Week 23, from Hawaii. Jumping right in with pictures.
View #1. And yes, I was definitely the preggo lady in a bikini. Whatever.
View #2.
And 22 weeks for comparison.
How I'm feeling?
Huge. A constant.
I also had a resurgence of small bladder syndrome this week. When we were in Orcas, I had to pee about 4 million times. Part of the issue could have been that I took a shot of cranberry juice which really cleared me out. Or it could have just been the way the baby was sitting on my bladder. Either way, I have never peed so much in my life. It made the 6 hour plane ride to Hawaii interesting as well, especially since I had a window seat. Sorry, annoying pregnant lady coming through... 400 times in an hour.
We have hiked several times and I feel really good for almost being 6 months pregnant. Still some pelvic bone pain which the midwife told me is normal as your bones are softening and shifting. I've officially stopped running. Just shy of 6 months and it is no longer an option, I've conceded. In 4 months, I'll be hitting the pavement again I hope.
Other than that, feeling great. Again, I can totally see how this is the "best" part of pregnancy. You are getting huge but aren't technically huge HUGE yet and you don't feel the tiredness and yuck of the first trimester anymore.
How I'm changing?
I don't really think I've changed very dramatically this week other than I'm getting bigger. The bigger my stomach gets, the smaller my ass and boobs look so that's one good thing of the growing stomach.
What I'm eating?
Since we have gotten to Hawaii, I've eaten the normal Hawaii foods... fish, breakfasts, etc. The only thing missing from this trip is alcoholic fruity drinks but the non-alcoholic versions have been tasty. I decided before I left for Hawaii that I am CRAVING mexican food. And not spicy Mexican food as was normal in my pre-pregnancy days but rice, beans, cilantro, pico de gallo and beef (I KNOW, who am I?) all mixed together. Like a giant Chipotle burrito bowl. I pretty much crave this every night without exception.
Weight I'm gaining?
I still don't really know... haven't weighed myself. Probably around 135-136 still. I will weigh myself post- Hawaii which might be a terrible idea since this week is my birthday week and I am definitely eating cake...and pancakes.
How I'm sleeping?
Pretty great. The issue with sleeping this week has nothing to do with pregnancy but more to do with the 3 hour time change from Hawaii to Seattle...meaning, we are waking up at 3:30am Hawaii time.
What's the baby doing?
-The baby is about 11.5 inches long or the size of a large mango and now weighs over a pound (so it grew .5 inches and gained .1 pound this week? Sheesh. And sidenote- logistically, I am still boggled by the fact that something that big is in my stomach).
-The baby is picking up it's activity and as it gets bigger, you feel it more often and more intensely (NO KIDDING. He is big enough now, that you can actually see my stomach move as he moves. It's pretty funny.)
-Blood vessels in the lungs are developing to prepare for breathing and the hearing is becoming more keen
-The pancreas is kicking into gear this week also
-Good news this week is that the baby is ALMOST to the point where he would have a fighting chance of surviving if he were to be born this early.
-Mostly the baby continues to grow and grow and is moving all about (seems like this will be the constant until birth).
What we are doing to prepare for the baby?
-We went to our midwife this week and everything looks great. They measured my stomach for the first time and I am at 23 (I am not sure if this is inches, cm, or mm) but the number should correlate with the number of weeks pregnant I am, so, right on target. The heartbeat is still around 160 which is right where it should be. We talked more about the birth and they are big proponents of not cutting the cord until it stops pulsing, feeding right away, and handing the baby right to me for skin to skin contact. A big plus of using midwives as hospitals don't always practice these things. Next midwife appointment is the appointment where I drink the sugary crap to test for my risk of gestational diabetes. It doesn't sound fun, and it is optional, but we're doing it in the case that I do have to go to the hospital for some emergency during labor (the hospital will assume you have gestational diabetes if you have nothing that shows you tested negative which will often put you as "high risk" in the eyes of the hospital even if I truly don't have diabetes. So, better to just do it and not have to worry about the what ifs).
Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)
Flying while pregnant is not super fun. I peed a lot and my feet and legs got super swollen (pregnant ladies are more prone to blood clots, but luckily I just had the negative side affect of swollen legs and feet). We have two more flights before baby- one in a couple of weeks back to Iowa/Missouri and then another in June at 7 months back to Missouri. At least we won't have anymore 6 hour flights, at least not pre-baby. I'm thinking a post baby trip back to Hawaii might be a good idea.....
