April 21, 2010

I had another doctors appointment on Monday. It was a biggy. I had to do the glucose test, get a shot for being B negative blood and get a thyroid check up. I also had a lot of questions for the doctor. Since I am now 28 weeks and starting my third trimester I am thinking a lot about the labor and delivery. I was reading in my book that there are alternatives to traditional medication in controlling your pain. I am really interested in the massage or reflexology. I completely agree that you body is connected and massaging a certain area can relieve pain in another. I am currently looking for a referral for a CAM certified massage therapist.

Layla is now between 2 and 2 1/2 pounds according to the books. And she is almost the length I was when I was born. I was only 17 inches long at birth and weighed 5lbs 12oz, but dropped to 5lbs when I went home. She is very active some days and it has been fun to watch other people feel her kick for the first time.

Every thing checked out great at the doctors, but yesterday I felt a heavy thud on my pelvic wall. Then this morning I felt pressure off and on for about an hour and a half. I called my cousin to see if it was something to be worried about and at first she instructed me to wait and see if it continued. After I told her it happened for over and hour she had me come in for an other test and to be monitored. Luckily the test came back negative again. She could have been repositioning herself and since I am caring her so low it felt like she was going to fall out.

It is so hard to make that call on when to call the doctor and when to just see what happens. The problem is that I have never been through this before and every day I feel something new. I was very angry with my self when I didn't take my thyroid problem serious enough. When I finally made it into the urgent care, they didn't know how I was living with a resting heart rate of 185 and blood pressure that was somewhere at 180/100. They told me that I was 6 months away from congestive heart failure. Because of that they were very aggressive with my treatment and I went through radio active iodine treatment. The problem with that kind of treatment is that it never hits the thyroid at the right point. And now I am forever on medication. I do not ever want to do that to myself or someone else again. It makes it harder because I am responsible for the little being in my belly. I hope I am not driving my doctors office nuts and will definitely be bringing in some thank you goodies to show how much I truly appreciate their patience and support.

April 13, 2010

Today is a good day. I am finally feeling back to normal. I have discovered three very important facts about pregnancy over the past few weeks.

1. DRINK WATER. Even if you are not thirsty. Just set an amount and get it done every day. I am drinking at least 3 liters of water per day. That is 5 refills on my water bottle. Dehydration is a main reason for premature labor and it is totally avoidable if you just drink water.

2. DO NOT Under any circumstance EAT TOO MUCH. I learned this one the hard way yesterday. I was starving when lunch came around. I hadn't eaten much in the morning because my back was killing me. When I got home for lunch I put the left over baked chicken strips and french fries in the toaster oven and then started forcing them into my mouth. At one point I had to stop and take a breath. There is no way to determine your level of fullness when you eat like that. Needless to say there was not enough room for all of the food, 3 liters of water and a 2lb baby in my stomach. When I got back to work I had to take a break and lie down in my car and let the food digest.
For the rest of my pregnancy I will be eating smaller meals all throughout the day. I do not, however, think this is the right way to eat for everyday living. I agree with Jillian Michaels that you should eat breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. Your meals should get progressively smaller and with less carbohydrates as your day ends. There should be no eating after 9. Once Layla is born that is how I will go back to eating and will be setting up her eating habits when she starts to eat solid food. I do not agree with stomach surgeries, diet pills, or the full bar idea. There is no quick fix for someone who over eats. Believe me I know. Your stomach is a muscle and has the ability to stretch. When I over eat I tend to be more hungry every day after that until the food that made me sick to finish is no problem to take down. It is very important to learn portion control and eat till you are satisfied not stuffed. It does take a while to contract your stomach back down, but it will eventually go there. That is why getting over my binge eating habit was so important.

3. SIT UP STRAIGHT. That statement has never been so true. In New Rules for Lifting, you learn that your muscles work together. It is important to work out muscle groups together and not do try to spot reduce or bulk up only one muscle. Full body exercises are important along with working smaller groups that are opposing. The book takes a real life approach to weight lifting. Most diet and weight loss books are geared toward vanity, which is fine and completely understandable, but this books goal is for you to be able to lift a child off the ground, or put Christmas decorations back on the shelf. The workouts focus more on every day muscle usage. It teaches you how to get your body to work in unison. When you sit up straight your stomach muscles engage pulling up the protruding belly and taking weight off the lower back and hips. It also allows you to take some pressure off your shoulders. Genius, right! Our grandparents were right all along.

April 11, 2010 - 27 Weeks

Today I am 27 weeks. In one book its is the beginning of the third trimester, in my other book it is the last week of my second trimester. Whatever the case, Layla is now possibly over 2 lbs and about 15 inches in length. I would say that is pretty accurate to what I feel in my belly. When she moves its intense. I think she is going to be very rhythmic and coordinated. Sometimes when she punches and kicks its to a very specific beat. She had the hiccups today for a good 5 mins. They were not as violent and annoying as I thought they would be. My belly is growing as you can tell from the picture and still no movement on my tattoo. Most of my pain is in my rib cage. I can feel it separating and my muscles growing apart.


