Have you ever just woken up one day and felt the complete overwhelm of something that you knew was happening but suddenly it kind of just hit you? The reality of it all? That happened to me on Monday morning at my appointment with my midwife. We went over the normal “entrance exam” information since I have just recently switched to them. I’m not sure what it was about that appointment but it was like a light switch came on as I got in my car. I am over half way done here and there is still quite a bit left to do! De-clutter every closet, clean the carpets, put together an entire nursery, sign up for my child birth classes….. AH.
It’s such a roller-coaster ride of emotions because of course I absolutely cannot wait to meet our son! But on the other hand – I am still mentally preparing myself for how completely life changing this is going to be. I’ve recently started watching a lot of birth videos and I have my “birth plan” mostly mapped out in my head, with the understanding that it could obviously go completely different than what I have planned. The videos are so emotional for me to watch. It’s so hard for me to imagine it all – it is hard for me to picture my body doing that. It isn’t scary because I know this is something I was made to do. But I can’t help but wonder how everything will go for me and I know that there really is just no way that I can know.
I’ve been doing my research on so many different things (epidurals, crib mattresses, etc.) and it has been interesting to kind of see myself form hard opinions about things. I have always had a lot of trouble listening to myself and not letting other people influence me. But this has been completely different. The great thing about having a baby is that there is no “right way” to do it. So we can all form the best plan for ourselves. I feel like I’ve been doing that from the beginning – continuing to do what I felt was right for me, no matter what anyone else thought (with doctor/midwife consent)! It feels good to know I’m not just following along blindly.
Some new things that I have noticed this week are: thicker hair and a weird sensation at the top of my stomach, basically right below my boobs. I didn’t expect to really be able to tell that my hair was getting thicker because it is so thick in the first place, but – holy volume! Also, it is growing like crazy. I would prefer it to slow down because my roots are peeping out faster and faster! As for the weird tingly sensation – Google tells me that the baby is either pressing on a nerve or I’m actually feeling my body stretching. I can’t imagine how many pinched nerves I’m going to have as he gets bigger, yikes! It’s not painful right now but I bet eventually he’ll find one that is!
How Far Along Are You: 22 weeks!
How Big Is The Baby?: At my 21 week ultra sound they told me that he weighed a little over 1 lb. So probably a little more by now! He is the size of a Papaya!
How Much Weight Have You Gained?: About 13 lbs. I weighed 153 lbs at my appointment on Monday.
Maternity Clothes: I feel like I’ve popped a little more. I’m wearing mostly maternity clothes at this point!
Stretch Marks: Still no signs of them. Though my pregnancy app told me that I could start seeing them this week. Crossing my fingers that I don’t!
Sleep: I’ve had wild insomnia. If I try really hard I can shut off my brain and go to sleep but the problem is that I don’t want to. The other problem is that I also don’t want to wake up in the morning…
Best Moment This Week: Hearing baby boy’s heartbeat at my appointment on Monday! She found it right away and said, “WOW. He’s active! 151 BMP!”
Movement: I’m feeling him a lot more often now! Still mostly late at night. Nate has felt him twice now.
Food Cravings: Yesterday afternoon I craved Strawberry Poptarts and eventually had to buy some out of the vending machine at work. I KNOW. So bad.
Food Aversions: Guacamole, pickles.
Labor Signs: Still have some time!
Belly Button In or Out: Magically still in. Or more like, flat to the rest of my stomach.
What I Miss: Mostly still unlimited cups of coffee and Aerial drops! And being able to bend over normally.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Baby’s crib arriving! We ordered it on Sunday at Babies R US, we just have to wait for it to come in!
