Adventures of Pregnancy - 27 weeks, 1 days

So this is the last week of my second trimester.  Now that I'm entering my third trimester, all those tales about pregnancy are starting to ring true.  My ribs hurt constantly... especially along my bra line on the right side.  Cory can rub the muscles out and in minutes, it is right back to square one.  My low back starts to hurt easily.  Laying on my back seems to make that worse... I'm tired of sleeping on my side only... this is gonna be a long trimester.

I've been having dreams that the baby is born.  The first one, it turned out that the baby was a girl instead of a boy and we forgot to tell anyone.  Then the rest of the dream was me losing the baby all over the place and forgetting to feed her.  So I woke up feeling rather ill prepared for a baby.

Last night, I had a dream that the baby was born except it was one of my cats at his full grown size.  Mind you he is the one that most generally gets called baby boy when he snuggles and he is the sweetest... but putting a diaper on him was challenging and breast feeding was a nightmare.  Cory agrees with me that after all this, I better end up with AT LEAST a human baby.

I seem to have picked up a new pregnancy symptom (or at least I'm blaming it).  I take an antidepressant.  Have been for years.  When I don't take it, I get anxious and quick to anger.  It feels like my pills have completely stopped working.  I call it festering.  I find something that pisses me off and I fester on it... it blows completely out of proportion, increasing my anxiety level and makes me want to lash out.  

At least, I identify that I'm doing it and try to turn off the festering but that is easier said that done.  I know I'm just being hypersensitive.  I am able to prevent the lash out unless I'm cornered by the source of the festering.  It's a lot of mental exhaustion and tongue biting.  It makes me want to hibernate... I'm so tired.

Adventures in Pregnancy - 26 weeks, 3 days

The tired monster has come back but in a different form.  In the beginning, there just weren't enough hours in the day to dedicate to sleep.  Now... it almost feels like there are too many until moments after the alarm clock goes off.  The nights are LONG.  I go to bed so tired, I can't even read my book but I am sleeping so lightly.  I feel like I'm awake all night.  I am still master of my bladder so I'm not up and down all night (even if I should be).  Stay out of my path when I get up though.

I had a prenatal appointment on Monday.  These are becoming tiresome themselves and I'm only going once a month at this point.  I soon move to the once every 2 weeks.  At the end, it is once a week.

I gained 6 more lbs.  This is my biggest gain in a month and it wasn't anywhere near what I thought it was going to be.  It puts me at 27 lbs over 26 weeks.  I'm trending to end up with a 40 lb gain by the end of it.

My blood pressure was 120/70.... I should be a poster child for blood pressure.

I was not master of my bladder at the appointment and could not produce an urine sample.  This seems to shock the nurse every time.  Apparently she doesn't have pee-cup shyness.

I completed my glucose challenge on Monday as well.  They had me drink a bottle of sugary goo... looked and tasted like orange pop, even had carbonation.  (I was appalled that the little glass bottle was not recycle able.)  They sent me away for a hour and then drew some blood.  My pre-sugary goo blood sugar level was 5.1 (fasting).  

The fellow who drew the blood when I got back didn't tell me my results of the glucose.  He had much bigger problems.  He was the first person to have difficulties finding a vein on me.... EVER!!  I don't hide my veins, but he was determined to get blood from a little vein when the bigg'un that everyone else uses was pulsating right beside it.  He actually dug around until I said "ow" and he moved to the other arm.  I will be avoiding him in the future.

All and all, this second trimester stuff is pretty calm and quiet.  Not too much to report.  I declared my last day of work as August 22 and I've set the expectation that I will be taking the whole year.  We'll see how that goes once the time and money starts to fly.

Adventures in Pregnancy - 25 weeks, 6 days

I'm not sure what to make of this....

It's product called Epi-NO and one of my doctors recommended me researching it... it is approved by Health Canada and the FDA.... 

