Week 15

First off, just wanted to share a couple of Leif and I's baby pictures. Wondering who BB will look more like??

How far along:  15 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: Hass avocado (4 inches)!

Milestones: Baby bear has been busy practicing breathing, bending his or her legs, and just flailing around to build strength (cue Rocky theme song). His or her bones are starting to harden meaning that movements are becoming more pronounced. Within the next couple weeks, BB may be able to hear my voice and heart beat! BB continues doubling in weight each week and might even have a little hair already (although, I was a bald baby, so that might not be in the cards).

Best Moment This Week: Feeling more little movements has been great! I feel a little twitch a few times a day, mostly after changing positions or reclining. I was having some intense pain above my belly button, so I visited the OB last Wednesday and got to hear the heart beat once again (it's in the 150s now). The pain turned out to be an umbilical hernia from the pressure of growing BB. My OB said that when you get your umbilical cord cut, there's a weakened pocket by your navel that can become herniated while pregnant. As BB gets bigger and rises above my belly button, there's a chance that my uterus will help cover the hernia gap and give me some relief. In the meantime, I just have to take it easy and try not to strain it. If it still gives me trouble after birth, I'll have to have a small operation to take care of it... On the bright side, today, I haven't had nearly as much pain, so hopefully it continues this way! 

What I’m Looking Forward To: Only a few more days until my 16 week appointment and about a month until the anatomy ultrasound! Because of my hernia, I have to limit my exercise to walking, so I'm looking forward to getting back into jogging someday since it helps a lot with my anxiety. In the meantime, I try to aim for walking 30 minutes to an hour a day if I can. I recently picked up a Bellaband which is an elastic band you slip over your regular jeans when they're unbuttoned to create instant maternity pants. Once I get it washed, I'm eager to try it out, and it's a wonderful that I can continue wearing most of the clothes I already have. 

What I Miss The Most: Still missing my beloved sushi rolls, but it's a small price to pay to keep BB safe! Also, since do the bulk of my free reading before bed, I haven't been able to complete as many books because I usually pass out a couple pages in... but I'm grateful to be able to sleep as well as I do. Having severe insomnia the first couple weeks after I found out I was pregnant was one of the most challenging parts of this whole experience, so I hope to never go back to that.

Symptoms: I've been off of Prevacid for a few days now, and the rebound acid hasn't been as bad as I expected. Being really careful about my food choices, drinking at least eight cups of water a day, taking Gaviscon at night, and propping myself up when I sleep have been enough to keep the stomach pain at bay so far. I read that by the end of the pregnancy, my uterus will be about eight inches above my naval, so I'm sure this won't be the last of the heartburn. Otherwise, besides the hernia, fatigue, and sensitive stomach, I don't have much to complain about. Once in a while, I get overwhelmed and panicky about the idea of being a mom, but I have to keep telling myself that I will do my best. 

Cravings: French toast! And... all things carbs. Yesterday, Waypoint bought everyone pizza for lunch, and despite my acid reflux, I broke down and had one slice. I scraped as much of the red sauce off as I could, and it was seriously one of the best things I've tasted in a long time. I made sure to take some antacids right afterward, so it luckily didn't cause much damage to my stomach.

Week 14

How far along:  14 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: Beet (about 3.5 inches) 💝

Milestones: Baby Bear is on the move! His or her movements are getting more pronounced every day! I've been feel consistent twitches in the middle of my lower abdomen, so I'm starting to think they are BB saying "hello!" I know most people don't feel anything until 19-25 weeks, especially with the first pregnancy, but I'm pretty in-tune with my body, so it's very possible it's the real deal! This week, BB is picking up all sorts of cool tricks like squinting, frowning, and sucking his or her thumb. Also, his or her weight has DOUBLED in the last week and he or she will continue putting on ounces as fat gets added to his or her little frame. 

Best Moment This Week: Definitely the more pronounced (potential) movements. At this point, it's not as distracting as I thought it would be... but that probably won't last once he or she begins with the kung fu fighting in there! Another highlight was receiving some gifts for BB from family and coworkers for the holidays. We now have a little stash of baby stuff going and have been doing better with saving, so I feel like we're more on track... kind of.

What I’m Looking Forward To: Still awaiting my 16 and 20 week appointments. Time is flying and I can't believe that in a little over a month, I'll be halfway through the pregnancy! I don't always do well with big changes and it was certainly a rough transition, but I'm proud of myself for acclimating as well as I have. Let's hope everything continues to go smoothly!

