Welcome to the world of my trivial little brain...
Right now, I cannot stop thinking about the fact that I will be enormously pregnant during the summer months. I cannot stop thinking about purchasing a maternity swim suit. You'd think I would be focusing on cribs, or perhaps strollers, or perhaps anything more functional for the baby.
But apparently it's all about ME right now, and I'm really worried about my summer comfort apparently. The sun and warmth associated with summer are the only things that get me through the winter!
I had NO idea how expensive maternity bathing suits were though. Most are around $100!! I saw one that I liked, on clearance, for $40 and I felt like I should order it right now so that I have it for those earlier months.
Also, I have already decided that I am going for the tankini or one-piece look. My hat goes off to those women who can throw on a tiny bikini and just let their stomach's hang out there for the world to see, but I can already tell that I will not be one of those women. I am horribly self conscious and love to show off my stomach, but only when it is toned and at least somewhat flat looking. I work hard to get it that way, and if I lose my right to wear two-piece suits.
So yeah, seriously, I really really really want to buy a swimsuit. Right now. Shouldn't I be craving ice cream or something other than clothing? Perhaps I need to make a pregnancy related purchase to make this feel more real?
1/7/11 - Oh, The Secrets We Keep
Written on January 7, 2011
There's a funny thing I never knew about secrets - it's impossible for most people to keep them. Actually I probably did know it, but since I tend to be the one that people tell secrets to while I keep mine to myself, I haven't really been the victim of secret sharing before.
We found out about this pregnancy on December 22nd, literally one day before hitting the road for our holiday travels, which starting with a skiing trip. I have been known to enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and then (Oh, have I mentioned that already? Oops.) particularly during the holidays when spirits are high and particularly when with family (not because I can't tolerate them but because that's just what we do! It's fun!) I'm not so much of a drinker that people give me a funny look the first time that I decline a drink - in fact, I figured I could decline a few times before it became really obvious. But I wasn't really in the mood for lying and I knew with DH's siblings it would be even harder, particularly since in lieu of gifts for them this year we were participating in a beer swap.
So we told our families right away. And we asked them to keep it a secret. We thought that was a simple enough request, but now we know better, and I want to pass this new found knowledge on to you.
First, know that if you tell your family that you're pregnant, they are going to tell other people. It's inevitable. Even if they agree not to tell anyone. They will. They'll say something like, "Well, don't tell anyone because it's still a secret but I wanted to let you know... " They'll think that by saying, "Don't tell anyone" that they've covered their bases, but there's a domino effect here. Those people will then go to someone else and tell them, with the clause "But don't tell anyone." You see how this works?
Secondly, even if they have the best intentions, sometimes things just slip. They may offhandedly mention to someone how so-and-so couldn't drink over the holidays, and when questioned as to "why" they may not be quick enough to think of a good cover-up and then suddenly the secret it out.
Know this though, your family's failure to keep your secret is only because they're excited for you, and because they love you. When deciding whether or not to tell your family early on, you need to decide how prepared you are mentally for the fact that the information is going to be shared, whether you like it or not.
Most people don't share news of pregnancies early on because of the high risk of miscarrying in those early weeks. That was certainly our rational. If something happened we didn't want to have to go through the pain of breaking the bad news to others. The nice thing (if you can call this a nice thing), is that if you tell your family and they tell others, then it's on them to break the bad news if bad news happens. And if they are willing to do that, then great. But it can also lead to some uncomfortable moments if - a few weeks down the line - you run into someone that you didn't even know knew about your pregnancy, and they say something like "congratulations!" because they figured that the good news was out. If the good news went from being bad news, that's hard enough to share, but add to that all of a sudden you have to deal with the fact that your secret was out, and it's just that much worse.
So, my final point is simply this - if you decide to tell anyone when you find out that you're pregnant, make sure that you're mentally prepared for the fact that some people just can't keep secrets. If you're going to get mad at them for leaking your secret, then just don't tell them. Don't put them in that position. In those early days, it's hard to not shout it to the world, and you feel like you're just exploding with news and you can't think about anything else. But once you get past that, I found that it's actually quite easy to pretend that nothing really changed, and writing about my feelings and experiences on this blog (in draft form, of course) let me get my thoughts and emotions out there without being public about it initially. And it was a great way to record this exciting time and be able to share it all with you retrospectively without any risk of hurt or disappointment.