I'd be interested in some feedback

Adventures in Pregnancy - 25 weeks 5 days

In the past few months, I've often thought back to my Health classes in high school and what was covered about pregnancy in those classes. I remember drawing a picture of a uterus and fallopian tubes and coloring them in with my snazzy colored pencils. I remember a public health nurse rolling a condom on a broomstick. I am pretty sure we covered the medical aspects of how an egg is fertilized, but we never actually talked about what really happens after that egg implants. I'm am certain that if pregnancy was covered with a bit more details, less teens would allow that to happen to them.

Noone ever told me that I could develop skin tags. Now this hasn't been horrific... two tiny skin tags the size of a freckle but it was something I didn't know happened during pregnancy.

I knew that I couldn't take medications other than Tylenol during pregnancy but I generally have a kick ass immune system so this wasn't a great concern. Noone told me that my immune system would dial back during pregnancy to protect the baby. I have gotten EVERYTHING going this year. I've had chest colds, head colds, stomach flu, intestinal flu, just the regular old every day flu...

This week was the topper for me... (TMI about to happen). I have had diarrhea for 4 days. Generally, I would have taken some Imodium on the first day and this would have been a distant memory. Unfortunately, Imodium and pregnancy are a no no. Yesterday, I ended up in the emergency room for dehydration as a result of the untreated diarrhea. 4 hours and IV fluids later, I was set free with instructions to drink, drink, drink... and to check in with the prenatal clinic in the morning.

So this afternoon, I have an appt with the prenatal clinic. They will probably do a non stress test. I honestly just want the root cause of the dehydration resolved.

I have my monthly check up on Monday and my glucose challenge to check for gestational diabetes.

93 days until I start Mat Leave!!!

Adventures in Pregnancy - 24 weeks, 6 days

I now have a full description of hell... Hell is... 6 months pregnant, with a head cold, unable to take any cold medications due to pregnancy and thyroid condition... this alone is pretty dreadful... now add an 8 hour plane ride with a 2 hour lay over.

In my life, I have had some pretty serious migraines. Migraines that have taken me to the emergency room for IV medications... yet I had still not encountered the pain of descending from 35,000 feet before in my life. Fortunately with the layover, I got to do it twice! It felt like someone was stabbing my face with a hot ice pick. I will not be flying for the rest of my pregnancy and I will not fly again during a pregnancy just for the fear of the sinus pain again.

I now sit and reminisce about the good ol'days when I could breathe through my nose...

Another valuable life lesson learned this week... Never EVER sneeze while peeing...

Adventures in Pregnancy - 23 weeks, 2 days

Ahhh Prenatal classes...

Tonight we had the tour of the hospital. I was really looking forward to this for the comfort factor of knowing the environment. Feeling warm and fuzzy about the road I was wandering down...

Unfortunately, human nature is human... when you get a professional somewhere when they have to speak, they start telling anecdotal stories. With a delivery nurse, this means that we hear stories about CRAZY women who don't want drugs who end up screaming, crying and begging for drugs... very comforting, I can assure you.

She also made a point to remind us that birthing is dirty business. At this point of my pregnancy, I wish to be in denial. I want to imagine the birthing experience as buttercups and dragon flies... I know it is unrealistic but I'm passed the point of no return. I know it's not a realistic attitude but denial is a wonderful place!! Next time it happens I'm putting my fingers in my ears and going to go to my happy place...

I also have to admit that Cory was right and I was wrong.. he wanted to leave half way through class and I told him that something important might be taught... he was right, I was wrong... we should have run for the hills when the door was open.

Anyway... enough of prenatal classes... we replaced the camera today and here's my latest belly shot...

Adventures in Pregnancy - 22 weeks 5 days

This is actually the post that should have happened on April 8 (19 weeks , 4 days) but my co-worker who has the scanner decided to go on vacation (very rude) and I just got them scanned today.

Adventures in Pregnancy - 22 weeks 2 days

Had my latest prenatal appointment today. I was sooo scared about climbing onto that scale. My diet has been... frivolous at best... if I wanted it... I had it... My son is going to be born looking for a Big Mac and a chocolate soft serve ice cream. I have never been a pop (soda) drinker but I have consumed more pop in the past month than I usually do over an entire year. I was sure I was DOOMED.

