POP! goes the preggo
Friday, January 15, 2010
19 weeks, 5 days preggo
I will always remember Week 20 as the week that I got slapped in the face with pregnancy. Not in a bad way, but in a “Holy crap, I’m pregnant!”/reality-is-setting-in kind of way. It’s been pretty cool, actually, to see myself change so suddenly!
Just in the course of this week …
- I popped. My stomach went from yeah-she-is-probably-pregnant-but-not-enough-to-say-anything to a full, rock-hard, undeniably round pregnant belly. I still can’t believe how it seemed to pop overnight. It’s hard, people! And roundddd!
- I began grunting. Yeah, it’s super-attractive. When I get up from a seated position, or sit down, I automatically let out a little grunt from the effort. The cause? My newfound beachball stomach (see previous bullet point).
- I can’t bend at the waist. When I drop something and need to pick it up, I bend at the knees and sort of lower myself to the ground. And yeah, grunt.
- It’s hard to roll over. I used to toss and turn and move around all night. These days? Once the pillows are in formation, I fall asleep on my right side — and stay there. When I wake up for my middle-of-the-night pee break, I re-arrange the pillows and go back to sleep on my left side. Moving around is too hard, and well …
- I can’t lie on my back. Seriously — can’t! I laid down on the carpet the other day to play with Little Dog, and when I tried to get up, I felt like I would tear a nerve in my back. It’s weird.
- I feel like there’s a bowling ball in my shirt. I always wondered what it would feel like to be pregnant, and so far, I think the answer is “bowling ball.” When I walk across a room, I feel like my normal self, except for a huge round weight right in my stomach. The extra weight literally feels like someone strapped something around my middle.
It’s been quite the week, hasn’t it? Right now I am especially grateful that it’s Friday afternoon. I’m looking forward to resting this giant belly on the couch!
Sewing dreams
Friday, January 15, 2010
19 weeks, 5 days preggofied
I have been so distracted at work lately. I swear, I should already be on maternity leave, because my mind is racing NONSTOP with BABIES and NURSERIES and NAMES and BABY STUFF and OH-MY-GOD-I-MUST-GO-HOME-AND-SEW-BIBS!
When I go home, I’m glued to the Singer — sewing bibs and burp clothes and going through as much flannel as I have in the house. When I’m at work, I’m in research mode (in between, you know, working).
I keep surfing sewing websites, looking up projects to make for Little Baby. One thing I haven’t really thought of is clothes!
Sure, I made that yellow sundress like, a million years ago, but that’s it — not to mention that it won’t work if Little Baby is of the male persuasion.
Here’s a quick list of clothing projects I definitely want to tackle:
- A ruffled sun hat. After all, Little Baby is coming in May or June. I was a summer baby, and there are about 8,000 photos of me in a sun hat. Oh, while sitting in a kiddie pool. Must buy kiddie pool.
- A newborn nightgown. These are recommended for the newborn stage — girls and boys, ahem — because it makes it very easy for change their diapers. Plus, they’re nice and light for summer.
- A sleep sack. These will be perfect for the colder fall/winter nights. I always see them for sale in the baby stores. I might buy one, and use it to copy.
- A miniature version of Darling Husband’s uniform. I already saved the logo from one of his worn-out shirts, so this will be fun. Perfect for the first workplace visit!
- Jumpers! If Little Baby happens to be a girl, I’ll be bursting to create gorgeous jumpers (like this pattern from Smile and Wave). I love how Rebecca at Girl’s Gone Child sewed beautiful dresses when she was pregnant with Fable.
My Husband Rocks
Thursday, January 14, 2010
19 weeks, 4 days pregnant
Gotta love a husband who stops by your office unexpectedly with:
- A hot chocolate
- A doughnut
- Prescription heartburn meds
Pink or blue? I’m going crazy wondering!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
19 weeks, 4 days pregnant
This morning, Darling Husband was telling me how his friends at work were asking about me yesterday. He told me how he explained all about the appointment, the heartbeat, etc.
And then he added …
“Oh, and one of my friends thinks it’s a girl. You know, because the heartbeat was 156.”
I almost choked on my orange juice! He knew the heartbeat??? Why hadn’t I … Oh, right. I think I may have been too busy basking in my “so much smaller” compliments to listen to everything the nurse was saying. Right.
Darling Husband continued to explain that his colleague has a boy and a girl. When his wife was pregnant with the boy, his heartbeat was around the 140 mark. When she was pregnant with the girl, it was in the 150s.
OH. MY GOD.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD.
So of course, the minute I scrambled into the office, I was Googling like a madwoman. I found that, indeed, a higher heart-rate can indicate a girl.
So here is the “guesstimate” results so far …
- Chinese gender prediction test. Result = GIRL
- Is Baby’s heart beat faster than 140 beats per minute (bpm)? It’s a girl. Less than 130 bpm? It’s a boy. Result = GIRL
- Hang a needle from a thread over your belly. If the ring circles, it’s girl; if it swings back and forth, it’s a boy. Result = BOY
- If you carry low, it’s a boy; high, it’s a girl. Result = GIRL
- If you carry in front, it’s a boy; if you’re wide at the middle, it’s a girl. Result = BOY (I think)
- If morning sickness lingers all day, it’s a girl. Result = Wasn’t technically ever sick, but felt like crap all day. So … GIRL?
Looks like girl is in the lead, but I’m not naive — I know these tests only have a 50/50 chance of being right!
Soooo curious if we will be able to tell in Monday’s ultrasound. If not, 18 days until the 3D ultrasound, where we’ll get the answer for sure!
Protein in your pee
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
19 weeks, 3 days preggo
I left a part out of my earlier doctor’s appointment re-cap, because I wanted to research something first. So here goes:
During this appointment (and my previous appointment), I had to pee in a cup and then dip a paper stick into it — then hand the stick to the waiting nurse. I knew it was something to do with sugar levels, but no one ever told me the “results” last time, so I figured all was good.
Today, though, I was curious about what exactly it was testing — and how I did last time. After I handed the stick to the nurse, I mentioned that I’d never heard any results.
She told me that the test measures sugar and protein in your urine, and that this time I was negative for both. She said at my last appointment, I had “trace amounts” of protein, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. She said they only worry if you have higher amounts (like +1, +2, +3).
Friendly Nurse confirmed the same thing when I asked her — basically, don’t even think about it, you’re negative now.
So of course, I was instantly dying to Google it.
Once I got to a computer, I learned that the presence of protein in your urine has to do with how your kidneys are working. Low amounts — like my previous test — are common, and might mean your kidneys are working harder than before pregnancy. It could also mean your body may be fighting a minor infection, like a UTI.
If you have more protein present during your next test, it could mean you are developing pre-eclampsia — yup, the same thing that caused the newest Duggar baby to arrive prematurely.
Pre-eclampsia can be serious for preggos and their babes. It’s important to look for a combination of these symptoms:
- Raised blood pressure
- Increased protein in urine
- Sudden swelling of the hands, feet and face
- Headache
- Blurry vision
- Pain just below your ribs
- Vomiting
It’s really for the best that I didn’t know about those “trace amounts” last time. Pre-eclampsia is scary stuff, and I feel much better knowing I had no protein this time around.
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