15 weeks, 18 weeks, 20 weeks, and 24 weeksEvery time we take a picture, I look at it and think how big my belly has gotten, and how I can't imagine it getting any bigger. Then, by the time we take the next picture, I think the same thing about that picture, and look back a little wistfully at how tiny I look to myself in the previous picture. It's crazy and you'd think I'd be used to it by now, but the thought process is remarkably similar each time.
First, the good news: I'm measuring perfectly at 24 cm for 24 weeks. (Which strongly dispels the likelihood of twins, despite what my round girth might suggest.) The baby is delightfully active and literally feels bigger and stronger every day. The heartbeat sounds great, my blood pressure is good, and by every other objective measure of pregnancy, I'm doing very well. The number on the scale is a lot to wrap my mind around, but we're eating incredibly well and I take at least a 30-minute walk most days, along with a variety of prenatal exercises, so I'm doing my best to let my body be my guide on that front.
On a less-pleasant level: the hormonal discomforts of pregnancy (morning sickness, etc) have all too quickly been replaced by the mechanical ones, as I mentioned in my last post. My symphysis pubis pain can literally bring me to tears, especially if I've been working all day, and I'm going to do a separate post on the efforts I'm making to correct that. Bending over has become rather a challenge, and I have a job that requires me to do that many times in a 12-hour period. Changing positions requires ever more (and noisier) efforts, and I had a recent tearful episode remembering what a wonderful, active summer we had last year and mourning the fact that I will most likely not be doing all of my grocery shopping by folding bike this summer, nor will I be doing any 7-mile hikes in the Shenandoah mountains. (Matt is wonderful about comforting me through such times, however, and pointed out, "We'll just plan to have a really active fall!") I'm also getting up probably 3-4 times a night to pee (during the day, I go at least once an hour). My mom says I've had a tiny bladder since I was a baby, and pregnancy has certainly brought out that condition. Also being crowded out of the way: my lungs and my stomach.
Otherwise, though, we're happy and thankful. We're getting more and more excited about the birth, and talk all the time about what it will be like when the baby gets here. We went to an excellent cloth diaper information session put on by a locally owned Web-based business, Abby's Lane, which we were completely impressed with. We've decided that we'll most likely go with prefolds, pins, and wool covers to start with. We'd originally thought we might go with an all-in-one, but she convinced us that these are often not a good fit for newborns and we want something that we can start with and that will then grow with the baby, as opposed to changing systems midstream. It's also much more economical and seems like a better fit for our lifestyle and philosophies. We've also been incredibly blessed by Freecycle and hand-me-downs from friends, so that we feel like we have a good stock of what we'll need to at least get started. Which is good; now that the weather is warm, it's starting to feel like summer and this baby are just around the corner.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself, when four more months of pelvic pain and a waddling gait and going to the bathroom 20 times a day starts to sound like a very long time...
First, the good news: I'm measuring perfectly at 24 cm for 24 weeks. (Which strongly dispels the likelihood of twins, despite what my round girth might suggest.) The baby is delightfully active and literally feels bigger and stronger every day. The heartbeat sounds great, my blood pressure is good, and by every other objective measure of pregnancy, I'm doing very well. The number on the scale is a lot to wrap my mind around, but we're eating incredibly well and I take at least a 30-minute walk most days, along with a variety of prenatal exercises, so I'm doing my best to let my body be my guide on that front.
On a less-pleasant level: the hormonal discomforts of pregnancy (morning sickness, etc) have all too quickly been replaced by the mechanical ones, as I mentioned in my last post. My symphysis pubis pain can literally bring me to tears, especially if I've been working all day, and I'm going to do a separate post on the efforts I'm making to correct that. Bending over has become rather a challenge, and I have a job that requires me to do that many times in a 12-hour period. Changing positions requires ever more (and noisier) efforts, and I had a recent tearful episode remembering what a wonderful, active summer we had last year and mourning the fact that I will most likely not be doing all of my grocery shopping by folding bike this summer, nor will I be doing any 7-mile hikes in the Shenandoah mountains. (Matt is wonderful about comforting me through such times, however, and pointed out, "We'll just plan to have a really active fall!") I'm also getting up probably 3-4 times a night to pee (during the day, I go at least once an hour). My mom says I've had a tiny bladder since I was a baby, and pregnancy has certainly brought out that condition. Also being crowded out of the way: my lungs and my stomach.
Otherwise, though, we're happy and thankful. We're getting more and more excited about the birth, and talk all the time about what it will be like when the baby gets here. We went to an excellent cloth diaper information session put on by a locally owned Web-based business, Abby's Lane, which we were completely impressed with. We've decided that we'll most likely go with prefolds, pins, and wool covers to start with. We'd originally thought we might go with an all-in-one, but she convinced us that these are often not a good fit for newborns and we want something that we can start with and that will then grow with the baby, as opposed to changing systems midstream. It's also much more economical and seems like a better fit for our lifestyle and philosophies. We've also been incredibly blessed by Freecycle and hand-me-downs from friends, so that we feel like we have a good stock of what we'll need to at least get started. Which is good; now that the weather is warm, it's starting to feel like summer and this baby are just around the corner.
At least, that's what I keep telling myself, when four more months of pelvic pain and a waddling gait and going to the bathroom 20 times a day starts to sound like a very long time...
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