Pregnancy Blog 2: 4 Weeks to go!

Four weeks (potentially) left.  It’s so hard to believe.  In the beginning of this pregnancy, it felt like forever until the end and now I’m one week away from my safe date. I’m delivering at a birthing center, so I have to make it until at least 37 weeks to be allowed to deliver there.

We’ve been preoccupied with the holidays and recent storms and have done nothing to prepare.  One week left until we need to be ready to go at any time certainly makes it seem so much more real.  We have so much to get together to bring to the birthing center, find the car seat base, wash the newborn clothes, find somewhere to put them…

I certainly feel a heck of a lot bigger.  His head is right on my pubic bone, so the pressure is intense and I’m peeing constantly.  Yesterday I peed 5 times in 2 hours and I REALLY had to go each time.  Other than that, I’m a little slower at everything, but I feel good.  I have occassional heartburn, but nothing like the all day, every day I had with Bella.  I’m fairly comfortable at night and the rib pain is significantly less now that his head is so low.

I’m passing keytones still, so I have to do a better job eating.  It comes from your body breaking it’s own tissue down and indicates low blood sugar.  It’s not that I’m not eating enough; I just think I’m not eating right.  I need to start each meal with some kind of simple carbohydrate, like a piece of fruit to get my blood sugar up right away.  Then, I don’t think I’m getting enough complex carbs to hold me over very long.  I was eating stuff like a smoothie with fruit, yogurt and protein powder or a handful of nuts or something like that, but there are very few complex carbs in a snack/meal like that.  I’m trying to eat more whole grains with each meal.  I definitely wasn’t getting 6+ servings a day.

The yoga still feels so good.  When I start class, I feel pretty silly because I am tired and much more limited in my range of motion and endurance, but I can feel how good it is for my body to keep moving and staying strong.  My whole pelvic girdle is so loose that I have to go really easy in the straddle splits and movements like that, but back bends feel incredible for relieving pressure on my ribs and digestive organs.  It also feels like they put everything back into place and help keep me strong so I can keep the bones in place.

I was looking at my postures from the side the other day.  I don’t feel like I’m swaybacked, but when I look at my alignment from the side in half moon or awkward, I can really see how much my body has adapted to accommodate this growing belly.  Even when I try to contract my abs and realign my pelvis, it’s all in vain because the gut is just too big.  It’s pretty incredible to see.

His movements are still so strong and beginning to be a little more distinguishable.  I could feel him moving his forearms up by his head the other night and I can clearly make out a little foot or a heel poking between my rib cage and hip.  There really is a little baby in there.

I have had a few episodes of cramping lately.  Each one gets me nervous that labor may be coming because that’s how it started with Bella.  Not yet, little guy!  We’re not ready!  I guess that’s normal for a second pregnancy.  I don’t see myself going into labor super-early.  Maybe a couple of days early, I think, but we’ll see, right?

I’ve had a lot of energy the last few days, so I know I’m not at the end yet.

Pregnancy Blog 2: Holy Crotch Pain, Batman!

Oh. I was sitting at my desk in half-lotus yesterday for about an hour, working.  When I went to stand up, I couldn’t walk.  It felt like my pubic bone was going to crack in half.  Jaylon had to pick me up and carry me to the couch like he was bringing me across the threshold.  Poor guy, I’ve got a good 25 pounds on him at this point!  I must have tweaked my pelvis just enough to really irritate my symphysis pubis.  That cartilage is getting very loose.  Hot bath, lay down the rest of the night and I was fine in the morning.  Just a strong reminder to slow down in straddle/split/lotus-type movements from now through the end.  No more toe, even gentle pose doesn’t feel good.  Everything in my groin feels very loose.  Sometimes I still get that clicking in my sacrum when I shift my weight from foot to foot.

I fell out of standing bow again this week, too.  I’m really trying not to anticipate it because I’m tired and I could spend the whole warm-up worrying about doing it.  Once we get there, it’s not that big of a deal.  As usual, it’s the anticipation that’s the worst.

He’s been really active this week, too.  I know it’s supposed to slow down more at the end, but Bella was the same way.  The movements are getting much stronger, too.  He has his feet over between my right ribs and hip and sometimes stretches out so far you can see the lump of his foot.

I have to admit that I am getting really excited for labor and delivery.  It’s such an empowering (and hard) and satisfying experience.  I am looking forward to the challenge again.