I am up another 3 lbs... total of 21 lbs over 22 weeks... I'm very proud... we celebrated with a Big Mac Combo.

Overall I'm doing well... my TSH (thyroid) is 2.41 (perfect). My blood pressure is 116/74. My uterus should be measuring to my belly button... and it is. My serum testing (for genetic disorders) came back negative. My ultrasound shows my due date as my original due date. The baby's heart beat is 148. All is good...

I'm waiting anxiously for 2 more weeks when the baby is at 24 weeks. At 24 weeks, the baby is "viable" which means if something really horrible happens, he could survive outside of me. We don't want that but it's a nice safety net.

Adventures in Pregnancy - 21 weeks, 4 days - The Naming Game

I apparently have no understanding of the intricacies of naming a new person. Every name that I have presented has been shot down for various reasons too common, too weird, too apt to have the child beaten up, can be shortened to an unfortunate nickname.

I have decided I will not be naming our son. Cory must come up with the name. I have reserved the power of Veto.

Cory and his co-worker, Dave have spent literally days searching the Internet and compiling lists of potential boy names... I wish I could find the list... but here are few of the highlights...

• Ace
• Gage
• Sage
• Grayden
• Conor
• Brock
• Blaze
• Moon
• Shadow
• many many more...

I really like Grayden but Cory has removed it from the list as it will be shortening to Gray and that would make the child too old...

I like Conor but it is a touch too common...

I like Brock but Cory has decided he is uncertain about that one...

I have Veto'd the rest... Cory has decided that looking at names is no longer fun and has given up (for the time being anyways)

At this point our son will be named "Baby Boy"... this might give him a hard time once he becomes an adult but it is original. I don't know anyone named Baby Boy...

Adventures in Pregnancy - 21 weeks 1 day

I have never been a person who remembers dreams. Pregnancy seems to have changed that for me... last night I dreamed that my teeth were rotting out of my head. I could even feel the tooth fragments in my mouth when I woke up. Horrifying!! In my dream, I went to the dentist who seemed unconcerned about my situation. Even more horrifying!!

With the fresh memory, I did a little research on the possible meaning of this nightmare... apparently dreaming that your teeth are rotting and falling out is one of the most common nightmares.

As a common nightmare, it has a ton of possible meanings...

1. Feeling insecure about your physical appearance and how others perceive you.
2. Feeling fear of being embarrassed (seems the same as #1)
3. Feeling powerless... teeth are used to tear and chew... without teeth, you lose your primal weapon.
4. Biblically it means that you are putting more faith in the word of man instead of the word of God.
5. Greek culture says it is an indication that a family member is sick or dying.
6. Chinese culture says it is a sign that you are telling lies.

And my favorite.

Loosing your teeth is a sign of money coming. This is root of the tooth fairy fable.

I'm sure that I am feeling insecure about my appearance... I weigh more than I have ever weighed in my life. I love my pregnant belly. It's smooth, all one color (no dark line, no stretch marks) but I check every day for those nasty stretch marks that I will ruin my perfectly smooth and uniform belly.

I've quickly discovered that being pregnant is all about being powerless. My list of "Don't" is longer than my "Do's" list. I eat, not out of hunger, but out of responsibility. I need others to complete little tasks for fear of injury. I found trimming my toe nails an almost impossible task... next time, I won't be able to do it myself. The list goes on....

I'm not a religious person so I always put more faith in the word of man over the word of God.

I don't think anyone in the family is sick or dying... but my family does have a history of exceptional secret keeping...

I tend to be honest but I will keep my personal opinions to myself if I determine they would be unnecessarily hurtful... that means I need to tell "white lies" from time to time to spare feelings.

Money coming... well I haven't done my taxes yet... it could go either way on that front. Maybe the dream is an indication that I will be lucky in the Revenue Canada Lottery. This is the one I'm hoping for...