Pregnant Woman Waddle...Fact or Fiction

Mothers, don't hate me out there for what I'm about to say but I use to watch pregnant women waddle around like they were part of the Weeble Wobble Fisher Price Toy set wondering why they felt the need to do that.  It looks so pathetic and I wondered if it was just an attempt at gaining some sympathy from passer-bys.  The reality is though that I found myself doing it this weekend and it occurred to me you can't stop it.  At 8 months pregnant, I found myself doing it as a way to prevent the inevitable.  You know you're going to have to go to the bathroom within an hour and if your baby is half as active as mine seems to be, a lot sooner.  I found myself waddling to try to eliminate one source of pressure on my bladder, my own steps.  I can't control what Baby Mac does and that's my downfall.  He seems to take great pleasure in kicking and punching in such a way that requires me to, without warning, sit up and waddle to the bathroom.  It's so unfair.  I don't like the waddle anymore than any other pregnant woman but I see now it has a purpose.  I don't plan to embrace it but eliminating it doesn't seem to be an option either. 

Last night S and I met my good friend A and her boyfriend and dog in Soulard for a bite to eat.  While we waited I had an interesting conversation with a fellow preggo who happened to pass by.  She was 30 weeks and has been on bed rest since week 26.  (I can't imagine!!).  Anyway, she proceed to tell me about her 2 previous pregnancies and deliveries and how she pushed for about 2 1/2 hours in the first one.  She compared to doing a marathon without training.  I'm not sure she realized just how appropriate of an analogy that is for me.  I COMPLETELY understood what she was saying and it made me realize just how important it is that I continue to workout, to whatever degree I can for as long as I can.  There are days when all I want to do is sit, maybe take a nap and while that serves a very important purpose too, the workout is going to serve me better in the long run.  S just shakes his head at me for talking to complete strangers about something as intimite as this but this is how I learn.  This is how I set my own expectations.  I listen to war stories and then make an "educated" guess as to what my own experience will be like.  Needless to say, it will all go out the windown when it all finally happens but for the moment it's how I cope with the unknown. So tonight, I will waddle on in to the gym and take my place on the spinning bike with a renewed focus on endurance.   Thanks A for the great blanket by the way!  I love it. 

Wow...32 Weeks

Ok, life is getting uncomfortable, clothes don't fit, sleep isn't easy to come by, work is tough and I can't even have a glass of wine to take the edge off.  I don't know how long I can subject the other patrons at the gym to extremely ilfitting workout clothes.  I mean it's bad, I know it but what's a pregnant girl to do?  I need to design a line of maternity exercise wear.

I was able to get some physical activity in everyday this week (6 workouts), not bad.  Tonight was leg night.  S and I went around 6:30 and I was in no mood to be there until I got on a bike.  10 minutes later I was in the zone.  I got through a good set of dead lifts, lunges, calf raises, and a couple other things.  I forget.  I did get another "word of encouragement" from a guy doing squats next to me.

"How far along are you?"

"7 months" I say

"Looking pretty good"

"Thanks"

"I'm pretty impressed to see you working out the way you do.  How are your workouts going?"

"Thanks, there are definitely things that I can't do anymore but luckily most weights are still pretty easy to do."

"Well, I'm motivated.  I guess I have no excuse not to workout anymore.  I mean if you're doing it at 7 months pregnant, I guess I can do it after a long day at work."

"Sounds pretty good."

I gotta admit, I like it when I can impress a meat head.

BabyMac has been extremely active lately.  I'm pretty sure the inside of my stomach is bruised.  I know I'm uncomfortable right now but if he'd just grow a little bit and lose some of that free space in there, maybe the more abrupt kicks and punches won't feel so bad.

Have I mentioned that S and I still can't agree on a name?  In fact, we've both sort of strayed away from the two we originally liked.  We might have issues when it's time to take him home if we can't name him.

