36 & 37 Weeks Pregnant

I am full term this week! Yay!

And baby girl is as big as a.....

An oddly shaped watermelon! I seriously don't know how she can get much bigger in there. I do not have anymore room. According to most pregnancy resources her movement should be slowing because she's so squished, not my  little one! She's as active as ever and doesn't care that my skin only stretches so much. I've got limbs popping out all the time. I freak everyone out around me because I'm randomly gasping when she does a big sudden kick. I often feel like I'm just going to fall over.

So here's a brief summary of week 36. I spent most of that week being worried about the baby's well being and trying to get everything ready in time for her to be here. I was itchy and nauseated all of the time. I also had some crazy stuff happen on top of the Cholestasis. Like for instance my dad had a heart attack. For those of you who know my dad you know my dad does not treat his body well. He is a hard worker and he will work and work and work until he literally has to spend the next day recovering on the couch because he pushed himself to hard. For years he's been drinking and smoking too much in attempts to try and ignore some of the serious physical pains that he goes through so that he can keep on working and working. He's retired by the way he just couldn't stop working. And after an especially bad busy week he suffered from a heart attack for 3 days straight. Thankfully the heart attack was minor but it was definitely a wake up call and my dad is now taking care of himself. I was terrified of losing my dad, and scared that my daughter wouldn't have her grandfather. The whole incident made me more appreciative of my dad, my family and my pregnancy. But it's been a serious emotional roller coaster for me.

So since I found out I had Obstetric Cholestasis I've changed my diet to less that 40 grams of fat per day, increased my seafood intake, pumped up my fruit intake even more somehow and started drinking hot water with lemon in the mornings and the evenings to help cleanse my liver. And it worked. My last 3 blood tests have come back not only normal but with the lowest possible bile acid score on the scale. My most recent blood test showed that not only were my bile acids perfect but every liver/gall function test was perfect as well. My Dr couldn't believe it and even asked my for my "secrets." He said I pretty much cured myself.

What does that mean exactly? I am still being closely 2 doctors appointments per week, 2 NSTs, blood tests and once per week an ultrasound. But as long as everything keeps coming back normal I WILL NOT be induced! I am so excited to most likely be allowed to have the natural birth that I've always wanted.

And other good news, I have almost all of the signs of prelabor. Which I'm hoping means she's coming sooner than expected anyway. I also have an appointment this Thursday with my masseuse to do some reflexology that supposedly can get me moving along towards labor and delivery.

I still haven't gained any more weight so I'm at a grand total of 32 lbs. I did however notice 3 tiny stretch marks on the underside of my belly and the stretch marks on my hips from puberty have expanded slightly. I've got a few on my thighs as well. If that's all I get I'll consider myself very lucky. Here's the belly the last 2 weeks.

Week 36

Week 37

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27 Weeks Pregnant

I am 27 weeks pregnant! And baby is the size of a....

And I'm officially in the third trimester!!! It's one of the good things about this week. There is an end in sight and I can't wait to meet this little one. Also if she were to be born this week or next she has a 95 % chance of survival which is quite comforting for me. New this week... I experienced Braxton Hicks contractions! I didn't realize what they were while they were happening but my midwife confirmed them at my appointed.

This week Nick and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary by dinning out at Roast. We got all dolled up, Nick enjoyed some cocktails and we both enjoyed the food. Although it's weird for me going somewhere and ordering a Filet Mignon medium it was still absolutely amazing. Here are some pictures we took with some really unique faces from Nick because he's sick of your pictures all looking the same....

This week her kicks have been big and her hiccups more frequent. Honestly having her in there doing stuff is insanely magical and awesome and makes me extremely happy. But I really can't wait to get her out of there.

As of this week my food aversions are back, but not as bad as they were in the fist trimester. My boobs also hurt something fierce again. And oddly I'm feeling bloated like I did at the very beginning. I'm gonna take a guess and say that it's probably because I've been much less mobile than I have throughout my entire pregnancy. Oh and here's why.....

