First off, a huge thanks to everyone who weighed in yesterday with their thoughts on whether or not to do the 20 week anatomy ultrasound. I’m not sold on the long term safety of repeated ultrasounds, but I’m also not supremely worried about it either (obviously, I had 3 with Stella and 1 already with this pregnancy). Many of you mentioned needing the “peace of mind” from having the scan done, but I can honestly say that particular reason isn’t a factor for me this time around. Maybe it’s just being blissfully naive and optimistic, but at this point I’m feeling secure and relaxed this pregnancy about things, and I want to do everything I can to continue in that mindset. That being said, y’all raised some good points about not being near a hospital for this birth since we’re planning on a home birth (and we live 30 min from the hospital), so it might make sense to just go ahead and get the full anatomy ultrasound done to rule out any obvious internal issues that could have an affect on things post delivery. So ya – I think that’s the plan, but I really appreciate all of your thoughts weighing in on it – it never ceases to amaze me how different opinions and outlooks and feelings can be for different women on the same issue! We really do have to just do what feels right to us (and sometimes say screw the $400, it’s a drop in the bucket in the long run!).
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So even though I’ve only been writing these updates every couple of weeks this pregnancy, it still feels like things are still going crazy fast all of a sudden. My look of my belly has definitely “popped” in the past two weeks, and random people from town have asked me if I was expecting again (um, WTF, I don’t look THAT pregnant, and I would NEVER ask a woman if she was pregnant based on my current size / look in most clothing!).
It’s also fun that Stella is starting to get the baby thing a little bit. She doesn’t understand there’s a real baby in my belly, but she’ll point there when I ask her where the baby is, and she loves to grab the doppler off the headboard and try to find the heartbeat herself.
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So at this point I’m 4 months into this pregnancy, and I’ve gained 5# (it was 7# but I’ve fluctuated back down a bit). Yes, I’m probably overly anal about tracking this, but I know I come by it honestly (a decade of struggling with bulimia in your 20s will do that do you). I’m not freaked out by the 5# at all because I know that’s a totally normal amount to have gained at this point, but I saw a picture of myself last week that just made me cringe, and it has kick started me into getting back into the workout regimen. Since the all day puking started at 5w4d, I had completely quit working out, and it was showing, especially in my arms and belly (yes, my belly is getting bigger because of a baby, but there is a LOT of pudge on there too!). Nearly three months of zero exercise makes you flabby all over. Shocking, right?
At any rate, In the past couple of weeks I’ve jumped on the elliptical a few times, I’ve pulled out my C210k app on my iPhone and gone for a run, and I found a 30 day arms challenge for August to participate in. My goal is to go into this birthing time healthy and strong, just like last time, and that won’t happen if I sit on my ass for the next 5 months! While pregnant with Stella, I was waitressing and bartending full time, running stairs to the 3rd floor rooftop bar, carrying trays, and just generally moving my body. Now I’m at a desk doing nothing!
By moving my body a little extra lately I’ve upped my FitBit daily step count average to 5,000 from the 3,000 it’s hovered around since getting pregnant. My goal is to continue to increase that average. Pregnancy is no excuse for laziness – at least now that the debilitating first trimester fatigue and extended nausea have passed for the most part. I know I’ll feel better about everything in life if I’m being active and eating well, so it’s time to get back into that!