Ok, so here it is, the 32 Week Picture. I'm really not liking these pictures but I figure they'll serve as motivation later on. You'll notice I'm not alone in the picture. The other girl in the house wanted to show off too. One picture just wasn't enough. Oh no, she wanted her own picture taken too. What a diva!

The Heat Is Finally Breaking!!!

Most of you don't live in St. Louis so you wouldn't know that picked the hottest summer in 40+ years to be pregnant in which has been miserable.  What's it's caused me to do though is buy nothing but dresses to wear.  So while I'm loving the cool down, I'm praying that I'll be able to make these dresses and the 3 pairs of pants that I have work for the remainder of this pregnancy.  I refuse to buy any more maternity clothes.  I've resorted to wearing S's shorts to bed and don't even get me started on what I wear to the gym.  I feel bad for everyone around me.  They don't make workout shirts long enough to cover a soccer ball of a stomach.  Every time I lift my arms, it looks like a partial solar eclipse.


Yesterday was a long day at work 6:30 A.M. till 5:00 A.M. so a trip to the gym just wasn't in the cards but the weather was so nice I decided to take zoey to the park  The problem is this is always a gamble of an activity since she's not very good with other dogs, every time we encounter one, she usually goes nuts.  On the way to the park, we had a little chat where I explained to her that I would not be able to tolerate her antics.  That I would try to avoid the other dogs but if we were close to you, she'd have to play it cool.  The park we go to is about a mile around dogs area always plentiful.  I was surprised to realize after we passed dog number 2, she wasn't even really looking at them, which is a HUGE deviation from normal walks.  Therefore we had a pleasant lap and I thank her for that.  As we were walking I started thinking about running and in the time it takes me to walk this park once, I could have finished 2 1/2 laps running.  Then I started remember the early posts where I'd explain what I was thinking about during that time.  So I thought I'd try remembering what I thought about yesterday:

1. First Two Minutes - Wow Zoey, poop already?  You must be excited to be here.
2. Minute 5 - Uh oh, dog number one.  Hold on tight.  This is going to get ugly. 
3. Minute 6 - Huh, maybe she didn't see the large husky we just passed. 
4. Minute 10 - It's getting dark and I'm just half way around this park.  I guess I'm not getting two laps in tonight. 
5. Minute 13 - Dog 2 - German Shepard.  This one will be bad.  That first dog encounter was a fluke. 
6. Minute 14 - Oh my gosh!  I've been blessed with a well behaved dog, even if just for a few minutes.  I'll take it!
7. Minute 17 - Well, here we are.  It's dark so I guess we're headed home.  Oh well, it was good to get a little bit in tonight. 

See how much more boring I am when I have to walk?!  It's a good thing I have a date with the stair machine tonight.  The only thing I can think about on that thing is not falling off!

A Collection of Random Thoughts...

I continue to think about how I'm going to get my prebaby body back and I started to wonder just how many calories would a new mother need.  I've asked my dietician but haven't heard back yet so I'm making my own calculations.  Prior to pregnancy, working out about 5 times/week I was consuming around 1750 calories. I've heard that breast feeding burns an additional 500-700 calories so I'm thinking if I can stay around 2000/day, I should be able to lose a pound every 1 week and a half or so.

Why do breast pumps have to be so expensive?  The one I want, The Medela Freestyle Hands-Free Breast Pump, is $380.  Yeah, $380.  Is that ridiculous?  Here are some of it's amazing features...

• Small and lightweight design that's powerful enough to use every day. Single or double pumping.
• Rechargeable battery provides 3 hours of pumping time.
• Exclusive 2-Phase Expression® technology to get moms more milk in less time.

I really do like the fact that it's hands free.  I'm figuring I'll be pumping at work a lot and as I'm sitting in the "New Moms" room, I could actually be relaxing if I'm not having to hold these up.

What should we buy first?  A new camera or a piece of art uniquely created for our little one.  I want both but obviously money doesn't grow on trees so we are going to have to make some decisions.  Oh and I also want a new TV for the treadmill in the basement.

