Over-sized Fish in an Under-sized Bowl

There are a couple of spots on my belly that feel bruised.

In one spot, just a bit above the belly button, the baby usually keeps a limb or a butt, putting constant pressure. If I lightly press there – it hurts.

In another spot, to the left, baby often kicks – it feels bruised, too.

I wonder if it’s true. If babies actually do bruise us.

I also wonder – their nails have started to grow. Can they scratch themselves in-uteri? Can they scratch me – or the sac doesn’t have any nerves in it for me to feel the scratching?

Constipation is my number one enemy right now. It’s really bad. And taking metamucil, while helping with the constipation, produces painful gas. I just can’t win. Sigh.

As much as I overall enjoy being pregnant (and as much as I still am overjoyed that I got pregnant at all), I am starting to look forward to the baby getting born. I am not yet reaching the point of “get this out of me!” – I heard many women saying that in the last stages of pregnancy – but I can see how this can happen.

He’s a bigger than average baby. And a heavy one. And a very active one.

But if anyone asked me right now – if you could, would you give birth right now – I would say no. If I have to be honest, I still enjoy being pregnant way too much. I wished for it for so long. I am not ready to give it up. Let the baby swim inside me. Like an oversized fish in a bowl that is too small for it

(Image by Glen Wexler)

Preggo at 6-10-14-18-22-26-30 Weeks

Pregnant bump growth in progression – at 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30 weeks. How on earth could I have EVER considered myself fat BEFORE I got pregnant?!

Well, not fat but… you know… I often thought I should lose a pound or three…

(for full-size image click here)

Welcome to the Third Trimester Complaints

My back was KILLING me today. Did I sleep in the wrong position? Were the meeting room chairs to uncomfortable? Is it constipation or gas pressure? Whatever it is, I was miserable until I finally got into bed at 9 pm…

I am extremely sleepy. I went to bed at 11:30 yesterday – and woke up at 9 this morning. Yes, after waking up to pee at 5 am my sleep wasn’t deep (I kept waking up), but nevertheless: I slept for 9 hours. Still not enough for the pregnant me?..

The baby is big. Most of the time if I stroke my belly, I come across little bony bumps just under the surface – a knee, a foot, a hand… Sometimes a whole bum. Only the head remains at the very bottom, applying lovely pressure on my organs. And when the baby moves – my whole belly is moving, changing shape. It’s quite eerie sometimes.

Heartburn visits me more often.

My ankles are normally swollen by the end of the day – nothing too bad, but I am glad I bough ugg knock-offs – whatever happens to my feet and ankles,they will still fit. And they’re warm

The good thing is my glucose test came back and all is well.

The awesome thing I still enjoy being pregnant, even though now I produce lots of grunts and sighs as I sit down, stand up, climb stairs and often for no reason at all.

I still enjoy my huge belly, the shape of it, the way it is still growing. I love being pregnant.

I love the closeness to my belly. You know, like I am sitting in a meeting and there is my baby with me. Moving. And I am stroking him, trying to soothe and comfort him. In a work meeting. It’s bizarre and awesome at the same time.

So overall – yes, I am starting to feel a bit tired and grumpy, but in no way am I ready to say “alright, baby, get out”.

Gro, my baby, grow – your mama loves you. Even when you try to dislodge my laptop off my lap/belly

Head Over Heels

Yesterday I woke up and immediately felt something different about my belly. It felt heavier. I felt more pressure on my bladder. It felt harder at the bottom.

And then when I started seeing my baby’s heels bumping through the very top of my belly, I realized that my son went into the head down position. Just over 6 months (28 and a half weeks) and he’s in birth-ready position. I hope he’s not actually planning to try and get born yet.

I know that he might still wiggle around, but since yesterday morning he stayed upside down, his heels sticking out of the top of my belly.

He’s obviously facing the front part of my body for his hands keep massaging my belly somewhere in the navel region. And he got so strong! When he’s moving hands AND feet, it feels like someone is rubbing my belly very firmly with their fingertips. It’s a very odd feeling. Actually, on Tuesday I thought my hubby was rubbing my belly a bit too strongly to my liking – only to realize he wasn’t. It was my baby boy rubbing my belly from the inside…

My belly button is pretty much completely flat now.

And… only 80 days to go!

My Baby Boy, Getting More and More Real

Yesterday I felt so close to him, I almost shed a tear of wonder.

He usually gets active the moment I get in bed, so that was no surprise. What was a surprise was that I felt hard pressure against the right side of my belly and when I gently palpated it, I realized it was his spine. I rubbed his back gently, and sang some songs, and could feel him wiggle happily. Almost as if he said “rub here, too, please!”

I sometimes feel sad my husband can’t always be around to witness things like that. By the time he got to the bedroom, he was too tired. He absentmindedly rubbed my belly with icy cold hands (baby stopped moving right away) and went to sleep. I even felt hurt – how could he not want to wait an extra minute to feel the baby move?

But I let it go. My hubby is having a hell of a week at work this week.

