Dillierama

Pregnancy doesn't suck: Reason #3

No dieting!

As a person who has been dieting for at least two decades, it is a refreshing change to have dieting be expressly forbidden for nine months. 

I took the no dieting challenge very seriously last time, and quite successfully gained 60 pounds.  What can I say, I'm an overachiever.  This time, my goals are not so lofty.  I'm aiming to gain less than or equal to the recommended 25-30 pounds.  At my weigh in this week, I'm up 13 pounds, so I'm right on track.

The best part of not dieting is allowing myself to indulge, guilt free, in some pregnancy cravings.  Be it cream cheese frosting spread on graham crackers, Junior Mints or telling my husband "If you don't take me out for a steak right now I might have to eat you."

Pregnancy doesn't suck: Reason #2

Dreaming

A lot of pregnant women say that their dreams get really weird.  Usually centering around pregnancy and the new baby.  My dreams are much more vivid and interesting than ever when I'm pregnant, but only rarely have anything at all to do with the baby.  My pregnant dreams are like an action/adventure movie.  One night I'm a spy sent to track down an American shirtmaker hiding out in Yemen.  I am an expert in knife fighting and participate in high speed car chases.  The next night I'm caught up in a murder mystery where I befriend someone who has kidnapped three elderly people from an RV trade show.  I attempt to stop her from murdering them by helping her hide the people in her basement. I discover one of the hostages is her father and I try to set him free, when he turns on me and takes me captive then...Alex wakes me up because he has to use the potty.  Damn. 

These dreams feel so real, and unlike my non-pregnant dreams, I remember almost every detail long after I've woken up.  I look forward to going to bed because it's highly entertaining these days.

Pregnancy doesn't suck: Reason #1

I was inspired by Maggie's "Pregnancy doesn't suck" entries when she was pregnant with Hank, and I thought it might be good for me to record some of the nicer aspects of being with child for a change.

This pregnancy has been different from my last, in that it's been significantly harder on me physically and emotionally.  Where I loved nearly each and every minute of my pregnancy with Alex, this whole second pregnancy has an air of "Get this over with already so I can get on with my life" to it.  It could be the "been there, done that" factor, or simply just the demands of raising a toddler make having a bulbous midsection, sore hips and off and on nausea just that much harder to handle. 

This being most likely the last time I experience the miracle of creating life, I'd like to have something to look back on positively.  So here it goes. 

Reason #1:  Boobs

In my opinion, no boobs are better than pregnant boobs.  If you've got small boobs, they get bigger.  If you have large boobs, they get larger, but in a nice "firm" sort of a way.  I've always had ample boobage myself, but they haven't been perky since I was a teenager.  My pregnant boobs are the closest to perky I'm ever likely to be without surgical intervention.

I loved my pregnant boobs the first time, then I got nursing boobs and they were downright frightening.  We're talking bigger than Dolly here, and were liable to spray you in the eye if you got close enough.  Luckily, they went back to their normal shape once Alex was weaned.  I felt lucky in that I didn't have to scoop them off the floor and roll them up into my bra.  But I sorely missed my pregnant boobs. 

Well, here I am, rocking the pregnancy boobs once again, and if I do say so myself, they are spectacular. John, a bonafide "boob man" wholeheartedly agrees. Sure, they're sore, but I'm focusing on the postives here!

15 weeks - looking great so far!

We went to our 15 week Dr appointment today and it went well.  We had to take Alex with us, but he was amazingly well behaved, content to eat his Yogos and keep his hands off all of the tempting equipment.  My blood work from last month came back perfect, my blood pressure is fine, the baby's heart rate is 155 which is normal and I was also relieved to confirm that I have only gained 2 pounds so far (as opposed to the 10+ pounds I'd gained by this point in Alex's pregnancy), however the doctor said "Don't worry, you'll gain a lot of weight later in the pregnancy".  Great.

I was also vindicated on two points: 

1)  I am actually "showing", not, as I'd feared, just fatter.  I'd been convinced that my existing fat was somehow just migrating upwards to my stomach.  I couldn't believe I'd really be showing this early in the pregnancy.  The doctor however, noted that my uterus is indeed "poking out", as he put it.

2) I am feeling the baby move.  I'd been telling John that I was feeling movement for the last week or so, to which he'd always respond "You just need to fart".  However, the doctor confirmed that yes, with a second pregnancy, it is very likely that I'd be feeling movement this early. 

Our next appointment is the 20 week ultrasound, scheduled next month.  John and I have a disagreement as to whether or not we will find out the gender of Baby 2.0.  I say no, he says yes.  We found out with Alex, and that was great, but I just think it would be fun to not know until it's born.  John feels very strongly that he needs to know the gender so he can start thinking of the baby as his new son or daughter.  I think he thinks it will help him bond with this baby easier.  He's suggested that he know and keep it a secret.  I think that's stupid.  If he knows, I'll want to know and he'll either slip or I'll weasel it out of him eventually.  Since John usually gets what he wants, we'll probably end up finding out the sex, though I'm going to be hard at work trying to convince him otherwise unti then.

With the second trimester on the horizon, things are becoming decidedly better around here.  I still have some nausea, but I'm only throwing up if I'm not diligent about not letting myself get hungry.  If I get hungry I will throw up whatever I ate last.  This makes no sense to me, but at least I know how to control it.  I get sick of eating all day so after dinner I'll usually take an anti-nausea pill which will usually help me get through the rest of the evening.

I've gained two pounds, though I look and feel like I've gained at least 10.  My clothes are getting uncomfortable and my wardrobe now consists of pajama bottoms and sweat shirts.  Like last time, I just can't stand having anything even remotely tight around my middle.  I was in maternity clothes at 14 weeks with Alex, mostly because I was working and I couldn't get away with wearing sweats all day.  I'm no where near ready for maternity clothes, but my current fashion statement isn't working for me. I'm going to buy a bella band this week and see if I resurrect some of my old pants. 

My energy is slowly returning and I'm now able to play with Alex more often.  Since it's so cold outside, we spend a lot of time building elaborate cities out of his mega blocks and driving his toy cars around.  I can tell he's thrilled to have his mommy back.  I'm thrilled to be back too.

A nice routine

Finally.  I've finally gotten a handle on this stupid morning sickness.  It's not over, oh no, not by a long shot, but I have managed to work out a nice system that seems to make the whole ordeal much more bearable.  It goes something like this:

• Wake up, walk sleepily to bathroom sink, dry heave
• Walk to kitchen, make Alex a breakfast shake, vomit bile into kitchen sink
• Sit on couch and watch Arthur
• At some point before Curious George comes on, dry heave into kitchen sink one more time
• Eat a bowl of Cocoa Pebbles
• Sit completely still on sofa until the end of Clifford the Big Red Dog (or if I'm feeling particularly sick, until after Super Why) while sipping ice water through a straw
• Start day making sure to eat something every hour on the hour until 6PM at which time eat nothing but Popsicles until bedtime.

Needless to say, Alex has become a television addict and I have gained back that five pounds I'd lost.  The good news is, I'm whining a lot less.  It's a worth while trade off I think.