(Week 13/14) Friday, March 13th I have been feeling so good all week! I feel like I have most of my energy back and my appetite is up. For people who don’t know I am pregnant, they probably would have no idea because I feel I’ve been acting so much more like myself. Perhaps my energy isn’t quite as high as typical but I feel much more like myself. I do not think I am showing a bump yet but my husband said he notices some more “chubbiness” around my belly. From my perspective, I don’t see it. In case you were wondering, no, I didn’t have extreme pregnancy hormones when my husband said I was chubby. I’ve been able to workout every single day this week. I even tried a free “solid core” class on ClassPass. If you aren’t sure what solid core is, I recommend YouTubing it right now to see how it works. It was such a good abdominal and leg workout. I was able to keep up with this workout and felt so good after! They say that the 2nd trimester is when you get all of your energy back and if this is what the whole 2nd trimester is going to feel like, well bring it on! I’m ready for it.
(Week 15) Thursday, March 19th: Today I had my 12-week appointment with the OB. It seems everything is healthy and good. There were no concerns at this time which is something to be so grateful for. I am growing a healthy baby inside my body. Over the past couple of weeks, the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has really exploded in our world and it’s an uncertain time for people. It’s especially an uncertain and scary time for pregnant women. Luckily I am early on enough in my pregnancy that I can only hope there will be more research out by my due date in September. At my clinic, they have decided to have pregnant women skip the 16 week OB appointments due to the coronavirus. If you are a higher risk pregnancy or have health complications you would go in for a 16 week, but otherwise, they are not requiring this appointment. Clinics are trying to reduce the number of people in a doctor’s office, understandably so. For now, my plan is to be more cautious of the ways that I go about life in public places.
Schools have shut down and we are preparing for online learning to begin on March 30th. The school suggested that pregnant women start working from home, so as of yesterday I am working from home as a preschool teacher.
(Week 15) Sunday, March 21st: A serious pregnant symptom has started to kick in. The symptom of strong body odor. For the past few days, I have been very aware of my husband’s body odor. I am not noticing any other people’s body odor at this time because due to the coronavirus, I have not been in close proximity with anyone else! I do wish I could get in close proximity with people so I could if I am as sensitive to others smells or if it’s just my husband. In addition to body odor, a stove turned on has a smell of dirty diaper.
(Week 15-16) Saturday, March 28th: Navigating the coronavirus is not an easy task for anyone. Since I last wrote, there has been a “shelter in place” put in order for the state of Minnesota by Governor Tim Walz. To be honest, I have already been practicing shelter in place since Tuesday, March 17th. I have not driven anywhere since I drove home from work that day. There simply hasn’t been a need or reason to go out. We have food, we are safe, and we are staying healthy. If there is a need for groceries my husband has been doing the errand for us. It’s simply out of caution as this situation is still being researched and I want to do all I can to protect myself and the baby at this time.
This is all a time of the unknown. For pregnant women, it seems to be scarier because there are many new rules being put into place. They are regulating the number of people who go into doctor’s offices, partners are not allowed to go to appointments and in some places partners are not even allowed to be in the delivery room. I am hopeful that by September the situation will be under control and things in the delivery rooms will be back to “normal.”
(Week 15-16) Wednesday, April 8th, 2020: Today was the first time during the “stay at home” order that I felt really really down and depressed. It’s hard to know if it’s the pregnancy or the stay at home order that is causing this. I feel it’s all getting mixed together over the past few weeks. I woke up with a headache and was so hungry. It’s safe to say those are pregnancy symptoms. But even after eating, I still felt I could eat and eat and eat. I felt very “blah” all day and nothing seemed to excite or motivate me. I just felt I was going through the motions of the day. My headache lingered on until the late afternoon. I decided to take a nap outside. My husband hung the hammock up for me in the backyard, and I peacefully napped for close to an hour. It was so refreshing to be out in the fresh air, and when I woke up my headache was gone. The outdoors can do wonders.
It was a slow day which doesn’t help with anything. Working from home is also getting to me. I am used to being on the go at my job, running around with 4 and 5 year-olds. Working as a preschool teacher from home has been a challenge. I try to stay as positive as can be but it feels draining at the same time. Zoom meetings, required to be connected to my computer 8 hours a day for the possibility of a message to come through. The days go really slow. I remind myself to enjoy the peace and take it in. I am blessed and grateful to have a job, food, and a roof over my head during this time. I am grateful.
I am at week 16 now and if it were a normal world, we would be going to a 16-week appointment this week. But since it’s not a normal world we are living in, and my pregnancy is healthy, we move on and wait until week 20. I am getting chubbier and there’s more body fat filling out in my stomach, upper body, and arms. It may not be obvious to others, but I do notice a small change. Tomorrow is a new day, tomorrow, a fresh start.
