Thursday, January 12, 2012

24w3d: pregnancy update

(Today's post will be all about pregnancy. If you don't feel like reading about that right now, I completely understand. Hope to see you again soon.)



Total Weight Loss/Gain: I'm up to 176 lbs (!), 13 lbs since they first saw me (week 10) which the doc says is right on track. Going forward I need to eat well and gain only 3 lbs per month.

Maternity Clothes: 100%. 

Stretch marks: Nope.

Sleep: Same as before: I tend to fall asleep on the couch next to Mr. Jem and with Sharky on my lap around 8:00. I usually wake around 9 or 10 and head to bed. Always wake at 3:30 a.m. - gotta pee. Only had one day this week when I couldn't get back to sleep easily.

Movement: Steady kicks, hiccups (so cute). I can tell when she's sleeping because she's quiet. She kicks more when I eat sweets.

Cravings/Aversions: Sweets. I pigged out over the holidays, so I need to temper my cravings for sweets with more veggies. I still get full really fast. Last night I made dinner but could only eat a few bites, but I had to eat a protein bar in line at the grocery store (earlier) because I thought I was going to pass out.

Gender: It's (still) a Girl!

Symptoms: Swelling in my hands and feet - I have cankles! My back aches in the evenings, not to mention my bum shoulder. Plus I think I'm starting to get Braxton Hicks contractions. It's a weird tightening/dull pain at the bottom of my abdomen. My legs are sometimes numb when I wake up in the middle of the night and get up to pee.

What I miss: My belly button (kidding!). Actually, my belly button is slowly disappearing. Just waiting for it to pop OUT!
What I look forward to: Meeting my baby girl!

Moods: Still super excited. Grumpy when my body aches.

Milestones: I passed my Gestational Diabetes test with "flying colors."

Medical concerns: The PA who saw me came in the room and asked, "Jem, are you feeling especially tired? Well, you are anemic. Your iron level is at 10 point something. Anything below 12 is low. If you weren't pregnant, we'd be super concerned. Just take these prescription iron pills (plus more fiber to deal with the constipation) and you should be fine."

Sex?: With Mr. Jem? Nope. Solo? Occasionally because, well, a girl has certain needs.

Misc: Thanks for all the support and recommendations about baby gear and dealing with the Industrial-Baby Complex. I'm making a list based on mommy recommendations and keeping it simple, just like I did when I got married (no brides-maids, no frou-frou stuff, just the basics).
~Jem

8 comments:

Mrs. Gamgee said...

Yay for passing the gd GD test! That totally rocks! And the sex thing... I totally hear ya. My poor long suffering Beloved.

Lulu said...

1.) Will you share your no frou-frou list when it's done?

2.) When you say your BH are at the bottom of your abdomen, what do you mean? I occasionally feel something that feels just like light menstrual cramps. Definitely in my uterus. What gives with that? lol

Anonymous said...

oh those iron pills are a total biyatch!
Here's a tip that I've found really helpful:
Try fresh apple juice (like made from real apples) blended with ice. It takes care of the sweet craving, and gives you a nice hit of fiber.

Melissa G said...

Oh, dude. Run it passed your OB, but still, you should look into taking Floradix. You can get it at Whole Foods. It's expensive, but you wont have any of the constipation issues. Which for me happened RIGHT AWAY with the Iron pills. It's a liquid form supplement. Not super yummy but better than being backed up!

Yay for passing your GDB test!

Kristen {www.buckupbuttercup.net} said...

Congrats on passing the GD test! Having GD kind of sucks.

And sex...my husband who pre-pregnany was ALWAYS up for it has not wanted to be with me since I started to show. Yesterday we were talking about it and he told me "I'm scared of the bump." Scared he might hurt the babies...oh, well. I told him there will be plenty of time for sex in our lives...if now is not the time, that's OK. But yeah, solo...thank God for that... :)

Tracey said...

Yay for glucose test!! That's a huge relief because GD SUCKS.

We may have had sex once at like 15 weeks but then there was a trace of blood (which the doctor warned us about and said was normal) and it freaked us out and we never did it again.

Sounds like registering is moving along. Yay!

erika said...

Yay! for all clear from the GTT. I am sorry about the anemia, though and hope that the iron pils will treat you mercifully!

Great update overall.
It is soo cute that she reacts to sweets:)

Whitbit said...

My iron level was the same. My midwife suggested Floradix, it's a natural liquid supplement mixed with fruit juice and herbs. The more natural the iron, the less constipation- which believe me, I could not deal with more of that than usual!