It was confirmed this week that I'm suffering from SPD. SPD is a condition that is caused by a hormone that is naturally produced during pregnancy called relaxin. Everyone produces this hormone so that their pelvis/hips can properly separate when the time comes to push a baby out. People who suffer from SPD either produce to much relaxin or are too sensitive to the hormone. When this occurs your ligaments become much too relaxed in the pelvis area causing your bones to just kind of float around and rub against whatever they want and get completely out of whack. Which as you might guess causes quite a bit of pain and immobility. The good news is that most people who have this condition go back to normal right after birth or a few weeks after. The bad news is that I've still got potentially 13-15 weeks to go and there's virtually no treatment available.

As suggested I bought a support belt which tends to keep my pain level around a 5 or a 6 as opposed to a 7 or an 8 without it. Here's what is looks like...

And it's not very comfortable. It helps my pubic pain a bit but it feels really constricting and the baby absolutely hates it. When I put it on she usually kicks/punches it for 15 minutes or so.

So I started seeing a chiropractor Friday. I've been reading about the benefits of prenatal chiropractic care and I like what I hear. It is said to reduce the pain of labor, reduce the time spent in labor and reduce recovery time. Chiropractic care before birth also reduces your chances of needing medical intervention during birth. After two adjustments here's what I can say. The chiropractor makes every other part of my body feel better besides my pubic bone. So it's been nice not to have back, neck or shoulder pain. That's pretty amazing.

Back to my pity party. The pain and limited movements from SPD are driving me nuts. It hurts to even carry a laundry basket. And standing for longer than 10-15  minutes results in some serious pain. Walking hurts, stairs hurt, rolling over in bed hurts, getting of bed hurts, sitting on the toilet hurts, trying to put pants on hurts, you get the picture. The pain is starting to make me even more of an irritable hormonal preggo monster than I already was. And my house is spinning out of control but I pretty much only have it in me most days to clean maybe one room and the rest is just left to accumulate crap. I am so thankful to have a terribly understanding hard working husband. I could not imagine going through this pregnancy without him and I am insanely grateful.

Pregnancy fitness wise I am going to be getting much less fit as time goes on. I see my chiropractor/physical therapist wednesday so maybe they can give me some safe exercises to do. As of today I'm up a total of 21.3lbs and thankfully still no signs of stretch marks. And here's my belly this week...

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26 Weeks Pregnant....

Boy do I feel pregnant this week! My tummy is getting huge! Baby is getting huge too, she's as big as a....

She's been super active this week. Kicking me so much it keeps me awake sometimes in the middle of the night. Which brings me to my biggest symptom of the week... EXHAUSTION. I feel like I'm waking up with a hangover everyday. It's hard to get things done when most the time it takes all my will power just to get out of bed. And my sweet baby girl has also found my beloved bladder to kick. It must be super fun because she just can't get enough while I'm trying to go to sleep. Alright enough complaining.

Here's some video I captured of baby kicking. It's the first time I've been able to catch her! I apologize for the awkward breathing in the video but when I take deep breaths she seems to kick more.

She's pretty impressive huh?

Despite my fatigue this week I managed to make it on 3 dog walks and do my pregnancy fitness routine 5 times! Not too bad! I've been focusing more on eating healthy this week as well. Nick just started a new nutrition plan so it's made me more aware of the ratios of protein/fat/carbs I'm taking in.

This week I'm up a total of 20.5lbs so far and my stomach has grown 10 inches around! But I'm trying not to sweat it because I'm pregnant and that's that.

Speaking of which here's my big ole baby belly this week!

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25 Weeks Pregnant!

I'm 25 weeks pregnant!!! I can't believe how quickly it's going by now!

Baby girl is as big as a.....

