29 Weeks and Huge
So I'm getting a little worried. This week marks my 29th week of pregnancy, and I have NO earthly idea how I'm going to manage getting any bigger. About a month ago, my weight took a drastic jump when I began giving in to cravings without censure. Ugh. I've been trying to remedy that this past week or so, but it doesn't look like it's going to make much difference. It's not like I can really lose the weight I've already gained. (Can I?) I have my next prenatal appointment this week (Thursday), and I'm really starting to wonder what the belly is going to measure. I was told that the uterus should grow about a centimeter a week, and at 25 weeks (my last appointment), the belly was 26 cm. Granted, my appointment was 2 days before Week 26 began so I guess you could say I was on target. If that's the standard to go by, then I should be 30 cm when the midwife measures me 2 days before Week 30 begins.
Aside from that, how I feel changes drastically from day-to-day and from hour-to-hour. The number of naps I need have increased significantly, and 5- to 10-minute power naps have done wonders. If I take them too late in the day, though, I have trouble going to bed for the night. Some moments my energy level is up and I feel like moving a little quicker--walking a little faster or putting a little bounce in my step. Other moments, there is so much pressure on my pelvis and hip bones that moving my legs to walk is a challenge. William has a tendency to "reside" on my right side, so when I look at my reflection in a mirror, I appear lopsided. I try to shift my weight to the left, but the weight distribution is odd and slanted. I think that plays a large part on how my hips feel, so I try to remember that when I waddle around slowly, holding/compressing whatever body part happens to bear the brunt of the discomfort at that moment.
In other ailment news, the leg cramps have started. I've managed to keep them at bay up til now, but this morning (happy birthday to me), a charlie-horse cramp in my left calf woke me up at 3-something in the morning. I hobbled over to the bathroom, gripping the bed and door frame and whatever I could on the way to the potty. It took nearly all day for the muscle to release so I could walk normally. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration--I could walk normally by early morning, but I definitely felt the tightness of the muscle all day.
One last new ailment I have to report: hot flashes. OMG. I got my first "real" one yesterday. I thought I had eaten something that didn't agree with me...or was unsafe during pregnancy. But when I considered the timing of it, it was just too fast! I felt kinda sick, definitely overheated a bit, and sweat was dripping down my forehead, neck, and chest. Drinking ice cold water didn't really help. I was just hot and there was no escaping it. So positioned the box fan to point directly at me and turned it on. I sat there, sweat and all--making sure that my hands didn't touch any other part of my body (my hands radiate heat for those of you who don't know that)--and let the wind from the fan cool me off. It took about 5-10 minutes of the cool air on me constantly for the sick feeling to dissipate. Once my body cooled off, it was as though I didn't just feel sick 10 seconds earlier. Very strange. I got a second hot flash after walking outside this morning around 10:00. I should have gone at 8:00 a.m., when it was still 70 degrees...not 77 going on 82. There was a third one after getting home from the mall. They're really uncomfortable, kinda scary, and they make me dread menopause.
Tonight, while watching some tv, I tried sitting so that my baby belly is not positioned directly over my pelvis. This means sitting on a yoga ball with legs spread wide, or sitting on the couch with my belly hanging forward, or simply sitting backwards in a chair. I read that these positions allow the baby to move out of the pelvis and gives him the freedom to move and turn. I definitely want to encourage this. Because of my job, I have been sitting normally in a chair for 8 hours a day, and since when I get really engrossed in work, I forget to get up and move around. Well, while watching tv tonight with my belly hanging forward, William was moving around like mad! It was awesome! He's been relatively "quiet" this week, and I began to worry (again) that maybe I should call the midwife and report decreased movement. Trying the more freeing sitting positions was a lot less embarrassing and proved to be a good idea. I really think his space was just restricted by the way I was sitting so he just moved less.
