Halfway There and a Look Back in Time

Today I am 20 weeks along in my pregnancy. I really can't believe that it has gone by this fast! I also can't believe how seriously great I have been feeling. I am enjoying this pregnancy and have actually been feeling quite comfortable. I recall, at this point during my pregnancy with the munchkin, that things were not nearly as laid back as they have been this time around. I remember being uncomfortable pretty much all of the time and that thinking being pregnant was a very huge chore (although still worth it) that one had to go through in order to bring a baby into this world.

I started wondering at what point things were going to start getting super uncomfortable. I thought what better reference, then to look back at my old blog posts to see what was going on then. I knew things were going better this time, but I was actually shocked to see just how uncomfortable I already was at this point in my pregnancy before and had actually been feeling that way for some time already. I sure had alot of complaining to do!

I thought it might be fun to share some of the quotes from those posts here, to look back on how things were then and then share how things are now.

Here's an excerpt from a post I wrote at exactly 19 weeks along with the munchkin:
"My throat is on fire!! I have been getting acid reflux. Bad. From what I understand this is one of the most common things that pregnant woman go through, and I had read there was a good chance I would suffer from it as well. But having never experienced acid reflux or heart burn before in my life, I had no idea how awful it could be. I have been getting it since early on in my pregnancy, but the last two days have been just awful. I feel like my entire esophogas is on fire!


I am having ice cream for lunch today because it feels good and the concern for my growing ass is being outweighed by the burning acid in my throat."

Okay... I was seriously not a happy camper there.  I have had absolutely zero issues with acid reflux so far this time around. This is HUGE for me. The acid reflux was by far my worst and most ongoing symptom. I took medication for the entire second half of my pregnancy for it and popped Tums into my mouth like it was a contest. I remember sitting up at nights on the couch, because I could not lie down in my bed, and just crying because I didn't know what else to do. It really did feel like my throat was on fire.

Not only did I suffer terribly from acid reflux, but the munchkin did as well. This was a huge issue and source of discomfort for her after she was born and for quite some time afterwards. My lack of these symptoms at this point in my pregnancy really gives me hope that this baby will not have to suffer from it as well.

Here are some excerpts from a post I wrote at 19 weeks and 3 days:

"Friday night I ended up canceling all of my plans. My acid reflux was really bothering me and my hormones were going crazy! I took a little nap after I got home from work and when I woke up I decided that I wanted pancakes for dinner. No, I decided I needed pancakes for dinner. Joe had decided to take a nap too, and I wasn’t having very much luck waking him up to go out to dinner with me. He was being crabby, and mumbling something about his allergies and how he hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before and his head was all stuffed up and blah blah blah. I was devastated. How could I go out to dinner for pancakes all by myself?! So I called my mom, and sobbed my sad story to her. “All I want is pancakes and Joe won’t go with me. I am so upset and I don’t know why this is making me cry”. Well I did know why, I knew it was my hormones, but knowing why I was acting so ridiculous wasn’t helping me feel any better. Ofcourse my mom, having been pregnant three times herself, understood exactly what I was feeling. And it just so happened that she had found her old buttermilk pancake recipe and had made up some batter that very day. She told me if I came over there (she only lives 15 minutes away), that she would make me some pancakes. So off I went, already feeling better. There’s one more I thing I can check off from the list of stereotypical pregnancy symptoms. Crazy hormonal mood swings. Check."

So having some hormonal issues there. I remember that day very well actually. I am pretty sure I am not portraying in my post, just how bat shit crazy I was really acting that day. My hormones were way out of whack! I also remember crying alot, over the strangest things. I got pissed off alot over nothing much at all. From what I can tell, I haven't had any crazy hormone related mood swings at all so far. I actually feel very calm and centered.

And this post, When I was at 19 weeks and 5 days, I really let it all out there:

"It hurts when I poop. It’s really, really painful. Apparently, this is a side effect of the prenatal vitamins that I take. It makes me cry. It shoots stabbing pains up through my body until I want to claw through my skin, just to distract my attention. And this, ofcourse, is when I am lucky enough to poop at all. I called my doctor yesterday and she told me the names of a laxative and a stool softener that she would like me to start taking. She would like me to take them both. Both. And most likely for the duration of my pregnancy. I went by the drugstore yesterday to pick them up and was tickled pink when I realized they were going to cost me about $40.00 per month.

Then there’s the acid reflux, but I think have ranted enough already in previous blogs about this.

I have been working out. I really have. I have some maternity dvds, I have been hiking and going on walks (my walking buddy, Toni can vouch for me). I have been trying to eat pretty healthy and curb my sweet tooth. But alas, my ass is still growing. Right along with my thighs. All over really. I just keep telling myself to not worry about it, that once the baby is here, my body will go back to normal (for the most part), and breastfeeding will help me lose the weight quickly as well.

When I was shopping for some clothes last night, I was checked out by a little pregnant girl that looked like she was about 7 months along and hadn’t gained a pound anywhere but in her belly. Am I a terrible person because I wanted to smack her? Just reach right over the register and smack her right across the face? I told myself it was because she was 12 and I was 30. Whatda gonna do? Its biology.

