Vegans R Us

~17 weeks

2011-09-19T01:05:00.000-07:00

I'v been neglecting this blog because work is seriously getting me down...and I mean, I barely have any time for anything else!! But, today I'm unwinding from work by logging the initial sensations of baby movement! It started maybe a day or two ago and they are definitely noticeable tonight. At this point, I've only had one doctor's appointment--COP (confirmation of pregnancy)--as well as the nuchal translucency test and first trimester blood draws, all done on 8/15. At that point, the estimate was that the baby was at 12 weeks (maybe 13?). So, I'm not exactly sure if I'm currently at 16 or 17 weeks!

In any case, my nausea was pretty extreme, as was the exhaustion--clearly not a good time to have been starting at a new job, but so it goes. SH happens....But, the nausea is much better now and my appetite is beginning to come back. I think I'm still at about 120-122, thanks to lack of appetite and fairly regular lunch time walks during the work day. But now that my appetite is coming back, I'm sure I'll blow up like a blimp in no time.

Next blood draw should happen really soon; I'm planning on heading in this Wednesday, so hopefully, more of a meaningful update then....

33 or 34 weeks

2009-06-25T03:43:00.000-07:00

...it's such an imprecise science! In any case, Dylan went with me to another doc appointment. He's such a cutie. He told the PA that when his sister comes out, she's going to say, "WAH!" She couldn't stop laughing!

Anyway, all is well. BP is at 102/70 and baby's heart rate is 125. Doc says her head is in the right place (phew! Let's hope it stays that way throughout her entire life!) and I'm definitely getting kicked more in the mid-section than down below my belly button (as was the case for the past several weeks).

I'm still suffering from insomnia and multiple (i.e., 3-4) middle-of-the-night trips to the bathroom (hence the blog writing). It's very exhausting and I feel like I look like hell, but there's so much to do before she's born that I'm in no rush to end the pregnancy!

about 24-weeks

2009-05-01T05:40:00.000-07:00

Dylan went with me to my 24-ish-week appointment (blogged here). It was a short exam with no warning flags, etc. I have to take a glucose tolerance test soon, but that's about it! Right now, I'm weighing in at about 140 lbs; blood pressure is 116/64 and the baby's heart rate was at 147.

All is going well, though I still don't think I'm nearly as healthy as I was when I was pregnant with Dylan (not walking to work, for sure, and not running...it also seems I'm not eating as well...).

half-way there!

2009-03-25T15:32:00.001-07:00

Today was 20-week ultrasound day. The baby's measurements look good and all my test results (blood, urine and amnio) are looking a-ok, too. Despite all of this, no good ultrasound pics! Of course, we're just thrilled to bits that everything is looking so good, but I'm a little disappointed that we don't have good photos! Our little girl continues to hang out way down low, and she was lounging placidly on the placenta during the entire exam!

She still shows a marked difference from Dylan who, from the get-go, was such (and still is) a wriggler!

Despite leaving work in a hurry, and feeling some time pressure to get things done there, my blood pressure today was at 116/74 and I weighed in at about 135. Seems reasonable.

No new news to report, otherwise...and, for that, I'm pretty content.

Interested in Dylan's 20-week report? It's here.

17 weeks 4 days (or 16 weeks 6 days)

2009-03-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the amnio with the generally good news that everything looks absolutely fine and normal. The pictures we got this time around do not even remotely compare to the shots we got of Dylan (at 16 weeks 5 days) despite the fact that this baby was "well-behaved" for the entire exam, meaning it stayed fairly still the entire time. This was such a huge difference from Dylan's ultrasound that I expressed some concern, but both doctor and the sonographer both reassured me that there was nothing to fret about.

So today's report indicates that the baby is skinny (perhaps 10th percentile at 6oz/188gm -- not so surprising, maybe, since I've had barely the stomach for food these days -- despite a voracious appetite), the measurements are consistent with gestational age, and my placenta is low. The low placenta is apparently very common at this stage and is no cause for current concern....

Of course, I can't help but "gnaw" at my fingernails. I'll feel a huge burden lifted from my shoulders once we get the results in 2 to 2.5 weeks....