I've gotten through 3 workouts this week and certain exercises are starting to fall off my workout.  Certain shoulder and leg exercises can't be done safely anymore.  Luckily spinning is still ok and the stair machine seems to treat me ok.  I keep looking at these routines online for pregnant ladies but they don't seem to provide the challenge that I need.  This might be a long eight or nine weeks.  

31 Weeks...

With every week that passes it begins to feel more and more real.  I begin to truly realize that in 8 or 9 weeks, S and I will become the parents of a little boy.  Our very scheduled lives will become very unscheduled.  Flexibility seems to be the key to staying sane. 

In the meantime, we continue to live life as normal as we can and by "we" I mean me.  S's life hasn't changed much at all.  Every now and then I have to keep reminding myself that he doesn't have a baby growing in his stomach.  He doesn't have the constant reminder of just how drastically life will change.  He's not connected to this little guy yet.  He just sees me getting bigger and more tired.  I've never been a nap person but that's all changed in the last few weeks.  Every Sunday I have to squeeze in a nap or I'm useless.  My workouts continue to take a beating.  I'm able to get in about 4 workouts a week which include Spinning on Monday, Cardio and Weights on Sunday and Tuesday and Swimming on Wednesday.  By Thursday, I'm exhausted and struggle to get up the energy to work out.  I'm so ready to get out and run again. 

While I'm struggling, Baby Mac continues to move right along.  He's weighing in around 3 lbs now and will gain another 3-5 in the next 9 weeks.  Oh Great!  I can't wait.  He's become extremely active.  He loves to use the left side of my stomach as a punching bag with right hooks so hard anyone looking at my stomach can see it.  And if you can't, just watch my face.  Some of them hurt and make me double over.  I think he's going to give his cousins a run for their money. 

September is NOT An Option

It's hard to believe August is on the down swing with two weeks remaining.  It's hard to believe that at the end of August I'll only have 8 weeks left of this pregnancy (assuming he goes full term).  I shouldn't even say "assuming" because he really doesn't have a choice at this point.  I need him to stay in there all of September at the very least.  There is SOOO much going on in September that any early activity could mean trouble for us.

Here's the weekend run down -

• Sept 4 & 5 - Family coming into town for Birthday Celebrations  (This is WAY to early and can't imagine him coming in the 33 week, so I'm not worried)
• Sept  10 & 11 - Going to Champaign for my grandmother's bday and the Illinois vs. SIU football game.  (This is also WAY early at 34 weeks but if I had to be anywhere, Carle would be an acceptable place to deliver)
• Sept 18 & 19 - Going to Indianapolis for work.  (This one concerns me a little since 35 weeks I'm thinking anything is possible and without any family around, this would be devastating.)
• Sept 25 & 26 - Baby Shower Madness - One in STL on Saturday and one at Home (for a friend) on Sunday. 

So, Baby Mac, keep on keeping on because September is not the month for you to make an appearance. 

Finally A Breakthrough!!

So I know I shouldn't be getting my hopes up but finding childcare has been such a huge pain in the neck that I thought I'd never find anyone or any place with availability in the next YEAR.  I was referred to a site called Care.com which is like a Craigslist.com for child, adult, pet and home care.  It's great.  I posted a request for inquiries and they come to me rather than me having to find them.  I've got a really promising candidate who I need to interview tonight but she's a pediatric nurse who is going back to school in the evenings and she lives 1.5 miles from my house!!  Really, is this happening?  This is better than Christmas.  If she, and the circumstances workout, I will be one happy Momma (to be). 

