Got the “What to expect when expecting” book on Sunday, so I actually have a hardcopy of a reference for pregnancy (it's the pits being with no Internet). I am surprised, the book is quite a complete work and answers many odd questions very accurately. There is a journal from the same authors that I will try to get later on, as it assigns important checkups and dates that may be handy for scrapbooking later.
I’m feeling breathless and very tired. Everything takes up all my energy, and if it where for me I would just stay in bed. Painting walls on Saturday left me with pain in the trapeze and shoulders… The longaleer hill walk at the Zoo on Sunday left me with sore feet and legs… Plus I was constantly fatigued while in that place… The sun is an angry enemy right now not only for the mage but for me… I get dehydrated too easily, and the heat triggered headaches really fast. By night I had a mild migraine that stayed a bit bearable thanks to meds… I really felt like doing nothing on Monday. I just didn’t want to get out of bed…
I’m also having sharp mood swings. Anything and everything makes me shift from happy to full of tears to content to killing mode. I feel frustrated at so many things… All I want to do and I can’t because of lack of money… The emotional strain of not having as many things in common with my mate affects me more than I expected as I thought I could handle some things… It is obvious that all at once is too much for me… I had not seen these differences in such a sharp and cruel way before… Now, thanks to my enhanced senses they are driving me insane. I need to feel unconditional support and love, and each clash even if it is an itsy bitsy detail hurts much and leaves me resentful… not helping my never ending complain of feeling lonely. Having a different point of view is one thing, constantly having a perennial opposite point of view drives me over the edge… and all I can do about it is cry. Giving so many explanations… it’s not me… Perhaps all my emotions and senses are just enhanced by the whole pregnancy thing… So it reads… But some I just don’t know.
Emotionally drained and battered, tired, backache, sleepyness, absentmindedness, melancholy… But damn, isn’t this all I feel normally? LOL It’s week 21. What is in store now?
WEEK 21 (From www.whattoexpect.com)
Stretch Marks
Your baby's not even born yet and is already leaving a mark — all over your belly, butt, thighs, hips, and breasts. Yes, stretch marks have made their appearance. Most pregnant women fear them. Many won't even talk about them. Some particularly enlightened ones wear them proudly as a badge of pregnancy. No, not maternity clothes. Stretch marks. Your baby's not even born yet and is already leaving a mark — all over your belly, butt, thighs, hips, and breasts. More than half of all pregnant women will get these pink or red (sometimes purplish) streaks that are caused by tiny tears in the supporting layers of tissue under your skin as it becomes stretched to its limit. Unfortunately, there's no proven way to prevent stretch marks from zigzagging their way across your skin (though there's no harm in applying moisturizers, such as cocoa butter, to your skin; if nothing else, it will prevent the dryness and itching associated with pregnancy-stretched skin). Susceptibility has lots to do with genetics: Chances are, if your mother got them, you probably will too. If your mother sailed through her pregnancies with smooth skin intact, you'll probably stay as smooth as your baby's butt. Rapid weight gain can also predispose you to getting stretch marks — another good reason to add your pounds slowly and steadily (at an average of about a pound a week these days). Darker-skinned women are less likely to get stretch marks (plus, they're not as visible on dark skin) — but fair-skinned gals are usually less lucky. Is there any good news about stretch marks? Here's something: They won't stay so vividly hued forever. After delivery, they usually fade to a less noticeable (and more easily concealable) silvery gray color. Meanwhile, try to wear them with pride.
Open Wide
At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana. There's still a great deal of room in your womb — though your tenant will soon begin to feel cramped, so be prepared! At about seven inches in length and almost 11 ounces in weight, your baby is about the size of a large banana. By now, your baby swallows at least several ounces of amniotic fluid each day — not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting — skills your baby will need as soon as he or she arrives in your arms. And keep this in mind: The taste of the amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on what you've eaten (spicy enchilada one day, sweet carrots another). And that smorgasbord of tastes won't be lost on your baby. That's because your little one has very developed taste buds already. In fact, researchers have noted that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat foods with that same taste after birth. Want your baby to eat his or her broccoli later? Eat yours now! Your baby still has a great deal of room in your womb — though like anyone who lives in one space for a long time, this tenant will soon begin to feel cramped. Until those uterine walls start closing in, however, there's plenty of space for twisting, turning, and even an occasional somersault (so that's what you were feeling last night!). With all that belly dancing going on, it's hard to believe your baby gets any sleep at all. But believe it or not, your fetus sleeps as much as a newborn, perhaps 12 to 14 hours per day! (Now if only you could get some sleep!)
Can We Talk?
At some point in pregnancy, just about every expectant mother (and father!) begins to feel as though she's on a runaway train — with enormous changes coming round the bend. No, that's not the beach ball you lost last summer — there's really a baby in there! Now that you're starting to look pregnant (and not just like you were spending too much time with the Ben & Jerry's) and those kicks can no longer be mistaken for gas, the reality of pregnancy is probably beginning to sink in. And with it, you may find, a few ambivalent feelings you're even ambivalent about admitting. Don't worry — and hang on. At some point in pregnancy (and usually once that pregnancy becomes a very visible reality) just about every expectant mother (and father!) begins to feel as though she's on a runaway train — with enormous changes coming round the bend. And not only is it completely normal to have these feelings — it's especially healthy to acknowledge them. Talk them over with your friends who've had babies, and they're sure to reassure you that they experienced the same kind of anxiety. (Me a mom? There must be some mistake!) Most important, discuss your fears with your partner, who's probably just as in need of a good heart-to-heart.
First Kicks
Sometime between weeks 18 and 22, she'll feel what she may describe as butterflies in her stomach — but oh, baby, it's no butterfly she's feeling. Here's a word you didn't know: "Quickening." But your partner knows it — and she's been waiting for it. "Quickening" and "fetal movement" are obstetrical-speak for baby kicks, as those little arms and legs get big enough to be felt from within. Sometime between weeks 18 and 22, she'll feel what she may describe as butterflies in her stomach — but oh, baby, it's no butterfly she's feeling. It's the first physical proof positive (besides her bulging belly) that there's a new life inside her. When will you get your kicks? Those movements won't be strong enough to be felt from the outside for another few weeks — but it'll be worth the wait.
Ermmm... Anything ELSE? Sheesh!
10-4
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