In the meantime, Dylan is at Music Together with Heather and Taliana, hopefully, being a very amenable little boy.

vitals

2009-02-27T03:54:00.001-08:00

Had a visit with the doc today for a routine physical. Two urine samples and 3 vials of blood later, I was off to "enjoy" the rest of my day at work! My blood pressure was at 110/68 and I weighed in at about 126 pounds. My, that sounds heavy -- my sedentary nature these days is really beginning to get to me!

I had forgotten what happens during this check-up, so I was surprised when the doctor said she was going to check the baby's heartbeat. I got a little nervous, but in seconds, we heard it -- 155 BPM!

I still am not eating terribly well and I'm still mildly anxious about this pregnancy, so it was very reassuring (and nice!) to hear the heartbeat today. I think my fears will be completely gone once we get the amnio and the results....

I've also begun to feel a few kicks! I had Chinese food the other day which triggered a whole lot of belly activity! Feels like odd gas bubbles moving around in my tummy, but without the gas!

We talk to Dylan more about it now and now he talks straight into my belly button in a very loving and sweet way!

#2

2009-02-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I've posted mostly owing to a desire to not bad juju the current state of things...! We're strongly optimistic that the third time is indeed the charm.

I had an appointment with the doc on January 30th, and my were we surprised at just how large that belly-thing had become! At that time, the doc said she believed we were at about 13 weeks, a textbook ultrasound, rather than 12 weeks (the official date based on LMP was 12 weeks, 1 day).

I am still feeling pretty nauseated, though I think I'm finally coming out of the worst of it...for several weeks (including those while we were in LA for Chanukah), I was starving but really couldn't stand the thought of 99% of the foods available! Even now, most things still don't sound appealing, but at least the nausea isn't as exhausting as it had been. So, the biggest drag so far is being so hungry (often waking up in the middle of the night with a growling stomach) and then often being unable to eat to satisfaction!

I'm looking forward to liking food again...!

There were also several weeks where I just needed to lay down on the sofa at the end of the day. I'd tell Dylan my tummy was feeling topsy-turvy and he'd often give me his favorite trains to play with (sweet thing). I felt so bad that I just didn't have the energy to really play with him. The past few days have been a bit better and I'm looking forward to being more than just a slug to toss toys to!

we had our baby!

2006-05-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to finish out my final week of work 'cuz we had a "broken amniotic sac" scare on Wednesday the 18th. I went to my regularly scheduled doc's appointment with Heather and was told that I needed to check into Sutter because some PH strip test indicated that my water had broken.

I wasn't dilated at all, so the doc wanted to induce labor with something called cervadil (a strip they place behind the cervix to soften it and prep it for labor).

We checked in around 5pm and happily waited for the process to begin -- Heather and I even played a leisurely game of Landlord to help pass the time.

Around 3am, I really started feeling some serious contractions that were about 2-3 minutes apart. But later in the morning -- around 5am -- the nurse came in and said that she did *not* think the water had broken because I still was not dilated much and when she checked my cervix, she said that she felt the baby's head "float away!"

So, the doc came and took an ultrasound and found that there were indeed plenty of fluid pockets around little Dylan, so I was discharged around 10am and told to come back when the urge really hit!

Tom and I went home, but by now, my contractions were really pretty regular and continuing to come less than 5 minutes apart. We were told that this might be a residual effect of the cervadil and that I should expect either (a) the cervadil to really kick off labor or (b)the contractions to get further spaced out and less intense.

So, either cervadil really kicked off labor, or I was about ripe to go into it already because at 3PM, shortly after getting off the phone with H., my water realy did break, in that dramatic and gushing way!

To be certain that this time was really IT, the doc had me come into her office and they did another ultrasound and checked the fluid in the lab to ensure that what was leaking outta me was indeed amniotic fluid. The ultrasound showed that there was still a lot of fluid around baby Dyl, but it was also confirmed that the water had really broken, so back we went to Sutter, only 6 hours after we'd been initially discharged!

