Ah yes, I could enjoy this.

Yesterday was the first day that I can honestly say I very much enjoyed being pregnant. Emphasis on the 'enjoyed'. I only had a little nausea first thing in the morning and felt awesome for the rest of the day. There was no cramping, no moodiness, no tiredness and first the first time in a while, I was able to eat every few hours and eat a variety of different foods.

During the day I even took Brutus on a 2 mile walk through the park in the warm afternoon sun. I vowed to myself and my baby that we will spend many days at the park, especially if we live in the city. Trees and grass and dirt is good!

I even enjoyed being at work last night. I stand a lot at work, which is pleasant when you're not feeling well. Though on my break I decided to try eating something healthy. I ordered black beans and kale (with a side of seasoned fries *cough cough*) since I used to love eating that kind of thing before being pregnant. But as soon as I tried to put the kale to my mouth, my stomach turned. I couldn't do it. How is it that all my food aversions seem to center around vegetable when I used to eat them all the time?!

Anyway, I decided not to dwell on it. So I boxed my beans and kale and ate the fries. I will try the kale again today. Maybe my body is just in need of more salt and fat as it prepares for more baby growing. I just hope that I can manage some vegetables soon! I need the fiber  ;)

So to more good days! Which, by the way, lead to a fabulous night's sleep! This morning I have a little bit of nausea again, but nothing I cant eat through!

Grocery Shopping? No Thanks.

I am the primary grocery shopper of the household. This is a chore that I usually like to do ... but not lately.

When it comes to grocery shopping, I usually just get the essentials for the week unless I see something that can live in the freezer for a while. Josh will give me one or two items that he would like and then I usually fill in the blanks (what else I think both he and I will need). Again, I usually love doing this, but not lately.

I attempted to go grocery shopping yesterday and had to request a longer list of Josh's 'wants' for the week. Despite the 'usuals' on my list, I couldn't fill in the blanks. The stuff that I usually love and get regularly were wiped off my list and I was stuck. I walked down every aisle, looked at every shelf and could feel my stomach turning. Any time I felt myself say, "Oh that sounds good" I just threw it into my cart. It made for a very interesting mix.

I know that it will get easier soon. I am at week 7 and 1 day, which puts me over half way through the first trimester. So I just need to hold on for a little while longer and then I know I will be filling my shopping cart with all kinds of good stuff! So I guess I should be thankful for all the money I am saving right now :)

Oh how my heart BUUUUURNS!

It's been a few days since I last posted anything. The only reason for this is because the past few days have been pretty rough as far as nausea go, and I really didn't want to keep writing about the same thing. However, today has been much better ... not nausea free, but better :)  and so I am back.

You know, I thought I had experienced indigestion before ... but you know what ... I was wrong. Last night Josh and I were sitting on the couch watching TV. Suddenly I had one of those hick-up burps that I thought was going to result in a vomit covered couch, but much to my surprise was just stomach acid. (I know, right ... sorry for ruining dinner!). It was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It came right up to my throat before my swallow reflex brought it back to it's rightful place. And wow did it burn! I spent the first 15 seconds just trying to catch my breath. It felt like I'd been winded or my water had gone down the wrong pipe. Once I sort of caught my breath I got up to get some water. Meanwhile, I couldn't stop coughing or swallowing, and sadly the saliva seemed to fuel the fire in my throat.

All I could think about was a glass of water, but for whatever reason, when I opened the fridge I reached for the Lactaid milk instead (I'm lactose intolerant). I poured it as quickly as I could before taking a big mouthful. As soon as that milk hit my throat the fire went out. It was such sweet relief! I ended up downing half a cup which thankfully settled my upset stomach. But my goodness ... I was very glad when that 5 minutes was over!

So I learned a lesson from all of that. Any time I eat something that I think might give me indigestion (or whatever THAT was) I simply drink a cup of milk afterwards. Since it's only been a day, I cannot really say if it works, but my esophagus and throat sure hope so! Would suck if that happened at work, where they don't have milk .... maybe 'Tums' and I shall have to put our differences aside ... just for the next 7.5 months.

Is it time to go into hibernation yet?

I have been sleeping a lot lately! Seriously way more than before. The past few mornings I haven't had to get up at a specific time, so I've just been waking up naturally ... at ummm 11am and this morning at 11:30am! I guess I have been napping a little bit less during the day, but have been getting plenty of rest! Last night Josh and I were watching 'Monk' and I fell asleep on the couch at 8:30pm. Don't worry, I didn't sleep from 8:30pm until 11:30am, that would be impressive, but I was in bed by 11:30pm.

Lately I just feel like I could sleep and sleep. So maybe I should just join the California bears when they turn in for hibernation :)  I think I would enjoy that very much!

The nausea first thing in the morning has been pretty bad the past few days also, so maybe that is just sucking the life out of me. The nausea was so bad the other morning, when Josh crawled back into the bed to talk to me for a second, I turned around and told him to stop moving the bed. He just gently got back back up and walked away. --- Sorry my love!  ---- Lucky for me, he is 100% understanding and hasn't held any of my mood swings against me.

