Pregnancy Ponderings: Week 17

Wow...really? I am already at 17 weeks. My, how the time flies. I cannot believe I am so close to being half-way through my pregnancy. I still get giddy at the thought that I have a little human growing inside of my belly. It blows my mind every single time the doctor puts my baby's heartbeat on the little speaker in the office. It makes me pray that I am doing a good job of taking care of the baby, and that God will continue to take care of us both.

I had a checkup appointment this past Monday, and I found out that I have something going on that could potentially cause me to have premature membrane rupture. The doctor was very calm and comforting in saying that it was nothing to worry about as the condition is something treatable and the rupture, therefore, preventable, and we are treating it now. They did a swab test and will let me know in a week or so if they find anything else to be concerned about. Everything else I asked him about, sharp pains on the sides of my lower abdomen and joint pain, are totally normal pregnancy symptoms.

My tummy now bounces to my heartbeat when I lay on my back from the uterus laying on the main artery below it, and I find that very amusing at night. I think I have felt the baby move a few times, but I still haven't had that undeniable moment of, "That's the baby!"

With the school year at its conclusion, I have had to work extra long hours at work. I think this has made me far more tired than I have been since the first trimester over the past several days. On top of that, the crazy schedule I have had to follow has thrown off all plans I try to make to workout. In addition, the humid, hot NOLA summer heat that has been rolling in is making it very difficult to work out in the afternoons. Although I worked out, both cardio and weight training, prior to my pregnancy, I have been very worried about doing so now that I am. The doctor says it would be fine, of course, but I am concerned about the overheating that he and many articles I have read say you have to watch out for when being a pregnant worker-outer. I have always tried to push myself when working out, and I tend to get hot very easily when doing so. I know there are ways to avoid that and easier excercises to do, so I am trying to find the balance. I think I may order an at home pregnancy workout DVD to do over the next several months.

All of my clothes are getting tighter, and it is becoming harder and harder to find shirts in my existing wardrobe that I can wear while pregnant. Whether they are too tight in the top from my growing bosom or too tight in the waist area from my growing belly, I am really having to get creative! I don't want to spend a lot of money on maternity clothes, so I am trying to spread out the purchase of those items to accomodate my growing belly. Here's hoping to some cute summer dresses this season!

I haven't really been having any cravings lately. On the contrary, I am finding my appetite to be rather small. I eat when it is time to have a meal, and I try to drink plenty of water, but for the most part, I am eating relatively normally. It has been much harder to have homecooked meals the past two weeks with Prince Charming experiencing his first week of running our church's summer camp and my crazy end of the year schedule. A three-day weekend is around the corner, though, and I cannot wait! :) I am definitely going to try to hit up a pool on Friday. I think that will be a great, relaxing workout for both me and baby.

I have a goal of trying to get much of our "at home" baby planning under our belt before the new school year starts, which is July 26 for me. This means setting up the nursery, finalizing a registry, having a short-list of names, etc. I feel like once school starts and showers start and the baby is getting so big, I won't have the amount of time to focus on those things that I will in my off time this summer. Who knows if this will be feasible, but a girl can dream, right?

So, that is about where my head is for now. I am sure that more will come to me as I continue to grow, and I will be anxiously awaiting my "aha!" moment of baby movement. :) Hope you have a wonderful week!

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?
Brittney