My brain is shrinking

I just read on whattoexpect.com this morning that:

"Researchers have noted that the brain cell volume of pregnant women actually decreases during the third trimester of pregnancy, only to plump up a few months after delivery."

A sarcastic "great" coming from me now. But the good news is I can take choline to minimize the effects, which should be in my multi-vitamin...or I can steal some Flintstones chewables from A, which has added choline for kids! LOL.

Lightening

A noticed by belly is lower than it was yesterday. I think he's right (!) which means our baby has dropped lower into the pelvis. I have more room to breathe and eat, but have more pressure on the bladder.

BIG kicks

I was lying on my side last night on the couch and A asks, "Are you breathing hard or having contractions or something? Your chest/abdomen is moving really fast." I tell him that it's the baby kicking and he's like "Whoa! That's violent!".

Yea, baby Ng is kicking pretty hard these days!

A rocks an empathy belly

At our first Labor & Birth class, the instructor brought in a 35-lb empathy belly for the support person to try on. I made A volunteer, and he even had to sign a waiver - he certified he wasn't wearing heels, didn't have a hernia, etc. and vouched not to jump up and down or make sudden movements with the belly on - hilarious but the hospital is cautious.

First thing A had to do was wear a velcro band around his chest to simulate us pregnant ladies with decreased lung capacity. Check out how a mom's interior changes between not pregnant and pregnant below. The lung size decreases, as well as the stomach. No wonder I can't eat big meals or breathe! Also, the uterus goes from the size of a closed fist to being wrapped around the baby. It's so amazing how the human body was designed!

Source

Anyways, back to class....let's put that 35-lb empathy belly on!

At which point A started rubbing his belly as he would a Buddha statue at the entrance of a Chinese restaurant. Classy ;).

The apron covers everything nicely. A said it was really heavy. Oh, and below the belly, the instructor also stuck a bean-bag like thing to put even more pressure on his bladder....hehe....

A's belly was bigger than mine!

He said he really felt the pressure when sitting down.

Try to get your shoes now! Not so easy, is it?

Help, he's rolled over and he can't flip around ;)

It was a fun experience and good class. Next week, we start learning some breathing and relaxation techniques.

Hungry...nausea

Yesterday, A & I went out to lunch after church. I was so hungry. I ate an omelet, toast, and homefries and was so full afterwards. Not two hours later, I was "so hungry" again! So I ate something leftovers at home, but then felt a bit nauseated. It's a vicious cycle...hungry...eat...nauseated...oi! I think I should stick with foods that have higher fiber so I feel full longer and won't have to eat whatever is lying around when I'm hungry.

Glucose screening & Braxton Hicks

I passed my 1-hr glucose tolerance screening, so that means no gestational diabetes (and no 3-hr test). Yay!

I was reading "What to Expect When You're Expecting" last night and came upon the part about Braxton Hicks contractions. So what I've been attributing to the baby rolling over (which was a sensation of pressure from the top of my uterus moving to the bottom) was probably actually a Braxton Hicks contraction. Apparently you can start feeling them after 20 weeks of pregnancy. They are just practice contractions for the real thing in a few months. Luckily, mine aren't painful :).

Bad dream

I think I had my first pregnancy/baby-related bad dream last night: I kept forgetting to feed the baby! Oi....

LOTS of movement

I wonder if the amount of movement in the womb is any indication of how active a baby will be outside of the womb. Little baby Ng was moving non-stop from dinner time to the time I went to bed last night! He must want to come out and meet everyone ;). Just another trimester to go!

How am I carrying?

Every woman carries her child differently. Some high, some low, some round, some pointy. My belly looks kinda square in profile. It's funny to me...

Classes, classes, classes

Just signed up for 3 classes at the hospital where I'll be giving birth. One is a Labor & Birth class which consists of 4 sessions. The second one is Newborn Care which has 2 sessions. And the last one is Breastfeeding Basics which is 1 session. Let's just say it's going to be a busy May and June before the baby arrives...

Warmer weather + pregnant me = swollen

My feet and hands are swollen. I can't wear my rings anymore. If I sit for more than an hour at a time, I feel like I've just gotten off a 13-hour flight to Asia - my feet and calves are swollen. I'm not sure if the warmer weather caused this more noticeable swelling or if the swelling just happened to coincide with the warmer weather.

