No more previa!!

I had a pretty great day today. Slept in till 730 with my lovely scruffy man. 730 is intensely late to sleep in for both of us. Made delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and homemade hash browns. That's our typical weekend event but it's been forever since we've both been home together on a weekend since he's been working so much overtime. After stuffing ourselves silly with fatty greasy unhealthy food we headed out to our ultrasound. Fantastic news..... My placenta moved up and away from my cervix! Yes!!! No more threat of placental abruption, no more looming scary thoughts of a c-section, no more pelvic rest. I'm a very happy pregnant girl at this point! The rest of my day was spent blissfully running errands and shopping for my little girl. It was a rare beautiful winter day. The sunny kind that melts the snow and the whole town lines up to wash the salt off their cars. The kind of day that makes you yearn for spring in ways you didn't realize were possible. I thoroughly enjoyed wearing only a jacket and scarf, sporting sunglasses and a smile. I think at one point I may have even had a grass sighting!!

23 weeks

Today I'm 23 weeks. According to "what to expect when you're expecting" this is the beginning of the 6th month. But some books and websites say month 6 begins at week 25. I hate that everything contradicts when it comes to pregnancy. I'd have to say that the 9 month time span is still the general understanding of pregnancy even though it's wrong according to the medical community. I'm not sure where it got started. The pregnant women should have a movement to teach the world that it's really 10 months. Pregnancy is 40 weeks and if you were to assume that each week is 4 weeks, since you cant be exact, then week 23 would be the 3rd week of month 6. But if i was to tell people i was 9 months pregnant at week 33-36 (as it should be) then people would assume i was almost ready to give birth when in fact i have the whole month 10 ahead of me.  But it doesn't really matter to me how you count it. I just wish it was consistent. Week 23 my baby is as big as a papaya even though I haven't gained an ounce yet. Tom was really proud that I ate all my dinner last night. I can't remember the last time I ate that much food. Tom's stir fry is always the best!

I'm starting to feel the stretching sensations in my belly. I also kept feeling tightening in my belly all around. This must be the round ligament pain. It's pretty uncomfortable and makes me not want to eat. It feels like a full feeling after you've just eaten a big meal. It also feels a bit like someone just punched me in the stomach. The heartburn is still going strong! Tums have become my new bff. Pepcid complete didn't work any different or any better for me. My heartburn only hits about an hour after I eat and it doesn't persist for hours and hours so I don't feel like it's necessary to take a medicine that last for hours if my symptoms don't even last for hours. Plus berry tums taste better.

The other day I shoveled my sidewalk. I'm not sure if that was allowed since I'm not supposed be lifting heavy stuff. It didn't look heavy but those inches sure do pile up to something heavy. I got winded easy while doing it. I don't think that's pregnancy related. I think that's me being out of shape. I miss running on warm summer nights. I miss the way I'd sweat so bad I thought it would never stop. I miss that meditative time to myself outside with the sun and the road and me. We were best pals, kinda like I am with my tums these days. I can't run with my placenta so low. I suppose I could walk or jog but that aggravates my sciatica and then I can't even get off the couch. I feel like an old lady. What a terrible things we have to go through for our lovely little babies.

So I got to thinking today and I got immediately frozen at the fear that my child will be ugly. Tom and I are both non-ugly so you'd think this would not be on my mind. But unfortunately some people are just born ugly. I don't want my child to be picked on. I'm sure this is a completely normal mommy thought. But it's bothering me that I am growing her inside me and I can't see her. It's so incredibly unfair. I wish I had a see through panel where I could peek in and check on her like maybe an oven door. I just want to know that everything is cooking ok. I know i get to see her in ultrasounds but the ultrasounds are lame and all you see is a freaky skeletor looking child. And of course the ultrasound tech didn't warn me so my shock was sudden and loud when she came up on the screen. I have another ultrasounds on saturday to check the heart and the placenta. I'll see if I can get an "it's a girl" view printed out from her this time. You'd think that would be automatic when they tell you the news but apparently it's not. I'll work on it. 

Honestly Pregnant,
Jen

"WHY ARE YOU LOSING WEIGHT?"

My sciatic pain has eased up quite a bit....thankfully. With that pain gone this pregnancy has been much easier to tolerate. I can actually say I'm starting to enjoy feeling her squirm around and kick. They are still very light kicks and light squirms but they are getting a little bit stronger everyday and I feel her move more and more. At this point, other than the mild sciatic pain, I'm in a really good happy pregnant place for once. I went to the doctor yesterday for my monthly preggo check-up and I lost another pound! I'm down 3 pounds from my first prenatal visit. Not a good thing this far in but not terrible either. It's only a few pounds. My doctor was like "WHY ARE YOU LOSING WEIGHT?" But I didn't have an answer. Sorry doc. After I left the appt though I thought about it and realized that I was so concerned about getting proper nutrition to my body that I accidentally went on a diet. Now, I am making no apologies for eating well. But I found the explanation at least. Instead of coke I'm drinking water. Instead of large foaming yummy starbucks lattes, I am drinking tiny drops of coffee. Instead of rum and vodka on the weekends, again water. I'm eating well rounded meals. I'm going easy on the butter and sauces. And I'm just trying to feed my body the healthiest foods possible. So again I make no apologies. It's for the better. It's not that I'm not eating. It's just that I stopped overeating and I cut out junk because who needs junk anyway?




The doctor also ordered another ultrasound for me. The tech didn't get a clear picture of the heart chambers last month so we have to repeat it. I started panicking in the office but she said she was pretty sure she just didn't get the right position to see it. She also said my placenta hasn't moved one bit. So I'm still on pelvic rest and we have to have another ultrasound at 28 weeks and if it hasn't moved by then, they'll check again at 36. And then they'll check again at 37 just to be sure and send me for a c-section immediately. So Laurens birthday could potentially be aprox May 27. I'm not happy about taking my child out of the womb before 40 weeks. I feel even though she won't be considered a premie that it will put her at a higher risk for immunity issues. It makes me even more fearful of vaccines. Good thing my "vaccine book" just came in the mail so I can get to reading so I can make the best choices on when and what brands to give her of each vaccine. I do want her to be vaccinated after all. I just don't want all the vaccine side effects just for possible or partial immunity for diseases that are rare and aren't fatal. I know some are quite serious but rubella, flu, chicken pox? Come on! We all had chicken pox!!! Ok.... I'll wait to rant till I read the book so I can make an informed decision.



But for now, I am thankful for a period of time with no horrible pregnancy symptoms. I am even more thankful for a baby that is measuring perfectly and jumping around in my belly everyday.



Honestly pregnant,

Jen