I went on rubbing a rocking my baby boy in my belly, feeling him kick his little heels on the other side of my belly. I am sure once the baby is born, sometimes I will be too tired to enjoy our baby – and my hubby will have to step in.

6-10-14-18-22-26

It’s been a while since I last shared my belly photos. So here they are, in 4-week progression!

6-10-14-18-22-26

22-week-one is, unfortunately, in different outfit. Oh well.

PS I cannot believe I used to be so thin.

PPS My belly rash has cleared after I showered and scrubbed the vaseline remnants off. Yay!

Buttons

Had to cut off the buttons on my coat and sew on  closer to the edge. That’s right, the coat that I bought about a month ago already doesn’t close on me (well, one of the buttons doesn’t… so I moved all of them). One of them ended up very crooked and not level, but I don’t care. I am not sure I am going to cut it off and sew it back on again…

My bump is pretty big now. I gained 9 kg (about 18 pounds), so I guess I will go over the “suggested” 25 pounds – although 25 sounds kind of unrealistic.

You know, I thought I didn’t gain much weight other than in my boobs and belly. But I guess everything now just looks pretty slim in comparison to these newly protruding body parts, making it look like no weight gain is happening in other body parts. I came across a corduroy skirt in my closet and decided to see if it might fit under my belly (as it used to be a bit big on me). Ha! I couldn’t even pull it over my hips!!! Well, I could – but just barely. And closing the zipper and the button was absolutely out of question. So I guess my thighs got bigger. Much bigger.

And I spoke to a friend of mine on skype today (whom I haven’t seen in a loooong time) and she told me my face rounded out.

Oh well. At least no one tells me I look like a whale. Apparently, that’s a common comment :/

I am secretly pleased that my belly is so big, though. I figure the more it sticks out – the less pressure on my organs

23 Weeks

By the way, we’re 23 weeks already!

I missed the 22 weeks post last Sunday for I was on vacation, and I didn’t get around to posting the 23-week post yesterday.

Nevertheless.

23 weeks – and one day!

According to one of my newsletters, we’ve reached ‘viability’ – which means if the baby decides to get born now, there is an 85% chance of survival. I am quite dumbfounded – the chance is that high? I don’t believe it.

Baby is busy wiggling and kicking. I feel not only the kicks, but the moves, too. It seems to communicate – like respond to pressing or tapping on my stomach, and kick around when loud music is around.

Every time I spent too much time in the pool, it would start moving around. Was it getting a bit cold in there? Or was he swimming, butterfly-style, like his daddy?

Also, the baby started to blink (according to the newsletters… I don’t feel it, of course )

Overall, it is an amazing feeling, feeling the little one move around and start showing its temper (often when I turn abruptly from one side to the other, he starts wiggling around, obviously trying to find a new comfortable position )

My belly got quite huge – or so I feel.

My weight gain is still progressing very well, I believe – so far I gained about 7-8 kg (about 15-16 pounds) – not too bad for 23 weeks?

No stretch marks – but my right leg hurts under the back side of the knee and a dark spot is starting to show there. I guess I will have those ugly spider or varicose veins. Before going on vacation, I ordered online a couple of surgical weight pantyhose to keep the pressure on my legs. They have probably arrived – will find out tomorrow when I am back in the office. I am glad fall is upon us – and it’ll be cold enough to wear them, soon.

After the flight to Cuba, my right leg hurt really badly, and both my legs got a bit swollen. The flight back was normal, though.

I often wake up with my hips sore; sometimes it’s the sore hips that wake me up in the middle of the night.

But overall – it’s grand. I’ve never been happier.

Squashed Belly Scare

Woke up in the middle of the night today and found myself sleeping… on my belly. I got so scared that I might have squashed my baby that I spent the next 5 minutes pinching and punching my belly to get an “I am okay!” kick. Finally the baby showed signs of life and then it was him not letting me sleep, kicking

This is starting to be an issue. Had to take subway in rush hour this week – was so worried someone might accidentally push me or kick me in the belly. I walked around protectively holding my belly with my hands. Hoping people would notice I am pregnant even in their rush to work and would behave. And they did. *Exhale.*

Yesterday I lost my balance. I squatted to detach a hoover from the wall and all of a sudden fell on my butt. I got so used to the idea that my centre of gravity moved to the front – with the boobs and belly – that I didn’t expect to experience the opposite effect while squatting. I actually laughed – even though I was alone at home

Navel-Gazing

Artist Mouse wrote yesterday about her navel disappearence. Granted, she’s like 6 weeks ahead of me – still, today I caught myself doing just that – navel gazing.

And boy, was I surprised!

My navel always used to be really deep and sort of wrinkly on the inside. TMI alert: cleaning the folds of it was one of the greatest pleasures (I am sure some of you go YUUUUUCK!!! oh well… that’s TMI for you LOL)

So today I discovered that my navel got all stretched out, wrinkles smoothed out, navel absolutely clean. The navel “crater” got wide – compared to what it used to be. This is so weird.

All because of you, Artist Mouse

But seriously, should I be surprised? Look at my belly growth progress at 6, 10, 14, and 18 weeks – it is definitely getting big now, not just bigger…