Friday, October 2, 2009

Mish Mash

Today is just a mish mash of the randomness I've been throwing around in my mind lately.

On Sunday, the 4th, we will be at 24 weeks. That's the point of viability in the US, so I know that we've at least made it to a point that if something bad happened, we may still walk away with a baby or babies. Now, nothing has happened, I've done extremely well and this has been really easy (*knock on wood*) I don't talk about that alot, because I don't want to feel the wrath of all the women that have dealt with terrible morning sickness, bedrest, etc.
So far the only things that have really bothered me are moderately swollen ankles and feet, legs that fall asleep alot, and fatigue. I'm still able to get up on my own (not out of the couch though), put on my own shoes, cook, etc.

One of the things that I've struggled most with throughout this pregnancy though is weight. When Mike and I first met with Dr. Jarrett in January of 2008, he told us to call him back in three months after I lost weight. Ideally 30 pounds. I did, and it was great, and I felt great. Then came the rounds and rounds of fertility meds, with the wonderful side effect of: weight gain! Yippee. I did my best and tried not to gain back the 30 pounds that I worked so hard to take off in Jan., but some of it did come back. By the time the decision was made for IVF (in Jan. 2009) I had gained about 15 pounds back. I think the stress of the situation and the side effect of the drugs doesn't make for a great situation, but I did the best I could.

So when early on in the pregnancy when I lost those 15 pounds again I almost felt better, but not really, because I knew that wasn't good. At this point though I've only gained 7 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I struggle at 9 pm when I'm hungry, knowing full well that I should eat something, anything really, but there the little nagging voice in the back of my mind saying "You shouldn't eat after 7", and "Don't gain any weight." I think after struggling with weight for so long, and then knowing that this may have contributed in some part to our infertility struggles (not all, as a side effect of PCOS is being overweight) it's just been a struggle.

The average weight for a pregnant women to gain in 45-65 pounds and quite frankly, that scares the crap out of me.
But I guess things could be worse, I could be struggling with other issues, so for now I'm going to try my best to not think twice when I eat after 9pm, and not cringe when I down the 3rd mini-snickers of the day...

On a positive note, the kicking has gotten so strong that Mike finally felt it, and I have to say the look on his face was priceless. Yesterday it was so strong I could see my whole stomach moving, and that makes it worth it to try and not feel guilty about the weight gain. I've also notice that they "fight back" when I poke them around through my stomach, which makes me laugh, because at least I know they're feisty!

And, tomorrow Ché will be attending the sibling class at our hospital. It's designed for kids ages 3-7 to learn about what it will be like to have a new baby at home, and ways they can help. They'll also get to go on a tour and see the nursery. I'm so glad that our area offers things like this as it really helps Ché to be fully prepared for big changes.

3 comments:

Amy said...

Liz, I'm so glad you are at 24 weeks and the babies are kicking so much. This is such an exciting time! The weight thing is so normal. The good news is you lost it once, so you can do it again! I love reading your blog.

AAWG said...

Kicking was my favorite - until they kick your bladder.

I gained 60 pounds with each kid. 25-30 came off in the 1st 2 weeks.

With Nadja, I breastfed for 6 months & lost some more, but had to work out for a few months to get the rest off.

With Romana, she refused a bottle, so I breastfed for 10-11 months & whittled down to a scant 114 pounds. (I thought I was going to pass out every day) After being 175-180 at the height of my pregnancies, 120-125ish is my norm.

So, my suggestion is to try & breastfeed, obviously that will be nuts w/ 2 of them, but maybe do one, while you give the other a bottle, then switch babies: breastfeed the other one at the next feeding, while the other takes a bottle. It burns calories like crazy. I ate like a horse & was still losing weight.

But one thing is for sure - don't worry about it now! :) Worry about it a year after the birth, when your body starts to regain it's normalcy.

Emily B said...

If there's one thing I've learned from my pregnany and having an infant, it's that there is no "normal." What is normal for you may not be normal for someone else or their kid. Just do the best you can with the weight and everything else.

Plus, weight gain during pregnancy can happen in fits and starts. Losing weight in the first couple months is also common, so you shouldn't feel at all guilty about that. Your body will provide for the babies first and foremost. My doctor always told me that the baby (babies in your case) is going to take what it needs and leave you with the rest. If you feel hungry, eat. If you're not hungry, don't feel like you need to force yourself to eat something. Your body knows what it's doing, even though it may not seem like it at times. :)

I agree with Liz - bladder kicking and/or sitting is NOT fun.