Friday, June 1, 2012

23 weeks and other updates...

I am slowly inching myself closer and closer to the arrival of this baby, and although I am more than halfway there, September 29th seems so so far away. I already feel gigantic. I suppose there is no way to really prepare yourself for how big your stomach gets, but I remember at like 10 weeks telling Thomas to feel how big and tight my tummy was. Pshhh. What a joke.

There are the new weird things I am currently dealing with. Because with pregnancy, if it's not one thing, it's another.
1. Terrible sleep. Terrible is a relative term. For me, waking up more than once in the night is a bad night for me. I pride myself on my sleep habits, and having to wake up to pee twice in the night blows. Usually, I wake up off and on for like 30 minutes before I even realize that my aching pelvis means I should probably take a trip to the bathroom. Also, it is really challenging to find a comfortable way to sleep when pregnant. Even with my comically large body pillow, it seems like I just toss and turn all night. And because I can't sleep, I am exhausted during the day and usually require a 1-2 hour nap.
2. Psychotic dreams. My dreams have been crazy. There is a chance that maybe I am just more aware of my dreams since I am waking up so much more, but I have also read that the dreams are hormone related. My dreams range anywhere from scary to exciting (last night I dreamt one of my best friends got engaged). And my recurring baby dream is just that I am breastfeeding.
3. Stretch marks. I don't actually have any yet, but I've been pretty consistent with lubing myself up all the time. I had a lot of stretch marks just from growth spurts and puberty as a child, which leads me to believe there is no way I am going to make it to 40 weeks unscathed. Either way, I have already met with my dermatologist to come up with a postpartum stretch mark recovery plan for which I already have a prescription for retin-A.



So let's start with some FAQs...

How are you feeling?


Pretty great, thanks! Because I was so sick my first trimester, I get why people are still asking me how I am feeling. And really, at this point, I feel super normal. I haven't thrown up or taken zofran in over two weeks... although the last time I got sick, it was so intense that I ended up with a bloody nose and broken capillaries all over my face. Sexy.

Do you have a name yet?


No, we do not. We have some ideas, but nothing is set in stone. For the most part, I am just waiting on Thomas to make a move. He takes a little longer to make decisions than I do, so just be patient, yall! I will say that our favorite name from the baby book is the french name Bonar. The humor was completely lost on our ultrasound tech when we told her we liked the name Bonar.

Have you started on the nursery?


No. I have an idea of what I want to do, but nothing has been put into action. My mom is going to help us with some stuff for the nursery (thanks, mom and dad), and we just need to sit down and hammer it out. As of now, the baby's room is still the guest room with a hurricane of baby stuff scattered all over the place. Also, are nurseries supposed to have a theme? I get this question a lot, too. I'm not really a theme person in general, but I guess if there was one it would be... Awesome? Is awesome a theme? Is butter a carb?

How much weight have you gained?


I'll just be honest with you guys. I have gained like 20 pounds. Because the baby weights like 1.5 lbs, I would say the other 18.5 lbs is in my thighs... No wait I take that back, there is a solid 5 extra lbs in my boobs. While I don't want to be a whale, I moreso am concerned with weight just based on the fact that I know it's healthier for you and the baby to not over gain. The bulk of my weight gain happened between weeks 16-20. I've pretty much stayed the same weight the past three weeks. I am now trying to keep it in check which mostly just means being careful about not going out to eat too much, and watching my sodium intake. I have also been walking a lot, and even that is kind of uncomfortable. It is mentally challenging to be ok with gaining weight. At least for me. I feel like my whole life has been a constant state of restraint in effort to lose or not gain weight, and I have to say I really have no idea how to wrap my mind around "healthy weight gain." Either way, I am trying not to beat myself up about it too much, and just stay focused on making as many good choices as possible.

Do you have the dark line on your belly yet?


No, thank god. I do have some pleasant dark hairs under my belly button, but no weird line yet. I predict that I will not get it at all. I also predict that my belly button is not going to pop out. I have a super innie, and for some reason I just have faith that it's not going to happen.

Can you feel the baby?


Yes, but not all the time. I can feel the baby moving, but I don't feel a lot of definite kicks. It's more like little bubbles popping in your stomach. I also have to be pretty still to notice any movement. Pretty much every single night that I get into bed, the baby starts getting active, but other than that it's just a jab or somersault here and there.


If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comments! Seeing as I just told everyone how much weight I have gained, you know I will most likely answer whatever is on your mind.

Love,
Lauren


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