The re-admission to Sutter turned out to be fortunate, though. This time, I got a room with a hot tub which I ended up using (and being grateful for) while in labor.

The doc came around maybe 6pm or so to break the sac and empty out the remaining fluid to hasten the labor process, and after this, I lost track of time.

I know Tom and I ended up ordering a dinner of a baked potato and some veggies. I ate the potato more because I knew I'd need the energy than because I wanted to eat!

The contractions at this point were pretty strong and getting more intense, so that's when the nurse asked if I wanted to try the tub.

Shortly after (I think), Heather showed up...and then Cindy did, too, and they were absolutely the most incredible trio (Tom, H. and Cindy) of labor support that ever a person could have! They massaged my legs and shoulders and offered encouragement the entire time. Even though I was in a haze of absolute pain, I knew they were there and I definitely appreciated all of the massage.

Anyway, I went in all intent to go without any pain medication, but sitting in that tub, waiting for each contraction to pass and having the majority of my awareness focused on moments of contraction and the brief respite of non-contraction, I realized I was about to spin out of control. My limbs were tingling and I felt like I was too close to hyperventilating for even my own comfort. Given my pain now, I wasn't sure that I would be able to withstand the transition period, when the contractions would be at their most extreme. And, so, I asked for the epidural.

When I climbed out of the tub to get ready for the epidural, the waves of pain doubled. I could barely hold myself up to stand and instead had to rely on Tom to hold me up. I sat down at the edge of the bed when the anaestheseologist arrived and leaned as far forward as I possibly could. Now, I was thinking about what could happen if he missed the proper insertion point, so every time I felt a contraction coming on, I felt the need to inform everyone.

The anaestheseologist was obviously a seasoned pro (even though he looked pretty young). He managed to get the epidural in and he gave me an intrathecal for immediate pain relief as well.

I immediately felt relief. All of a sudden, I could have conversations with everyone in the room again, and I could actually focus on what was happening around me.

The monitors indicated I was having contractions, but I felt only a little bit of pressure, nothing more.

I was actually able to smile.

I was given a button to control my dosage of the epidural and was told that the intrathecal would wear off in 2 hours and, at that point, I could start the epi with the push of the button. The initial drip was slow, but if I needed more, I could just keep pushing the button. The button had a max level set, too, so there was no chance I could overdo it.

Everyone suggested this was the time to get some rest before the big pushing came, so Cindy and Heather left the room to hang out, I closed my eyes, and Tom crashed out on the sofa bed in the room.

After a time, a new nurse came in and told me that we would practice pushing before the doc came in.

I was obviously not very adept at it because she told me I would probably get the hang of it as time went on.

She talked to me about running (she's running her first half-marathon in Nisene Marks soon)...

Then, the doc arrived and we continued to push.

I managed to push 3-5 times per contraction and although everyone kept saying I was doing great, I ended up pushing for over an 1.5 hours before little Dylan finally decided to come out entirely!

They immediately put him on my chest and took his vitals while he was still with me! They took him away after I don't know how long -- to take his weight and length and do the Apgar rating.

He ended up scoring 9 out of 10 on the Apgar (1 point off for not having pink toes and fingers)!

When they gave him back to me, I was able to try to get him to latch for the first time...and he did!

He was the sweetest thing on earth. All 6 lbs. 5.6 oz and 20 inches of him!

Even though we were all exhausted, I couldn't sleep.

Cindy and Heather both left around 2am, I think. Because I had a temperature of 101F and the baby's heart rate was elevated at some point during delivery, Tom and the nurse took Dylan to the nursery for a blood draw to check for infection. I waited for the nurse to return so she could help me pee (bye bye modesty) and to tell me a little more about my stitches and healing process. While we did that, another nurse changed the mattress on my bed.

Then, finally, around 4am, we were able to sleep. We parked the bassinet just beside the bed and I slept with my arm draped over the edge so I could keep a hand on Dylan.

After that initial neonatal slumber, he never slept in the bassinet -- he either slept in my arms or Tom's.

