Two Months In

Weight: Average 215.5lbs
Morning Body temperature: Average 36.0 Celsius

Hello! It's been a little while!
We had our first Ultrasound a couple weeks ago to better gauge my due date. I got to see our little peanut, who measured a full 1.5cm long! I got to see their itty bitty head and their itty bitty bootie. So cute! According to the technician, our baby is healthy because they could see the yolk sac. It works like the placenta and is present during the first Trimester. Very exciting!
My supervisor and his wife gave us a BUNCH of leftover baby stuff from when they had their little boy. We got a mobile for the crib (with little whales on it! cute!) and a baby food blender. It was really daunting when she started presenting all these things to us and explaining what they were, what they were for, and started mentioning other things we should get our hands on. MORE THINGS!
I have to admit, although it's intimidating to think about all the other stuff we'll need to prepare before this little bundles shows up, but I'm stupid excited to have this baby. Like, we got this baby harness they'd never used because they received it too late. Instead of a baby bjorn where the baby goes on the chest, the Japanese put the baby on the back so the parents' arms are free to do things. Very practical. Also, very exciting!
Hmmm... other things. OH! After weeks of not having morning sickness, I finally had one bout within half an hour of eating. There went my entire lunch. And here I was trying to be healthy and eat more vegetables! Jesse thinks the batter mix I'd used may have been too old and my body rejected it. Whatever the reason, the mix has been tossed and I haven't been sick since! Woohoo!
I have a doctor's appointment on the 11th. Until I get farther along I'll have an appointment once a month to check on baby's status. Last time, the doc said I was right along where we anticipated I'd be. Hopefully baby's still going strong!

I mentioned before how very early on I felt a pressure in my nethers that I took as a sign of the baby being there. There was a while where the feeling really dissipated, but I still feel it most often when I'm lying on my back. It's hard, though, because I'm trying to train myself to sleep on my sides more because that'll be better for me and the baby when I start to get a lot bigger. Maybe it's this bed, but i used to have no problem sleeping on my side. I think, too, it might have to do with the fact that I share the bed with Jesse and I might be rolling over to be closer to him in the night. At other times, I'm rolling away from him because he's so hot. And because now I'M so hot!

Aside from trying to drink a gallon of water each day like the doctor ordered, we're doing well. Trying to be a little bit more active and walking more, since that's good for the baby. And for mommy too! We're also trying to eat healthier, but with the food shortages coming to bite us again (thanks, COVID), I'm not sure how accessible healthier food options will be. Fingers crossed!
Until next time, stay safe!!

Playing Catch-up

Weight: Average 215.5lbs
Morning Body temperature: Average 36.2 Celsius

As you can see, it's been a few days. I definitely didn't intend to leave off writing a blog entry for so long, but nothing much has changed? Still having little cramps once in a while. Some of them are more intense than others, but nothing really bad. No spotting, so I'm guessing all is well.
We got a ridiculous amount of sleep this weekend, so I feel GREAT! I also lost a little bit of weight, which is mostly due to constipation and then gradual relief over a couple of days. Gosh, there's nothing quite as satisfying as offloading a good poop after you've been stuck up for a while!
DID YOU KNOW, that apparently pregnant women can get really super duper horny? Apparently, sex is very good while pregnant as it increases blood flow in the area. The added endorphins are always good too!
I ended up having a craving for some Irish stew from this Irish pub near my office called McNamara's. We hopped in the car Friday night and picked it up to eat at home. Well worth the drive, if you ask me, because the stew is so delicious.
Last night I had a hankering for noodles, so we made some instant Ramen with extra noodles to take care of my craving. Felt great to slurp noodles!

Cravings come early

Weight: 217.6lbs
Morning Body temperature: 36.1 Celsius

Good news: I wasn't so hot today. Granted, the temperature dropped here so we actually ran the heat! Still, I had some cramps throughout the day.

Big update though was the craving. Holy cow! I didn't realize you can get cravings at 3-4 weeks, but it's true. I had a ridiculously strong craving for a Burger King Whopper. I could vividly taste and feel the crunch of the lettuce, the juiciness of the slice of tomato. Oh, and the mayo.
We thought about making burgers from scratch because that'd be healthier, but we were afraid I'd take a bite and immediately say it wasn't the same. So, ultimately, we decided not to and went straight to BK.
It was worth it.

Hot Mama

Weight: 219lbs

Morning Body temperature: 36.3 Celsius

If there's one thing I hate about being pregnant already it's the anticipation. I KNOW I'm probably going to puke. Hell, I literally just had a run to the bathroom moment, only to crouch in front of the toilet and think "I better clean this first before I potentially puke."

By the time that was done, I didn't need to puke. Well, now that I'm writing this, I'm feeling that urge again.

UUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

That wasn't me puking, that was just my frustration with it.

