Once again, there isn't much to report this week. I'm feeling good and that's great! I do think that my "pregnancy brain" is starting to settle in. There is no scientific evidence to back any of this up, but MANY pregnant women feel like they tend to forget things more often when being pregnant - especially all of that short term memory stuff, like where you set your phone down or that you started a load of laundry that need to be put in the dryer. I don't think it's a physical change as much as the fact that you have so many more things running through your head. Whether consciously or not, I know that I'm thinking about being pregnant almost constantly and that just takes up more space in my brain... leaving less room for all of that short-term memory stuff :-)
I'm also feeling a lot more clumsy these days - dropping things and completely missing things that I try to grab too quickly. Again, I don't think this is a physical change, but has more to do with my mind racing all the time. All the thoughts of Baby Frantz running through my head has to mean that there is just less time to concentrate on all of those little things that I'm doing :-)
This biggest change this week is that I feel like I'm starting to "pop". Not enough that I think other people will notice (take a look at the picture and let me know what you think), but enough that I notice. I just can't suck in my belly any more and that means I won't be able to for at least another 6 months! I'm pretty sure this is earlier than the first time around (maybe more like 17-18 weeks the first time), but I also started off a little bigger with our first pregnancy and know I was more in denial :-)
I haven't actually gained any weight yet, but that isn't surprising to me at all. With Madeline I actually lost about 10 lbs. the first trimester and then gradually began to gain the pregnancy weight. My previous OB and I attributed this weight loss to feeling nauseous and not wanting to eat as much, along with the fact that I was just being so much healthier... Lots more fruits and veggies, eating breakfast regularly, eating smaller meals more frequently, less dining out, drinking LOTS more water, the elimination of all adult beverages and regular exercise. I think the same is holding true with this pregnancy, but because I started off a little lighter there wasn't as much to lose. So, the transition to a healthier lifestyle has probably lead to an even exchange of unnecessary weight I was carrying before getting pregnant and the extra weight I've put on because if being pregnant :-) CNM Cheryl agrees and says that everything is progressing just as it should! I'm predicting the weight gain will start really soon, but hopefully be pretty gradual, just like last time :-)
Still no need for maternity pants, but the selection of non-maternity pants that I have that continues to fit is gradually decreasing. My maternity attire may make an appearance sooner rather than later :-) The first time around I was like many first-timers and just didn't want to "give-in" and say that my normal clothes weren't fitting any more - and probably went a little longer than I needed in jeans that were just too big instead of buying my first pair of maternity pants. This time I know just how comfortable that 3 - 4 inch wide maternity band can be! I've already dug them out of hiding and they're just waiting to make their debut :-) I just wish that I could remember what I did with that pair of khaki maternity pants that I just loved when I was pregnant with Madeline... did I put them somewhere different than my other maternity clothes or did I lend them to someone and I just can't remeber who... dang pregnancy brain!
Not very much to report this week... Food is tasting pretty good again and All-Day Sickness is limited to Only-Before-I-Get-Out-Of-Bed-In-The-Morning Sickness :-) The evening headaches have pretty much disappeared, but been replaced with a little reflux... another one of those things that is hardly worth mentioning because it has been so mild :)
All in all I'm feeling good and concentrating more on being has healthy as I can be. Not that I wasn't being healthy before, but eating and exercising regularly got pretty tough when I felt like losing my cookies all the time! I'm going to try getting back to some sort of exercise routine this week. My goal is to get on our stationary bike for at least 1/2 an hour 4 days a week and doing more core strengthening exercises now that we have our exercise ball here at the apartment. I'm sure I'll start off pretty slow, but getting into the routine is really what I need to do. I know that it will give me more energy and make me feel better in general. I'm going to need all of the physical stamina/energy I can get when it comes to the delivery!
Not really anything new this week... I consider that a good thing! I'm still not feeling very good before I get out of bed in the morning, but once I get moving I'm just fine for the rest of the day :-) Still a few minor headaches at night, but I think the extra fluids I've been drinking later in the day have helped with that too! I have started to get a little energy back, so that's another good thing!!!
Today we went for another prenatal visit with Cheryl. My blood pressure is way down... 102/61 compared to the 122/75 it was last month. I think that has a lot to do with how worried I was during our last visit (at that time we still hadn't been reassured that there weren't any problems). Not much else happened at this visit, except that we got to hear the heartbeat again and this time it was super easy to find and really loud! We recorded the beautiful sound of Baby Frantz' heartbeat with our phone and have posted it here! Take a listen...
This week I really started to feel better. I'm still not feeling all that great before I get out of bed in the morning, but once I have some breakfast I'm usually pretty good for the rest of the day (as long as I keep something in my stomach). I was really sleepy this week, but that may have more to do with how busy we were as opposed to anything pregnancy related :-) Feeling dizzy when I get up too fast has also continued - something that I remember from being pregnant with Madeline.
One thing that has seemed to get a little bit more intense this week is the hip pain I've been experiencing at night. I've ALWAYS slept on my side but this has become pretty uncomfortable. I've been waking up several times a night having the switch sides because my hips are hurting so much. I've noticed that if a sleep with a pillow between my knees that it helps a little so I'll continue to do that. I guess I really shouldn't be complaining about sleep discomfort at this point because I haven't even started to show any kind of "belly"... waking up several times a night from here until the baby arrives is just preparing me for the nuances of a new baby - right? :-)
One new thing that I've noticed this week are very minor headaches after dinner. Nothing that I feel I would need to take anything for, just something I've noticed. I've read this may be related to the amount of water I'm drinking. I'm so good at drinking a lot of water early in the day, but I always seem to reduce my intake as the day goes on. I'm going to try and stay more hydrated throughout the entire day and see if this helps...
Our next prenatal appointment is this Friday and I'm super excited to hear the heartbeat! I'll try and capture a recording with my phone and post it next Saturday. This appointment is one that I've especially been looking forward to... If everything checks out this week the chances of miscarriage are dramatically reduced and we'll announce our pregnancy to everyone we haven't already told :-)
Like I said, we've been pretty busy this week and I just didn't get around to taking my weekly belly picture. I'm going to take one tomorrow for the beginning of the 12th week and try to make it something I do every Monday :-)
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She loves to sing to the baby (You are My Sunshine) 
and give the Baby hugs and kisses :-)