The next day, we got visits from mom and Heather, Assaf and Taliana and David. Dylan got an IV for antiobiotics to ward off any potential infections from my high temp, etc.

He seemed to be eating and he was pooping like a champ, but when it came to discharge day, he had a bilirubin level of 23.3, 0.7 away from requiring a blood exchange transfusion. He was immediately whisked away and put on another IV and we were told he needed to be transferred to the neonatal ICU over at Dominican.

We were crushed and worried beyond belief.

Mom skipped Jason's graduation and came up to be with us. I also called Heather to get some help packing up the room at Sutter.

I was frantic.

I was thinking about getting to the ICU ASAP and also thinking about the logistics of getting our crap home and into the fridge, feeding myself and pumping breastmilk to protect my milk supply, and on and on.

Tom had gone on to Dominican to stay with Dylan -- he pretty much stayed at his cribside the entire time.

I came and joined him in time to hear the results of the latest bili test which showed his numbers had gratefully gone down instead of up.

Still, he needed to stay on the lights with a mask over his eyes -- Tom and I would talk to him and he would turn towards us, but he couldn't see us. We pretty much stayed by his side the entire 4 nights he stayed in ICU although there was one night where we went home and slept for a couple of hours.

Even though he's home now, the bili scare isn't entirely gone yet. We went for a follow-up appointment on Sunday and found that his bili level was back up to 16.9 and if it rose to 18 by the next day, the doctor was going to re-admit him into the ICU. He had us feed him mostly formula. The next day, the bili level went down to 15.9 and we were asked to eliminate breastmilk for 24 hours to determine if it was breastmilk jaundice. The following day, the number was down to 14.6. We went to see Dylan's pediatrician who said the bili number was not down significantly enough without breastmilk so she recommended we resume breastfeeding and we're to have yet another blood draw on Friday to check his levels once again.

Dylan seems to be nursing ok, but it's hard to determine just how much he's really taking in.

We're so happy to have little Dylan in the world, but boy do I wish I didn't have to worry about his bili level and the amount of food he's taking in. In every other respect, he's so healthy!

homestreeeetch

2006-05-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

I'm quickly grabbing a bite to eat here at home before I head back to the workplace.

Just got back from my first "weekly" doctor's appointment and it's all good news. The baby's heart rate is at 150 and my blood pressure was at a stunningly low 90/62. My weight has stayed at 142 (from 2 weeks ago). The doctor doesn't seem concerned about anything right now...and, also, I got the results of the strep test -- negative, meaning I won't have to have antibiotics when we deliver! I'm happy about that...the fewer "interventions" we have, the better....

Today, I asked the doctor if she had any guesses as to how big the baby might be when we deliver, and she says, zyg will probably come out in the 6-7lb. range. Zyg's size is not huge, she says, but zyg will definitely be a healthy baby...!

Wow. I called Tom to give him the update and he laughed and said, "so no signs of gigantism, huh??". Nope. I only *feel* that it sometimes could be true...!

Anyway, overall, I'm happy...and feeling like quite the emotional fish today.

Today is a day where I'm very excited about being able to hold zyggy soon!

gee! diapers!

2006-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Tom and I just got our shipment of gDiapers yesterday. I never thought I'd be so excited about diapers, but when we pulled the pants out of the starter kit and saw how wee they were, we immediately pictured little zyg in 'em and couldn't help but giggle a li'l!

So, if you don't know what gDiapers are, they're basically a flushable alternative to disposable diapers -- the pee diapers can actually be composted. Contents of poopy diapers, and the flushable liner itself, both just go down the toilet...

We're using these as a supplement to the Tiny Tots cloth diaper service, so when we're not at home or whatever, we can use the gDiapers instead of carrying around soiled cloth diapers!!!

We decided against disposables, not just because of the landfill issue, but also because it is apparently easier to potty train kids in cloth diapers, and they are less likely to develop diaper rash. Both of these are related to the fact that baby and parent will more quickly be aware of wetness if the kid is in cloth.

Other health reasons (e.g,. disposable diapers potentially triggering asthma) and compelling advantages (PDF) to using cloth are noted on the Tiny Tots site.

peanut shells v. Baby Bjorns (why wear your baby?)

