If you couldn't tell, it's been a while since I last updated, but my goal is to do better, especially since Steve and I are moving down to North Carolina and my family is pretty far from where we'll be. I thought about the best way to catch up, and I figured a review session was a good way to go since the final is in three weeks (if he comes on time).
Section 1: First trimester (July-September)
1. The first six and a half weeks are fantastic.
Since I actually blogged about this part, I won't review much, especially since not much happened except the initial discovery that I was in fact pregnant.
2. Morning sickness makes the rest of this trimester horrid.
You know what it's like having the flu? Try having that feeling every day for two months straight. I made excellent friends with the bathroom during this time period and didn't realize that this relationship would carry me throughout my pregnancy. If you want to make a pregnant woman comfortable, make the bathroom as nice as possible.
I also learned I look fabulous at 103 pounds because I lost about five pounds in these two months. Part of me kind of wants to be that weight all the time, and then I remember how I got there, and I decide that my normal 110 is just fine.
3. This is a bad time to start a master's thesis.
It was amazing how hard deadlines became. Even though the quality of my work didn't suffer, being able to find the energy to do it was a way bigger challenge than I imagined. Luckily I had some really great professors who were willing to work with me to find a fair balance.
Section 2: Second Trimester (September - December)
1. No one notices you're pregnant until you've gained about twenty pounds.
Admittedly, I'm pretty trim, so even when I added twenty pounds, most of the comments were "you look so small, I'm so jealous!" or "you look so great because you're tiny!" Not exactly the comments you want to hear when none of your pants fit.
2. On that note, I had no idea how much people associate the word "small" with "looking great."
Unlike most women, I've never really worried about what the number on my scale says. I've also always stayed within a very small and trim weight range, so that might influence it. Growing up playing soccer, I always put way more stock into being physically fit than being thin, so I never paid attention to people's compliments of "you look great because you are thin." Once I started gaining weight, I began to notice how all of my compliments were still laced with words like "small" "tiny" "can't tell from the back (I still get that one)," and other similar adjectives. It actually kind of hurt. I always thought that a sign of a healthy pregnancy was gaining a solid amount of weight so that your baby could grow healthy and strong, and I wanted recognition that my body was doing exactly what it was supposed to in order to provide for the baby. Instead, I kept getting comments about how I couldn't seem to show any weight gain and how I didn't look pregnant. Thankfully I have a husband who is not afraid to say, "you're so huge! It's adorable!" and then dotes on me for the next five minutes about how far along I've come.
3. In addition, I learned how vain I really am about my looks.
Ok, maybe not the best thing to admit, but I really do love looking great and turning heads. Considering that the most I've ever weighed is 115 pounds, passing that point was a little disconcerting. Not being able to wear my own clothes is not much fun, either. It's hard to look in the mirror and not see, well, me. It is me, but not me at the same time.
4. This baby cannot sit still.
I started feeling the baby at 17 weeks, and he hasn't stopped moving since then! The best evidence of this was at our second ultrasound at 20 weeks. That also happens to be the most exciting ultrasound since you should find out the gender. After the technician finished with all of the anatomical measurements, she started to say, "based on this region, it looks like you're having a boy," and then the child decided he was done sitting still. He squirmed and squirmed for the next several minutes, so we left the appointment with the technician saying, "well, after a five second look, best guess is that you're having a boy, but it's just a guess." We had to wait another ten weeks before getting the official confirmation that we were having a boy.
Actually, the only time the baby sat still was when I was visiting Mom for Thanksgiving. She really wanted to feel the baby bounce, but every time she touched me it was like the baby got stage fright and wouldn't move. Poor kid. Mom did get to feel the baby before I left, though, so it worked out ok.
Section 3: Third Trimester (December-March)
1. This is the longest length of time.
Maybe not literally, but it sure feels like it is dragging on and on and on. I thought once I hit the single digits in the number of weeks before the baby came that time would rush by, but I'm still pregnant with three weeks to go. I'm kind of ready to be done.
2. The baby takes up a TON of space!!
The other day I kept feeling like I had slept on my ribs all night long, and they were somewhat sore for a while. I didn't understand why because I was sleeping my side exactly like I always do, so it made no sense. Then I started rubbing my side and had the realization that my ribs were on my side and not in the front like normal because the uterus is a real estate hog and has taken up that entire section. No wonder I was sore, I was sleeping right on top of them! I now have to sleep on top of a pillow, which has since taught me why they say that you can't have too many pillows when you're pregnant.
3. Watching your stomach move without doing anything is an incredibly strange feeling.
Steve finds it highly amusing when the baby does huge kicks and rolls. I find it a little unnerving, so I try not to watch. Sometimes if you poke the baby just right he'll kick in response, which Steve also finds great amusement in.
4. This kid is ready to go.
After about 32 weeks, he turned around on me and is now head down, which the doctor's say is a really good thing. However, every time I have to go to the doctor, he then moves as low as possible. It's almost like he is saying, "great! It's time to go because the doctor is here!" I generally just shake my head and say, "no baby, you can't come yet, you have to wait a few weeks."
5. I have no idea what I'm doing.
Nothing scares me more than the fact that I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with a newborn. I haven't changed a diaper since I was 18, and even then I had a four year old walk me through the process (great story for another day). As a result, I don't let myself think about what life what might be like after the baby comes. That actually goes for labor as well, but that's because labor just sounds awful. I figure this is kind of like going on a mission for the church. You can prepare and prepare and prepare, but the fact of the matter is that you really won't know what you're getting into until you're actually out in the field doing the work. I also imagine this is why childbirth is set up so that parents don't get much sleep in the first many weeks of having a new child. You're so tired from trying to take care of the baby that you don't really have enough brain power to process what you're doing.
I could add quite a bit more, but this post is pretty long as it is. So, I'll leave it with my official numbers.
Week 37 by the numbers:
Weight gained this week: 2 pounds (considering I ate an entire box of cereal and 3/4 gallon of milk in less than two days, I'm not surprised)
Current weight: 134 pounds (+31 pounds from my low point)
Waist measurement: 39 inches (+17 inches from my low point)
I think people can tell when that I'm pregnant when they look at me now (except when I wear my puffy coat, which happens to be anytime I'm outside because it's still super cold here!). 37 weeks down, 3 more to go.
Does that mean I can call you "huge" whenever I want?
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