No Abdominal pain today
My tummy feels good today! I have been dealing with abdominal pains for the past few weeks, but I hadn’t realized how much it had been affecting me until today when the pain is gone. I am much less aware of my belly, and can even forget that I am pregnant for bits at a time. At first I was worried that I didn’t feel pregnant anymore, but I think how I feel now is more normal. The baby is still moving occasionally, although sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between movements and gas 
I went to a cardio aqua bellies class last night and I think that might have really helped since I haven’t been exercising much due to the ad pains that I get even when walking. I had some pains during the class, but nothing more serious than I had experienced walking, so I kept going. It could also be because I got a really good sleep last night.
Maternity pants keep falling down
A few weeks ago I bought some 3-in-1 pants from Thyme Maternity. They fit great in the store, but I find that they fall down when I walk or move around. I wear petite, so I don’t have that much selection of pants from the Maternity stores.
So I got a big safety pin (1.5″ long) and now I pin the top of my pants to my bra. This wouldn’t work with normal pants, but I find it works great with the high-top of the maternity pants.
I have to undo the safety pin every time I go pee (which is fairly often), and it is ripping a small hole in the pants, but overall I find it works best. I make sure the sharp edge of the pin is facing outwards, just in case.
I also tried suspenders, worn underneath my top, however I found that they were not as comfortable and it was harder to re-attach after going pee (I just undid the back clasp). So I went back to the safety pin approach.
Eventually I should have a big enough belly that I don’t need the safety pin anymore.
Anyone else found good ways of keeping their pants from falling down?
Abdominal Pains in second trimester
I know that ligament pains can be quite common, and I have been having these pains since around the 5th week. They never lasted very long and once I realized what they were it was ok. It makes sense that the uterus has to stretch.
I am at the beginning of the 5th month now and in the last couple weeks I have started getting abdominal pains that are much more general and last for hours. My doctor said not to worry about them, and just to avoid walking if that aggravates it. However it is difficult to avoid walking since I still need to get to and from the subway. Last Thursday they were really bad, they had kept me up during the night and at work they were so distracting that I didn’t get much done. The pain itself wasn’t that bad, but it was the worry about what the pain meant. I called the doctor’s office and they said that as long as I wasn’t bleeding and the baby was still moving then not to worry about it. I can feel the baby move, but it is still rare since the placenta is at the front and I am usually moving around a lot during the day.
They recommended I take some Tums to help with any gas, and I also ate a bunch of prunes and apricots to help with constipation. I think it helped. The joys of pregnancy!
I am going to try a cardio aqua bellies class tonight (“Aerobic workout in the pool – water resistance & buoyancy strengthens pregnant bodies, improves circulation, massages & relaxes working muscles.”). Should be good, except I hate the chlorine. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.
Felt Baby kicking for the first time
Last night we felt the baby kicking for the first time. It was really subtle and actually my husband felt the kicks before I did. You have to lie down very still and put your hand on your belly. I kept feeling my own heart beat and it was difficult to distinguish, but there were movements that were not associated with my heart, gas, or my own movements. We had seen the baby kicking during the ultrasounds, but it was really cool to feel it.
Our doctor had said that I might be delayed in feeling the kicks because my placenta is placed in front of the baby. This is week 21 for me.
Of course the baby sleeps from time to time so maybe all the other times I tried the baby was just asleeep. The rest of my day is normally so busy that I don’t think I would feel something this subtle.
The news is out
So I have finally told my manager at work, which means I no longer have to keep the biggest secret I have ever had to keep. (I am at 21 weeks). I feel better now that people around me know, I can talk about things and people will realize that I am wearing these strange clothes for a reason. (I borrowed some maternity clothes from a friend, but she is shorter than me so I have lots of tops, but very few bottoms.)
I have one black skirt and one black pair of pants that fit properly (and actually the pants keep falling down since they are 3-in-1 and I don’t have enough of a belly yet. I was using a safety pin to attach my pants to my bra, but now I have borrowed some suspenders so I will see how those work
Anyway, I am just glad the cat is out of the bag and I can wear clothes that make me look pregnant instead of just fat. Also, maybe people will be more understanding now of how tired I get.
I woke up three times last night, twice to go pee, and once to kick the cat out of the bedroom (I have allergies, and the gate doesn’t always keep the cat out). So this morning I was really grumpy, but now I feel ok and am heading to my second prenatal yoga class.
Second Trimester Ultrasound
Yesterday we had our 18 week ultrasound. I am at 18 weeks + 3 days from LMP, however she estimated that I am actually at 19 weeks + 3 days which matches the other ultrasounds I have had.