2006-05-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

We attended our second Infant Care class last night and learned about the Five S's...These are the 5 S-things you can do to trigger your baby's calming reflex which will get them to stop howling...! These are:

swaddling
side position
shushing
swinging
and sucking

All of these things are to help simulate the environment in the womb -- the tight-fitting space, the noise (shushing) in the womb, the rocking movement of the mother in action, etc. etc.

I can only hope to perfect this guy's (in the video) technique!

We also learned a bit more about breast feeding and what good "suction" looks like.

And, lastly, we learned that the Baby Bjorn isn't really ergonomically correct for babies or for parents!

The alternatives are pouches (like the peanut shell), ring slings and wraps.

We are considering getting a peanut shell for when the baby is wee and then we'll shift into using the Baby Bjorn after a few months (a fella in our class mentioned that he loved the Baby Bjorn for when his baby was able to face forward...).

One of the things that appeals to me about the Peanut Shell is that I can actually breast feed with it on...and, of course, the idea that it might be better/more comfortable for little zyg....

baby care class #4 and infant care class #1

2006-05-03T23:33:00.000-07:00

The last birthing class we attended, we learned a whole lot about pain management during labor. Ugh. I have decided that I'd like to try going through this first birth without any drugs. It may sound nuts to some people (and I don't really think there's any shame in asking for an epidural, etc.), but it's the purist in me that's driving the decision -- I'd like to experience a natural birth just so I fully understand what it's about....

That said, though, I think I will still have a clause in the birthing plan that stipulates that I *may* ask for drugs if I just can't take it anymore.

And, I'll tell ya, the whole labor thing does seem daunting indeed! I still very fortunate to have the option of having it at Sutter, though.

They seem to offer a lot of alternatives for women -- birthing stools, squatting bars, jacuzzi tubs for water births, etc., and they seem to really put an emphasis on the woman's comfort and desires.

I feel reassured, I think, in the belief that they will want to comply with my wishes once I'm there!

Anyway, we also started our breastfeeding and infant care class this past week.

The first lessons here were on diapering -- we could practice with cloth or disposable diapers -- and on how to swaddle the baby. We watched a lot of videos on the importance of touch and baby massage...how picking up a baby when it cries is not an "indulgent" act that will "spoil" the child, and how sleeping with the child can be a very healthy thing, providing you don't have tons of bedding or a super cushy bed and you're not on any medication that will dull your alertness.

Much of what we heard in class pretty much (happily) concurred with what I've read in Our Babies, Ourselves which contrasts the western model of individualism and independence to childrearing practices in other parts of the world (definitely worth reading).

by the way...

2006-04-21T19:24:00.000-07:00

...I am just huge now. Everything is way out in front. There is no way that my shirts fully cover my belly these days. In fact, it's a little embarrassing and I constantly have to yank on my shirt to pull it over my pants! At the same time, the stretchy panel of my pants has to constantly be yanked back UP and OVER...! And, to think, we still have 5 weeks to go and the baby is supposed to double in weight! Holy cow.

This poor kid can't possibly have any more room to grow.

baby care class #3

2006-04-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last night's session was about swaddling, bathing, and changing the baby...and a pediatrician also came in to answer questions about such things as circumcision, jaundice, frequency of doctor's visits, etc., etc.

Unsurprisingly, we were in amongst a crowd of non-circumcisers...one lady even was, in fact, pretty judgmental of the whole thing, loudly asking why *anyone* would circumcise their baby since the procedure just needlessly inflicts pain and suffering on the poor infant boy.

Of course, there could be cultural reasons for doing so...and, in the end, my personal feeling is that it -- like so many lifestyle/personal decisions in this world -- is really a matter of choice.

Anyway, we apparently live in an area where the percentages of circumcisers and non-circumcisers is about 50-50. That's pretty cool.

We also live in breast-feeding country...and, neat thing, we practiced changing the baby doll's diaper with cloth diapers!

