Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Halfway There -- 20 weeks

20 weeks, wow.  I never thought we would get halfway through another pregnancy.  I confess that sometimes I feel like I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop or that I will wake up and find this was all just a wonderful dream.  I am so nervous about this pregnancy but am really trying to not stress myself out.  And this pregnancy is SOOOO different than B's that it is almost like being pregnant for the first time again and not knowing what to expect.

I am having some issues with water retention.  By the end of my work day, I look like I have clown feet because my ankles and feet are so swollen.  Same thing happens to my hands.  So, after about a 6 lb weight gain in one month which the doctor feels is mainly water, I have to adjust my diet.  Low sodium.  Most of my favorite foods have to either be eliminated or severely cut back.  I have had a serious craving for pizza this pregnancy but that will have to be curtailed now.  Poor T, I cried so hard on the way home from the doctor's office because of that 6 lbs.  All I could think was that I was going to get gestational diabetes and endanger the baby.  I can always find the silver lining....

With B, I had problems putting weight on.  It is appearing that isn't going to be an issue with this little guy.  I had another meltdown just the other day when I decided I was going to weigh myself before my shower.  The scale showed a 8-10 lb weight gain in the week and a half since my last doctor's appointment.  Poor T came running into the bathroom to see what was wrong, I was crying so hard.  He finally got me calmed down, telling me the scale was broken.  I then went in to get dressed for work.  I wear uniforms for work and my uniform shirt is a button down oxford that I had been wearing untucked over my maternity pants.  I put the shirt on and couldn't get it to button shut all the way down.  What would button was so strained I had huge gaps.  Another crying jag ensued.  My poor, poor husband.  He was wonderful, though.  He got my new maternity shirts for work out and told me how nice I looked in them.  Thankfully, the scale WAS broken.  We replaced it and I haven't gained any weight since my last appointment.  The baby, however, appears to have gone through another growth spurt as my belly is DEFINITELY bigger.  Freakin' hormones, they make everything so dramatic.

The little guy is also pretty active.  B was not this active.  He moves a lot.  T got to feel him for the first time the other night.  He was kicking so hard that T asked me if it hurt.  While it is sometimes inconvenient when he decides to start playing (like almost every night when I lay down to go to sleep LOL), it is a huge comfort to me to feel him moving around in there.  T and I were trying to explain to B the other day that her baby brother kind of swam around inside Mommy and that I could feel him moving around.  She looked up at me in awe and said, "You have a swimming pool inside you, Mama?"

Only another 20 weeks to go.  This baby is already bigger than B was at this stage.  The doctor decided to keep my original due date as of right now, though.  I have a feeling this one is going to be a lot bigger than his sister at birth.  I am hoping he isn't going to be a 10 pounder LOL.  As long as he is healthy, that is all I ask.