What I Miss The Most: The rules about food are continuing to make life difficult. There were multiple incidents this week where I had to heat up food that was a "listeria risk," and I forgot to bring a plate to work, so I had to cook it in my coffee mug. My coworker gave me a Prairie Soup Company gift card for Christmas, and as many of you know, their chicken salad sandwich is one of my favorite meals, so I couldn't resist getting one. However, chicken salad is technically on the danger list, but I was willing to heat it up, even though to most people, that's extremely gross-sounding. Heating it up didn't go overly well, between the croissant deflating and the sandwich soaking through the wax paper onto the dirty break room counter, so I think this will be one delicacy I'll wait until after BB is born to enjoy again. Sigh. 😒

Symptoms: Nausea still shows its face occasionally, especially when I'm trying to eat certain types of meat, but I can push through it for the most part. I have about a week left on the Prevacid, so we'll see where my heartburn is at after that. The biggest problem has been with my hips and thighs. I've been reassured that this is normal, but the pelvic girdle pain has started pretty early and is fairly persistent. It started after I tried exercising earlier this week and now my hip joints and inner thighs are sore when walking, pushing something with my foot, or even standing up sometimes. Next time I see my OB, I'm going to ask her if there are any stretches or exercises that would help so it doesn't get worse. Also, my bump seems to fluctuate throughout the day and my clothes keep getting a little more snug.   

Cravings: Since I crave sweets so much, I opted for getting a giant box of raisins as a semi-healthier alternative to feasting on cookies and candy. It's been working pretty well, but of course who wouldn't really want the cookie instead!? Leif and I splurged on some mild matar paneer at Taj Mahal a few days ago and it was so good! It has some tomatoes in it, so it's not the best thing for my stomach, but it was worth it that one time. Peanut butter crackers and cheesy popcorn have still remained a constant!

Week 13

How far along:  13 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: Hot pepper 😲

Milestones: Baby bear is getting stronger every day! At this point, he or she has reflexes, so if you push on the uterus, the baby will try to move away. The movements in general are also getting more pronounced, and they say some people can feel twinges or flutters at this point called "quickening." There were a few times when I swear I felt something, but I'm not sure if it was just a muscle twitch. It will be nice when I start feeling more defined movements (although I'm a little worried they'll keep me up at night!).

Best Moment This Week: Now that more of my coworkers know I'm pregnant, it's been fun getting asked questions and people complimenting my little bump. Also, Leif's been doing this for a while, but it's always heartwarming when he rubs my belly and says "I love you" to Baby Bear whenever he leaves to go somewhere.

What I’m Looking Forward To: I'm anxiously awaiting my 16 week appointment the first week of January. I'll get to hear Baby Bear's heart beat again and it sounds like my OB will start measuring my belly (I think I also might be getting the glucose screening test... so not looking forward to that so much lol).

What I Miss The Most: The last several days, I've really been mourning the foods I'm not supposed to eat. All I want is a delicious salmon and avocado roll or a Jimmy John's sandwich that doesn't have to be heated up first! I'm also getting to the point where my jeans barely fit, so I'm reluctantly exploring pants with elastic waistbands, although I haven't been able to find very many flattering styles that aren't ridiculously expensive. Luckily, I have a couple pairs of leggings to get me through for now.

Symptoms: I still have a little nausea in the morning or when I've gone too long without eating, but it's been manageable. I've barely had any heartburn since I started taking Prevacid, and I'm hoping that once I'm done with this round of treatment, my stomach lining will have healed enough to not need to take anymore antacids for a while. Fatigue is still my number one symptom right now, followed by a quickly growing appetite! The Waypoint Wonderland holiday gift distribution was last Thursday, and I have to say that was one of the most exhausting days I've experienced so far. I was stationed at the front desk and had to let clients and volunteers in and out of the building. The last few months, I've become pretty out of shape so I was already tuckered after a couple hours of getting up every few minutes. The event lasts until late into the evening, but thankfully, my supervisor had mercy on me and let me go home a couple hours early.

Cravings: I've (or should I say BB has) been loving french toast, Annie's aged cheddar macaroni and cheese, apples, and cheesy popcorn. And sweet treats of almost any kind! I actually had to make an "emergency" cookie run while I was at work because I couldn't stop thinking about desserts. My coworkers appreciated it since I was willing to share lol.

Week 12

How far along:  12 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: APRICOT! 👶

Milestones: My baby bear is growing up so fast lol! I couldn't believe the size and appearance difference between last week and this week. The limbs are getting long and all of BB's facial features are defined. As of this week, pretty much all of the important organs are formed, so now it's just be a matter of everything growing. The placenta has also developed, lessening my hormonal load, which is one of the reasons why some of my most severe early pregnancy symptoms are decreasing (thankfully!).

Best Moment This Week: It was definitely my 12 week appointment where Leif and I got to hear the heart beat together! I already got to hear it on week 10 after my fall to make sure everything was okay, but it was so much more magical to experience it together. My OB (who I love) said that all of my labs looked great and everything is on track. I set up my 16 and 20 week appointments and can't wait for the 20 week one where I get to have the anatomy ultrasound. We plan on finding out the sex, so I'll have to think of a creative way to share the news with you all!