Sleeping

Some nights, like last night, I just wanted to fall asleep on my back! It would have been so much more comfortable. But I have to keep to my side (preferably my left), which "will increase the amount of blood and nutrients that reach the placenta and your baby (source)." Sleeping on my back can "cause problems with backaches, breathing, digestive system, hemorrhoids, low blood pressure and decrease in circulation to your heart and your baby. This is a result of your abdomen resting on your intestines and major blood vessels (the aorta and vena cava)."

Though I really shouldn't be complaining, considering the little sleep I may get after the baby arrives...

Week 22 picture

A definite change from Week 18 to now (week 22)....

Weight gain

I went to the OB today and she didn't mention anything about my weight, so that's good. Last month I gained 8 lbs and she wanted to make sure that I didn't continue 8 lbs/month for the rest of the pregnancy. I suspect that I only gained 6 lbs this past month, but I forgot to ask her. The weight tracker from WhatToExpect.com says I'm right on track and well within the recommended range.

Movement!

Just as I am rounding out the 20th week, I feel the baby move! And it's definitely not gas this time. It feels like little flutters inside my abdomen, mostly on my right side, where the babies head and arms are. He's punching away in there. I just ate some thai-basil chicken, so he must be digesting ;).

20-week ultrasound pictures

Seeing our baby BOY (that's right, he's a boy!!!) on-screen moving around and such, I can hardly believe there is life developing inside me. A & I are so excited (and I'm a bit nervous) to become parents. Below are some pictures, including one where you can definitely see he is a boy. Hope he is tall & handsome like his father :).

He's waving hello!

That is either his stomach or his bladder...I can't remember...

The technician had a little fun and put this caption under the picture.
This is a view of his bottom with his two legs on either side of the arrow.

He's weighing in at 14 oz - a bit higher than average.

I got a call yesterday from the hospital. I have to go in again this morning because the computer was acting up when we had these pictures taken. The technician will finish my series of photos. Maybe I'll have more to post!

In other news, the sciatic nerve on my right side is bothering me. Sometimes it's hard to stand or even walk. We missed the gym on Monday, so maybe it's just tense. Hopefully some exercise will loosen it up.

Case of memory lapse

I got a new bill from Old Navy today, and the amount seemed off to me. I thought I only got those three shirts for $15. So I dug through my receipts and found two pants that rung up. Did I buy pants too? I went to my closet to see if there were any new pants in there...nope...so I called the store to see what pants these were. The first was a patchwork pant - which sounded like a pair of kids' jeans with patches on it. The second was an embroidered...oh yea! I bought two pairs of PJ pants on clearance....duh!

And that was my first case of memory lapse, which some pregnant women experience more than others.

Week 17

I am officially out of "normal" clothes, and luckily, over the weekend, I got some great pieces at Old Navy and Ross. First, I am surprised by the maternity section at the Old Navy in Plymouth Meeting. There is also a maternity section at the store near my house (yay!). Selection isn't as large as it is online, but at least I don't have to go through the hassle of their return policy on maternity items bought online. Anyways, I got three plain t-shirts for $5 each (sweet!).

I also went to Ross. Their maternity section isn't labeled but I took a walk around anyways. I found their section (if you want to call two racks a section) in the back near the clearance items. Can you believe out of the dozen small items still left, I bought 3 of them?! Two shirts ($6.99 and $7.99) and a pair of black pants ($12.99) that actually fit better than the $70 pair of A Pea in the Pod jeans. Yay for clothes that are affordable and fit :).

Nothing to wear!

Ok, so I know I (and a lot of other women) say this all the time, but I have nothing to wear! Most of my shirts are either too short in the torso to cover the belly, or too tight around the belly. I'm busting out! I need some maternity clothes....stat! Hehehe....

Heading over to Old Navy & Gap :).

Ugh...

Sometimes pregnancy treats me well. Other days (or most likely it's nights), not so much. This evening, my tummy feels like it wants to burst out of its skin! Stomach & baby are fighting for limited real estate. My lower back aches too! Ugh!