So think twice before sharing secrets. And if someone does decide to confide in you, for the love of god please do not tell anyone else, ok? Thanks.
There's a funny thing I never knew about secrets - it's impossible for most people to keep them. Actually I probably did know it, but since I tend to be the one that people tell secrets to while I keep mine to myself, I haven't really been the victim of secret sharing before.
We found out about this pregnancy on December 22nd, literally one day before hitting the road for our holiday travels, which starting with a skiing trip. I have been known to enjoy an alcoholic beverage every now and then (Oh, have I mentioned that already? Oops.) particularly during the holidays when spirits are high and particularly when with family (not because I can't tolerate them but because that's just what we do! It's fun!) I'm not so much of a drinker that people give me a funny look the first time that I decline a drink - in fact, I figured I could decline a few times before it became really obvious. But I wasn't really in the mood for lying and I knew with DH's siblings it would be even harder, particularly since in lieu of gifts for them this year we were participating in a beer swap.
So we told our families right away. And we asked them to keep it a secret. We thought that was a simple enough request, but now we know better, and I want to pass this new found knowledge on to you.
First, know that if you tell your family that you're pregnant, they are going to tell other people. It's inevitable. Even if they agree not to tell anyone. They will. They'll say something like, "Well, don't tell anyone because it's still a secret but I wanted to let you know... " They'll think that by saying, "Don't tell anyone" that they've covered their bases, but there's a domino effect here. Those people will then go to someone else and tell them, with the clause "But don't tell anyone." You see how this works?
Secondly, even if they have the best intentions, sometimes things just slip. They may offhandedly mention to someone how so-and-so couldn't drink over the holidays, and when questioned as to "why" they may not be quick enough to think of a good cover-up and then suddenly the secret it out.
Know this though, your family's failure to keep your secret is only because they're excited for you, and because they love you. When deciding whether or not to tell your family early on, you need to decide how prepared you are mentally for the fact that the information is going to be shared, whether you like it or not.
Most people don't share news of pregnancies early on because of the high risk of miscarrying in those early weeks. That was certainly our rational. If something happened we didn't want to have to go through the pain of breaking the bad news to others. The nice thing (if you can call this a nice thing), is that if you tell your family and they tell others, then it's on them to break the bad news if bad news happens. And if they are willing to do that, then great. But it can also lead to some uncomfortable moments if - a few weeks down the line - you run into someone that you didn't even know knew about your pregnancy, and they say something like "congratulations!" because they figured that the good news was out. If the good news went from being bad news, that's hard enough to share, but add to that all of a sudden you have to deal with the fact that your secret was out, and it's just that much worse.
So, my final point is simply this - if you decide to tell anyone when you find out that you're pregnant, make sure that you're mentally prepared for the fact that some people just can't keep secrets. If you're going to get mad at them for leaking your secret, then just don't tell them. Don't put them in that position. In those early days, it's hard to not shout it to the world, and you feel like you're just exploding with news and you can't think about anything else. But once you get past that, I found that it's actually quite easy to pretend that nothing really changed, and writing about my feelings and experiences on this blog (in draft form, of course) let me get my thoughts and emotions out there without being public about it initially. And it was a great way to record this exciting time and be able to share it all with you retrospectively without any risk of hurt or disappointment.
So think twice before sharing secrets. And if someone does decide to confide in you, for the love of god please do not tell anyone else, ok? Thanks.
Pregnant women aren't any fun because...
Because they're not allowed to be!
Man, this is tougher than I expected!
"Let's go to a bar and watch a Steeler's game!"
- Ok, I'll order a Diet Coke. Wait, am I allowed to have Diet Coke? Do I have to order full fat coke?
"Let's drink coffee!"
- Yes! I love caffeine! Oh wait, is caffeine allowed? Even if it is, should I really be parking?
"Want to go in the hot tub?"
- Absolutely!!!! Only... oh yeah, I'm not allowed.
"Let's drink a beer!"
- O. M. G. How I want a beer. Or more specifically, a Blue Maui, my signature drink. I've tried some non-alcoholic alternatives, like sparkling grape juice and alcohol free frozen daquiries, but so far, they just haven't cut it in terms of cutting the cravings. My next idea is a milkshake.
