Weight Gain Woes

I had my monthly check-up this morning. I'm thankful and happy to say that all is progressing normally with Baby G! Heartbeat is strong: 140 beats per minute and recent screenings have all come back negative (great news!) After next week's ultrasound appointment, I will be able to refer to Baby G as "he" or "she" and hopefully in the coming weeks start to feel his or her fetal movements rather than just gas trappings.

As far as how I feel overall, I am doing great. The second trimester is living up to its reputation as being the 'best' of the three trimesters. My nausea and vomiting have dramatically dissipated, and now I only get the occasional regurgitation (but that's usually as a result of my own doing... note to self: stay away from tuna melts for the remainder of pregnancy.) 

Now the bad news: I did learn this morning that I am gaining weight at a rapid pace. To protect my dignity, I won't reveal how much I am up to now but will assure all of you that the doctor is not concerned; he is simply encouraging me to be more prudent with the choices I make. He told me to stay away from densely caloric meals or snacks...fast food restaurants...try to eat smaller portions...and enjoy more nutritious foods. All sounds reasonable and practical, right? Yes, it does, but now that I'm pregnant, I have what seems to be a bottomless pit in my stomach. I'm always hungry and only densely caloric meals from fast food restaurants seem appetizing. See the conundrum? I try to eat sensibly but find myself gravitating toward said dangers. Joe has been walking with me at night to help with my pregnancy fitness but it's not enough to offset my intake. I guess I will have to try hard to fight the food urges...I'll start tomorrow though. I just had Wendy's for lunch. :-)

Attention Bully Moms: Stay Away

My boss was in town this week, and we had a great time catching up. It's funny - we typically spend more time chatting about non-work related items rather than work itself. (It's great actually.) Anyway, she's recently had her second child, so pregnancy and post-pregnancy topics are still fresh on her mind. 

Her words of advice over our sushi dinner (yes I had the cooked variety) was to do what I feel is right for my child. Don't worry about other people's opinions or what people say you should do. She said, "For example, so many women are bullied into thinking they HAVE to breastfeed or they HAVE to care for their baby a certain way." Ultimately, it's up to each of us moms to decide what is best and what we feel comfortable doing. And I couldn't agree more! I think a lot of new moms worry that their decisions will be scrutinized/judged/questioned by other moms in their social circle. The truth is: It's none of anyone's business. Personally, I haven't [yet] felt the wrath of a judgmental mommy, but I'm sure once little baby G arrives, that will all change. I'm ready for the counterattack though. :-)

Documenting week 16 and welcoming week 17

I am making the commitment to take weekly pictures of my growing body. I know that if I don't, I will regret it later on despite the fact that my belly is not the only thing growing (thanks arms, legs, derrière and now my forehead looks suspiciously wider...) Anyway, I am also formally assigning Jessica to take these pictures since she seems to do 'some kind of work' to them. :-) 

So here I am marking my final day in week 16. The shirt I wore was very blousy; my belly is actually bigger than it looks in this picture. 

Pics of week 17 (how far along I am today) to come in a few days. Blood work tomorrow and then my monthly check-up with Dr. Bischof on Thursday. Gender discovery next week...countdown is ON!

Week 16...someone get this girl some spray tan. Wait, is that safe during pregnancy?

Mama is working out...kind of

Although I'm still in the early part of my second trimester, I'm already thinking about how I can get in shape post-baby. Dr. Oz recommends that pregnant women should walk for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week just to maintain a base level of fitness and help them shed the weight once the bundle of joy arrives. Now, I'm not looking to achieve an Olympian physique while with child, so this mild regimen seems doable.

The last few days I am proud to say that I have been walking around the neighborhood for 25-30 minutes. I made Joe walk with me last night for entertainment purposes even though he had already completed his Insanity workout for the day. (Joe: "But I already worked out..Me: "YOU WILL WALK WITH ME TONIGHT TO KEEP ME ENTERTAINED. WE'RE JUST WALKING; IT'S NOT MAJOR EXERCISE.") Hasn't he realized he is outnumbered these days?

Anyway, who thinks my regimen will help me look like Kourtney Kardashian post-baby? (And of course I'll have the same access to her personal trainers, chefs, life coaches and other hired help that keep her looking fantastic.) Duh!

Jeansick

I don't know about the rest of the moms out there, but I must admit that I had trouble fitting into my clothes (especially JEANS...gasp!) soon after I found out I was pregnant. I purchased a bella band to help extend the life of my non-maternity wear, but the reprieve only gave me an extra two weeks of jean-enjoyment. (A bella band looks like a tube top that you place around your midsection and holds up your jeans/pants/skirts/whatever, allowing you to wear these beloved items unbuttoned and unzipped.) Admittedly, everything was getting tight - everywhere. Even my trusted "fat" jeans started to let me down (or in my case, wouldn't even go up.) Needless to say, I've had to forgo wearing jeans for a good portion of my pregnancy and my life has been completely off-balance.

Now for those of you who don't know me very well, jeans are a staple to my fashion diet. I wear them practically every day even to work since we have a relaxed dress code. Plus, I sit in a cubicle all day, so I need to be comfortable. 