I don't know if this happened on purpose or not, but my boss recently changed my Native Foods working schedule so that on any given day, I am only working one job. So today for example, I am only coaching gymnastics. Honestly, had it not worked out this way I am not sure what I would be like at the end of working two jobs right now. So I am thankful :)

So other than the nausea and tiredness, I am doing great. I eat when I can and rest when I can. Speaking of which, I think it might be breakfast time :)

Sometimes we need a little help.

Today started off pretty rough. I was feeling awful when I woke up and went from lying in bed to lying on the couch contemplating getting back into bed. Luckily Josh was here this morning to give me a kick start. He talked me into a much needed shower (standing for too long in the morning can be too much), by saying that he would get breakfast (that I didn't want but very much NEEDED), while I got ready for my day.

I took my time in the shower, which actually ended up making me feel a lot better and sat on the couch to a yummy black bean and cheese burrito from Trader Joes and a ginger ale. For the first time in a few days the smell didnt hit me in the back of the throat. I sat down and happily got through about 3/4 of the burrito. This means that I also got my prenatal down with food which is always a plus!

This is the first morning where the pregnancy sickness has actually slowed me down. If it hadnt been for Josh, I probably would have turned up at work unshowered and having not eaten more than my whole grain crackers. Thanks to his loving help this morning, I ended up having a wonderful day.

As the day continued, I felt better and better, though the nausea crept in from time to time. I managed to ignore it most of the time and even managed some lunch today :)  It's the first day in half a week where I have eaten at least 3 decent (baby happy) meals and had a helping of fruit to end my day. It's days like this that make all the other days worth it. And I love using days like today to catch up on the nutrients my baby has been missing out on.

A beautiful day thanks to my wonderful fiance. I appreciate all your patience and unconditional love. Thank you for answering to my every pregnant need ... I love more than I could ever express in words.

Ok this was fun ... Can the baby be here now?

It's been a week since I tested positive for being pregnant, and I feel like I am finally settling into my new lifestyle. Obviously I cannot be completely settled ... after all, every day is different. But I am getting used to the symptoms that occur on a daily bases. For example, every morning I know I will wake up completely starving and nauseated at the same time, so I am prepared with whole grain crackers and water. I also set my alarm with enough time that I can get up slowly.
I know that after about an hour of sitting on the couch nibbling on a few more crackers that my stomach will be finally ready for the idea of some breakfast. As soon as I feel ready I prepare whatever I find somewhat appealing. I eat because I know the baby needs food, otherwise I wouldn't bother until I am feeling 100% better. Breakfast is still a struggle though, and my gag reflex is ready and waiting for me to lose control. I don't really start to feel completely better until mid afternoon, but at least the baby was fed :)

Something that has been new the last few days is that just the thought of foods makes me feel like throwing up. Just thinking about it in my mouth is enough to turn my stomach. So even when I am starving and want to eat ... finding something I can swallow is quite the adventure. Today for example, the only thing that I could easily swallow (not including the breakfast I inhaled) was lightly salted tortilla chips. Not very nutritious I know, but at least it was something. Hopefully tomorrow will be something a little more substantial. But thankfully this evening I managed some chicken noodle soup.

The cramping is slowly stopping which is nice. The cramping was due to my pelvis changing, my uterus growing, the baby implanting and the sudden surge of hormones. I know that I will get more as the pregnancy progresses, but for now I am pretty much cramp free :) 

The final big physical change ... and I am only discussing this because it is a pregnancy blog ... are my boobs. Oh my goodness, are they sore!!! They've already grown half a cup size which means I'm going to need to go shopping soon. This morning I couldn't raise my arms all the way because they were so tender. But hey ... I guess I wont be needing those implants lol  ;)

So yeah, emotionally I have settled in, but physically I haven't stopped changing in weeks. It's like puberty all over again! But when I think about the end goal ... a beautiful, healthy baby ... it is worth every tender, nauseated, cramping minute. I cant wait to be a mom.  :)

Prenatal Yoga Time!

I bought a prenatal yoga dvd a few days ago so that I would stay somewhat active and strong. Today is the first day that I managed to get up off the couch and onto my yoga mat to use it.

The prenatal section of the dvd is 30 minutes long and incorporates all the safe poses for an expectant mother. I had no idea that there were so many unsafe poses until I checked online! So be careful if you decide to go to a regular yoga class! Their is also a postnatal section on the dvd, but obviously I havnt used that one yet.

There was a lot of reminding me to breathe and smile and relax my face. Every time she said something along those lines, I was holding my breath or frowning because the pose was a little difficult, so I was thankful for the reminders. She also takes the time for you to connect with your breathing and your baby, which I feel is very important.

Despite having felt a little under the weather this morning, the entire 30 minutes was very doable, it even made me feel a little better (though I am not yet running to the fridge). So I can definitely see myself being able to do this a few times a week throughout the pregnancy.