What I’m Looking Forward To: Being at the end of the first trimester, I'm hopeful that it will be smoother sailing from here. Everyone keeps telling me that the second trimester is the best since you tend to get some energy back and the happy pregnancy hormones are continuing to rise. I know second trimester will have its own unique challenges, but at least it means that I'm that much closer to meeting our little BB!

What I Miss The Most: I can't say that there's much that I'm missing this week that I haven't mentioned before. I suppose the most inconvenient thing has been not being able to lift very much weight. Early on, I caught myself lifting some objects that were probably too heavy, and now I try to be more conscientious. I've seen a lot of different opinions about what the maximum weight should be... anywhere from 20-50+ pounds, but it's hard to know what's actually safe! At work, we're doing our holiday donation drive so there's been a lot of need to transport heavy presents. Normally, I am always one of the first people to help, but the most I've done this time is unload some wrapping paper rolls... My coworkers are very understanding and even when I say I can lift a little more, they discourage me, so I guess I'm not going to argue with them...

Symptoms: I'm happy to say that the nausea, food aversions, and vomiting are starting to go away! I still feel sick a few times a day, mostly when I haven't eaten for a while, but it's infinitely better than it was. I was happy to be able to eat a chicken sandwich yesterday, which would have made me hurl just to think about a few weeks ago. The biggest thing now is the intense fatigue. I'm so tired during the day, it's usually hard to get through work, so by the time I get home and have dinner, I'm ready to pass out. 😫 I've been going to bed around 7:30-8 p.m. and usually wake up at 4 or 5 a.m... then I'm tired again by the time we're supposed to get up for work. It's hard to win! I've also been dealing with a lot of heartburn. Massive heartburn. My OB wouldn't okay Prilosec, but she did say I could take Prevacid, so I'll be on that for a while until the heartburn gets more under control.

Cravings: Still dealing with my gastritis, so I have to be careful what I eat and sadly can't give in to my every craving! I've been really into this black bean vegetable soup from Amy's with a piece of Hawaiian bread toast. I could also still go for some sticky rice with rice vinegar anytime! Additionally, sweet potato fries, popcorn, and peanut butter crackers have been hits with BB.

Week 11

How far along:  11 weeks – began September 11, 2017.

Size of Baby: Brussel sprout

Milestones: I was stunned to see how much Baby Bear's appearance has changed since last week. His or her features and limbs are developing so fast and his or her organs are functioning. BB is even starting to practice breathing by sucking in amniotic fluid. 😲

Best Moment This Week: I use the Ovia pregnancy app to get weekly updates on the size, appearance, and milestones of BB, so seeing that information first thing Monday mornings is always one of the highlights of the week. I'm also starting to experience less morning sickness, so I can stomach a little bit more meat than usual (only specific types, of course...). I feel like I'm getting some of my strength back and doing a better job taking in all of the nutrients I need.

What I’m Looking Forward To: I have my 12 week appointment this Wednesday, and I can't remember if they're doing another ultrasound yet or just using the doppler to check the heart rate. Either way, I'll enjoy getting a little insight on how BB is doing! I can't believe I'm almost 1/3 of the way there. At first, it felt like the weeks were slowly creeping by, but now time is picking up and June will be here before I know it!

What I Miss The Most: It's been difficult not to worry about BB all the time! I feel like I've had some bad luck between taking a tumble (doctor checked the heart rate and everything was okay thankfully) and having a bad head cold the last few days, but I have to keep reminding myself that babies in utero are pretty resilient. I already had anxiety before being pregnant, but worrying for two really tests my limits sometimes! I think the hardest thing has been just accepting that not everything is going to go as planned and there is so much outside my control. I just have to keep doing my best and stay positive!

Symptoms: Still having occasional nausea, but it's starting to let up a little. The fatigue also hasn't been nearly as bad... at least during the day. By the time 7 p.m. rolls around, I'm usually ready to conk out... and then I wake up every few hours... but at least I'm getting enough sleep overall. I've had the head cold symptoms on top of everything, but today, it feels like they're going away too. Hopefully, I'll be doing a lot better in general by next week.

Cravings: Giving into all of the cravings that aren't good for my gastritis ended up backfiring... which I should have known would happen. I ended up having a lot of stomach pain and almost needed to start taking Prilosec again, which I've been trying to avoid, so I did everything I could to heal the damage. Lots of yogurt, oatmeal, and other bland foods helped a lot, so now I'm finally getting back to normal. My biggest, most consistent craving has been sticky rice with rice vinegar. I've also been liking vanilla frozen yogurt, sesame chicken, peanut butter crackers, popcorn, and pasta with butter and parmesan cheese. Yum.