18 weeks sounds like a little number to me. but really its more than 4 months. i have been growing my sweet potato baby for about four and a half months now. every day bump is more and more noticeable, which i am loving!
people of the world, i'm ready for you to ask me when i'm due when you see me.
for this portion of our time together, please feel free to respond to my questions...they are not rhetorical.
one constant for the entirety of these four and a half months has been constipation. gross, i know. but its true. i have tried alot of things to help with this; fiber, probiotics, exercise....do any of you mamas out there have any pregnancy safe go-tos for this problem?
also ugly truth that, at least for me, the adjustment to gaining weight (when we tell ourselves our whole life that we should be maintaining or losing but NEVER gaining) is really really hard. i know that it is all for baby and necessary, but its really hard to get my head around. do any other moms have experience feeling this way when you were pregnant?
bummer:
people kept telling me i would feel awesome during the second trimester. awesome...is not what i feel. dont get me wrong, i feel exponentially better than i did during the first 13 weeks, but i still feel like an exhausted zombie with aforementioned stomach issues constantly plaguing me. am i supposed to be feeling awesome??? did anyone else feel badly for much of their pregnancy or is it just me?
disclaimer:
i would go through all this and more to meet my sweet potato baby, so please do not mistake my honesty for me suggesting that its not worth it or that i want pity. im just being honest because the thing that has helped me the most during my pregnancy is the honesty of my friends about theirs...and any of you who are trying to get pregnant or newly pregnant IT IS SO WONDERFUL, but there are some
exciting:
i met with my super amazing doula this week, taylor. she has been a dear friend since college and has already blessed me in so many ways throughout the nearly ten years we have known each other. and now she will bless me in the most incredible way possible, through helping me bring little a into this world. taylor is so peaceful and calming and she has this southern accent to boot. im so thankful to you taylor for being willing to be there for me and for little a. (p.s. she could probably tell me that eating mud is good for baby in that accent and i would do it).
i am pretty sure i have felt little flutters now. if i sit still enough and concentrate, it feels like a rather strong butterfly is flapping its wings on my insides. its not strong enough for me to say for sure, but its enough for me to get giddy and dreamy.
getting close to the half way point :)
thanks for snapping christine
It has been 28 years since I was first pregnant; so it is hard for me to remember just how I felt. I did go to work every day, like you, and I was so excited to become a MOM. I do remember what that precious little "Eskimo like" baby looked like though. She had lots of dark black hair which went in all directions. I wonder what kind of dark hair baby A will have?
ReplyDeleteJust from my own experience:
ReplyDelete1. Lots (LOTS) of water, and maybe skip your prenatals for a day or two and see if that helps. Sometimes it's the extra iron in the prenatals... Maybe you could ask your provider (if you see a difference) for a vitamin that has less iron or something.
2. I read once somewhere (and I have no idea where...) that even women in places where they eat just what they need, or maybe even can't get enough food, still can gain weight especially on their thighs and bottoms while pregnant. Our bodies want to make sure we can feed our babies after they are born! I struggle with the weight gain, especially since I feel that if I was more self-controlled with what I ate and more regular in my exercise, the weight gain would be less, but I have to rest in the fact that as long as I am doing my best and am healthy, it is all okay.
3. And yes, this pregnancy I felt worse longer. Not fun. Sorry that it is that way for you! HOPEFULLY you will feel better soon! And before you get into your third trimester, because then the belly size starts to make everything uncomfortable. At least in my experience.
I've been thinking lately how much just being pregnant is a lesson in sacrificing ourselves for our children. As a mom I see (and feel) all the time how I am sacrificing for my kids, but I forget that being pregnant is also a sacrifice. My body, my sleep!, my comfort, all go out the window while pregnant. It's sort of the first lesson in how being a parent makes us more like Christ. It's hard, but worth it in the end, in so many ways!
you are so right about the self-sacrafice. pregnancy is a great kick start to a life time of it i guess. thanks for all the feedback, so helpful!
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