That's a lot to be carrying around in my body. And it is definitely beginning to notice it now more than ever. Since I've been off work pelvic pain is way more manageable because I can pace myself and rest when I need to at home. In addition to pelvic pain I'm staring to get more shoulder pain I'm guessing from my outrageously large boobs and lower back pain to boot. I'm so happy that I am lucky enough to have a supportive caring husband who allows me to stay home and take it easy when I need to.

Another new symptom this week is swollen feet! It's not happening every day but when it does my feet look like they belong on another person. It's pretty weird. Previously being a smoker makes me no novice when it comes to circulation issues. Before quitting I would often have ice cold feet and "death hands" as we used to refer to the corpse like grip that would shock the people closest to me and then sometimes I'd have the opposite swollen hot feet. Weird and generally uncomfortable feelings that I've been happy to be rid of.

Besides my little aches and pains I've been a generally happy pregnant lady. When I'm awake that is. I've been sleeping 10-12 hours a night and still waking up exhausted. I can tell little one isn't short of energy though she's more active than ever lately kicking, punching and rolling around. I don't think her movements will ever get old I still get giddy about them every time.

This week my goal is to start reading the Bradley Method for natural childbirth. I don't know if I've mentioned it before but I do plan on going  all natural. I see a midwife instead of an OB and I plan to use the natural birthing suite that's available at St John's hospital. I want absolutely no medical intervention unless completely necessary and I am trying my hardest to prepare for this. I also plan to breastfeed and cloth diaper the baby right from birth. Most of my diet consists of really "clean" foods. I buy as much as I can organic and ingest/use chemical free products and I really want to do the same for my daughter. I by no means judge other parents/people for what they choose to do this is just something that I am personally passionate about. It also ends up being much cheaper for us. If all works out as planned we will spend between $1500 and $2000 less than families who use disposables on diapers. Plus cloth diapers are really stinking cute.

Big development with baby girl this week is eyelashes. They're all grown in and she's going to open those little eyelids soon. She's still developing her lungs and practicing inhaling and exhaling.

Still no stretch marks showing up, but we shall see. I'm getting itchier and itchier everyday. I've gained a total of 16lbs so far in this pregnancy and still going! I made it to the gym twice last week but I'm going to try to 3 times this week.

The belly is starting to feel so big!!! I've had a few people tell me I don't look that big for how far along I am but I feel ginormous. It feels like the tummy is a separate thing that's just stuck on there it's weird. The shape of my belly changes a lot too. Its been looking round on the bottom and top but kind of flat in the middle, I don't know if it's how she's laying now or what but it's definitely different...

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My Pregnancy Fitness Routine

During my pregnancy I try to get in a walk with the dog at least once a week. While I was working I got my cardio in there. Now that I'm done with work I'm going to be hitting the gym 3 times a week where I use the Elliptical machine for about 30 minutes keeping my heart rate between 130 & 145 bpm. And finish off with resistance machines for my arms.


Before bed most nights I try to get some exercises in, here is what I do.



First off I stretch.


Then I move on to doing standing pelvic exercises....
I stand with my feet about a foot apart and stick my booty out then contract my abdominal muscles and pull my pelvis forward. I repeat this 100 times.

Next I do about 30 regular squats.

I move to the floor and start by doing the "butterfly stretch"

I bounce my knees up and down about 50 times.

Next I do an abdominal exercise, you start of sitting with your legs straight in front of you and your arms extended out toward your toes. Keeping your back straight bend your need to begin scooting your bum forward shifting between the left and right leg you take 5 paces forward and five back. It strengthens the back and abdominal muscles.

After that I do a reverse table top pose

 I dip down and up 10 times then on the 10th time I hold myself up in this position for a 10 count. I repeat this 3 times.

Next I flip my body over and do 3 different poses in a row. The first do I do about 10 times holding each one for a 10 count. Then end with child's pose. 

I lift back up and do this exercise extending opposite legs and arms. I hold the position for a 10 count and do each side 5 times.

Next I get up to do prenatal squats.

These are supposed to help strengthen your legs and pelvic area for labor. I do 5 of these holding the squatting position for a 15 count each time.