Dave & I attended a potluck dinner at a friend's house last night, and I got to meet and talk to other mom's who are part of a natural birth/parenting mothers group. It was awesome to listen to their stories, and they suggested I join up. They didn't seem to mind that I don't have a baby yet and said that there are other expecting mothers in the group too. Yay! Some of their play dates are scheduled for 10:00 or 11:00 on weekday mornings, but once my maternity leave starts, I might actually be able to go to a few gatherings. I'm very much looking forward to getting to know these women and their kids. If they're anything like the women at the potluck (one was actually the organizer), it looks like the community Dave and I have been looking for. :)
On a completely separate note, though related to the first paragraph above... A picture was taken at the potluck dinner and posted on Facebook. Much to my dismay, I was in this picture and was totally appalled at how different the image of myself in my head is from the actual thing. I am HUGE. I've said and (for the most part) come to terms with my growing size, but when the actual image doesn't quite match up with how you think you look, it can be quite a shock. Sigh. I am going to work harder at eating more veggies at every meal. (It's a lot harder than you think when you're not home all day, where it's readily available. When I'm at work and it's not handy, there are no healthy veggie options as an alternative.) Anyway, maybe I can keep my total weight gain to no more than 40 lbs because at the rate I'm going, I'm gonna break 30 lbs (total) well before my due date. (Another *sigh*)
Aside from that, how I feel changes drastically from day-to-day and from hour-to-hour. The number of naps I need have increased significantly, and 5- to 10-minute power naps have done wonders. If I take them too late in the day, though, I have trouble going to bed for the night. Some moments my energy level is up and I feel like moving a little quicker--walking a little faster or putting a little bounce in my step. Other moments, there is so much pressure on my pelvis and hip bones that moving my legs to walk is a challenge. William has a tendency to "reside" on my right side, so when I look at my reflection in a mirror, I appear lopsided. I try to shift my weight to the left, but the weight distribution is odd and slanted. I think that plays a large part on how my hips feel, so I try to remember that when I waddle around slowly, holding/compressing whatever body part happens to bear the brunt of the discomfort at that moment.
In other ailment news, the leg cramps have started. I've managed to keep them at bay up til now, but this morning (happy birthday to me), a charlie-horse cramp in my left calf woke me up at 3-something in the morning. I hobbled over to the bathroom, gripping the bed and door frame and whatever I could on the way to the potty. It took nearly all day for the muscle to release so I could walk normally. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration--I could walk normally by early morning, but I definitely felt the tightness of the muscle all day.
One last new ailment I have to report: hot flashes. OMG. I got my first "real" one yesterday. I thought I had eaten something that didn't agree with me...or was unsafe during pregnancy. But when I considered the timing of it, it was just too fast! I felt kinda sick, definitely overheated a bit, and sweat was dripping down my forehead, neck, and chest. Drinking ice cold water didn't really help. I was just hot and there was no escaping it. So positioned the box fan to point directly at me and turned it on. I sat there, sweat and all--making sure that my hands didn't touch any other part of my body (my hands radiate heat for those of you who don't know that)--and let the wind from the fan cool me off. It took about 5-10 minutes of the cool air on me constantly for the sick feeling to dissipate. Once my body cooled off, it was as though I didn't just feel sick 10 seconds earlier. Very strange. I got a second hot flash after walking outside this morning around 10:00. I should have gone at 8:00 a.m., when it was still 70 degrees...not 77 going on 82. There was a third one after getting home from the mall. They're really uncomfortable, kinda scary, and they make me dread menopause.
Tonight, while watching some tv, I tried sitting so that my baby belly is not positioned directly over my pelvis. This means sitting on a yoga ball with legs spread wide, or sitting on the couch with my belly hanging forward, or simply sitting backwards in a chair. I read that these positions allow the baby to move out of the pelvis and gives him the freedom to move and turn. I definitely want to encourage this. Because of my job, I have been sitting normally in a chair for 8 hours a day, and since when I get really engrossed in work, I forget to get up and move around. Well, while watching tv tonight with my belly hanging forward, William was moving around like mad! It was awesome! He's been relatively "quiet" this week, and I began to worry (again) that maybe I should call the midwife and report decreased movement. Trying the more freeing sitting positions was a lot less embarrassing and proved to be a good idea. I really think his space was just restricted by the way I was sitting so he just moved less.
Dave & I attended a potluck dinner at a friend's house last night, and I got to meet and talk to other mom's who are part of a natural birth/parenting mothers group. It was awesome to listen to their stories, and they suggested I join up. They didn't seem to mind that I don't have a baby yet and said that there are other expecting mothers in the group too. Yay! Some of their play dates are scheduled for 10:00 or 11:00 on weekday mornings, but once my maternity leave starts, I might actually be able to go to a few gatherings. I'm very much looking forward to getting to know these women and their kids. If they're anything like the women at the potluck (one was actually the organizer), it looks like the community Dave and I have been looking for. :)
On a completely separate note, though related to the first paragraph above... A picture was taken at the potluck dinner and posted on Facebook. Much to my dismay, I was in this picture and was totally appalled at how different the image of myself in my head is from the actual thing. I am HUGE. I've said and (for the most part) come to terms with my growing size, but when the actual image doesn't quite match up with how you think you look, it can be quite a shock. Sigh. I am going to work harder at eating more veggies at every meal. (It's a lot harder than you think when you're not home all day, where it's readily available. When I'm at work and it's not handy, there are no healthy veggie options as an alternative.) Anyway, maybe I can keep my total weight gain to no more than 40 lbs because at the rate I'm going, I'm gonna break 30 lbs (total) well before my due date. (Another *sigh*)
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