"Let's party all night!"
- Hmm... well, I'm tired and being the sober person isn't much fun. I think I'll just go to bed.
The no-alcohol thing is way harder for me than I ever expected. I figured that as soon as I found out I was pregnant I would suddenly feel all maternal and motherly and not even want alcohol.
Not true.
At all.
In fact, I think it's my nature to want something more than ever when I know I'm not allowed to have it. Thus I have been craving alcohol more than ever before in my life.
Don't worry - I haven't given in. But you better believe that I talk about it alllll the time.
(Also, I don't mean to suggest that one must have alcohol to be fun. However, I, personally, really enjoy a nice cold drink on occasion and believe that I have more fun when I am drinking. Also, please refer to my earlier comment above that states I want something more when I'm not allowed to have it. That is definitely playing a role here.)
Man, this is tougher than I expected!
"Let's go to a bar and watch a Steeler's game!"
- Ok, I'll order a Diet Coke. Wait, am I allowed to have Diet Coke? Do I have to order full fat coke?
"Let's drink coffee!"
- Yes! I love caffeine! Oh wait, is caffeine allowed? Even if it is, should I really be parking?
"Want to go in the hot tub?"
- Absolutely!!!! Only... oh yeah, I'm not allowed.
"Let's drink a beer!"
- O. M. G. How I want a beer. Or more specifically, a Blue Maui, my signature drink. I've tried some non-alcoholic alternatives, like sparkling grape juice and alcohol free frozen daquiries, but so far, they just haven't cut it in terms of cutting the cravings. My next idea is a milkshake.
"Let's party all night!"
- Hmm... well, I'm tired and being the sober person isn't much fun. I think I'll just go to bed.
The no-alcohol thing is way harder for me than I ever expected. I figured that as soon as I found out I was pregnant I would suddenly feel all maternal and motherly and not even want alcohol.
Not true.
At all.
In fact, I think it's my nature to want something more than ever when I know I'm not allowed to have it. Thus I have been craving alcohol more than ever before in my life.
Don't worry - I haven't given in. But you better believe that I talk about it alllll the time.
(Also, I don't mean to suggest that one must have alcohol to be fun. However, I, personally, really enjoy a nice cold drink on occasion and believe that I have more fun when I am drinking. Also, please refer to my earlier comment above that states I want something more when I'm not allowed to have it. That is definitely playing a role here.)
1/6/11 - When Pain Hits
And I don't mean labor pains. That's waaaay too far in the future for me to even be concerned about right now.
But there are constantly a lot of other pains in my life, and I have been dealing with those lately in new and uncomfortable ways because of this pregnancy.
Remember that root canal that I had back in November? Well, for insurance reasons I had to wait until after January 1st in order for phase 2 of the root canal to be covered. That appointment was yesterday, and for obvious reasons - even though we haven't really told many other people up to this point - I knew that I needed to tell my dentist since these root canals usually involve at least a dozen x-rays.
What I didn't know was that pregnant women also receive a different numbing agent than they usually use, one that is far less effective.
So while my lips and face were completely numb, I felt every single horrible sensation as the dentist took a drill to my gums as he drilled down my bad tooth into a nubbin. I felt blood dripping down onto my tongue and almost choked at one point (sensitive gag reflex is a definitely a symptom.) My gums were throbbing, and they hurt sooo bad. Tears were welling up in my eyes and he just kept saying, "Well, this is one of the problems that we experience with pregnant women."
Then came time for the x-ray. I had done some research in advance and apparently dental x-rays - since they're so concentrated to the region above the neck - aren't really that high risk, although they should of course be avoided for any elective x-rays. But apparently my insurance copy will deny a root canal claim if there isn't an x-ray included, so upon on the advice of my dentist I decided to go ahead and have one done (one is all the insurance really needed.) They put so many x-ray blankets on me that I felt like I was buried in sand, and that part of it was quick and easy.