To finish up I do 20-30 wall pushups and then end with some stretches and kegel exercises.


And that's it! Sometimes I do more or less reps depending on how my body is reacting to the positions. I am by no means telling other people to do this workout. I think it's important to consult your Dr about exercising before starting a new routine.

24 weeks pregnant

This week I'm 24 weeks pregnant! Baby girl is as big as a....

I had a "bonus" ultrasound on Wednesday. Her estimated weight was 1lb 5oz and everything looked perfect and healthy. Yay! My sister came with me because Nick had to work. I'm really excited she got to see her niece. Again the ultrasound tech pretty much sucked but we did get a look at her adorable face.

She must have been feeling pretty spunky that day. She kicked the fetal Doppler a ton which was really cute, she's definitely got a personality already! She tends not to like things in her space when the cats/dog lay on my tummy even a little bit she kicks at them.

This week she's starting to develop capillaries which make her skin look more pink and less translucent and her lungs are beginning to become more functional. In the next few weeks she'll practice breathing through her nostrils.

It seems like she's becoming more aware of the sounds around her. She always reacts to Nick's voice when she hears him she starts moving around it super cute.

I've been having way more cravings lately! This week cheese was a big craving as well as fruit and chocolate. Watermelon has been a big hit with me this summer and I've never been a big fan of it before.

Symptoms haven't been too bad this week. I've been working through the pelvic pain and I have a chiropractic appointment this upcoming week. My feet have been getting swollen and I've been really tired lately, but nothing too inconvenient.

Now that I'm not working I'm going to make an effort to make it to the gym 3 times a week. I went today and it was great getting my sweat on. As far as my nightly "workout" routine goes I've only done it a few times this week because I've just been so exhausted. But here is what I generally do.....

My Pregnancy Fitness Routine


No signs of stretch marks yet! My total pregnancy weight gain so far is 13.4 lbs. One of the hardest things about this week has been accepting the fact that I am going to gain quite a bit of weight. I haven't felt very good about myself lately. Don't get me wrong I love my belly and I'm happy to be the vessel for my daughter to grow in. But it is hard. Every day I notice things getting bigger all over. I'm staying active and eating right most of the time. I feel like I'm doing good but I'm starting to figure out the gain is inevitable. You have to gain some weight to have a healthy pregnancy. Every woman and pregnancy is different and if I am one of those pregnant women who end up with the swollen bloated everything and the big puffy round face I need to just be okay with it. It's rough for me, but I'm getting there.

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Busy Busy

I feel like time is passing so quickly and so slowly at the very same time. Quitting smoking is really really hard and it seems like the longer I go without out it, the more intense the craving is. I get suddenly hit with an intense urge to smoke and it lasts all freaking day. I have cheated a few times, but give a girl a break. I am physically and emotionally addicted to this garbage. Giving it up and all of the things that go along with it is insanity. Eating hefty amounts of food does take the edge off a big, but it's still there and I'm taking in extra calories and fat.

I'm just feeling really crappy about this situation right now.

In other news I have an interview on Thursday for a job that I really want. So hopefully that goes well amidst all of the changes I'm experiencing and all the crappy hours I've been working. 

Can you say Negative Nancy?

That's it! I've had enough! I quit!

Smoking has been something that I love to do for years now. There's nothing like the feeling of smoking a cigarette after a filling meal, sipping a latte, or taking that first sip of a beer after a long hard days work (I should be in advertising). Or if your me... Whenever your in the car, whenever someone calls, when you wake up in the morning. when you go to sleep at night, when you just found out some great news, when something really shitty just happened, or nothing happened and your just bored and don't have anything better.

I say no more! I'm calling bullshit on you Camel Lights! Yes you are soo delightful on most all of those occasions. Yes you were a symbol of my independence from an abusive relationship. Yes you've been through all of the good and bad times with me. There with me at my deepest darkest moments as well as joyful celebrations.