Well the search for maternity jeans started around week 13 when I just couldn't take wearing another flowy, peasant skirt anymore. I went shopping with my Mom and found a really cute pair only to look down at the price tag and notice they were $150. WHAT?!?! Now, I will be the first person to admit that you get what you pay for, and I only try to buy  higher quality items rather than shoddy-made-but-they-are-so-cheap pieces. I know a good investment requires, well, an investment. But jeans that will only be worn for another 6 months, c'mon. The sensible part of me just couldn't bear the thought. So I continued wearing the bohemian skirts for a few more weeks until last Friday night (my last day of week 15 and my much-needed jaunt to the mall alone) and found a pair of Mavi jeans (originally $180 marked down to $59.99). And let me tell you - these jeans are so incredibly comfortable, I might have to wear them for the next 23 weeks + 5 days. Similar to a lot of maternity wear available, they 'grow with you'. That slogan has never appealed to me until now.

Au revoir, week 15

To commemorate my final day in week 15, I've asked Jessica - a dear friend, coworker, cube mate, lunch buddy, designer extraordinaire (who also is a wiz with photo enhancing and *MAYBE* did some tweaking to the following pic) and Mom to the world's most adorable little girl, Isla (pronounced eye-la...another lesson in pronunciation!), to take my picture (during our lunch break, of course!) This is actually my first pregnancy picture...Funny how I suddenly have an aversion to the camera. 

Snapshot at 15 weeks...don't mind the industrial looking space. Hey, we're at work!

So there it is...the infamous belly. Unlike other pregnant women who seem only to gain an enviable few pounds in their midsection during this glorious period, the rest of my body (arms, legs, derrière) have also plumped up to show their solidarity. Aw, thanks arms and legs! You too, derrière!

Side story: I recently went shopping for maternity clothes, and as I was standing in front of the mirror outside the fitting room BARELY able to fit into an oversized medium top, another pregnant girl in the room next to me walked out in what looked like a spandex dress and said to her husband: "I think I need an extra small in this." I had no problems showing my disgust with an eye-roll and a loud scoff as I dragged my oversized self back to the fitting room and softly asked the sales rep for a large in whatever I had struggled to get into. The skinny b*tch probably has other more serious flaws like back acne, six toes and chronic gas. At least I hope.

Is that a baby belly or just a big lunch?

There is no doubt I look pregnant. What once appeared to be a small pooch between weeks 8-12 (which as it turned out, wasn't even the baby...it was...as I read in one of my pregnancy books...was my bowels being displaced "up and out" by my migrating uterus.) I know that sounds gross - my husband the hunter who kills and has no fear - cringed when I told him, but it is still informative and for any expectant mom, a crucial piece of information! At least now there is an apparent roundness to my midsection, which I don't think can be mistaken anymore for too much pizza and cake.

Pictures to come soon!

Whoosh, whoosh

Ask any expectant mother, and she will tell you one of the most incredibly moving sounds is hearing the baby's heartbeat. I have heard Baby G's heartbeat twice now, and it is nothing short of miraculous. The galloping sound akin to a fast, 'whoosh whoosh' is something I now cherish and have even recorded on my iPhone! Joe hasn't been able to hear it first-hand (the musician in him will appreciate its melodious tune.)

Girl or boy?

That's a good question: We don't know. And we won't know until my ultrasound on July 6th. Personally, I would love to have a little girl! I mean, I'm a girly girl at heart...and I have always pictured myself with a baby girl. The pretty dresses...the cute bows...the adorable hair styles...okay okay, I know that all seems superficial but really and truly, boys make me nervous. They [can be] rambunctious and disastrous and I didn't grow up around boys at all, so the whole idea just terrifies me. Plus, I am convinced my husband has enough testosterone for an entire army and I don't think I can handle another p*nis at home.
  

Finally, I'm human again...

Some women experience morning sickness around weeks seven and eight. Maybe sooner...maybe later...Or if you are a direct descendant of luck, you don't experience morning sickness (or the like) at all! But, because I am not so lucky, I was plagued with intense nausea and vomiting the same week the pregnancy test came back positive - week five. (Guess you take the good with the bad, right?)

My days seemed impossible: Wake up, want to vomit, lie down, shower (with the door open otherwise I would get dizzy), get out of shower, lie down (because of said dizziness), want to vomit, struggle to get up, get ready, lie down, and fumble my way through the work day. People would walk by me and look at me strangely, not surprisingly since I looked pale white and glowered at them. (I consider this early pregnancy glow...) Morning sickness and vomiting hit me the worst at night. The symptoms seemed to intensify as the day progressed, so by the time I got home, I was in serious discomfort. I spent most evenings doubled over the toilet while my husband watched T.V. or played video games. Ah, don't you love the support? By the way: Morning sickness is an extreme misnomer...in reality, it can happen all day - morning, noon, and night so the bozo who coined the term was probably a man who has ZERO experience with the truth.

Go figure...

Eventually the morning sickness subsided. At week 15, I am noticing major relief. The nausea comes and goes but, thankfully, it's manageable and I can spend my life outside the bathroom. Yeah for small blessings!

Here we go...

I've always wanted to 'blog'... I mean we all have thoughts, we all have things to say, and what better way to creatively express those thoughts than on a blog.

So here I am...pregnant...with a rapidly growing belly and a ton of things to say but no real creative way to say them until now! Obviously most of what I will write about will be pregnancy-related but not everything. For those of you who are sick of all things babies, I get it, no offense will be taken. For the rest of you, hope you enjoy the entertainment!