On that note, when Tom and I got home from class last night, we looked up the cost of Tiny Tots Diaper Service and explored the bennies of using cloth diapers -- one of which is fewer baby rashes (the obvious one is environmental).

We've not yet made a decision, primarily because the diaper service seems a little expensive to us, but we may end up buying packs of cloth diapers on our own and washing them ourselves (eesh). Whether we go with the diaper service or not, we'd probably still use disposables whenever we were out and about and/or traveling....

our first baby class

2006-04-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

To be honest, I don't even remember what the name of our baby care class is, but anyway, we went to the first session this past Thursday.

Got to see some pictures of "effacement" and "dilation" and saw a couple of videos of women giving birth (egads!).

We were told that the average labor for a first-time pregnancy is about 8-12 whopping hours! After seeing the video, I was a little more anxious...and, oddly enough, watching these videos was even more intimidating to me than having witnessed Tyler's birth! I realize now how remarkable Cindy was during labor -- I know she was in pain and labored for a good long time before they finally induced (and gave her the epidural), but she didn't scream or shout obscenities or anything...and, looking back on it all, she seemed remarkably brave!

In sharp contrast, the thought of the pain of labor and of having this little head sticking outta me until the next contraction finally pushes the thing completely outta me, is really beginning to freak me out.

Anyway, the nurse seems to think that knowledge is power and has no intention of sugar-coating the whole labor and delivery process...and The Complete Book of Pregnancy & Childbirth seems to think so, too. I, on the other hand, am thinking, "maybe ignorance really is bliss....

In the meantime, boy oh boy, is this baby active. We can definitely see the thing moving here, and zyggy seems to move a lot! During class and during last night's dinner at Millennium (with Mark and Yuchien, Ken and Jean, and David), it didn't even pause to listen to our conversations!

kicks and giggles

2006-03-30T19:32:00.000-08:00

For sure, my kicks to giggles ratio is terribly skewed in the direction of kicks! And my ribs on my right side sure do hurt.

I had my last "monthly" doctor's appoinment just yesterday. Blood pressure is at 110/60 and the baby's heart rate was at 150. The doc says the baby is growing at a good pace and the glucose tolerance test came back with good results.

Though I feel pretty hefty, it looks like I'm still under the 140 pound mark....

74 days to go and still running

2006-03-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

Well, Tom and I successfully ran the SJ Merc 10K this past weekend. At a pace of 12:29, we barely broke a sweat and the baby remained relatively still! Of course, I still felt the bladder pressure at about mile 4, so we had to take a 5-ish minute break to wait for the porta potty. I never thought the sight of a porta potty would bring me such joy!

In any event, I've kinda decided that it's probably in the baby's best interest if I made this last 10K my last run until delivery day. I'll probably still train on the treadmill and maintain 2 or 3 mile runs there, but I'm unlikely to participate in any other events until after the baby is born and I've recovered.

Of course, I keep getting these flyers and emails about various past runs I've done and loved (the Nisene Marks half marathon, the Santa Cruz half marathon, in particular)...but I'm forsaking them this year for certain...!

As for pregnancy these days, the belly is definitely big and rotund and, at this point, even my maternity shirts don't close up over my tum tum...on cold days like today, the draft goes right up under the lip of my shirts!

Not too long ago, I started experiencing this sensation of having "bruised ribs" (how I described it to Tom...) and just 2 nights ago, he read in the Pregnancy Journal about how women can actually get bruised from the strength of the baby's kicks!

Well, who knows what really goes on in there...all I know is that my right side is a little sore there.

The baby's kicking is also more and more visible -- my belly wiggles and jiggles at some of the stronger kicks. Freaky.

Anyway, tomorrow is my last monthly doctor's appointment. From then on out, I see the doc every 2 weeks...

Sutter Maternity

2006-03-17T09:03:00.000-08:00

Last night, Heather and David accompanied Tom and me to an orientation and tour of the Sutter facilities. Providing I'm at least 36 weeks when zyggy starts trying to get out and that I continue to be a "low-risk" pregnancy, we can pop the li'l pup in one of their 12 labor and delivery rooms.

