(Week 17) Friday, April 17th, 2020 This is the 5th week in quarantine. Like I wrote in a previous post, the pregnancy symptoms might be messing with my isolation symptoms. We went to see my mother in law this week for her birthday, and it was great to see her from a social distance. She did mention that it looks like I am getting bigger. She is the first person we’ve seen since the isolation began that’s been able to say that. Besides her, it’s just been Andy and me who have been seeing me on a regular basis so it was good to hear a different person’s perspective on how my growth is looking.
This week I have started to feel more slight muscle irritation. In particular, the right side of my stomach has a tightening feel. It is not irritating but rather feels like soreness after working out so hard. I have also been able to feel some muscle tightening and movement in my uterus, and lower abdomen.
The need to pee has been very increased. At night during the past week, I have been up to pee about 6-8 times per night, and release just a small amount of pee each time. There’s also been a few times where I’ve leaked in my underwear. This was strange because when that happens I don’t even have an urge to pee at all!
(Week 18) Tuesday, April 21, 2020, I went for a 5-mile walk on Sunday. Typically when I do 5 miles I am tired afterward but still have enough energy for the remainder of the day. I came home with a beating headache, lied down, and napped for nearly 1.5 hours. I never felt so famished from a 5-mile walk. It was a simple walk too, no incline, all sidewalks at a park near our home. The following day, Monday, I also felt very tired. I napped during the workday. Work these days is very slow anyway, seeing as it’s e-learning from home.
Despite what the past 2 days brought, I had loads of energy today. I was able to wake up, do the regular morning walk with Daisy, and do daily morning yoga that has become a routine since quarantine. I even did a second workout (an arm and a HIIT workout) later on this evening and took Daisy for a second walk. On the walk, I also filled up 2 trash bags full of garbage. I was wearing a small bag over my hand as gloves to protect myself from germs. The energy that filled my body today was refreshing, and I hope there’s more to come of it this week!
The work from home days come and go with highs and lows. Today I was very motivated to get things done and excited about it. Yesterday, I was very frustrated with it and wished I was back in the classroom. It’s such a challenging time for all teachers, and the thing that keeps me going on most days is the videos I get from students with big smiles saying “I miss you, Ms. Sarah!”
I have been wondering what it would be like to be teaching in a classroom right now. Would I come home exhausted from the day? Would I have the energy to go to the gym? Would I be able to keep up with the workout classes I go to? Being pregnant during the quarantine brings a handful of questions and unknowns. I only hope that come September, when this baby is due, that things can perhaps be back to more of a “normal” or is this just a new normal?
I found a stroller off Facebook marketplace this week for free. I am pretty excited about that because now all we need to do is get a car seat to go along with the stroller model! Facebook free baby finds…yeah!
Wednesday, April 22, 2020, It’s no myth that when you are pregnant, sleep issues will arise. I have been having a really hard time staying asleep the past few nights. I am up about every 40 minutes. My dreams are very vivid, and it seems like I go through 4 dreams, and then I wake up. It’s a repeated cycle throughout the night. I wish I could get a full night’s sleep. I’ve ordered a pregnancy pillow so I hope that will help the problem at hand! They are an investment. I wanted to purchase a used one off Facebook marketplace but my husband has convinced me otherwise, that a used pillow is a hygiene issue, and we should invest in a new one. We found a well-reviewed one on amazon, and it’s on the way. Hope COVID-19 doesn’t slow down shipping!
Symptoms:
-bleeding gums
-eye irritation, can’t wear contacts
Must watch documentary: Pregnant in America.
This was a good documentary and it will have you thinking deep about the birth process in America. I’m very paranoid for birth now…
(Week 20) May 5, 2020: I went to my 20-week appointment today. This is the “big one” because this is the appointment where you can find out the gender of your baby if you choose to do so. We have decided not to find out. My husband’s opinion at first was to find out, but he has agreed to go with my opinion and not find out. I don’t have a big preference either way about what gender the baby is. All I am wanting is a healthy baby to come at the end of this pregnancy. Whatever the baby is, is what was meant to be. The appointment went as smoothly and well as I predicted it would. It’s a bummer that because of COVID-19, women need to go into these appointments alone. To experience these moments alone is a mix of emotions, and I wish Andy could be there with me but I understand why they have these rules in place. The doctors are very kind and encourage recording it to show Andy later on. I was able to hear the heartbeat and some of the baby movements from the ultra sound on video. The ultrasound was really detailed. It’s amazing how much they can tell from these at 20 weeks! She was able to get most of the measurements, and I was able to see the baby growing healthy inside me! For the majority of the ultrasound, the baby was laying on it’s back, with its legs either up or curled in. Imagine a happy baby pose in yoga, and that’s almost what the baby was doing in my stomach. I joked to the ultrasound tech that the baby was staying curled up because the baby knew we didn’t want to find out the gender. Baby is already ignoring mommy and daddy inside the tummy. I was in the ultrasound for nearly 1.5 hours. The technician had me stand up and do some exercises, and drink juice to try and get the baby to move positions. The baby wasn’t cooperating much at all, even after the squats, jumping jacks, and yoga poses. Maybe we have a stubborn one in the making. We did get some great video of the baby kicking. I cannot feel the kicks yet, and I learned it’s because I have a front facing placenta. This means the baby is kicking, but not quite strong enough yet to kick so that I can feel in my stomach. Right now the baby kicking is the placenta. Once the baby is stronger, I’ll be able to feel the kicks. Baby has long legs like daddy it looks like from the videos.
(Week 21) May 16, 2020
This week has been, again, full of good energy! I have been doing yoga daily and I think this has had a huge impact on how my body and mind are reacting to the pregnancy. I often wonder what type of lifestyle pregnant women are leading who have a variety of pregnancy-related issues. What are they eating? Are they moving? Are they getting enough sleep? Are they in a healthy environment? There are so many factors that play into pregnancy. Of course, we cannot control our health history, but the things we can control should be at the top of our priorities when we become pregnant (heck, they should be a top priority when not pregnant!)
I think it’s incredible how the human body reacts to pregnancy based on your body type. I am in a Facebook group “Expecting Moms of 2020” where women post all types of pregnancy-related issues. Many of them post photos of their bellies at 21 weeks. Comparison is not a game we should play, but it’s human nature to do so. It’s incredible how some women are showing so obvious, yet you still wouldn’t know I am pregnant at 21 weeks. Some people might think I have gained a small amount of weight since the stay at home order was put in place, but it’s really not too obvious.
Currently reading: Oh, Baby: Pregnancy Tales and Advice from One hot Mama to Another by Tia Mowry.
This is a good book to read through your pregnancy that will make you laugh, and has plenty of situations a pregnant woman can relate to! I highly recommend this for some light read during pregnancy.