Had our monthly prenatal checkup today. Baby is doing marvelously. She had a beautiful strong 150bpm heart rate, because she decided to start rolling around as they got out the doppler. Rick got to run the wand while Jana timed and counted. She had a hand on my belly just as baby rolled towards dad, and was startled and happy that she got to feel it this early.
Jana says everything sounds wonderful, I look good, and confirmed that baby is big and wiggly. Apparently she measured in the 69th percentile for size at 18 weeks. Can't imagine what she's gonna end up, since she started out exactly on target for size and keeps outgrowing her stage. Whoof.
Yesterday was a bad one; uterine stretching always leaves me nauseated. I'm more than an inch above my belly button now. No wonder I got kicked in the bottom of a lung yesterday. And baby has been stretching out as far as she can. She's gonna be a terror for a while when my uterus stops growing and she fills out the space in there.
The nausea and the round ligament pain have been the worst of the last week. Oh, and the fatigue, which seems to be back in full force. (In fact, I think I'll go take a nap after this post.) I've managed to get one or two things done around the house - caught up a bit of laundry and started clearing a bit out of the bedroom - but mainly I rest. I am so tired right now I don't know what to do w/myself other than sleep. Living room is still dirty, no holiday decorations or tree up yet. Rick and I (mostly Rick) did get the lights hung on the outside of the house, yay! And I've made about half of the Christmas cards for this year. I was hoping that stamping cards would be a fun way to feel accomplished without having to expend much energy. At this moment, even focusing that much seems too difficult.
Annie opens Friday. I'll be spending every evening this week in tech rehearsals. I suppose with that going every night, I can cut myself some slack for daytime energy, right? Right. Naptime!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Calmer.
Sometimes, like earlier this week when I flipped out in the middle of the night, this pregnancy just gets to be too much for me. I'm sorry that I'm a complainer. I also appreciate all the support you guys give me when I do whine about something that I am fully aware that I chose to do.
In the aftermath of my massive breakdown, apparently Lyra wore herself out. She gave me two whole days of relative quiet and calm before resuming her schedule of kicks, rolls, and general obnoxious behavior. And even more fortunate, those two days of recovery worked for both of us. I've found the amusement value in the wiggles again. She's really putting on the weight and size now, so I'm feeling very distinct thumps when a teeny foot or fist connects. It makes me giggle at times, especially when they're timed in ways to seem like responses to a comment or a song or the dogs barking. (Ok, that last one may be actually true.)
Speaking of interactive baby, not only does she move toward Rick if he talks to/touches my belly for any length of time, but she's beginning to respond to me a lot more directly. The other day, I was resting between songs at Annie rehearsal. Unthinkingly, I dropped both hands and thumped my palms into the sides of my belly... and startled the baby. She jumped so hard, I almost jumped too! I felt bad, but couldn't help laughing.
She's wiggling around right now. It's mind boggling how much more of the small movements I'm beginning to feel. No wonder it drove me crazy for a couple days. Glad I'm adjusting, even if it does mean occasionally wanting to scream from annoyance and nausea, heh.
I'd imagine the fact that it has finally started snowing and sticking has helped my disposition somewhat. Yay, snow!
In the aftermath of my massive breakdown, apparently Lyra wore herself out. She gave me two whole days of relative quiet and calm before resuming her schedule of kicks, rolls, and general obnoxious behavior. And even more fortunate, those two days of recovery worked for both of us. I've found the amusement value in the wiggles again. She's really putting on the weight and size now, so I'm feeling very distinct thumps when a teeny foot or fist connects. It makes me giggle at times, especially when they're timed in ways to seem like responses to a comment or a song or the dogs barking. (Ok, that last one may be actually true.)
Speaking of interactive baby, not only does she move toward Rick if he talks to/touches my belly for any length of time, but she's beginning to respond to me a lot more directly. The other day, I was resting between songs at Annie rehearsal. Unthinkingly, I dropped both hands and thumped my palms into the sides of my belly... and startled the baby. She jumped so hard, I almost jumped too! I felt bad, but couldn't help laughing.