There is a lot to like about this place. They're "family-centered", meaning friends and family can visit pretty much any time they'd/we'd like, and the family gets to stay all together in the same room, from labor and delivery on.

They also are heavy advocates of breast-feeding and, big bonus, they take little or no kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies pushing baby formulas (they are a not-for-profit facility).

I'm hoping to get one of four rooms that have a jacuzzi tub!

snowshoeing

2006-03-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a weekend trip to Tahoe with Heather and Taliana where we managed to squeeze in a couple of short snowshoeing treks.

Heather initially started out with Taliana on her back -- a good 30 lbs. of weight, I imagine -- and so I was able to get a sense of just how slow I was traveling! Even with Taliana on her back, I was getting winded trying to keep up with Tom and Heather! It was crazy. Because we didn't pack Taliana's formula, we had to head back after about an hour of (mostly gradual) uphill climbing through very deep powder. This turned out to be a good thing as, by then, my bladder was pinched down a near-bursting bubble!

Our second snowshoe adventure was a mild hike along the lakeshore at Sugar Pine Point State Park which was, at least relatively flat and easy to manage....I'm beginning to resign myself to the fact that I may not be able to run through this entire pregnancy and I may well have to wean myself to a walk (as my doc has suggested!). As long as I can get in some nice workouts like the Tahoe excursions, I think I'll be fine. I'll probably start focusing more on walking, walking, walking while Tom does his normal gym routines. Then, I'll look ahead to training for events again, once the pup is out and about...

the big bloat

2006-03-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

Last week, I got to the point where it began to get a little uncomfortable running. I'm actually wondering if I'll even be able to run the SJ Mercury 10K on the 26th. Right now, my current strategy is to run for 10 minutes (or a mile) and then walk for 5. Even then, I may feel a little more belly bounce than I'd like!

What's the belly bounce feel like? It feels like pressure and a stretched out tension in the lowest part of the belly -- like the skin is definitely streeeetching and the weight of my insides and the baby are what's pulling it all down!

Unfortunately, the shorts I ordered from FitMaternity just didn't fit the way I had hoped, so I now have to do a complicated exchange and just hope, hope, hope that the goods will come in on time!

In any case, the belly is definitely more unwieldy at this point -- when I shift my weight rolling over or even sometimes leaning from one side to the other, I can now feel uncomfy pressure in odd spots inside. It's definitely more challenging for me to tie my shoes -- I grunt and heave and gasp at the effort -- and when I do force myself to bend over, the acid starts roiling back up the esophagus.

Oh, did I mention the heartburn is hideous?

still running

2006-03-02T06:55:00.000-08:00

Despite the bigger belly, I'm still running...and still hoping to run the SJ Mercury 10K in a few weeks. Last Monday, I ran the full 10K distance on the treadmill, keeping my heart rate below 160.

I started re-reading bits of Running and Pregnancy just to make sure that it's still ok to run at this stage of the game.

Sure enough, it doesn't say I can't, it just says to slow down and hydrate.

My doctor also mentioned a concern about the placenta detaching as I get bigger...so I decided I would buy some maternity shorts to protect against belly bounce and placental separation.

If the placenta should separate -- which so does not sound pleasant -- it's likely to result in a C-section and, depending on the severity, may even require an emergency C-section to deliver the baby early.

Well, needless to say, who wants that?!

So, the current plan is to monitor how I feel as we approach the 3.26 date. I'm hoping the fitness shorts will help!

If I can still manage the 3/26 run, I'm also hoping to run the 10K in the Santa Cruz Half Marathon/10K at the end of April (Tom may run the half).

And these will probably be the only 2 events I'll try to train for before we pop the pup! Afterwards, the plan is to try to get back on track with half-marathon training, but it's unlikely I'll be able to run any half-marathons until next spring. In the meantime, we have plans to participate in the inaugural Disneyland Half (Tom) and Family 5K run/walk (which I and the baby are going to walk).

97 days to go...

2006-03-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

...so says the Pregnancy Journal!

