1-9

Today is my 19 week preggo-versary!  Things are rounding out nicely over here... my figure finally suggests "pregnant" instead of "big lunch."

So overall, where do I stand today?

Weight gained: 13ish pounds.  Try as I might, I don't have too much hope of staying below the 25 pound "recommended" limit, and I'm not too worried about it.  Hard as it is to see the scale start to creep up, after watching it sink by 94 pounds over the last few years, I know my body.  I have a big appetite, a slow metabolism, and need to be working out intensely to lose (without some funny diets or deprivation, which I will not do even when NOT pregnant).  But I eat healthy, filling my body with good nutritious foods and no packaged, processed stuff;  and I know that whatever I gain now, I will take it off and then some when I get back to my preferred level of activity.  So, aside from the occasional moments of anxiety on the scale or in the dressing rooms... I'm not particularly concerned.


Exercise attempted:  Notice I say "attempted."  I never really know how I'm going to feel one day to the next, so sometimes my best intentions don't turn out so well.  Sunday morning I went to Body Pump with renewed confidence, thanks to a tip sheet from lesmills.com on how to do Body Pump while pregnant.  It was tiring, but I made it through the entire class and felt strong.  Yoga on Monday evening, likewise, was invigorating.  I took Tuesday off to visit the midwife (but that's another story), and yoga on Wednesday was b.r.u.t.a.l.  I couldn't even stay for the entire hour-long class, I was so wiped out halfway through.  So, bottom line, I'm making a solid effort to do 1-2 hours of yoga and 1-2 hours of weights a week, along with at least 3 long (2 miles or more) walks.  There is no mind-over-matter conflict here - the baby is boss, and when my body condemns me to the couch for the day, I really don't have too much of a choice!

Symptoms experienced:  (First of all, I really need to find a better word than "symptom."  It makes pregnancy sound like the flu)  Definite aches and pains - my hips hurt more now than when I was running frequently, and I'm not doing any really strenuous activity.  My back is likewise killing me, probably from having to sleep on my sides all the time now.  I bought a body pillow, but trying rearrange it every time I change positions at night kinda sucks.  Headaches come and go, but are generally mild.  My energy levels, though higher on average than in December/January, tend to ebb and flow a lot.  Some days I feel like my old self; others, I'm completely wiped out from midday onward.  You just never know!


Things I'm nervous about:  The aftermath.  Pregnancy and birth, I know I can do and do well.  But after that, when I'm more or less on my own with a ravaged body and a newborn - well, that scares the crap out of me.  Hopefully I have 21 weeks left to work through this anxiety  :-D

Things I'm NOT nervous about, though everyone tells me I should be:  My caffeine intake (I've cut WAY down, but still have a bit of coffee every day),  what I'm eating (I've had sushi *gasp*, soft cheese, cold meat, and probably plenty of other taboo substances), and every little ache and pain (I refuse to let Google and WebMD send me to the ER for no reason).

I might eat these words later... but really... I'm very much enjoying this phase in my life.  Constant changes, new challenges, feeling generally gorgeous and important even on less-than-stellar days because HELLO, I'm growing a person!  It's really quite epic, and I'm really quite grateful to be able to have this experience <3