Category Archives: pregnancy

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.

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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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40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 23

It is Monday, which means we are looking at yet another week of my week by week pregnancy guide. Today I am looking at Week 23. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.

Week 23

About now your doctor will probably have you schedule a Gestational Diabetes Test. This test is not conclusive, but can indicate if there is a problem that needs further investigation. The part I hated most about the test is that it can be a fasting test (depending on how your doctor wants to administer it). Which means you don’t eat before taking it, and then you get to the lab, they have you drink a glucose mixture, which tastes like flavored fizzy water, and then you sit for an hour while it runs through your system and finally take the blood test.

When I was carrying Ducky I got the run around from the lab, and didn’t get a chance to get tested until around 1 p.m. Being pregnant and not having eaten since the night before I was feeling pretty light headed (and cranky). I drank the stuff and sat there trying not to pass out before the test. It was fairly easy the previous time with Munchie. So I guess it a matter of luck. Good luck with yours!

I never had Braxton Hicks this early. With Munchie I didn’t really have Braxton Hicks at all. But supposedly this is about the time they start. They are contractions that feel almost real. Especially if this is your first and you don’t know what real contraction feels like first hand. They are normal, and nothing to fret about. If they are super intense contact your doctor. Even if you think you are just being silly, contact him anyway. About 7 percent of women can go into preterm labor around the second or third trimester (anything before 37 weeks is considered preterm). Your doctor should be checking your cervix to try and identify if you are at risk for this, but in case you are getting these contractions before he has had a chance to do this, better be safe than sorry. You will not be the first pregnant woman to go to the hospital with a false alarm.

If you are at risk for preterm labor one of the first things your doctor will suggest is bed rest. Not moving around can at the least lag labor for a few weeks. There are also medications he can give you. So discuss it with him to find the best course of action.

Did you get Braxton Hicks? What was your first reaction?

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