get winded/out of breath really easily, and it's hard to eat a lot at one time... all my organs are getting smooshed around in there.

Here's my belly at 16 weeks, 4 days. Wanted to get another picture today, but didn't get around to it. Maybe Jon will help me with it before Florida... we'll see.

March 20th is our anatomy scan ultrasound! I can't wait. We aren't going to find out the gender, but they will measure the baby and make sure everything looks good... and we'll get to see baby for a good chunk of time! So I'm super excited about that. My mama and Jon will be with me for that.

I think that's pretty much it. This is a short update, because I'm busy getting ready for our FLORIDA VACATION. We leave Friday and will be gone for just over a week. My whole family is going, sans Jon (boo hoo). It will be grand. So, next Wednesday I am going to TRY to get a weekly update up, but if it's a day late, or not there at all, it's because I'm in FLORIDA and am busy. But I'll be back for sure the following week.

Pregnant After IUI: Week 16

At 4.6 inches long, and 3.5 ounces, baby is really growing fast! This week, due to bones forming in the ear, baby can now hear my voice and heart beat... oh, that thought makes me smile! Hair, eyelashes and eye brows are filling in, and baby is forming taste buds... oh, good, the baby will be addicted to berry colossal crunch before it's even born... haha. Well, that and artichoke hearts... such a balanced diet.

I have continued to feel sporadic kicks and punches, but only 1-2 times a week. I can't wait until they're strong enough for Jon to feel. (He can't, either.)

I have been feeling SO pregnant. My stomach feels like it's really gotten big this last week or so, and I find myself moving more like a pregnant lady, trying to accommodate it. Jon has noticed it more, too. I have been getting out of breath so quickly with the organs moving up and into my lungs, and Sea Biscuit wishes he could pee as much as I do.

Apparently, being pregnant has affected my ability to type and spell. I have had to backspace and right-click to check the spelling so many times since I started this post... and I don't even have hard-for-me-to-spell words in it.

I am SO EXHAUSTED still. It doesn't help that I've started work again, so some days I'm up at 6 am. I try to be in bed by 9 or 9:30 those nights--a couple times I was even asleep before that. I have just felt like a zombie (I think). My eyes are tired and feel like they're going to fall out of my head and all this stuff. It's hard to function with 3 kids when you're exhausted. I don't know how moms of children handle it all the time.

My dreams have been getting more and more vivid--and sometimes disturbing. Not really enjoying that side effect right now.

I have dreamed a couple times about the gender of the baby, but I've had dreams of having both a boy and a girl, so I'm still not leaning toward one gender or the other.

I had a prenatal appointment this morning, and we got to hear baby's heartbeat... it was going strong at around 150 bpm, which was awesome and fun to hear. I wish Jon had come with me, but he didn't feel he could take the time off work, since last week he was late a couple of days, due to the weather. Maybe next time he can come with.

We met with a doula last night--I'm so glad we did, and I think we're going to go ahead and have her attend the birth. She also gave me the name of a midwife in the area that does home births, so I'm going to call her and see what she charges... but we're not sure we'll be able to afford that, since the hospital birth is free and all with our insurance. But the doula gave us lots of good info, and I really enjoyed meeting her.

It feels so weird being 16 weeks already. I remember when I was like, 6 weeks, how far away the second trimester--let alone the birth--seemed, and now it feels like it's right around the corner. We have so much to do before the baby comes. I know we still have lots of time--I'm not even halfway there yet-- but it's still going quickly.

I REALLY need some maternity clothes... where was your favorite place to get clothes? I'm fine with used if they're in good condition and from this millennium. We're trying to save money, so I'm not going to spend 50 bucks on a pair of pants... but let me know what worked for you and what you used/didn't like!

Pregnant After IUI: Week 15

Okay, quick post this week, because it's already after 9 and I need to go to bed soon so I can get up in time for work tomorrow.

Baby is about the length of an orange, or right around 4 inches long (crown to rump) and weighs 2.5 ounces. Getting so big! It seems like this week is mostly growth. Not a whole lot that's new going on with the babe.

I've been exhausted. Absolutely exhausted. It doesn't help that I started back at work this last week, so I'm up really early and chasing 3 kids all day. Thankfully, I only work part time, which means the days I DO work are long, but I have 2-3 days off during each week (and then the weekends, too) so I'm able to catch up on rest a bit on my days off. I'm also still getting nosebleeds.

Other symptoms have tapered off; smell is still strong, but doesn't make me nauseous. I haven't actually been nauseous in a while. Still not gaining weight, but I'm sure that will change, as food is starting to taste better, too.

Oh, one thing I've noticed, with several causes: I wake up frequently. Sometimes it's to pee, but more often it's because my hips hurt. Like, the muscles feel bruised. I think it's just ligaments stretching, but it can get quite painful. Another reason I wake up is because my pillow makes my head hurt. Let me see if I can explain this... There is a horizontal line above my ear (on both sides of my head) that, when lying on either side, gets pressure on it and hurts. Ears, too, are sensitive like that. I am not entirely sure what it is, but if I had to guess, I would say there are arteries or veins that go through there, and due to the increased blood volume and dilation of the blood vessels, the pressure of my pillow compresses them enough to cause a headache. I'm not sure what to do about it. It hurts just lying on my sides, but I've read you're not supposed to spend much time on your back, as the weight of the uterus can compress some blood vessels and cause low circulation to your lower body, and even to the baby. And sleeping on my stomach just isn't comfortable any more. So, right now when I wake up from that, I just roll over, but I end up waking again relatively quickly because it hurts. So, to sum it all up, I haven't been sleeping all that well, which I'm sure contributes to my fatigue.

Any ides or suggestions on how to prevent/deal with the pain I've been feeling at night would be great. Maybe just a softer pillow would be enough.

Anyway, it's late now, and I'm off to bed. Goodnight.

Pregnant After IUI: Week 14

I'm in the second trimester!! Woohoo!! So excited. =]

This week baby is about the size of a lemon, or almost 3 1/2 inches long. Baby DOUBLED in weight this week and is 1.5 ounces. (I guess last week they were just all kinds of messed up. All the sources I've looked at seem to say baby is still pretty light.) Baby is probably sucking their thumb, and can wiggle fingers and toes. Also, kidneys are functioning and baby can pee! Seems like peeing is all I do... The liver and spleen are working, and baby is growing lanugo, or body hair... all over. This will likely be gone by the time baby is born (if full term).

This week I am... tired. And my head has been hurting a lot--in the evenings, especially. I actually caved and bought some Tylenol to try to help, because it was getting so bothersome.

I noticed today I've got some slight tenderness in my armpits and breasts, which I haven't had for a while. It's not bad, though.

My nose is runny. All. The. Time. I have to blow it like every 10 minutes. The awesome part is that this is causing lots--and I mean A LOT--of bloody noses. This is common in pregnancy, and no cause for concern... but it is REALLY annoying.

I think that's about it. I'm looking into finding a doula, and next week we get to tour the birthing center at Mayo Clinic. I'm really excited to get started on the nursery and to finish the baby registry... and then buy (or be given) everything that's on it =] haha.

Huzzah for the second trimester!!