In previous posts, I commented on how nice it would be to welcome Baby Mac into the world in something more fashionable than a standard issue hospital gown.  I looked online to find that yes, they do in fact make fashionable hospital gowns but to purchase them will run you upwards of around $60.  It occurred to me that I should be able to make one of these things.  So I tried and here's the "almost" finished product.  I found a free pattern online.  I know, it's hot.  :)  What I did realize is that had I bought the right amount of fabric, the thing would've only cost me $20 bucks but somehow I managed to buy an extra yard.  I still need to put the finishing touches on it but I thought it was a pretty good attempt.  Now whether or not it makes it to the hospital with  me or not is still in question. 

It's getting hard to believe I only have 10 weeks left (assuming he goes full term).  I'm getting excited not just about seeing what he looks like but just being able to put tennis shoes on without struggling to maneuver around the basketball that is my stomach.  I had my doctor's appointment on Friday.  I love these appointments because I get to hear the heartbeat. It's one of those times that reminds me I'm growing a kid.  But before I get to hear the heartbeat I have to step on the scale.  At 30 weeks, I've gained 25 lbs, which is ok I think.  Not too much but I still have 10 weeks to go.  I can't imagine gaining a pound a week but I guess I can't discount it either.  Baby Mac is weighing in at approximately 3-3 1/2 lbs right now so it's good to know that I'm only going to be responsible for losing 22 of those.  But still, 10 weeks to go.  I'll try to remember to have S take a picture this week.  In my mind, 30 weeks doesn't look much different from a couple weeks before but I'll try to post it. 

Five Loaves and Two Fish

Strange title for a blog?  Yes, I know but there's a story behind it.  But before I tell it, I have to say that I'm relieved tonight because my gestational diabetes test came back negative.  Very exciting!  No diabetes.  Tomorrow is my next appointment, doc has me going every two weeks now.

Tonight S and I also went and took the Childbirth Tour at the hospital we're delivering at.  We learned NOTHING except where to park when you get here and which elevator to take to get to the cafeteria.  We DID learn that there are couples who are much less prepared than we are.  I felt pretty good about that.  I couldn't believe some of the questions these couples asked.  Unreal.  Anyway, enough of that.

So after work I went to the Y hoping I'd be able to swim.  My only concern was that my Speedo swimsuit would finally not fit.  I put it on to find that the Speedo is a small miracle in itself.  About 10 laps in or so, the most random thought popped into my head that made me laugh.  My swimsuit is like the biblical story of the 5 loaves and the two fish that fed thousands.  Just when you think there's no more to give, it just keeps on giving.  I don't know how many more weeks I'll be able to wear it or swim but I'm impressed with it's ability to continue to cover my ever growing belly.  Good Work Speedo!

And Now We Wait...

I took the test 4 hour long Gestational Diabetes test this morning which I was fine with until the time between the second and third blood sample.  After fasting for 12 hours, drinking the sweetest kool-aid I've ever had, it finally caught up to my little guy and I.  I came home between each sample and laid down after the second.  I was feeling dizzy and nauseous.  As I'm laying there willing the feeling in my gut to go away, my stomach started to resemble a ticking bomb.  Every second or so, it would go up and down up and down and then it occurred to me, BabyMac had the hiccups and it did NOTHING for the already unsettled feeling in my stomach.  After talking to my mom, I did roll over onto my left side and it subsided a little but  it was too late.  A short sprint to the restroom and I was trying to get rid of nasty drink I just had.  Not pleasant! We finished the rest of the tests with no incidence so now we wait.  I have an appointment on Friday but am expecting, hoping, to hear tomorrow what the results are.

I'm crossing my fingers but have a sinking feeling I know what the results will be.

