Monday, March 13, 2017

Life lately - 19 weeks pregnant

I hit the 19-week mark of my pregnancy yesterday. Many pregnancy resources describe the baby as now being the size of a mango.
As I mentioned previously, I do not intend to turn this blog into a baby blog. I certainly understand not everyone wants to read about it. Today, however, please humor me as I wanted to share a few details on my experience so far.

How have you been feeling?
Over the last month or two, I've been feeling really good. Many times I feel so normal that I forget I'm pregnant! I do get tired more easily, though. I've been sleeping longer hours and taking more naps than usual. I have occasionally experienced increased shortness of breath during physical activity - most notably when I am climbing stairs.
Did you have any morning sickness?
No nausea or vomiting, thankfully. However, between Weeks 6-9 I had major loss of appetite, which is extremely atypical for me. I also had a heightened sense of smell, upper body soreness, and got a little lightheaded if I had to stand up too quickly or for too long. I was happy when all of these symptoms started dissipating around Week 10.

Are you showing yet?
I would say no, or at least not to the untrained eye. My pants are feeling tighter but I can still fit into all of my clothes. So far my total weight gain has been about 7 pounds. I've consistently been at the low end of the recommended weekly weight gain ranges (note that this has NOT been for lack of eating, especially after Week 10).
Are you still running/working out? Do you plan to run throughout your pregnancy?
I'm trying to stay as active as possible, and have been working out in some capacity at least 4-5 days a week. I've been walking, lifting (lighter weights than before), stationary biking, and doing yoga, Zumba, and barre classes.

Running has become a no-go. It feels like too much for my body right now. One exception was a few weeks ago when the weather was VERY unseasonably warm. The nearly summer-like temperatures motivated me to break a then-5-week running drought. I ran 3 extremely slow miles (i.e. at a pace between 90-120 seconds per mile slower than my pre-pregnancy pace). It was truly all I could handle. I haven't tried again ever since. I am doubtful about trying again until after I deliver.

Kudos to all of you who continue running during your pregnancies. It really is no joke.

Do you have any food cravings? Do you miss anything?
I've gone through phases of craving watermelon, cream cheese, chips and hummus, lemon, and pizza (although, pizza is nothing unusual). There was a time period during which I couldn't get enough bread or pasta - yet that has surprisingly waned. I'd like to believe my body is naturally regulating my carb intake since I'm not running these days. But who am I kidding - my historic dietary patterns strongly suggest otherwise. ;-P

I really miss eating sushi. Every time I walk by my favorite neighborhood sushi restaurant, I feel wistful. I've had to be careful about the cold deli meats whenever my office brings sandwiches in for lunch. Recently, I've had several instances where I unhappily avoided poached eggs.

Are you feeling any movement?
Yes!!! I feel lots of little flutters and twinges. They are most noticeable when I'm sitting at my desk or on the couch, or when I'm lying in bed at night. When I put my hand on my belly, I've caught some little kicks against my palm. Adam has managed to catch a few of them, too. It's exciting! And since my belly hasn't grown much, the movements are also very reassuring that things are happening in there. =)
What are you looking forward to right now?
Adam and I are heading out soon for a babymoon! Plus, I am anxiously awaiting my next ultrasound in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to see how much progress has occurred since our last "look-in" around Week 13!

14 comments:

  1. Wow, somehow I too missed the announcement that you were expecting. Congrats to you and Adam.
    I struggle enough with runing as it is and often wonder how pregnant women do it. I would probably have to take a running hiatus too.

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  2. I haven't known any of my friends who could keep running through their pregnancy. They did do other activities, but running was so uncomfortable for them.

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  3. I'm so happy you did one of these! I was hopping on here to "start" my 19 weeks one. We are so different in some things! I can't feel anything yet but I think it's because I'm bigger than you are. Smaller people will feel earlier. I'm giving this baby until next week to show me what it's got! lol. Glad you didn't have any nausea or anything either! And I never lost my appetite so my weight gain has definitely been more than you! Glad all is well!

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  4. I wondered where you had been! CONGRATULATIONS. This is such exciting news. Enjoy your babymoon.

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  5. This is all so exciting! Yay! I'm glad you haven't had too many unpleasant symptoms and that most of the ones you did have have gone away by now. That's great that you've been able to keep up activity, too, even if it's not running. I imagine it's nice to be able to move around a bit!

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  6. Yaaasss! The stairs. I remained almost at full capacity for most aerobic actives well into my third trimester except for stairs. Those things would leave me breathless. Lol! Memories.

    Food is such a funny thing in pregnancy. I never had strong or crazy cravings for something I had to eat NOW. BUT - my entire first trimester and well into my second I ate chili for lunch almost every day. My sister joked that I would have to dress the baby as a bowl of chili for Halloween.

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  7. I did not run at all during either pg. I wanted to, but my body was not having it. If women can run with they are pg, kudos to them! Like you, I walked and did weight lifting.

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  8. Keep going with the baby blogging. I'm interested in finding out if baby will be a Hawks fan or a Pens fan! Have fun on your "babymoon"!

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  9. Great update Emily! I'm so excited for you guys and thrilled it's been smooth sailing. I did not run during pregnancy either so don't give it another thought. I remember feeling sooooo winded even at 10 weeks! Haha! Enjoy your babymoon!

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  10. Love the update! Glad you have been feeling good. Hope you and Adam are having a great trip! I have to say from the pictures on twitter I would not have been able to tell you are pregnant.

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  11. I'm still so excited about this! My sister mentioned how exhausted she always was when pregnant, and I remember making her go on a run with me...she was not pleased at all. It's great that you're still exercising!

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  12. Congrats! I'm just finding out you're pregnant now. I'm glad you're feeling good! I miss sushi too and isn't the baby movement the best? Have fun on your baby moon!

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  13. Hi, I’m Diane C. Brown. Already I have read this articles. Your idea is right.I'm still so excited about this! My sister mentioned how exhausted she always was when pregnant, and I remember making her go on a run with me...she was not pleased at all. It's great that you're still exercising! I never had strong or crazy cravings for something I had to eat NOW. BUT - my entire first trimester and well into my second I ate chili for lunch almost every day. My sister joked that I would have to dress the baby as a bowl of chili for Halloween. http://onedaytop.com/acupuncture-active-prevent-period-pain/

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  14. Your baby is now around the length of a banana and you may be starting to feel them move. You might even start to feel them actually prodding or kicking you!

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