First Pregnancy Versus Fourth Pregnancy

This will be fun.

First of all, I’m pregnant?! It seems I forget pretty often because there is little time to think about it! The three little people that are dependent on me don’t seem to understand that I am growing a human and expect me to keep up with them as if nothing has changed. The blessing of this is that it keeps me active and it has definitely made this pregnancy fly by.

Symptoms

Throughout this pregnancy I have been dealing with an Ulcerative Colitis flare. With past pregnancies, pregnancy hormones (or something) put my body into remission at about week nine. Not this time. Typically I would dive straight into my supplemental regime and kick this to the curb, but alas, adequate studies have not been conducted with supplements enough to make me feel comfortable with the “risk”. My symptoms have improved but I am still dealing with it today. That being said, this could attribute to some of my exhaustion, but mostly I would attribute it to the little people honestly. I’d say I’m a pretty tough little lady.

At the beginning of pregnancy, I dealt with mild nausea, but nothing that ever sent me to the toilet. I thank God often that I have had four pregnancies without extreme nausea. I experienced fatigue in the first three months, making sure I was tucked into bed by 8 pm at the latest.

Round ligament “discomfort”. I won’t call it pain because it’s nothing compared to labor, but the uterine growth and round ligament stretching has been way more intense this time around. This one doesn’t make sense to me. Doesn’t my body just know what to do? It’s been stretched many a times already so why is it screaming at me so much this time?! Oh yes….I don’t sit still very often. That could be part of it.

Diet

I’m a dietitian as you are all aware. That being said, I can tell you that my diet has been far from optimal lately. The beginning of the pregnancy was mostly white carb focused: gluten free bread, cream of wheat, crackers, cereal, but I was able to get a whole buncha healthy stuff in there too. When the nausea subsided, it was back to the usual nutrient-rich meals. Then COVID-19 hit. I’m at home with all of the boys. As much as I aim to focus on nutrition for myself and my family, we are in a bit of survival mode as we all are. There are a lot of baked goods going down around here, let’s just leave it at that. =) In all fairness, I know I am still doing a heckuva job trying to feed us all with nutrition as BEST as I possibly can given the circumstances. So there’s that.

Cravings

I’d say my cravings this pregnancy around are more intensified. As I mentioned, the Pop Tart craving wouldn’t leave me alone. There has been a lot of pizza yearned for and consumed this time around. I was really into fruit at the beginning of pregnancy but that has now normalized. I guess it was most intense in the beginning of pregnancy. I feel pretty normal now. Kind of boring compared to my first pregnancy.

Weekly Bump Pics?!

I was religious about taking weekly bump pics for all three of the boys’ pregnancies. This time around, I’ve gotten maybe five, three of which I took as selfies.

19 week pic. I have seriously BUMPED since this picture was taken.

When will it feel real?

In lieu of our current life situation, my mind is heavily focused on remaining positive, keeping my family and loved ones safe, and making the most of our home life situation. There is nothing that really needs to be done to prepare for the arrival of baby except to buy some super teeny tiny diapers. Because we aren’t finding out the gender, I would like to sort through the newborn baby clothes bin to find some gender neutral clothes to hold us over, JUST in case a little girl decides to join the family. If it is a girl, there will be a whole lot of pink flowing in this house, you better believe it. So I guess there’s that too.

My appointments with the midwives have been every five weeks. Everything is looking perfect. I have my anatomy scan next week. My first one was canceled due to the virus. As of now, Dana will be able to join me for that appointment. My following prenatal appointments will be completed over the phone which is going to be so weird and sad because I won’t be able to hear my favorite little heartbeat noise that I so look forward to at those in-clinic appointments.

I’m thinking that maybe the ultrasound will make this pregnancy feel more real?

When I was pregnant with Bode, I remember spending so much time planning for the nursery. The amount of hours I spent looking for a rug and wall decor seems completely unreal at this point. For goodness sake I even sewed him a baby blanket! I remember sitting in the nursery once it was completed, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my sweet boy.

I am equally as excited about baby number four, there is just less time to think about it. I am planning on diving into the childbirth books in the next couple of months so I can begin to mentally prepare for labor and delivery, something that I seem to keep putting off in my mind.

I think I’m going to wrap this post up although I feel like I could go on and on. It’s becoming a bit of a doozy.

_____________________________________________________________________

I pray that everyone is staying healthy and safe. Take care, friends.

xoxo

 

 

Continue Reading First Pregnancy Versus Fourth Pregnancy

36 Weeks Pregnant!

It’s that time again. Time for a lil’ bump update!

I am now 36 weeks pregnant. Next week, at 37 weeks, baby is no longer considered pre-term. It’s amazing to think that he could present himself to the world at any moment. He could on the other hand, choose to wait another 4 weeks. We will see won’t we?!

36 weeks pregnant

At 36 weeks, baby’s average weight is about 6 lbs and length is 20 inches long. Most of his systems are fully developed, and he is continuing to plump up and build up his baby fat. Bring on the baby rolls. There’s nothing better!

Watching how the body changes and grows during pregnancy is one of the weirdest, most miraculous things. To actually think that there is a little human growing inside of me right now is beyond me. I am supporting a life. With every bit of food that goes into my mouth I think of the baby. It’s been strange seeing the changes happening: seeing my bump grow, my legs get thicker, and seeing my weight go up. It’s strange, but it’s lovely. Do I miss my non-maternity clothes? Of course I do, I’m only human, but I know that some day I will be wearing them again. For now, I am trying to embrace the bump.

So how am I feeling, you might be wondering?

Mentally…

It’s hard to focus on anything but the baby at this point. Mentally I feel my brain is a bit scrambled. I am still able to work just fine but notice myself making lots of little mistakes that I’m not used to making. This could be due to some serious lack of sleep also.

