26 Weeks - A "Real" Craving & Basking in the Largeness of Pregnancy
As I've said before, I feel like I've already started my 3rd trimester. I know it officially ends this Saturday (beginning of my 27th week), but the honeymoon period of the 2nd trimester ended about a week and a half ago. Each day is different, so I never know what to expect. Yesterday, I woke up and my entire body was tired and just plain hurt. I didn't become fully conscious until 7:30, which is when I'm supposed to be at work, so I contacted my supervisor and asked if it was ok if I worked from home. He said it was fine, and I was very glad I asked. I felt miserable. My left hip and lower abdomen flat out hurt. I think it was round ligament pain. Moving around (walking) didn't help, nor did any kind of stretching. It actually made it feel worse. The only thing that helped me deal with the discomfort was laying down on the couch with a pillow between my knees and deep breathing to get myself into that relaxation zone. Once I relaxed, the pain became somewhat distant...I knew it was there and it still hurt, but it wasn't as uncomfortable. I suppose that how you're supposed to deal with labor pain. Find a way to manage the discomfort because there is really no escape from it. No change of position or massage or movement really worked to alleviate the pain. I just found a position that didn't make it worse and relaxed. This relaxation exercise lasted 30-40 minutes. Perhaps I dozed off when the pain subsided, but no, I'm not crazy: I did say "relaxation exercise." It's an oxymoron. And an accurate one at that. It's not easy making your body relax at will.
I had a few hours in the afternoon where the pain went away completely, so that was nice. Through it all, I managed to get in 10 hours of work, so there were no regrets about staying home. It was definitely needed!
By the end of the day, I was hungry. I wanted a tunafish sandwich, which I got from Subway. (Let me just say, "What the heck happened to $5 footlong subs?") I wolfed down half that sandwich and finished off the second half several hours later. I also wanted coffee ice cream. I use "ice cream" lightly here because it had no cream in it. This particular brand of frozen dessert is dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. I could not believe how much it tasted like coffee ice cream, which is a flavor I grew up eating because it was my dad's favorite. When I have that particular flavor, it brings with it a sense of happiness, and not just from the sugar...(it reminds me of a time when my dad was still around and times were good). Anyway, since I bought the container, I have had at least one spoonful a day and will most likely need to replace the pint by Friday. No doubt that I will have more very soon!
To me, this combination of tuna and coffee does not sound odd at all. It just sounds appetizing. However, I've had several people (my mom included) inform me that this is an unusual combination. One person actually said, "Ewww, gross!" and made a gagging/vomiting gesture. I suppose when I am no longer pregnant, I'll see the eww-factor, but as of right now, I just want another 6" tuna sub and more frozen coffee dessert.
Oh, and since I'm behind on posting belly pictures, here are the last two weeks' pictures:
I confess that I actually like being at this stage of pregnancy, specifically with regard to my size. I did not like the awkward 'is she getting fat?' phase because I was just uncomfortable. My clothes didn't fit, people looked at me funny, and mostly, I felt horrible (which didn't help my demeanor at all). Now, I feel like I can just bask in the largeness of pregnancy, feel the baby move frequently, and the awkward looks are pretty much gone. I saw one lady at the cafeteria today who spotted me when I stood up. She didn't say anything to me directly, but the expression on her face was more of "Awww, she's got a baby belly. Isn't she cute?" which conveyed more admiration (possibly contentment) than anything else. It was much better than the awkward hesitations of the past. Much better.
I'm hoping that Monday was my "bad" day for the week. Of course, that won't be true if I don't get to bed. The sleep monsters have finally found me.
I had a few hours in the afternoon where the pain went away completely, so that was nice. Through it all, I managed to get in 10 hours of work, so there were no regrets about staying home. It was definitely needed!
By the end of the day, I was hungry. I wanted a tunafish sandwich, which I got from Subway. (Let me just say, "What the heck happened to $5 footlong subs?") I wolfed down half that sandwich and finished off the second half several hours later. I also wanted coffee ice cream. I use "ice cream" lightly here because it had no cream in it. This particular brand of frozen dessert is dairy-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. I could not believe how much it tasted like coffee ice cream, which is a flavor I grew up eating because it was my dad's favorite. When I have that particular flavor, it brings with it a sense of happiness, and not just from the sugar...(it reminds me of a time when my dad was still around and times were good). Anyway, since I bought the container, I have had at least one spoonful a day and will most likely need to replace the pint by Friday. No doubt that I will have more very soon!
To me, this combination of tuna and coffee does not sound odd at all. It just sounds appetizing. However, I've had several people (my mom included) inform me that this is an unusual combination. One person actually said, "Ewww, gross!" and made a gagging/vomiting gesture. I suppose when I am no longer pregnant, I'll see the eww-factor, but as of right now, I just want another 6" tuna sub and more frozen coffee dessert.
Oh, and since I'm behind on posting belly pictures, here are the last two weeks' pictures:
25 weeks
26 weeks
It's interesting to see these pictures right next to each other because they were only taken about 4 days apart. This kid did some growing in 4 days! Well, at least it looks that way to me. I imagine if I took another picture today, I'd still be noticeably bigger.
I confess that I actually like being at this stage of pregnancy, specifically with regard to my size. I did not like the awkward 'is she getting fat?' phase because I was just uncomfortable. My clothes didn't fit, people looked at me funny, and mostly, I felt horrible (which didn't help my demeanor at all). Now, I feel like I can just bask in the largeness of pregnancy, feel the baby move frequently, and the awkward looks are pretty much gone. I saw one lady at the cafeteria today who spotted me when I stood up. She didn't say anything to me directly, but the expression on her face was more of "Awww, she's got a baby belly. Isn't she cute?" which conveyed more admiration (possibly contentment) than anything else. It was much better than the awkward hesitations of the past. Much better.
I'm hoping that Monday was my "bad" day for the week. Of course, that won't be true if I don't get to bed. The sleep monsters have finally found me.
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