It is exceedingly early in the morning, but Tom is awake getting ready for a conference he has to attend in Sacto, and I'm awake because I desperately needed to micturate at 4:58am and the baby has been swimming laps and doing neat tricks with its umbilical cord for about 40 minutes now, effectively keeping me awake!

So, rather than fight the "awake state," I may as well just go with it and write a little.

Today marks the first day of our first trimester. I had an appointment with Dr. Christy yesterday and got the latest numbers for me and the baby -- I'm now at a whopping 134 lbs. and my blood pressure reading was about 100/58 (and, about a week ago, we measured my circumference again and came up with 36 inches). The baby's heart rate, which the doc had a little bit of a time finding (due to a whole lotta internal baby activity) was 160. She says that's normal, though she also made some comment indicating that the baby seemed very active.

Since I know nothing of these things, I gotta take her info on faith!

Yesterday, I called Sutter Maternity and Surgery center to schedule our "tour" of the facilities and also called work HR to start my paperwork for maternity leave.

...I'm scheduled to start leave on May 22 and return to work on August 24 (providing I don't have any add'l vacation days to use up).

I'm getting more and more anxious about labor (already!)...!

barbie baby

2006-02-11T09:09:00.000-08:00

The baby's kicks have been a lot stronger for the past few weeks. Not only can Tom feel them if he puts his hand on my belly, but if we're spooning up in bed in the AM, he can feel the kicks against his back!!!

Atta baby!!

At this point, the large kicks are so frequent, I'm actually beginning to tune them out...Well, at least I don't flinch quite as often as I used to.

So, we've been reading that the baby is probably about the size of a (chunky, I'd think!) Barbie, is due to double in weight within the next month and is growing stronger by the day. In the meantime, I'm now growing concerned that I'm eating way too much and maybe putting on a bit too much fat! I feel the pressure of my tummy bowing outwards even when I do something as silly as yawn! It's hard to imagine growing any larger than I already am/feel....

To counteract the calorie intake and to try to remain in shape enough to run the SJ Mercury 10K in March -- I'm geared up for attempting the 10K instead of sticking to the 5K -- I've done my work commute by foot all week.

Tom, in the meantime, has been running our neighborhood route in the evenings...

As soon as we're both fully recovered from this dreadful cold, we're hoping to get right back into the gym for some more activity.

88th percentile

2006-02-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

The baby is currently at 1 lb. 7oz, which puts it in the 88% for weight! Well, well. So far, this means the baby is very healthy! I finally got the 20-week ultrasound videotaped today. The first time we went in to have this done, the VCR was actually broken, so I had to reschedule. Today, they put me in the other ultrasound room where the VCR was still intact. Unfortunately, since I have this miserable, miserable cold, the baby didn't seem to be as active as s/he normally is! Nevertheless, the doctor seemed to think zyggy was pretty busy!

She took lots of pictures of the baby's organs -- the heart (could see all 4 valves), the kidneys, bladder, stomach, brain, umbilical cord. She took a pile of pictures and measurements, but the only snapshots I got to keep were a couple of face shots (which actually didn't turn out all that great).

The last ultrasound pic, from Stanford is, I think, still the best one we've got....

As for my own health, today's blood pressure was 110/58 and I weighed in at 127.4 (which, I think, is down from 128 last week).

32 inches

2006-01-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

We finally took a tape measure to my belly and measured the going circumference: 32"! And, boy do I feel like I'm 32" around...At this point, the baby's kicks are a lot stronger and more noticeable, but neither Tom nor I can really feel them if we put our hands to my belly.

The baby seems really active, especially later in the evenings -- when I roll over to sleep on my left side -- and in the morning, too (again, when I'm rolling from side to side).

We haven't been to the gym in a little over a week owing to the amnio and last weekend's trip to Los Angeles, but we're hoping to go tonight.

Personally, though my energy levels are definitely flagging, I don't want to get too far behind in physical fitness as I want to be able to have plenty of energy and strength once the li'l one is born.

In any case, aside from the bigger belly and the stronger kicks, there is not much new to report -- no new cravings, no troubles or ills, etc.