Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Growing and other pregnancy stuff

My weight gain has been gradual up until this point in my pregnancy.  Now I feel like I no longer have control!  I cannot even begin to describe how hungry I feel on a daily basis.

Current weight:  140 lbs
I've only seen that number once before-after my egg retrieval when I was experiencing OHSS (Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome).  To read about my experience, you may go here, here, and here.  Of course, then my weight gain was attributed to fluid leaking into my abdomen.  Within a matter of days, I was back to my normal weight after having a pigtail catheter/paracentesis while in the hospital.  
As of now, I have gained 17 lbs.  I guess that's not bad, since I'm 20w4d today.  The average weight gain is 30 lbs overall and I'm hoping I don't overshoot that number by too much.  Every pregnancy is different, and I'm going to try and not compare myself to other women.  At my next appointment, I'm going to make sure to talk about weight gain and how I'm doing.

My only reason for talking about my weight is that I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.  I'm reminded of how much my stomach hurt when I had OHSS.  My tummy feels so tight now.  It always feels like I just finished eating a big meal, but I'm still hungry.  I can bend over and put on my shoes, but it's extremely difficult if I'm wearing leggings.

My increased appetite surprises me constantly.  I've always loved to eat, but now it's hilarious.  Within an hour or two of eating a meal I find myself needing a snack.  I stayed up too late on Monday night and had to eat two different snacks before going to bed.  I do have to admit that I'm thankful all of my weight seems to be going directly to my stomach.  When I'm at work standing behind the counter, customers don't realized I'm pregnant until I step away and they see the belly.

Sleeping is not as comfortable as it used to be.  I still toss and turn between my left and right side all night long.  It's hard to find a sleep position that keeps both my back and belly happy.  Insomnia got the best of me a few weeks ago, but I'm doing better now.

Acid reflux still bothers me some.  I take my Prenatal Vitamin, Prilosec, and one Tums each morning. I've been able to continue drinking my juice cocktail (1 cup V8 Splash + 1 cup OJ) each morning, but it's starting to bother me again.  I don't want to stop drinking it because it's so healthy!  I will be happy to not have any relux issues once Ellie is here.  I won't miss this part of pregnancy at all!

Since Sunday, I've been having some yucky ligament pain.  It throbs and lasts for a few seconds and then stops.  It initially scared me until I talked to my other friend is due alongside me.  The pain has lessened and happens less frequently now.  Again, it has to be contributed to my growing size.  My body is making more room for Ellie to grow.

My back hurts much more during the day, but I'm sure it's from my growing weight and carrying Ellie. By 4:30 pm I'm exhausted and have to coax myself with snacks to make it through the rest of the day at work.  Nothing I've experienced is too terrible.  I've had a relatively easy pregnancy after so much drama getting here.  It's definitely all worthwhile knowing that we're over halfway complete with this pregnancy!



6 comments:

  1. Pregnancy is beautiful! :) I can only hope to experience something this amazing someday.

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  2. You will absolutely have reflux issues with V8 and OJ every morning. As someone who suffers from reflux, that combo (especially in the morning) sounds like a recipe for disaster.

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  3. I think you look stunning. So glad that you are gaining weight and are healthy.

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  4. You look fantastic!!! I weighed in at 140 at my 23 week check and it made me nervous for what these next few months will bring!! I don't feel like I am eating a ton more and it is all in my stomach but still! From the few people I have talked to about it, it seems like the last 4 or 5 weeks, your weight levels off and you really don't put on any more pounds, but I am just afraid what is going to happen between now and then!!!!

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  5. Don't worry about your weight unless you're eating very unhealthy meals. Lots of healthy meals and snacks will be fine! The reflux sounds horrible though :-( hope it improves. xx

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  6. I'm still trying to understand the weight gain myself, but I think yours sounds gradual and steady. You look amazing, so you must be eating lots of healthy stuff! I've put on 13 pounds in 17 weeks, so your 17 pounds in nearly 21 weeks sounds reasonable to me!!

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As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more.
Psalm 71:14