I have fooled myself into believing that I not only need cigarettes, I want them. After starting Bikram, straightening out my eating habits, as well as my life, I've realized something. I am strong and smart and beautiful and I have no greater desire than to live and be happy. I see so many life paths and options on the horizon and I really don't want my smokes to come with me.

For 5 years we've been bffs. But friends don't try to kill other friends.

I'm sure we'll meet on occasion through different points in my life. But I'm letting you go and taking back control. 

One Week Later.

And it's still hard but I like it. This past week I've been back on track with logging my food and exercise with the wonderful LoseIt app. And I've been to 3 Bikram Sessions....

Height: 5'10 <---(I'm not so sure about this one anymore I feel taller!)
Weight: 179 lbs
Bust: 41
Waist: 31
Hips: 42

So I've lost 3lbs (now I'm back to my pre Family Video weight), 1 inch off my waist and a half of an inch off of both my arms and thighs. So total 3lbs 3inches lost but I've gained sooo much this week.
I've gained the knowledge that I can preform eagle and love it, along with the fact that I hate hate hate camel and every time I enter the posture I immediately feel like I'm going to puke!

I'm also starting to gain stability and balance in my life. For a long time I've tended to be an all or nothing type of person. This whole year has been about moderation and boy has it been a struggle. But yoga puts things in perspective for me. I've been thinking a lot about time spent exercising in the past and how I hardly ever enjoyed it. Most of my time spent exercising was filled with thoughts of: when will this be over? what am I doing after? why does this hurt so much? will I ever be "in shape"? I'm learning to focus on the moment and experience things and not always worry or fantasize about what's coming next.

I've always worried or looked forward the future. I've had my life planned out for years. Graduate, go to college, go to grad school, get a high paying completely enjoyable job (yea I know now that that doesn't exist), buy a big beautiful house in the suburbs, go on vacations bi yearly, pop out a kid (or two)... Wow. I've learned that life doesn't work like that. Just because I take the appropriate measures to achieve these "goals" doesn't mean that things will work out perfectly, it doesn't mean that I'll be a happy person. After an intense Bikram session I have this amazing drive home with cool air on my face and a lot of time to think. And what I've been thinking is SCREW THE PLAN! I'm learning to enjoy the things I have and the special little moments that happen to me everyday.

Bikram is changing the way I feel, the way I look and most importantly the way I think. I feel like I can handle anything thrown my way, but for the time being I'm enjoying my increasingly more "zen" life.


Namaste  "the spirit in me respects the spirit in you"

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I'm Changing.

Although I've only been to a few sessions. Bikram has begun to infiltrate my mind and my body. I love waking up and feeling sore, but more than anything I love getting up every day and feeling good about my self. I've never felt so happy and empowered before. I've been able to get out of my own head and enjoy what's going on around me. I've been worrying less and feeling less anxiety. My car died on my way home from class this week. But I didn't panic or get upset, I just took it.
I feel so great and I'm  beginning to think that this class is about much more than physical fitness.

Going to hell and back

So I had my first session of Bikram yoga yesterday. But before I get into that I'm gonna give my starting stats.
Height: 5'10
Weight: 182 lbs
Bust: 41
Waist: 32 (yikes)
Hips: 42

Yes this is hard to admit to by the way. But I'm trying to put myself out there be held accountable. So this is this start. Every week I'm going to take another round of pictures and measurements. Not only will I be practicing Bikram but I will be adjusting my eating habits as well.

Sooo my first Bikram session...... It was insane! I got to the place super early signed up and got a tour. The decor is nice it sets the mood for meditation and reflection for sure. I was feeling excited and peaceful, until she showed me to the room I'd be trapped in for the next 90 or so minutes. I was hit with a moist intense heat. I don't think I've ever been outside in 105 degree weather the thought of forcing myself to practice intense yoga in that kind of environment is daunting. I tucked my purse away in a cubby, laid my mat out and began to sweat.
Yes there I was laying quietly on a mat sweating my ass off and the work hadn't even begun. After an intense breathing exercise filled with ridiculous noises, we began our 2 sets of 26 poses.