We had a very low key weekend finally. Friday we went on a date and had Italian food. It was nice but I didn't feel very well and we left and just came home. On Saturday I felt good and got up and got he house cleaned. After we had a 1st birthday for our friends daughter. It was a great time. Today I didn't even get out of bed till 1pm. My back was killing me.

I really hate not being able to work out. I love working out. It helps me think positively and have good self esteem. Right now it is a real struggle for me. I know it is the right thing to do for the pregnancy at this time, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get a green light to workout in a few weeks.

Easter 2010

What a crazy last few days. I got the results back from the fetal fibronectin test. This test will let the doctor know if you are in risk of going into delivery in 48 hours. My test came back negative. I am becoming more comfortable with the thought that I must have just been dehydrated last week.

For Easter Chris and I went to Palm Springs on Saturday after gun club. It was really nice to see the Tucker side of the family. We unfortunately had to leave that night so that Chris could get back and serve lunch at the gun club the next morning. On Sunday we went to my aunts house and had delicious chicken devan. And then we went to Chris aunts on his moms side for a second dinner and dessert. I was so full after that I didn't not even feel well the next Monday.

On Monday we had another doctors appointment. I was told to just keep my activity low until we get farther along in the pregnancy. By Tuesday I started to feel bad again. I ended up leaving work early and not being able to get out of bed the next day. I called the doctor and went back in to be monitored. This time I was not having contractions. The doctor said he thinks that the cramping is from muscle strain. I went home and applied heat and relaxed.

It is not easy to lay low. We have so much going on all the time. This would have been the second week in a row that Chris and I would have been gone every day. We had parenting class on Monday, soft ball on Tuesday, My step-dad's birthday on Wednesday and a benefit for my cousin on Thursday. Not to mention that we wanted to have a date night on Friday, My sister is skydiving in Lompoc on Saturday and we have a 1st birthday also on Saturday. I have decided to be selfless for Layla is going to mean being selfish and not attending everything I would like to. It has not been easy, not being there for my sisters and family, but I have decided that Layla is too important to risk. We need to make it a little further into the pregnancy to be sure that she will be able to survive on her own and have a long happy life.

April 1, 2010

Not a very fun April 1st. Last night I really wanted to be productive. I went to spinning right after work. Got a good workout, burned 400 calories. I then came home to make dinner. I made my ground chicken and vegetable casserole again.
I steamed two heads of broccoli, sauteed onion and garlic with carrots, zucchini and red bell pepper. While that was cooking I boiled the pasta. Then I cooked the ground chicken. I layered starting with tomato sauce and then laying down the pasta followed by a combination of ricotta cheese and mozzarella (part skim, of course) then I added a layer of veggies and chicken. Then cheese, pasta and sauce. I topped the dish with sliced mozzarella and baked for 30 mins.
It was so good. While dinner was cooking I cut up the left over veggies and made veggie bags. They are just raw broccoli, tomato, bell pepper and carrots portioned out for Chris and I for each day. I also made an entire bag of lentils that we then cool off and keep in the frig. I add lemon juice and feta cheese to them and have them for a snack. I also cut up apples, strawberries, plums and kiwis and made fruit salads that are in the frig. All of the preparation is worth it to have healthy snacks at an arms reach. I didn't get to even sit down and eat till about 9:30pm. So it was a very long day. That s pretty much how my days were all the time. It takes a lot to keep a good diet and to get exercise in after an 8 hour work day. The only difference is I used to get up at 5 and spin in the morning too, Most of the time I worked out twice a day.

Unfortunately that kind of life style doesn't work well pregnant and I woke up last night with cramping. Usually I have to go pee and then the pain goes away. But this morning I got to work an hour early and it felt like I was on my period, I was having really painful cramping all over my stomach that was lasting for several minutes. I immediately texted my cousin who is my nurse and she wanted me to come in and be monitored for possible contractions. Lucky for me I have a very understanding boss and was out the door a few minutes later. I got to the doctors office and was hooked up to two different monitors. One was Layla's heart beat and the other was to monitor the contractions. When they told me I was having one I immediately recognized the pressure. It had been happening every time I would feel like I had to go t the bathroom. They sent me over to the hospital to the observation rooms. They hooked me up again and gave me a butt load of water to drink. I was so happy that I didn't get hooked up to an IV and I'm pretty sure my cousin helped me on that one. There monitor showed the same thing that I would have contractions right before I would call to get up to pee. After a couple of hours and one shot (which I didn't even cry over, feeling very grown up) they let me go home. The shot does make you feel jittery, that combined with the cold water was uncomfortable. When I came home my instructions were to dink a lot of fluids, not hold my pee and take it easy. I am going in to the doctors tomorrow to have a pelvic exam done before the weekend.

Today was pretty scary, I feel horrible thinking that I caused all of this by not taking it easy. I am pretty sure I am going to have to stop spinning. Which I am totally ok with. I just want to do what is best for Layla. Its hard to feel like I am already screwing up this mom thing. I am being really selfish with all the activities and not paying attention to the pregnancy. I am ready for what ever the Doctor would like me to do even if it means to be put on this medicine that make you really jittery or being on bed rest. This time I will be more selfless and think of Layla first.