She's wiggling around right now. It's mind boggling how much more of the small movements I'm beginning to feel. No wonder it drove me crazy for a couple days. Glad I'm adjusting, even if it does mean occasionally wanting to scream from annoyance and nausea, heh.
I'd imagine the fact that it has finally started snowing and sticking has helped my disposition somewhat. Yay, snow!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Perpetual Motion
She never sleeps.
Let me rephrase that: Unless she's like the dogs and runs when she dreams, she never sleeps.
I settle in bed for the night. She does handstands on my bladder 10 min after I've gone pee and necessitates another trip downstairs to the bathroom. Then she kicks me when I climb back up the stairs. She kicked & rolled all the way to Polson and back today. She's kicking & punching me as I type this. There is constant motion, frequent pressure, and right now I'm wide awake again in the middle of the night when I'm so tired I could scream and all I want to do is rest and she won't stop moving-kicking-punching-wiggling-pushing-stretching long enough to let me and I'm so frustrated and nauseated from all the upward pressure that I'm almost puking and in tears and still she NEVER SLEEPS.
How can a little half pound of nothing, who is so loved and SO wanted, be such an absolute misery to my body? :(
Let me rephrase that: Unless she's like the dogs and runs when she dreams, she never sleeps.
I settle in bed for the night. She does handstands on my bladder 10 min after I've gone pee and necessitates another trip downstairs to the bathroom. Then she kicks me when I climb back up the stairs. She kicked & rolled all the way to Polson and back today. She's kicking & punching me as I type this. There is constant motion, frequent pressure, and right now I'm wide awake again in the middle of the night when I'm so tired I could scream and all I want to do is rest and she won't stop moving-kicking-punching-wiggling-pushing-stretching long enough to let me and I'm so frustrated and nauseated from all the upward pressure that I'm almost puking and in tears and still she NEVER SLEEPS.
How can a little half pound of nothing, who is so loved and SO wanted, be such an absolute misery to my body? :(
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
I Have An Announcement To Make
...Ahem.
It's a girl. :)
(Yes, we snuck in an appointment with the ultrasound tech at the hospital today. We didn't say anything because of the chance of not seeing the gender anyway, plus we wanted the surprise if we did see it. Pictures to be posted later.)
It's a girl. :)
(Yes, we snuck in an appointment with the ultrasound tech at the hospital today. We didn't say anything because of the chance of not seeing the gender anyway, plus we wanted the surprise if we did see it. Pictures to be posted later.)
Monday, October 31, 2011
I Can Do This... Right?
Today was the dreaded meeting with the diabetes educator. Dealing with this while still plague-ridden was more than I wanted to handle, but I gritted my teeth and went anyway...
...and found out it might not be as bad as I feared.
First and foremost, I'm pregnant. (NO, really?) That means any restrictions still have to be sensible to growing a human inside me. Therefore, while yes I have to count carbs and watch my glucose levels, and yes I have to poke my finger 4x a day (and pee in a cup every morning to be sure I'm not deforming baby's brain with ketones), I'm also not being completely restricted from carbs or sugar or fats or anything else. In fact, I'm supposed to make sure I get at least 150g of carbs every day! I can have a damn cheeseburger for lunch, so long as I lay off the bacon and have a salad instead of fries on the side.
Second of all, I'm not SUPPOSED to let myself get hungry. Smaller meals, more often. (Heard that one before, eh?) I have been directed to eat 3 meals plus 3 snacks every single day. And I figured out today, about the time I started feeling bad that I hadn't had my afternoon snack, a sugar-free skim latte counts as about 1 carb selection, perfect for a snack! Yum. And heaven on the sore throat.
Third, she gave me my actual glucose numbers from the 3 hr test, and they weren't nearly as bad as it sounded. I don't know if Julie was going off a different set of numbers than the diabetes education folks use, but of the 4 readings only one was even close to being out of normal range for pregnancy (it was right at the top number exactly) and the other 3 were within normal. I also learned that the fact that I was already down hard with this cold may have been enough to bump my numbers higher. So I might not actually be full blown GD yet. It can't hurt me to start being careful now, though. Apparently the pregnant body needs 3x the insulin as normal in the 3rd trimester. And with PCOS, I am already fighting an insulin resistance. It's just safer all around if I keep things monitored, I suppose.