I am normally a pretty friendly person, but these hormones..."

I should interject here. I am going to call myself out. I was absolutely not eating healthy. At all. Not that I was purposefully lying about it, but I just didn't know what eating healthy even meant.

"Every morning when I wake up, and for the first few hours of the day, my hips hurt. They are sore from all the extra weight I am carrying, which is weighing down on them while I am sleeping. During the night, the hip I am laying on will start hurting so bad it will wake me up. Then I turn over onto my other side and fall back asleep until the other hip wakes me up. For obvious reasons, I can not sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my back, this can cause a myriad of problems with backaches, breathing, my digestive system, hemorrhoids, low blood pressure and a decrease in circulation to my heart and my baby. This is a result of my abdomen resting on my intestines and major blood vessels.

This morning I had a bloody nose.

I honestly couldn’t tell you if I have ever had a bloody nose in my entire life. Apparently, all of the new, larger amounts, of blood moving through my body can cause these sorts of things to spontaneously occur. Oh it was gross. Really really gross. Allison, from American’s Next Top Model, would have totally wanted to make out with me.

I am only 5 months pregnant. I still have 4 to 5 more to go. My stomach isn’t even that big yet. What is my 8th and 9th month going to be like? I am not going to lie. I am a little worried about this."

Wow. I remember how much my hips hurt. It was so painful. It was a really deep throbbing pain that I couldn't do anything to relieve. I am so happy to not be dealing with that so far.  I also haven't had any major bloody noses yet, although there are small amounts of blood in my snot sometimes when I blow my nose. 

Here is a pic of me at 19 weeks and 2 days while pregnant with the munchkin:

And a couple more pics of me around 19 weeks with the munchkin:

There was me and my little niece Aubrey and some of you may recognize Gina, from Namaste by Day, in the picture above.

Here's me at a Cinco de Mayo Party at my sisters house. I was about 22 weeks along here.

And now, here I am almost 3 years later, with some pics of me now at 19 weeks and 5 days with the munchkin now outside of my belly:

I just am amazed, as I look back at these posts and pictures, at how really different I was feeling and how differently things were progressing and coming along. Everyone says that every pregnancy is different anyway, but it just couldn't be much more true here.

For starters, my weight is significantly less. I weighed less at the beginning of my pregnancy this time anyway, but my weight gain has been much slower. It hasn't been as slow as I was hoping, but I am still on a healthy track. So far, I have gained about 13 or 14 lbs. I was hoping to only gain 25 to 30 total, but I am pretty sure I will gain more then that when it's all said and done, since you usually gain the most the third trimester. Seeing as how I gained somewhere between 70-80 lbs in my first pregnancy, I am definitely going to do much better then that atleast. 

Other then my weight gain and my obvious baby bump sticking out, I don't really have many of the "symptoms" I experienced before. Plus I am 33 years old now. You would think pregnancy would be harder on your body as you get older.

I am in no way going over all of this to brag about anything, or make anyone that is having a hard time with their pregnancy want to strangle me, so I really hope that it isn't taken this way. My first pregnancy was really rough and I just wanted to illustrate how much eating healthier, eliminating sugar and processed foods from my diet and eating plenty of healthy fats has made a difference in my life and in this pregnancy. The facts are undeniable and I wish I had known more about how to eat healthy the first time around. It could have saved me alot of grief. 

Or maybe not, I have always been one to have to learn the hard way.

I will be honest though, I am proud of how far I have come. I worked really hard and spent alot of time researching and learning about what was right for the munchkin and myself and what I had to do to get us to this point.  It has not been an easy road, and I don't know if I would have ever done it all if it hadn't been for the munchkin. Love for your baby can be a very powerful thing. What she was going through made nothing else matter. All I wanted to do was make her feel better and I had to learn how to do that. Our doctors sure weren't helping. Only more or different meds were suggested and that never helped. I feel like everything really paid off in so many ways. She is happy, healthy and thriving and I am actually able to enjoy this pregnancy.

The true test will be seeing how much of a difference all of this is going to make on the life of the little baby growing inside me now. No doubt, was the munchkin's early issues directly related to my eating habits while I was pregnant and nursing and it will be interesting to see how different things will hopefully be this time around.  I really really hope so anyway. For the sake of my sanity. 

Yesterday, I felt the baby moving from the outside for the first time. I felt some sharp movement at the top of my belly and quickly moved my hand there just in time to catch some quick movements back and forth, before they were gone.  I LOVE that feeling. Things really begin to feel more real when you are able to almost interact with each other and they let you know they are there.

So here I am 20 weeks down and 20 (or so) more to go. I know things are definitely going to get harder as I grow bigger and rounder, but for now, I am really enjoying things as they are. I can not wait to meet this little life growing inside of me. For our little family of 3 to become a family of 4. 

Only four more days and we will know if we are having a boy or a girl! I can not wait to find out!!!!