Monday, September 7, 2015

19 weeks and feeling great!

Well I thought since our update last time included just a little bit on our pregnancy, and we've have some questions/request, I'd give another update. Today marks 19 weeks. That's almost through the fifth month :O holy smokes that's more than half way! I'm feeling great! I'm starting to notice that exercise is becoming a little more difficult aerobically, and my belly is getting bigger but other than that I'm feeling normal. In-fact things are feeling more normal than they did in the first semester, but we'll get to that in a few.
19 weeks today looking plump, as John says. 
So how did we figure we might be pregnant if we didn't think we could have kids. Well it took longer than some if you're really paying attention, but not too long. Basically my stomach had been bothering me for over a week but it was right after I walked for my master's and at the end of the school year. Life was stressful with teaching and jobs were very uncertain. My teaching position had been cut and I didn't see a lot of hope at the time in regards of teaching for the next year. I was also slightly bored from being done with school and drinking a lot of soda and eating a lot of sugar. So between stress and tons of junk food, I thought my stomach was pissed at me and misbehaving to get back. There was even one time that I remember specifically where we took a friend out to dinner for watching the dogs and thinking that the food simply didn't sit well and that I ate too much, because I felt SO Full and really not that great. A few times we even made jokes about having a baby because my stomach had been acting up. It never felt like a flu though and I never got sick. I decided to lay off the junk for a few days and try to have more fun to see if that would help, but honestly it didn't. We continued to make minor jokes and I started to take a few precautions like avoiding raw fish and soda completely just in case, but never really thought to test. After 8 years of nothing and being told pregnancy wasn't possible, we had stopped paying attention to mother nature and literally written the idea off. Then finally one night john's coworker had given us some treats that he wanted us to try and I wanted to try it without worrying. I hesitated, but while John was on the phone, just left and went to the store. I came back with a test thinking that I could just clear my mind about it all and move on with normal life. SURPRISE the test was positive and both of us, jaws open, flopped down in the bathroom going "holy shit" and in shock. I had just ran a six mile trail run an hour or so prior and thinking about the last few weeks. By this time school had ended and summer had begun. I had started working the docks and it was rainy and cold. I had been drinking 1-2 large coffees a day and not paying attention to what I ate at all. We couldn't believe it! We immediately started going through the fridge and medicine cabinet saying "no more of this" "more of this" "start taking this". The next day at work, after I had already left, John was so cute and surprised me with a large cup of homemade hot chocolate at the dock since I couldn't have coffee. Although we were pretty shocked we immediately started taking action to give our baby the best chance and help me have a good pregnancy.

The first trimester
Throughout the first trimester I was very tired! I stopped drinking caffeine completely and quickly started realizing how many things had egg yolks, more sugar, and other foods to avoid in them. At first I tried to push through the fatigue, but after doing a little research I started giving in and take almost daily naps. I was very tired and couldn't doing anything about it, and everything says you should rest when tired, so naps became necessary. Other than fatigue, a heightened sense of smell and having a slightly upset stomach at times, I really didn't have too many symptoms. I have learned that pregnancy brain is NOT a myth and that sometimes the thought or task that should come to the brain simply doesn't and when you look like an airhead enough times you blame it on the pregnancy brain. I haven't gotten sick once, knock on wood, and the weird food cravings and crazy hormones have been nonexistent. Let's hope that continues :)

I ran a few more times, but never felt great doing so. I experienced heartburn for the first time in my life and pretty short winded. So I decided to stick to hikes and walks. I've continued to do yoga regularly just stuck to prenatal yoga to keep things safe and prepare for the baby. After a few weeks I took up swimming again and haven't looked back since. I feel great swimming and continue to do laps and water aerobics two to four days a week. A friend told me about a class that she attends and I LOVE it. The teacher is great and it's not your grandma's water aerobics class. Everyone in the class is young, the teacher is young (not to mention a few months postpartum) and she makes us work! It's awesome! I love that I can still be active and healthy for myself and our little one.

I discovered an awesome book while mom and dad were in town called "Yoga Mama Yoga Baby". I've enjoyed it for the breathing and stretching exercises to keep my healthy and feeling great. It also has some good recipes and what to expect during each month and trimester. I look forward to reading and referring back to it. Pinterest has become more fun and helpful than it even was before and I've added "Fit Pregnancy" and "Yoga Journal" to my list of regular reads.

Like we stated above, we're well into the second trimester, but that'll have to wait till later. We're having a great journey and glad you could be here to share it with us. Here's what we have of my first trimester belly...
8 weeks


13 weeks
9 weeks