If it's going to happen, just happen. This anticipation and worrying over it just puts me in a bad mindset. I mean, c'mon.

Oh, there was a gurgle.

Is it time?

...

No?

Well, back to writing, then. Maybe I should bring this into the bathroom while I type...?

So, I saw this YouTube video courtesy of my friend Dani (Thanks, Dani!) where a statistician is doing this TED talk about statistics and how she measures her body temperature every morning. It's a really cool video and I can see why Dani recommended it. Here's the link!

Anywho, I started taking my body temperature in the morning because of this video and I have to say she's right: pregnant women are HOT. My average body temperature last month was 35.5 Celsius, or 95.9 Fahrenheit. I consistently run on the cooler side, so see that my average is increasing this month totally matches what Talithia Williams says in the video.

Today though? Gosh, I was hot. And I didn't want to run the air conditioning because I knew then I'd get too cold too quickly. Since I'm working from home my feet are literally right over the air vent. I went from 36.3 to 36.7 Celsius this afternoon. Not enough to break into a sweat evidently (I don't sweat very easily?), but hot enough to feel incredibly uncomfortable.

Not to mention the cramps.

I realized after I'd closed the Chromebook last night that I hadn't mentioned the cramps. They're these little pangs and they're a little worrisome because they're so sharp at first. They come in waves, so I found myself rubbing my lower belly quite a bit today. At least these cramps aren't from a period, am I right ladies?

I really wasn't feeling all too well, so while I finished up with work Jesse went grocery shopping without me. I'm glad he did because the store was apparently quite busy. After he got home and I'd clocked out, we had a little cuddle in bed and that definitely helped me feel better. I'm not as hot right now and my cramps have subsided. Not even nauseous now! Huzzah!

He's cooking while I type. I really found a good guy. Well, that's about it for today. After dinner I'm sure we'll take the rest of the night easy since I was a bit queasy. Until tomorrow!

Day 2 of being confirmed pregnant!

Age: 33

Weight: HAH! Who wants to weigh themselves, am I right?

Morning Body temperature: 36.0 Celsius 

I'm pregnant!!!

My fiance Jesse and I have been trying to get pregnant for a few months now and were very fortunate to have succeeded!

Sometime between first trying for a baby and now I had thought: I should keep a blog of my experiences. Maybe they'll be helpful for me: I'll be able to keep notes of how I felt and my progress, or things I've discovered along the way. Not to mention this could potentially be a great embarrassing gift for my future child when they're 18. This seemed like a great opportunity to see how I change over the next 9 months, both mentally and physically.

Suffice it to say that I feel like I haven't heard much about the worse parts of pregnancy.

I've heard that a small percentage of women can't hold down food for the first couple of months, if at all, while pregnant.

I've also heard that some women, for one reason or another, are prescribed bed-rest for part of their pregnancy.

One of the things I've heard a lot is "I hope it's an easy pregnancy" from others as I tell them I'm pregnant. Of course, this makes one wonder... just how bad can it be?

Do I want to know that answer?

Uhmmm... maybe?

Will it make me anxious about what I'm doing to help bring this child into the world happy, healthy and safe?

HELL. YES.

Will there be some foul language?

Probably yes.

If my family is reading this, my apologies.

Seeing as I'm concerned, I figured I wouldn't leave anything out of this blog.

Let's get down to the nitty gritty of pregnancy.

Well, of MY pregnancy, to be specific, as all pregnancies are different. Again: here's hoping it's an easy pregnancy!

Where to begin, and one thing I always asked people: Did you know you were pregnant? What could I look for?

Here's the thing: I really wanted to be pregnant, so I was never sure if I was simply being hyper sensitive to every little change I felt in my nethers or if I was fooling myself. Regardless, here's how I felt.

I definitely felt something. I felt a sort of pressure building, like there was something different inside of me. It was something I felt when lying down on my back, when gravity presses your belly flat against your muscles and bones. I felt like there was something there.

Now, I felt this every month after we started trying, which was really deceiving. Especially when cramps and constipation kicked in, my early signs of my period starting. It was really discouraging to think "this must be what it feels like!", only to find out it was just my period. Again. Still, we carried on.

Did I feel different this time?

No. I had the same darn feeling, that same pressure, but somehow I just... felt like this was the time. This was the one: I was going to be pregnant this time!

I got a bulk box of ovulation strips and pregnancy tests. Yes, I used ovulation strips. I had a tracker. For the pregnancy tests, it says you can test as early as 6 days before your period. Well, I also have a FitBit and the period tracker there and the tracker app I was using had different ideas when my period was supposed to start, so I waited until the later date of 6 days before my period.

This wasn't the result I was looking for.