Long story short, I think I might be able to manage this until April. And now, I'm going to go enjoy my 6" turkey sub on wheat, loaded w/veggies (only 3 carb points!) and try to beat back this plague a bit further. Wish us luck that baby cooperates tomorrow for the ultrasound and I'll be able to announce girl or boy!
p.s. - For my costume today, I took strips of muslin and wrapped my belly. I was a mummy. ;) Happy Halloween!
...and found out it might not be as bad as I feared.
First and foremost, I'm pregnant. (NO, really?) That means any restrictions still have to be sensible to growing a human inside me. Therefore, while yes I have to count carbs and watch my glucose levels, and yes I have to poke my finger 4x a day (and pee in a cup every morning to be sure I'm not deforming baby's brain with ketones), I'm also not being completely restricted from carbs or sugar or fats or anything else. In fact, I'm supposed to make sure I get at least 150g of carbs every day! I can have a damn cheeseburger for lunch, so long as I lay off the bacon and have a salad instead of fries on the side.
Second of all, I'm not SUPPOSED to let myself get hungry. Smaller meals, more often. (Heard that one before, eh?) I have been directed to eat 3 meals plus 3 snacks every single day. And I figured out today, about the time I started feeling bad that I hadn't had my afternoon snack, a sugar-free skim latte counts as about 1 carb selection, perfect for a snack! Yum. And heaven on the sore throat.
Third, she gave me my actual glucose numbers from the 3 hr test, and they weren't nearly as bad as it sounded. I don't know if Julie was going off a different set of numbers than the diabetes education folks use, but of the 4 readings only one was even close to being out of normal range for pregnancy (it was right at the top number exactly) and the other 3 were within normal. I also learned that the fact that I was already down hard with this cold may have been enough to bump my numbers higher. So I might not actually be full blown GD yet. It can't hurt me to start being careful now, though. Apparently the pregnant body needs 3x the insulin as normal in the 3rd trimester. And with PCOS, I am already fighting an insulin resistance. It's just safer all around if I keep things monitored, I suppose.
Long story short, I think I might be able to manage this until April. And now, I'm going to go enjoy my 6" turkey sub on wheat, loaded w/veggies (only 3 carb points!) and try to beat back this plague a bit further. Wish us luck that baby cooperates tomorrow for the ultrasound and I'll be able to announce girl or boy!
p.s. - For my costume today, I took strips of muslin and wrapped my belly. I was a mummy. ;) Happy Halloween!
Friday, October 28, 2011
WTF
I think there's an universal law somewhere that says you've gotta have crap go wrong once in a while. And it never rains but it pours, right?
I am sick. It's a stupid cold. I feel like I'm dying. WTF, pregnancy?
I spent 3 hours in the clinic yesterday, being poked repeatedly (4 times, not counting the re-try on one) to take a blood test because suddenly my glucose levels are too high, even though they were normal 2 weeks ago. WTF, pregnancy?
I eat decently. I try to make good choices and stay fairly close to a low glycemic diet when I can. No, I'm not perfect at it, but I do make an effort to cut out/down cholesterol and fat and sugars and such. I just got the call back from the aforementioned blood tests. I have gestational diabetes already. WTF'ingF, pregnancy???
I'm whiny and grouchy as hell because of this übercold ravaging my system, and then I get bad news on top of it. How is this even REMOTELY fair right now? (For the record, the first person to tell me, "Life isn't fair" will find my foot lodged sideways in their rectum.) I am so frustrated and annoyed and upset. I know it's not the end of the world, but seriously? Couldn't I just have a normal run through this? Or at the VERY least, not have complications until later, when I don't have to be paranoid for another 5.5 months?
Maybe it's the virus talking, but I am feeling pretty crapped on right now. Bah.
I am sick. It's a stupid cold. I feel like I'm dying. WTF, pregnancy?
I spent 3 hours in the clinic yesterday, being poked repeatedly (4 times, not counting the re-try on one) to take a blood test because suddenly my glucose levels are too high, even though they were normal 2 weeks ago. WTF, pregnancy?