Then I left. My face was still numb which gave me a droopy expression. I hate that. I also had the very strong taste of blood in my mouth, and my blood basically tastes like liquid iron. Yuck. But on top of that, something that they used during the procedure tasted like overpowering, horrible barbeque sauce. I'm a buffalo sauce girl, and I hate barbeque sauce so this taste was horrible for me. I kept overproducing saliva and wanting to spit but I couldn't form my lips right because of the numbness so I just drooled into paper towels. I also tried to swish water around in my mouth to get rid of the taste but did you know that when your face is numb you can't close your lips tight enough to form a seal? Well you can't. So I proceeded to fill my mouth with water and then each time I swished water gushed out of my mouth, completely out of my control. It was horrible.
I felt sick for the rest of the day because I couldn't eat my afternoon snack, and I felt horribly queasy all afternoon, perhaps because of the pregnancy, or perhaps because of the procedure. Who knows at this point....
Then that night it was still throbbing so bad. All I wanted to do was take some pain pills and go to bed. But you can't!!! It's one of the worst things about being pregnant, especially this early on. You're not allowed to take anything. At all. Because of some first trimester developing organs crap. (I kid... sort of.) But seriously, it really sucks. I wanted something SO bad. I had a hard time sleeping because of this as well, and all I wanted to do was swallow a benadryl so that I could doze off.
But that was not to be. And this morning I woke up feeling exhausted because of lack of quality of sleep, and to top it all off, I had a headache. Again, I still can't take anything, and in many ways that makes my headache worse, because I'm suddenly panicking and stressing about it. Not good.
So now it's lunchtime, and because of the headache (or perhaps because of craving) I've already had cereal, coffee, a pack of skittles and two rice cakes, because one of the only things that sort of helps my headaches is giving into my cravings and eating what I want. Except that all of that sugar so early in the morning made me hot and dizzy and sick to my stomach. Or was it really just my first real bout of morning sickness?
Who knows... but what I do know for sure if that if there are more days like yesterday and today that this pregnancy thing is going to be a whole lot worse than I ever anticipated.
But there are constantly a lot of other pains in my life, and I have been dealing with those lately in new and uncomfortable ways because of this pregnancy.
Remember that root canal that I had back in November? Well, for insurance reasons I had to wait until after January 1st in order for phase 2 of the root canal to be covered. That appointment was yesterday, and for obvious reasons - even though we haven't really told many other people up to this point - I knew that I needed to tell my dentist since these root canals usually involve at least a dozen x-rays.
What I didn't know was that pregnant women also receive a different numbing agent than they usually use, one that is far less effective.
So while my lips and face were completely numb, I felt every single horrible sensation as the dentist took a drill to my gums as he drilled down my bad tooth into a nubbin. I felt blood dripping down onto my tongue and almost choked at one point (sensitive gag reflex is a definitely a symptom.) My gums were throbbing, and they hurt sooo bad. Tears were welling up in my eyes and he just kept saying, "Well, this is one of the problems that we experience with pregnant women."
Then came time for the x-ray. I had done some research in advance and apparently dental x-rays - since they're so concentrated to the region above the neck - aren't really that high risk, although they should of course be avoided for any elective x-rays. But apparently my insurance copy will deny a root canal claim if there isn't an x-ray included, so upon on the advice of my dentist I decided to go ahead and have one done (one is all the insurance really needed.) They put so many x-ray blankets on me that I felt like I was buried in sand, and that part of it was quick and easy.
Then I left. My face was still numb which gave me a droopy expression. I hate that. I also had the very strong taste of blood in my mouth, and my blood basically tastes like liquid iron. Yuck. But on top of that, something that they used during the procedure tasted like overpowering, horrible barbeque sauce. I'm a buffalo sauce girl, and I hate barbeque sauce so this taste was horrible for me. I kept overproducing saliva and wanting to spit but I couldn't form my lips right because of the numbness so I just drooled into paper towels. I also tried to swish water around in my mouth to get rid of the taste but did you know that when your face is numb you can't close your lips tight enough to form a seal? Well you can't. So I proceeded to fill my mouth with water and then each time I swished water gushed out of my mouth, completely out of my control. It was horrible.
I felt sick for the rest of the day because I couldn't eat my afternoon snack, and I felt horribly queasy all afternoon, perhaps because of the pregnancy, or perhaps because of the procedure. Who knows at this point....