We got to see the profile of the face, little fingers, the spine, the legs (which were moving around). My husband saw an ear too, but I couldn’t quite make it out on the monitor. The heart is still beating nice and strongly. The baby was face-down during the test, the technician said that it will tend to move around and that was ok. This was the first time that the baby actually looked like a baby, the technician took some photos for us, but didn’t let us have a video like some places do. I know the ultrasound is for the doctor’s benefit, not ours, but it would have been nice to have a recording.
It is all starting to be so much more real now. I am more aware of my tummy, especially since I keep getting ligament pains and other occasional twinges. What are we going to do when we actually get to bring the baby home?
During the ultrasound I was bursting to go pee, I drank lots of fluids, but I didn’t follow the instructions because I went pee half an hour beforehand. Partway through the test I was really uncomfortable and didn’t know if I could hold it (especially since she was pressing down with the ultrasound wand) and she let me go to the washroom. I don’t know how they expect pregnant women to hold their bladders for so long.
We don’t want to know the gender, so we asked the technician not to tell us. Although it amazes me how much they can tell from all those gray blobs.
I also just signed up for prenatal yoga classes with Baby and Me Fitness Classes at the JCC (Jewish Community Centre) in Toronto. They have multiple locations and classes and she said I could change around if I want to. Which is good since I don’t know which location I will be working at for the later part of the year. I will let you know how they go.
I have felt so tired this week, part if it could be due to coming back to work after a couple weeks vacation, but all I want to do all day long is lay down. I know this is a big symptom of pregnancy, it just seems that my tiredness level has zoomed up recently.
My pants no longer fit
I have been on vacation for the past couple weeks, and my track pants fit fine, but I had to get back into work clothes today and nothing fits.
I had picked up a maternity black skirt recently that I wore today, but I was sure everyone was looking at my tummy. I had to go shopping after work today so that I would have something different to wear tomorrow.
We have “Thyme Maternity” stores everywhere, so I thought I would try someplace else. I went to “Motherhood Maternity” and they didn’t have many petite black pants and the customer service was horrible. One guy helped me find a size, but then no one helped me decide what fit best or to help me with other sizes. So I went to “Thyme Maternity” (I am lucky that the Eaton Centre has two maternity stores in the same mall). They were so much more helpful there and had a better selection of pants (two types to choose from instead of one). I also ended up getting a more supportive bra and some underwear.
I ran into another shopper who had also started at the other store and ended up at “Thyme Maternity”, she also complained about the customer service at Motherhood. The prices were cheaper at “Motherhood Maternity”, but it is important to make sure the clothes fit.
The books say that you shouldn’t buy everything all at once, especially since you don’t know exactly what shape you will be. So I will go back next month and get something new too. I have borrowed some clothes from a friend, but not enough to last me through another 4.5 months.
Heartbeat
We had another appointment this morning and we got to hear our babies heartbeat. It was really amazing, at first it was just a mush of noise, but then the doctor got the Dobbler mic in a better spot and we could hear the whoosing sounds of our babies heart. The doctor said that everything was going well.
I am now in my 15th week, so the second trimester has begun. I am feeling much better overall, but still having problems sleeping. I used to sleep on my belly, but that does not work anymore, and I find I have a difficult time getting back to sleep after going pee in the middle of the night. But I don’t want to cut down on fluids either.
I asked about my concerns for flying next week, and she said not to worry about the security xRay or anything. I just hope I will be allowed to bring snacks onto the plane. I don’t think I can last a 5 hour flight with just airplane food.
I was also asked about my lack of weight gain and she said not to worry about it, I have gone up 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks according to her scale, but I know I have gone up and down over a range of 4 pounds during that time so I was a bit concerned. The waiting room was full of pregnant ladies at all stages and it was amazing to see how differently everyone carried. I felt out of place since I am not showing yet, but hopefully I will be showing soon.
We chatted in the waiting room about pre-natal classes and one woman said they saved the money and hired a nurse for three nights instead. However I think I would like to take the classes, also because it will be a chance to meet other expecting couples.
Are there post-natal classes? I think I am more worried about how we are going to take care of this little bundle.
Feeling good today
I am feeling good today. It is not as hot anymore and I got a good night’s sleep and I am in a happy mood. It is a long 4-day weekend, so I am just going to enjoy it.
I talked with my mentor and she was thrilled, and said not to worry about my promotion being affected by my maternity leave, she said as long as I was qualified I would still get it. It is weird since she influences promotions and she is my mentor, so she is in a bit of a conflict of interest situation. So I didn’t tell her that I may look for a job in another department or company when I get back, especially since I am sure my priorities will change and who knows what I will want after Mat leave.