You're supposed to have two lines and I had this weird faint shadow line that I couldn't remember existing the month before when I'd tested. Not to mention you have to test with your first pee of the day, so I'm squinting down at this strip and bringing it real close to my naked eye wondering: am I seeing things or what?!

Well, since it wasn't clear I decided to take that as a sign that I wasn't pregnant. Distraught, Jesse and I talked about it again and decided we'd forgo the ovulation and pregnancy strips and just keep trying until my period was late.

That was on the 18th, a week ago. So a week goes by where I think "I guess I'm not pregnant" and going through my work days thinking "I've got to reduce my stress levels so I can get pregnant for sure next month".

Did I still feel that pressure I mentioned? Not really.

I suspect that's because I stopped looking for it because I was expecting my period.

Is the pressure back now? Yeah, actually, it is.

The work week goes by and, well, my period doesn't start on time.

Let me tell you, my period was always an unpredictable beast when I was younger. As a result, I went on birth control in college because the stress of trying to get good grades caused my period to skip and my period skipping caused me additional stress. Getting off birth control was the worst couple of periods of my life, but it was worth it to have had regular and relatively light periods for a couple years. I'm not sure if it's because I was on the birth control back then or just that my hormones leveled out, but not long afterward I became really regular. So suffice to say the fact my period was late got me thinking: I should probably test again.

Yesterday, we had made plans to go out to lunch and the zoo. I know, during COVID the last thing we should be doing is going out, but the zoo is perhaps one of the best places to go to social distance. Especially if your glasses help you, y'know, SEE animals. Plus the weather was supposed to be sunny and warm, and the idea of walking around the huge Nashville Zoo was extremely appealing.

That morning, I woke up and peed in a cup to test for pregnancy. There's this brand of french yogurt called Oui that comes in little glass jars that are PERFECT for this. Why? Because it's glass, so it's not porous like plastic cups. Also, the size was perfect for fitting in the toilet and very easy to clean. Not to mention the yogurt was yummy, so well worth paying extra for a dual-purpose glass jar.

ANYWAY. I went in thinking I was going to have a negative result again... but after a minute that gorgeous second line showed up indicating that, yes, I was pregnant!

You should've seen Jesse's face when I told him. He was still in bed and wasn't really hearing me until it finally clicked. He leapt out of bed and kissed me and hugged me. He's definitely just as excited as me about becoming pregnant!

Of course, now that we knew we were pregnant I had to call my friend and let he know that unfortunately we wouldn't be able to see each other. Now that we're actually preggo, the last thing I want to potentially expose myself, and my baby, to COVID. So we made a bunch of calls and sent texts to family and friends letting them know that, hey, we're pregnant. Woohoo!

Now it's day two of knowing we're pregnant and I've called/texted more friends and family to tell them the good news.

Hmmm... other things.

Alright, Friday (two days ago) I felt queasy three separate times in the day. Once in the morning, once in the afternoon and once at night. Now that I'm thinking about it again, I think each time might've corresponded with my having eaten something.

Did I puke? Not yet.

Am I going to puke? I have no idea.

Something I ate must've really upset my stomach, though, because I woke up in the middle of the night Saturday morning around 3:45am and had to run to the toilet before my butt exploded.

Did I get good sleep after that? Not really.

Was it worth it to later have the good news I was pregnant? Sure thing!

Is there a correlation? Probably non-existent.

Did I sleep better last night? You betcha'!

Hey, did you know that you start needing to pee more often when you're pregnant? I actually felt kind of irritated down there almost like I had a UTI that wasn't a UTI a week or so ago. I'm wondering now if perhaps that was a precursor to my definitely needing to pee more often? And therefore my pregnancy? Who knows! (Probably a doctor, but I'm not one.)

According to the app I need to:

1) Stop eating some specific things like deli meat and unwashed produce. (People don't wash produce before eating it??)

2) Start exercising. Walking and squats to help build up endurance for going through labor and yoga and stretching to prepare for pregnancy.

3) NOT EAT FOR TWO. I'm not there yet. (Totally understandable. I mean, I've been trying to lose weight and a part of that is to not overeat in the first place.)

Did you know that my due date is based off the first day of my last period and not by, y'know, figuring out conception? In that case, my due date is May 29th, 2021. Let's see how close we can get to that target!

If that's the case, I should be at the 5 week mark, which would mean my baby is the size of a sweet pea and its eyes, ears, nose and mouth are beginning to develop. I honestly think I'm at 3~4 weeks, just based off when I was ovulating to begin with. In which case my baby is an embryo and the size of a grain of salt, it's organs developing. What a thought!

However far along my sweet little baby is, I'm just grateful it's here and I'm going to do the best I can to make sure it's happy, healthy and safe! And perhaps I can get Jesse to eat more vegetables with me because of this! HAH!

Here are the ovulation strips (and subsequently the app) that I used