Then that night it was still throbbing so bad. All I wanted to do was take some pain pills and go to bed. But you can't!!! It's one of the worst things about being pregnant, especially this early on. You're not allowed to take anything. At all. Because of some first trimester developing organs crap. (I kid... sort of.) But seriously, it really sucks. I wanted something SO bad. I had a hard time sleeping because of this as well, and all I wanted to do was swallow a benadryl so that I could doze off.
But that was not to be. And this morning I woke up feeling exhausted because of lack of quality of sleep, and to top it all off, I had a headache. Again, I still can't take anything, and in many ways that makes my headache worse, because I'm suddenly panicking and stressing about it. Not good.
So now it's lunchtime, and because of the headache (or perhaps because of craving) I've already had cereal, coffee, a pack of skittles and two rice cakes, because one of the only things that sort of helps my headaches is giving into my cravings and eating what I want. Except that all of that sugar so early in the morning made me hot and dizzy and sick to my stomach. Or was it really just my first real bout of morning sickness?
Who knows... but what I do know for sure if that if there are more days like yesterday and today that this pregnancy thing is going to be a whole lot worse than I ever anticipated.
1/5/11 - My "Retro" Uterus
Written on January 5, 2011
Upon further reflection of my appointment, I can't help but marvel at how bizarre and surreal the whole thing was. I mean, a doctor was feeling my internal organs and commenting on them!!!! How do so many people go through this and not remark about it? Is it because they are embarrassed? Or because it's so normal that they don't think anything of it?
For example, let's consider the absurdity of the following conversation.
Doc: "Oh yeah, that left ovary is really enlarged. I bet that's the one that released the egg. Does this hurt?"
Me: "No, not really." (Thoughts: Other than the fact that you're squeezing my ovary....)
Doc: "Good, that means you probably don't have tube pregnancy because that would hurt. *pause during exploration* Ok, and the right ovary feels good. Good, good. Oh, has anyone ever told you that you have a retroverted uterus?"
Me: "Nope." (Thoughts: Who in the world would tell me that other than someone from your office!?!?!)
Doc: "Well, you do. It's backwards. But don't worry...It occurs in about 30% of women. Completely normal. Completely normal."
Me: "Ok." (Thoughts: Great.)
Doc: "Wow! You have a nice pelvis! You shouldn't have any problems pushing out a baby with that pelvis.... that's a real nice pelvis."
Me: *Silence*
What in the world do you say to something like that? "You have a real nice pelvic bone, mam." Should I have said, "Gee! Thanks!" ???
I realize that I need to prepare myself for a whole lot of more conversations like this one. I'm guessing that soon enough, these will seem completely normal to me and I won't even think anything of it, but for now, I'm still amazed. This is going to be an interesting ride!
Upon further reflection of my appointment, I can't help but marvel at how bizarre and surreal the whole thing was. I mean, a doctor was feeling my internal organs and commenting on them!!!! How do so many people go through this and not remark about it? Is it because they are embarrassed? Or because it's so normal that they don't think anything of it?
For example, let's consider the absurdity of the following conversation.
Doc: "Oh yeah, that left ovary is really enlarged. I bet that's the one that released the egg. Does this hurt?"
Me: "No, not really." (Thoughts: Other than the fact that you're squeezing my ovary....)
Doc: "Good, that means you probably don't have tube pregnancy because that would hurt. *pause during exploration* Ok, and the right ovary feels good. Good, good. Oh, has anyone ever told you that you have a retroverted uterus?"
Me: "Nope." (Thoughts: Who in the world would tell me that other than someone from your office!?!?!)
Doc: "Well, you do. It's backwards. But don't worry...It occurs in about 30% of women. Completely normal. Completely normal."
Me: "Ok." (Thoughts: Great.)
Doc: "Wow! You have a nice pelvis! You shouldn't have any problems pushing out a baby with that pelvis.... that's a real nice pelvis."
Me: *Silence*
What in the world do you say to something like that? "You have a real nice pelvic bone, mam." Should I have said, "Gee! Thanks!" ???
I realize that I need to prepare myself for a whole lot of more conversations like this one. I'm guessing that soon enough, these will seem completely normal to me and I won't even think anything of it, but for now, I'm still amazed. This is going to be an interesting ride!