Mentally I feel I have prepared myself for birth as much as possible. I am fully aware that labor and delivery in regards to your own “birth preferences” can alter in an instant and that has to absolutely be okay. What is important is that baby and mom are both healthy in the end. I have heard horror stories, I have heard incredible stories also, and I choose to remember the good stories and focus on those rather than letting fear get the best of me.

Physically…

You know what? I really can’t complain a whole lot. I feel very lucky to have felt this good throughout pregnancy. I’m slowing down a little bit but still going pretty strong. I walk nearly every day and continue to do my yoga stretches daily. I am getting stronger Braxton Hicks contractions that feel like menstrual cramps and that sometimes radiate to my back. This is perfectly normal and it’s my body practicing for the real deal. At night I am waking 6-8 times either to go to the bathroom or just to switch sides due to discomfort. So yes, lots of broken-up sleep. Again, my body is preparing me for what’s to come. 🙂

Other pregnancy symptoms I’ve noticed: clumsiness, forgetfulness, increased hunger (and yet some days I feel my appetite is completely normal), some mild swelling, dramatic mood swings, hot flashes, super hot hands, and nesting.

 Eats

What’s been tickling my fancy these days?

  • I am still drinking my chocolate peanut butter smoothie EVERYDAY. I still can’t believe it.
  • I’m still really into burgers but am also branching out a lot!
  • I have been wanting more fresh veggies and salads lately, so that’s good!

veggies and almond butter with craisins

  • My sweet tooth is pretty much insane. Chocolate and ice cream are dear friends of mine right now and I am okay with that.

Pearl Street Brewery Ice Cream

  • I’m eating three meals a day (usually smaller meals) and 2-3 snacks. My favorite bedtime snack is still Greek yogurt with honey.

Greek Yogurt

Let’s see, what else?

We have our last shower on Saturday! After that we will do some shopping and get anything else we feel we will need. Overall though we are feeling very ready.

I’ve left my wedding rings off because they were getting too snug for comfort and I know too many people who have had to have their bands cut off. Yikes.

How about I stop there? I could go on all day about all of the excitement I’m feeling. There is just so much anticipation!

Check in with you all later gators!

Continue Reading 36 Weeks Pregnant!

Pregnancy Week 30

I can’t believe I am actually saying this…I am now 30 weeks! I thought you all might enjoy a little pregnancy update since it’s been a while.

melanie 30 weeks pregnant

A comparison back at 20 weeks

pregnancy 20 weeks

And I thought I was big at 20 weeks. Ha!

At 30 weeks, baby is about 3 lbs and 16-17 inches long! He’s getting closer and closer to his birth length and then he will continue to plump up day by day! I am definitely noticing more bumpage these days. I can tell this little guy is growing like crazy.

Symptoms

  • Braxton Hicks contractions especially when I’ve been on my feet too long or haven’t had enough water. These are never really painful, just uncomfortable. It feels like your abdomen is tightening and it feels very hard, and sometimes accompanied by mild cramps.
  • Mild back pain (lower and middle): again, if I stand too long or sit too long but it’s the worst at night. I toss and turn about every hour or two at night.
  • Increased bathroom trips, including 3-4 at night
  • Increased exhaustion. They weren’t kidding when they say fatigue usually hits in the first and third trimesters. I am needing to slow down and rest more often now.
  • Restless leg syndrome at night
  • Sore hips at night

Appetite

GREAT! This is nothing new. I eat three small meals a day plus three (or more) snacks. I focus on getting protein 3x a day as well as at least 5 fruits and veggies. Besides that I make sure I eat a fair amount of whole grains, dairy/calcium usually in the form of almond milk, cheese, and Greek yogurt, and healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, nuts, etc. And it’s time to be real, the sweet tooth has gone crazy.

Which leads me to my next topic: cravings.

I honestly didn’t think I had cravings but when I was at Target I really wanted Oreos. I’m talking double-stuffed Oreos. They are one thing that I pass by in the grocery store every week and think “man, I really want those,” but then I never buy. Well I finally gave in last week and bought them.

You know what, they taste delicious. I’m trying to moderate how many I eat daily. I bought them last Monday and I still have some left so this is a good thing, right? Ice cream has consumed on a weekly basis (once a week that is), and I won’t pass up a piece of chocolate if it is offered at work. I’m REALLY trying not to go crazy with the sugar but goodness it is tough right now.

Not cravings necessarily, but foods I’m loving…

pregnancy food collage

  • Chocolate peanut butter smoothies
  • Greek yogurt with honey
  • Muenster cheese
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Burgers
  • Cucumber sandwiches with laughing cow cheese spread
  • Sugar snap peas
  • Ice cream
  • Fruit

What I’m loving about pregnancy right now…

Feeling baby move, kick and hiccup! He hiccups every day and it is the sweetest thing.

Other updates

I passed the glucose tolerance test which means I do not have gestational diabetes and my iron level was excellent!

The nursery is coming along! I haven’t decided if I’m going to share it or keep it a private thing. I will tell you that the walls are gray, the furniture is dark espresso brown, the glider is gray, and the decorations are nautical and chevron! The look and feel of the room is very relaxing which is exactly what I was going for. We are still in the process of searching for an area rug, but besides that it is pretty much done besides filling it up with baby stuff from my upcoming showers!

We start our first birthing classes next month. I have been reading books like it’s my job and am feeling very prepared for birth. It will be good to go to the classes too!

We haven’t 100% settled on a name but we are pretty sure we know. It will be a secret from you all until he arrives. 🙂

That is it for now! I will give ya’ll another pregnancy update in a month or so!!

What are some of your favorite foods right now?

Continue Reading Pregnancy Week 30