I do hope to get to a few actual prenatal yoga classes. My friend Nadia is all for going with me and participating since this may be outside of Josh's comfort zone (which of course, I fully understand if he doesnt want to step inside a yoga studio). So I am happy to have a yoga buddy :)  Thank you Nadia!

So I highly recommend this yoga workout. It's nice and simple, but I feel like I had to work a little.
Namaste!

Every expectant mother worries.

When I was reading the baby book last night it seemed I was at the exact part that I needed to be at for me. It talked about how every expectant mother worries about everything, especially when it's their first pregnancy. As it turns out, every woman who is expecting for the first time (and this very much includes me) worries about miscarrying.

It's not that there is a history of it in my family or anything like that. I just find myself worrying about every little pain, every little feeling that is brand new and foreign. I worry that I am eating too much of the wrong thing and not enough of the right. I worry that I am moving too fast, standing too long or not sleeping enough.

It is strange to be in charge of a little life growing inside me. And because I've never done it before, it is also worrying at times. They say that 10% of all pregnancies miscarry ... I'd say that put the odds in my favour of keeping this wonderful child inside me until it is fully ready to survive in the world. But I cannot say that it doesn't cross my mind every day that I will slip up some how. After all, I have never had a little life depend on me so much before.

I guess all I can do is relax and listen to my body and my baby and stop worrying about having too many symptoms or not enough. After all ... I do believe I was praying for a nausea free day  :)

I've lost my arm and leg!

I recently read that once you are in the 2nd trimester, that it is dangerous to lie flat on your back because the weight of the uterus cuts off the circulation of oxygen and blood to the baby. This kind of sucks, because I primarily sleep on my back. So I decided to start practising.

In the same book they also said that putting a pillow between your legs helps you to stay on your side at night, so I decided to give that a try. Surprisingly, it works pretty well. Though last night I think I woke up on my back twice, though the night before I didn't at all. When I am not waking up on my back, I am waking up without an arm or a leg. My hips and shoulders aren't used to being crushed all night and so they are going numb. It is quite annoying because I hate the feeling of pins and needles in my entire arm or leg and I keep having to turn over because apparently my body cannot figure that part out without waking me up.

I am glad that I started practising now, because come the 2nd trimester I don't want to be waking up on my back or without limbs. All this practice will be worth it for my baby  :)

Crackers in Bed ... what, no breakfast???

This past week the morning sickness has made it's presence known. Although the term 'morning sickness' is very misleading. I think from here on out it should just be called 'pregnancy sickness'. For me it has just been nausea that comes in waves. Some waves are worse than others, but I consider myself lucky compared to what some of my pregnant friends face on a daily basis. My mom didnt really deal with any pregnancy sickness, so I was hoping my body would follow suit, but I wasnt quite that lucky.

Dad was telling me that one of his sisters would eat a digestive buiscuit while still in bed every morning before getting up and that would help alleviate some of the nausea. So mom suggested I keep some crackers on my bedside table. This morning when I woke up I rolled over and ate a cracker laying down. I got crumbs all over my pillow, but it did indeed alleviate some of the nausea I had been feeling earlier when I got up to visit the bathroom (again). I also had a sip of water before slowely sitting up and making my way to the living room.

Having crackers in bed isnt exactly like having breakfast in bed, but it made my morning much easier! I can safely say that there will be crumbs on my pillow every morning until the pregnancy sickness subsides.

When I first started getting the nausea I was staying away from food for fear that it would make it worse. But now I know that letting myself get too hungry actually makes the nausea worse ... so I try to eat something, even if its really small, every 2 hours or so. That way, my stomach has something to digest other than its own lining. Something I learned this morning is that when I get too hungry I get very painful hick-ups which I would also like to try and avoid!

So crackers in bed it is! .... Animal crackers in my bed .... lol  ;)

And So It Has Begun.

Hello.
For those of you who don't know me, welcome and thank you for reading my blog. My name is Kirsty, I am 24 years old and I am expecting my very first child with my fiance Josh.

I had my first little doctors appointment today. It was basically just a 'confirming you are pregnant' thing, but exciting none the less. According to the doctor, I am approximately 5 weeks pregnant and I am stoked! Needless to say, so is Josh. If possible, he said he would go straight from the conception to the delivery ... and as much as I sometimes feel the same way, I am glad that there are 40 weeks of mental and psychological prep time. I am also very much enjoying the fact that there is a tiny being growing inside me and that I am in charge of not only my health now, but the health of my baby.

The pregnancy wasn't a complete surprise, though I did find myself staring at the home test with my mouth wide open for several minutes before waking Josh with the news. We had talked about wanting to start a family while we were both young and in good health and so I had been off my birth control for just a few months. Though I must say that we didn't expect it to happen this fast! It was a good surprise ... a very very good surprise!

So with this blog, I am just going to journal about the ups and downs of pregnancy. My thoughts and feelings (emotional as well as physical) as I experience this miracle of life. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I know I will enjoy writing it. Please comment with advice, questions or anything else whether I know you or not ... all your words are welcome!