1/4/2011 - The First Appointment
Written on 1/4/2011
Today I had my first doctor's appointment and DH came with me. They call this a "confirmation" appointment, just to make sure that everything is looking good and to get a preliminary health history. It's basically too early to do much else, since there's such a high risk of miscarriage this early on, although there's no reason to expect that that will happen with us. We're trying to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing.
But in any case, it's "confirmed!" And they put my estimated due date at around August 24th. It's going to be a long, hot summer! Good thing I bought a kiddie pool last summer - I have a feeling I'm going to be spending some time in that thing this summer.
I made an appointment with the same practice that I had been going to for my annual exams. I can't see the same doctor that I was seeing before, but that's not a big deal to me. Today I met with the first of six doctors at the practice, and I will rotate through with all of them to get to know them all since they have a rotating on-call schedule and I could get any of them when I ultimately go into labor. The guy today was funny and I enjoyed him a great deal. I hope that I like all of the doctors that much.
They also sent me to Magee for some lab work, which involved giving up a lot of blood and urine. I hate giving blood and basically held my breath (not healthy, I know), closed my eyes and turned my head and I did ok. I once passed out giving blood and ever since then I've been more queasy about it. When I'm giving blood - like to the blood bank - I'm usually ok after a few minutes in and can look around and have a conversation. But those moments before, during and immediately after they are inserting the needle are torture to me, and I hate it.
Anyway, I think the most interesting thing that I learned today is that medical professionals no longer recommend that women "need" to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. Basically, our doctor said that recent studies show that women can gain as little as 5 pounds and still have a healthy pregnancy AND that it's been shown that it's actually better for the mother. Basically, he said that the mother can actually lose weight herself in these scenarios since the baby usually weighs at least 7 pounds, but that it's not really a concern since the body will always put the baby first and provide for the baby before me. It was all really fascinating and I love to hear that, since I hate the "I'm eating for two" mantra that I've heard other women use. They say all of this to basically let you know that you shouldn't "plan" to gain a ton of weight, and that gaining 50 pounds really isn't healthy if you can avoid it. On average, I should try to keep my weight gain at no more than 25 to 30 pounds. Since I haven't been throwing up, that may be harder to control for me than it is for others who actually lose weight in the early months.
So far I've been eating pretty much the same stuff as I was before, feeling great (at least as great as can be expected), and for the most part I am exercising on my normal schedule. I'm going to continue to do that as much as I can and hopefully will be on the lower end of the weight gain spectrum. I think that my "goal" is to gain no more than 25 pounds over the course of the next 7-8 months (wow, is it really that soon?). It sounds like a pipe dream, but we'll see how that goes!!!
Today I had my first doctor's appointment and DH came with me. They call this a "confirmation" appointment, just to make sure that everything is looking good and to get a preliminary health history. It's basically too early to do much else, since there's such a high risk of miscarriage this early on, although there's no reason to expect that that will happen with us. We're trying to keep a positive attitude about the whole thing.
But in any case, it's "confirmed!" And they put my estimated due date at around August 24th. It's going to be a long, hot summer! Good thing I bought a kiddie pool last summer - I have a feeling I'm going to be spending some time in that thing this summer.
I made an appointment with the same practice that I had been going to for my annual exams. I can't see the same doctor that I was seeing before, but that's not a big deal to me. Today I met with the first of six doctors at the practice, and I will rotate through with all of them to get to know them all since they have a rotating on-call schedule and I could get any of them when I ultimately go into labor. The guy today was funny and I enjoyed him a great deal. I hope that I like all of the doctors that much.
They also sent me to Magee for some lab work, which involved giving up a lot of blood and urine. I hate giving blood and basically held my breath (not healthy, I know), closed my eyes and turned my head and I did ok. I once passed out giving blood and ever since then I've been more queasy about it. When I'm giving blood - like to the blood bank - I'm usually ok after a few minutes in and can look around and have a conversation. But those moments before, during and immediately after they are inserting the needle are torture to me, and I hate it.
