25 Week Update

On Friday, I will be 26 weeks pregnant. I figured that for those who are actually interested, I'd give you an update with how this pregnancy has been progressing. If talking about pregnancies bore you, you may want to skip this post. I had a photo to go with this post, but I continue to have difficulty with Blogger letting me upload my own photos. So, no belly shot.

This pregnancy has felt very similar to my first (with a few exceptions). I lucked out both times and didn't develop any Morning Sickness (I'm kissing the ground in gratitude). My main complaint during both pregnancies has been exhaustion. I'm definitely feeling even more exhausted this time around. But, I know the main culprit is the rascally 21-month-old in my house who still struggles with some serious sleeping challenges. I'm not getting as much REM sleep as I need which is causing me a few more aches and pains (especially first thing in the morning).

I think acupuncture, 1-2 times a week, has really helped prevent any migraines for the last 2 months. I had about 7 or 8 migraines during my first 4 months (when I wasn't getting as regular acupuncture treatments). Thankfully, only one of those migraines resulted in me Praying to the Porcelain Gods for numerous hours. Unfortunately, Nye-Nye witnessed it and became very upset (which re-inforced my feeling that she won't be able to handle seeing me labor). She has gotten hysterical when she has seen me in pain or crying, so off to her Grand-parents' house she will go when my contractions begin.

Around Thanksgiving, I had 5 days of mild cramping. It happened while we were packing and moving, so I just ignored it. On the 4th day, I started getting concerned and went to my Midwives. Everything looked fine, so we just chalked it up to exhaustion and doing to much. Now, whenever I get a little bit of cramping, I drink 2 glasses of water, take 2 Tylenol and attempt to rest for 2 hours. "The Rule of 2" is what my Midwives call it.

The only other health issue I experienced is some strange dizzy episodes. My blood pressure continues to be great (if sometimes a little on the low side). After several times of experiencing severe dizzy and blurry vision (and even vertigo once), I realized the importance of eating a HUGE breakfast. Now, I try and eat a large bowl of oatmeal (sometimes two, if I'm sharing with my daughter), at least one cup of Greek yogurt and 1-2 hard boiled eggs. Trying to get in my 80 grams of protein a day!

I drink 1-2 cups of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea (with Nettle, sometimes with Hibiscus) a day. Nye-Nye loves the taste and always wants a few sips, so I let her decide whether we should drink it hot or cold. Both taste delicious.

My Midwives have strict Nutritional Guidelines. I have no problem eating the amount of veggies and fruits needed, it's just cutting sugar completely out of my diet has been difficult. I like to have some brown sugar on my oatmeal and two spoonfuls of sugar with my Earl Grey first thing in the morning. It's also been a challenge to cut out wheat completely from my diet (I definitely have my cheat days). Not eating white rice is also difficult when you are married to an Indian. 

I'm struggling with finding enough time to exercise as much as I need. Hopefully, our family can re-establish some kind of exercise schedule. We were doing well in December, when I was swimming a few times a week at night, but then we got off track. I've been having mini Dance Parties and walking up and down the stairs for 20 minutes at a time on some nights. Sometimes, I join Nye-Nye when she has her yoga video going, but I really miss swimming.

Prenatal yoga classes in our area are outrageously expensive, so regular class attendance is out of the question. I haven't established a regular walking schedule in our new neighborhood (which is on my ASAP Must-Do List). I know it will help. Of course, I spend my days chasing after a toddler, but I know I'm still not exercising enough. I think it's time to buy another pedometer!

I have been pretty good about doing my daily cat and cow exercises and getting my kegels in (all recommended by my Bradley Class ). I just have to be careful because if my kiddo sees me doing cat and cow, she wants to jump on my back.

One of the most amazing things about this pregnancy has been my daughter's reaction to it. She adores giving kisses to my belly and says "hello" to her sissy several times a day. She went to my pre-natal appointment at 17 weeks and heard the baby's heart-beat with the doppler. Every since then she loves lifting up my shirt, pointing to my belly and saying "heart-beat." Her favorite book is "Baby on the Way." She loves hugging my belly. I totally melts me.