Pregnancy Update: 25 Weeks

Check me out!  I'm doing pregnancy updates on back-to-back weeks!  I told you I'd be better at this blogging thing once I wasn't working so much.

Baby's size: "What to Expect" says baby is as big as a rutabaga, and according to "The Bump" she's about the size of a cauliflower.  She should be somewhere between 9 and 14.8 inches long and weighing in at about 1.5-2.5 pounds.  At my second anatomy scan on Friday, the technician said baby was weighing close to 2 pounds and that she may be a little further along than we thought, but that it was just by a few days and that's not a substantial enough difference to change my due date.  This week, I discovered a new pregnancy app (OviaPregnancy) that lets you choose a theme other than "fruits & vegetables" to be used to give updates on items that are close to baby in size.  I  chose "weird-but-cute animals."  My mom says it's creepy, but the Mister and I have thoroughly enjoyed imagining the baby as the size of a prairie dog.

What I'm wearing: For a few days this weekend, the weather was actually seasonal, and I was able to break out the ponchos and sweaters I've so been looking forward to wearing.  But, alas, it's unseasonably warm again today (and it will be for the rest of the week), so it's back to maternity jeans and unflattering t-shirts.  Non-pregnant me would LOVE this weather, but pregnant me wants to be able to wear stretchy, comfy sweaters over this baby bump!

Weight gained:  After my walk this morning, my weight gain was at 24 pounds. : ( I know, I know... I'm putting on weight like crazy, and I don't know why.  We were out of town this weekend in Raleigh at the state fair and then a music festival, and I didn't eat great, but I don't feel like I was terrible either (other than one fried delicacy at the fair, but when in Rome).   Even more, we were walking miles a day, and at the music festival I had to go down and back up two steep flights of stairs to go to the restroom I was frequenting.  I'm exercising every day and making good food choices (maybe not great choices because not everything that's healthy is appetizing right now, but I could be eating a lot worse!).  I don't think it's fluid retention because I don't really have any swelling in my hands and feet.  It's easy to get discouraged, but I'm trying to keep a good attitude and continue to make healthy choices for baby and me.  When I'm not pregnant, I'm someone who gains weight very easily, so it could be that I'm just consuming a few too many calories each day, but I only eat when I'm hungry - and I feel like I'm hungry all the time right now!

Sorry, selfies again : ( I forgot to ask Chris to take some photos of me last night.

Working out: The doggies and I are still walking every day, and I try to go further on the cooler mornings.  This week, my longest walks have been around three miles because I keep having to turn around earlier than I would like due to pain in my lower abdomen.  It's a stretchy muscle pain that I'm guessing is just round ligament related, but it becomes very painful after I've walked for a mile or two.  From what I've found on Google from ladies who experience the same discomfort, it's not anything to worry about, just my muscles getting tired and weak after standing and moving for a long time.  I've seen support bands in the maternity sections at some stores, so I'm thinking I may buy one of those and see if it gives me the bit of help I need to stretch out my walks a little longer. When I take these longer walks, I'm very tired afterward and usually have to take a nap in the afternoon.  That's a little frustrating because I always have a to-do list, but I'm willing to sacrifice an hour or two of nap time to be sure I'm getting my exercise.  I'm still doing thirty minutes of barre or yoga on the days I'm up to it to try to keep at least some of my muscle tone through this pregnancy.  We didn't go to the gym any this weekend since we were out of town - hopefully we'll be able to go at least once this coming weekend. 

New Symptoms:  This weekend, I started having "pinchy" pains in my shoulders and ribs.  It's not consistent and the location moves a lot, so I think it must be more nerve related than muscle related.  These pains make me a little anxious because they make my shoulders and torso very tight... hard to explain but very uncomfortable.

My shortness of breath has become much more pronounced recently.  I can't hurry anywhere or I have to stop for a moment and catch my breath.  It's especially noticeable when I'm talking on the phone - I can't carry on a conversation well if I try to multitask while talking.  I have to sit down and relax to be able to chat for a long period of time.

Apparently this is normal but it's very strange - I'm allergic to my engagement ring and wedding band!  I've developed an allergy to platinum.  While I'm at home, I take my rings off because the skin under them is becoming red, flaky, and itchy.  It's not so bad I can't wear the rings at all, so I'm thankful I can at least keep them on when I'm at work or running errands.  From what I've read, the allergy usually goes away after pregnancy.  So weird!

In general, I'm just feeling much more pregnant lately.  Bending down to shave, pick things up, put on my shoes, etc., has become very uncomfortable.  Even getting up and down from the couch makes me groan.  I read somewhere this week that my uterus is now the size of a soccer ball, so that would explain why everything feels squished.  Luckily, this discomfort is at its worst at night when my tummy is full of dinner and I'm worn out, so I have Chris around to pick things up for me and help me when I need something from another room.

Days until my next appointment: Our next appointment is November 4th, exactly two weeks from today.  The follow-up anatomy scan went well last Friday.  Baby is still breech at the bottom of my uterus with all of her limbs contorted above her body, but she cooperated enough that we were at least able to get all the photos the practitioner needs to make sure she's developing normally.  The technician didn't mention anything, so I'm assuming everything is okay, but we'll get that verified at our appointment.  Chris had to leave before they called me back (he had a meeting he couldn't miss), but I was able to see all of her arms and legs and hands and feet.  She's looking like a real little person!  According to my pregnancy apps, her hair is gaining its pigment this week.  It's so cool to think she's really starting to look like she will when she makes her grand entrance.

Food aversions: Plain water, smoothies, raw veggies (like carrots and broccoli, I still love salad)

Food cravings: Same as last week - Caesar salad, chocolate milk, coffee ice cream, Japanese and Chinese food, ground beef, and a new one, Sour Patch Kids (haven't given in to this craving yet, but I know I will when I buy Halloween candy)

How I'm sleeping: I'm sleeping okay but I'm waking up a lot and having a hard time sleeping in.  One night this weekend I went to bed exhausted after midnight and couldn't make myself sleep past 7 am.  To make matters worse, I think the dogs realize I'm not in a deep sleep and that I'm tossing and turning a lot because they're waking me up much more frequently to take them out.  We keep saying we need to transition them to sleeping in the crate before the baby arrives, but we don't follow through on that.  We tried one night and ended up letting them out because they looked so sad.  We're already doing great at this whole parenting thing. ; )

What I'm looking forward to in the near future: At 28 weeks, I'm supposed to be able to feel the baby move pretty consistently when she's awake.  I think that will be really reassuring to know she's doing alright and is moving around in there.

Feeling baby move: On that note, I can feel her move about the same amount as last week.  Sometimes it's really pronounced and other times I can't feel her at all.

Innie or outie?: Still an innie for sure, but I can tell it's gotten a little shallower.  We shall see!

I'm working tomorrow (it may be my last shift, but I'm not completely sure - I told them they could schedule me through October 31st) and then we have a wedding to attend this weekend, so I'm thinking this will probably be my last day checking in until next week.  Talk to you then!