I eat decently. I try to make good choices and stay fairly close to a low glycemic diet when I can. No, I'm not perfect at it, but I do make an effort to cut out/down cholesterol and fat and sugars and such. I just got the call back from the aforementioned blood tests. I have gestational diabetes already. WTF'ingF, pregnancy???
I'm whiny and grouchy as hell because of this übercold ravaging my system, and then I get bad news on top of it. How is this even REMOTELY fair right now? (For the record, the first person to tell me, "Life isn't fair" will find my foot lodged sideways in their rectum.) I am so frustrated and annoyed and upset. I know it's not the end of the world, but seriously? Couldn't I just have a normal run through this? Or at the VERY least, not have complications until later, when I don't have to be paranoid for another 5.5 months?
Maybe it's the virus talking, but I am feeling pretty crapped on right now. Bah.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Not Too Exciting, Just An Update
Another prenatal visit checked off the list! This one was quick and painless. Mostly just to check in with test results, discuss how things are going, and do a quick heartbeat listen. 160bpm this time. Jana hadn't heard it yet, and she was really happy to get to run the doppler.
So... getting used to the weird swooshy-dropping-fluttery feeling of baby doing gymnastics is not quite so magical and awe-inspiring as it is often made out to be. Now don't get me wrong, it is freaking neat to know there is a little live being inside me wiggling around making that sensation. But the first day that I could really feel baby somersaulting (and HOO BOY was she/he active that day, right after the day I spent w/the uncomfortable pressure. Guess my uterus stretched enough to give her a running start at tumbling!) I spent the whole day queasy and finally puked up my dinner before calling it a day and attempting to sleep. It was the worst I'd felt since the morning sickness wore off. Y'know that feeling when you're stepping off something just a little bit too high? Kind of a dropping of the stomach? It's like that. Only sustained for anywhere from seconds to minutes at a time. And every round of it made me queasy like a roller coaster gone bad. I'm finally adjusting to the sensations now, but she/he can still get an occasional flip in that slams into the uterine wall w/enough force to make me catch my breath and stifle an *urp*. Amazing what a couple of ounces with mobility can do to a person.
In 2 weeks, I get to do the really fun glucose tolerance test, drinking 1/2 bottle of nasty sugar water (lemon-lime!) They're also doing a blood draw that day for the other genetic screening.
2 weeks after that, I have another prenatal visit. I'll only be 18 weeks along, but Jana said we could possibly take a peek on their (somewhat inferior) ultrasound machine, maybe get a look at baby's gender? Hopefully baby will cooperate and be all spread eagle for us. :D
So... getting used to the weird swooshy-dropping-fluttery feeling of baby doing gymnastics is not quite so magical and awe-inspiring as it is often made out to be. Now don't get me wrong, it is freaking neat to know there is a little live being inside me wiggling around making that sensation. But the first day that I could really feel baby somersaulting (and HOO BOY was she/he active that day, right after the day I spent w/the uncomfortable pressure. Guess my uterus stretched enough to give her a running start at tumbling!) I spent the whole day queasy and finally puked up my dinner before calling it a day and attempting to sleep. It was the worst I'd felt since the morning sickness wore off. Y'know that feeling when you're stepping off something just a little bit too high? Kind of a dropping of the stomach? It's like that. Only sustained for anywhere from seconds to minutes at a time. And every round of it made me queasy like a roller coaster gone bad. I'm finally adjusting to the sensations now, but she/he can still get an occasional flip in that slams into the uterine wall w/enough force to make me catch my breath and stifle an *urp*. Amazing what a couple of ounces with mobility can do to a person.
In 2 weeks, I get to do the really fun glucose tolerance test, drinking 1/2 bottle of nasty sugar water (lemon-lime!) They're also doing a blood draw that day for the other genetic screening.
2 weeks after that, I have another prenatal visit. I'll only be 18 weeks along, but Jana said we could possibly take a peek on their (somewhat inferior) ultrasound machine, maybe get a look at baby's gender? Hopefully baby will cooperate and be all spread eagle for us. :D
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