Anyway, I think the most interesting thing that I learned today is that medical professionals no longer recommend that women "need" to gain a lot of weight during pregnancy. Basically, our doctor said that recent studies show that women can gain as little as 5 pounds and still have a healthy pregnancy AND that it's been shown that it's actually better for the mother. Basically, he said that the mother can actually lose weight herself in these scenarios since the baby usually weighs at least 7 pounds, but that it's not really a concern since the body will always put the baby first and provide for the baby before me. It was all really fascinating and I love to hear that, since I hate the "I'm eating for two" mantra that I've heard other women use. They say all of this to basically let you know that you shouldn't "plan" to gain a ton of weight, and that gaining 50 pounds really isn't healthy if you can avoid it. On average, I should try to keep my weight gain at no more than 25 to 30 pounds. Since I haven't been throwing up, that may be harder to control for me than it is for others who actually lose weight in the early months.
So far I've been eating pretty much the same stuff as I was before, feeling great (at least as great as can be expected), and for the most part I am exercising on my normal schedule. I'm going to continue to do that as much as I can and hopefully will be on the lower end of the weight gain spectrum. I think that my "goal" is to gain no more than 25 pounds over the course of the next 7-8 months (wow, is it really that soon?). It sounds like a pipe dream, but we'll see how that goes!!!
1-2-11 - Yogurt and the Case of the Burps
Written on 1/2/2011
In an effort to try to give my unborn child more nutrition food than I usually consume, DH and I have started to eat healthier. Mostly normal changes, including adding more whole grains and vegetables into our diets. But for me, in particular, he has long been trying to get me to like yogurt and believed that this pregnancy was going to be time for me to start liking yogurt.
For the record, I HATE yogurt. I don't think it tastes like pudding or a dessert or anything else tasty that other people might compare it to. I think it tastes sour, and yes, I am trying the flavored versions. Still tastes sour to me.
So I tried it again today with some old and some new results.
First of all, EW! Sour! Since I am lactose intolerant I was trying to Silk brand vanilla flavor. I made DH try it to confirm that it was horrendously sour but he did not agree.
Anyway, then I added some Just Bunches cinnamon granola cereal, since the little yogurt cup recommended adding granola and that's how DH eats his.
Still yuck. I was actually gagging on it early on and my eyes started watering like crazy and as I tried to force it down my throat I started laughing and seemed totally delirious. DH desperately wished that he could post on his Facebook status something along the lines of, "My pregnant wife is crying over yogurt."
Then the weirdest thing started happening - I started burping like crazy. Huge, loud burps that sounded like they should be coming from a large burly man who had just chugged a Bud Light. I swear I must have burped at least a dozen times, if not more.
I understand that yogurt offers a lot of health benefits that I should be partaking in, but I'm not sure that I can swallow much more of it, especially since it feels like I'm going to throw up every single time I burp. I still have one little cup of yogurt left in the fridge - blueberry this time - and if it doesn't go better next time then baby Hartman might just need to get his or her yogurt after August.
In an effort to try to give my unborn child more nutrition food than I usually consume, DH and I have started to eat healthier. Mostly normal changes, including adding more whole grains and vegetables into our diets. But for me, in particular, he has long been trying to get me to like yogurt and believed that this pregnancy was going to be time for me to start liking yogurt.
For the record, I HATE yogurt. I don't think it tastes like pudding or a dessert or anything else tasty that other people might compare it to. I think it tastes sour, and yes, I am trying the flavored versions. Still tastes sour to me.
So I tried it again today with some old and some new results.
First of all, EW! Sour! Since I am lactose intolerant I was trying to Silk brand vanilla flavor. I made DH try it to confirm that it was horrendously sour but he did not agree.
Anyway, then I added some Just Bunches cinnamon granola cereal, since the little yogurt cup recommended adding granola and that's how DH eats his.
Still yuck. I was actually gagging on it early on and my eyes started watering like crazy and as I tried to force it down my throat I started laughing and seemed totally delirious. DH desperately wished that he could post on his Facebook status something along the lines of, "My pregnant wife is crying over yogurt."
Then the weirdest thing started happening - I started burping like crazy. Huge, loud burps that sounded like they should be coming from a large burly man who had just chugged a Bud Light. I swear I must have burped at least a dozen times, if not more.
I understand that yogurt offers a lot of health benefits that I should be partaking in, but I'm not sure that I can swallow much more of it, especially since it feels like I'm going to throw up every single time I burp. I still have one little cup of yogurt left in the fridge - blueberry this time - and if it doesn't go better next time then baby Hartman might just need to get his or her yogurt after August.
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