Category Archives: exercise

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 27

It is Monday! That means it is time for another installment of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.

Week 27

When exactly the second trimester is over can be debated by several sources. However, everyone can agree that this week is the absolute latest you can claim to still be in your second trimester. As you come to the close of this week you will start feeling more tired, no longer being able to sustain the energy jolts you were having throughout the second trimester. For those of you who never had those energy jolts, you won’t feel any changes in this regard.

Should you go into labor early, you will have a wonderful preemie. Very, very few babies don’t make it when born from this point forward. Your belly is going to really start expanding now (as if it hasn’t been doing this the whole time). If you are getting a last trimester ultrasound (I didn’t the second time around), then you can totally see the baby. If you trying to figure out the gender, and your little one hasn’t posed properly yet, this may be your last chance. Some women I know have opted for the 3D ultrasounds. They are pretty interesting. But I didn’t go in for one because, one, my tech was verycertain of the sex each time, and two, I didn’t want to spend the money since I would be seeing the real thing in just a few months. But if you can afford it, it really nice, so go for it!

I am hoping you have told your work by now that you will be going on maternity leave. If you haven’t, I am pretty sure they have guessed. So this would be a good time to really start setting into motion your maternity leave plans. Who will cover you? Will your work be divided amongst other co-workers? Who is taking over what? The last thing you want to come back to after at least six weeks of being out is a giant pile of work and everyone saying “Oh, I thought so and so was doing that.” Do you perform any duties that are specific to you and others are unfamiliar with? If so, leave a direction sheet as to how it is supposed to get done.

You definitely want to start on all the prep work now. I remember it took me months to compile a binder that would help everyone while I was gone. Also, keep in mind, at this point labor can pretty much happen whenever. So it may happen earlier than you had originally planned. I went into labor a week and a half early with Munchie, and about a week early with Ducky (although I had wished it had been earlier with him).

If you have had a smooth pregnancy thus far, chances are not a whole lot will start going wrong all of a sudden. But if you have had a few bumps in the road (pun totally intended), then there may be a chance your doctor will put you on early bed rest, meaning you will be going on leave earlier than planned whether the baby has arrived or not. Some women chose to take leave before their due date. I literally went into labor at work with Munchie, and finished out my day before going home, running errands, making dinner, and going to the hospital at 10 p.m. And yes, I knew I was in labor, but by God I was going to wrap everything up before the baby was born!

Also, are you even going back to work? Around this time a lot of women are starting to consider not returning to work when they had previously not thought about this option. Obviously there are many factors that contribute to the final decision, like your financial situation, your desire for a career, your personality type, and numerous others. Take some time and really think about it. Talk to your significant other if they are in the picture, or your friends. Do your research.

And enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, because by the end of this week you are officially starting your third and final trimester!

If you want to catch up with previous weeks….

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 25

It is Monday, and time for another week in my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.

Week 25

This was not my favorite time to be pregnant. Sure the nausea has long subsided, but now came some of the more lingering back pain. As your stomach expands, it starts really affecting your lower back as it has to support all the extra, unevenly distributed, weight. I found walking helps. As I mentioned in a few weeks ago, some people enjoyed doing yoga while pregnant. Before starting anything talk to your doctor and make sure it is safe for you.

Menstrual cramps also start happening around now. No, you are not going to be getting your period. You are just going to feel like you are. The good news is they don’t last for days at a time, just a few pangs here and there.

Sleeping became a little more difficult around this time too. Not only was I more restless, but I had a lot of difficulty finding a comfortable position. I used to be a belly sleeper, which obviously was no longer going to work. My back was now no longer comfortable either (or safe). When I would lay on my side, my knees would be at an awkward angle. I found propping pillows in all directions helped. I would lay on my left side with a pillow behind my back so I can lean into it without rolling directly onto my back, and another pillow between my knees. Some women also put a pillow in front of them for the same reason as the back pillow. Experiment with different positions and see what suits you.

One of the most vivid things I remember around this time of month was a recurring dream, or better yet nightmare. Apparently (and I really wish I had known this at the time), dreams become much more vivid and realistic around now. I had this terrible one where I either gave birth to a stillborn, or miscarried, or lost the baby shortly after giving birth. This dream stayed with me until delivery, coming back every few nights. The night before giving birth was the last time I ever had this dream (until I was pregnant again). Most sources say this is perfectly normal. Hopefully you will be one of the ones who doesn’t really get this. But if you do, and it really freaks you out, talk to your doctor. See what, if anything, he can do to reassure you.

To accompany the sleepless nights due to restlessness, discomfort, and bad dreams, I also started getting heartburn. With Munchie it was absolutely horrible, and lasted until I gave birth. With Ducky I had it just as bad, but for a much shorter time, and at this point it hadn’t started yet. There is no guarantee that you will get it, but if you do, it is not something that will linger after you give birth. Also (and I found this out about a week before giving birth to Ducky), you are allowed to take some heartburn meds while pregnant. I don’t know if I would take the super strong stuff regardless of what my doctor may say, but I would have pop a Tums once in a while had I known.Talk to your doctor.

Also, I know I keep saying “talk to your doctor” every few sentences, but I am terribly adverse to getting sued, and/or being accused of baby murder. So even though I am writing completely from research and experience, we are all different, especially when it comes to pregnancy, so what worked for me and tons of other people may in fact not work for you. Therefore, before you take my advice, speak with your doctor.

If you want to catch up with previous weeks….

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 24

It is Monday, and time for another installment of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.

Week 24

This week your belly button will pop. I found it extremely amusing (totally not sure why). And it will stay like that until after you give birth. It will eventually go back in. Mine took a little longer with my second. Well, everything took a little longer with the second, so this was no surprise.

A topic of discussion at this point is whether you are exercising or not. If you didn’t exercise before pregnancy, or even during thus far, then this is definitely not the time to start. It would be too straining on your body that is straining enough as is.

However, if you have been at it, then you may need to slow down (talk to your doctor), but you can still do some things. I used to love walking while pregnant (I still do now). I would walk for miles at a time, and since my body was totally used to it all I had to do was decrease my speed a little towards the end. In fact I could not have kept the same speed even if I had tried. The benefits (besides not gaining a ton of baby weight) was also a much easier delivery, less back aches during pregnancy, and a very quick recovery. Not to mention it did wonder for my mood (when I wasn’t completely overtaken by hormones).

Even if you have not exercised before now, you may consider taking some slow ten to fifteen minutes strolls. Talk to your doctor first, but he is most likely to agree that it should not be a problem. If nothing else, it may at least relax you a bit.

If you haven’t already, schedule your glucose screening test. If your doctor hasn’t ordered one for you yet. Ask him why. Also, don’t be surprised, or scared, if you find you are getting to be anemic at this point. It is temporary, and will go away once the baby is born. Sometimes the baby sucks out of you more of your nutrients than you think. Eating diets rich in iron (like spinach) can help, but there is only so much iron you can consume. And most iron pills will make you extremely constipated while pregnant. As long as you are eating as healthy as possible, your baby is not suffering. And your iron levels will level off.

What are you experiencing this week?

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