In case your wondering no they are not all easy to do and when you add the heat some of them are down right impossible. Within the first pose I noticed sweat running down my legs. after 15 minutes I was officially soaked. Of course my immediate reaction was to feel embarrassed but as I looked around the room experienced yogis were sweating just as much as I was. After 30 minutes of poses I took my first break because the room began to appear darker and darker with each blink of my eye.... I was convinced I would pass out if I did not lay down. But the thing about laying down in that kind of heat and humidity is that it really doesn't help that much. I jumped in and out of poses for the following 40 minutes. I got hit by what they call "the yoga train" at 70 minutes all that I wanted to do was run away and never ever ever come back. I felt like I was going to puke and die in that room it was horrible and painful. And I just kept thinking these people have to be fucking insane to ever want to come back here. Instead of focusing on my breathing and whatever else your supposed to focus on in during yoga, my head filled with images of me breaking through the nearby window and breathing in fresh cool air.

But I didn't do that. I didn't run out I didn't give up even though I felt completely ill and miserable. Yes I didn't finish all 26 postures because frankly it's my first time and I'm not an idiot. I'm going to listen to my body do what I know I can do, I will push my body but not to the point of injury.

Walking out of that studio was the best feeling ever. It was cool and pleasant outside. The panic of dying a sweaty yoga induced death vanished. I felt proud and stronger than ever. After coming home I felt peaceful and in control and just really really great. Showering after that was amazing I've never sweat so much in my life. It was horrible and awesome at the same time.
This morning I woke up glowing and sore and slimmer. And I honestly can't wait to go back tomorrow.


Namaste

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stop being lazy

So since I've started this new job at family video, I've virtually cut out all forms of exercise. I've been exhausted and overwhelmed. I'm having a really hard time going from being a housewife to a workin' woman. But I can not take it anymore. Most mornings before I would wake up and admire the progress I'd made and the new emerging muscle tone from the hard work outs I'd been doing.
I miss this so much. Most days now I wake up and pray that I haven't gained ten pounds from eating fast food or spending my free time cleaning and lounging on the couch. I'm sick of those terrifying 15 seconds I spend waiting for the number to load on the scale or hoping that my pants still fit the same as they did a month ago.
I feel it must be a sign that I signed on to groupon today and the first thing that came up was a $39 special for 2 unlimited month of Bikram Yoga in Grosse Pointe. I heard the message load and clear, STOP BEING A LAZY ASS AND EXERCISE!
Another message came along with it, see I've always been soooooo self conscious about exercising in front of other people especially strangers who are more in shape than I. You may find this hard to believe, but I am an extremely competitive person. I love to win and I hate hate hate to lose. I like to know that I am the best at what I'm doing in any given situation. So when I think of going to a fitness class, I tend to immediately imagine myself falling over or tripping or just sweating my balls of (yes growing them first then literally sweating them off) while tons of tiny people who are in great shape make me look and feel like an ass. 
I've been talking about signing up for one forever but with today's deal I could not find an excuse as to why I couldn't do it. It's extremely affordable, it's not too far away, they have a variety of hours and it only take up an hour and a half of my time to potentially burn 1200 calories.
Bikram yoga is neat. It take place in a room that is a minimum of 102 degrees and it's supposed to to great things for you health, flexibility, fitness and of course the scale.
I am excited that I will not be able to make up excuses not to go because I used hard earned cash to pay for it and I'm not letting it go to waste. I'm aiming for Monday 9am to be my first class. I'm planning on taking before pictures Sunday and blogging my progress for the next two months, just in case my poor self esteem or laziness creeps up on me. Sharing my experience will (hopefully) motivate me to keep with it and get back to my active lifestyle!
Much of the blogging inspiration came from  dailyrebecca. She's starting "weigh in wednesdays" and I'm gonna try to do something similar to that.


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