What a Week of Ups and Downs

What a long week!  Being in Indianapolis for three days at the beginning of the week made it seem like it was flying by but I'm exhausted.  We found out on Tuesday that I did not pass my Gestational Diabetes screening which means I have to take an additional test this Tuesday morning which is 3 hours long and involves taking blood several times.  To say I was in shock was a little bit of an understatement.  To make matters worse, they called when I was in a large conference room with many other people and to ask questions probably would've led to some tears which I didn't want to do in front of my coworkers.  So I didn't get to ask what my levels were, I didn't get to ask about the impacts of being diagnosed with it, etc.  I was just stunned.  Oh sure, I could call back and ask once I gathered myself a little more but at that point, I just didn't care.  I had done some reading about it and realized that there's not much I can do but take the second test.    What to expect when expecting says: 


"There's little reason for concern if your gestational diabetes is well controlled. Your pregnancy will progress normally and your baby will suffer no ill effects. But if gestational diabetes is left untreated, your baby will receive too much blood sugar and grow too large, making delivery more difficult for you. It could also lead to potential problems for your baby after birth, such as jaundice, breathing difficulties, and low blood sugar levels. Later in life your child will be at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity (though a study found that extended breastfeeding can prevent childhood obesity). And though gestational diabetes goes away after delivery, you are also at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life if you've had gestational diabetes."


So, I'll wait to see what the results are of Tuesday's test and let it go for now.  I have too much to do to continue to worry about it.  This weekend is all about S's family.  We had my nephew's first birthday party.  He is so cute and is so much fun to be around.  How can you not love this face?  And yes, that's a child size arm chair.  How cute!


Tomorrow is the M Family Reunion.  Hopefully the weather stays mild like today.  


S also went and picked up the second piece of furniture for Baby Mac's room.  His furniture will be nicer than ours.  :)  As soon as we get it all in place, I'll take another picture but we still have one more piece to get.  


I've noticed I've been getting more tired lately.  I guess that's common in the third trimester, or so I hear, but it's still aggravating.  I'd like to go up to the gym for a little while tonight but I really can't doing much.  


It's a little hard to believe we're in the 29th week.  However, on the trip home from Indy, I had to laugh because I was remembering at 18 weeks wishing I would feel some sign of movement.  On the way home, I couldn't get him to stop moving.  He was using my ribs as a kick board and my bladder as a punching bag and for those of you that know me, this made it VERY hard not to stop and visit every bathroom from Indy home.  In fact, I didn't stop once.  


What to expect has this to say about Baby Mac in the 29th week:
"How big is your baby this week? He weighs nearly three pounds now and measures about 17 inches. Though He's getting pretty close to his birth length, she still has to chub out a bit. In fact, over the next 11 weeks, he'll more than double — or even come close to tripling — his weight. And as he grows and the room in your womb gets tighter, you'll be less likely to feel those big kicks and more likely to get poked by an elbow or jabbed by a knee."


Oh great!  Can't wait.  :)

Wow..I'm at Work and It Feels Like a Break

So I can finally say my brother is a "husband".  Wow, that's crazy.  He has a "wife" and one day he will have kids.  Amazing.  It's been a long time coming and I'm so happy for him and N.  They had a beautiful day and so many people came together to support and celebrate.  It was a great weekend.

Now I'm back to work.  In fact, yesterday when all my family was climbing on planes back home, I was getting in the car and driving to Indy, where I am now. I'll be here till Wednesday and can't wait to get home.  I'm not sure why but this week was harder than usual to leave S.  I really miss him.  I guess it's partly due to the fact that I know he's on vacation this week, the fact that we had a great weekend together and hormones.  While I've been away, he has done something that makes me even more anxious to get home...he put together the crib.  I'm so excited.  He sent me a picture.  Check it out.  Now picture a mattress, some sheets and a mobile (all of which we have to get still).  How sweet!

I had a small awakening at the wedding this weekend.  While sitting in the Basilica watching my brother and N exchange vows, it occurred to me that everything that's going on right now is so much bigger than me, than us (S and I).  There is plan for me, one that I didn't setup and I can't control and no matter how much I fight it, my best bet is to give into it and embrace it.  Yes, at 6 months pregnant, I'm just now to this point.  It was probably the closest thing I'll have to an epiphany.  I'm coming around and hope that by the time he gets here, I'll be fully ready to be his mom.