WIC Program

The WIC Program is something I never heard about until I became pregnant. I found out about it at the beginning of my pregnancy, but didnt start taking advantage of it until now. WIC stands for "Women, Infants & Children" and is a program for pregnant women and children up to the age of 5 years. With the program you get WIC checks monthly or bi-monthly for groceries. The program is to ensure that you are eating healthy and getting what you need nutritionally based on the month of pregnancy you are in.

Up until now I didnt want to take advantage of the program because I was working full time and so was Josh and I didnt want to drain any funds that might go to another mother than needs it more. Now, however, I have stopped working at one job and will be done at the other on in just two weeks and I wanted to take off any kind of stress that that may cause. Not to mention that when you have a new baby, every little bit helps :)

I used the first of four (for the month) checks today and it was really very easy. They give you a book with lists of what you can and cannot buy and you just pick and chose based on what is on that particular check. Today, it saved us over $20 for some of the things that we get every time we go grocery shopping :)

You might be wondering why I am telling you all of this. I want to make sure that every pregnant woman who is elligable for the program takes advantage! I realize that not every doctor is going to remember to tell his/her patients about the program, so I am telling YOU so that you can take advantage or someone you know can take advantage. They will check your income etc to make sure you dont make too much money already, but if you are on the Medi-cal insurance you automatically qualify :) 

So take the help ... its a little bit of help, but its help none-the-less! And as mommy's-to-be we need to take advantage of all the help being offered ... it's good practice for once the little one has arrived!

Keeping it Simple.

So after a few weeks of not sleeping due to discomfort, indigestion, weird dreams and anxiety, last night I slept amazing!

The indigestion has been getting worse and worse and was starting to occur after things like a glass of water etc. Like the water was re-upsetting what I had eaten before. So after a few nights of waking to feeling like I had just swallowed acid (the flesh eating kind), I decided I needed to change something. Yesterday instead of eating whatever I wanted, as I had been, I just ordered 8oz brown rice, 4oz steamed veggies and 2 vegan chicken skewers with no dressings or sauces etc and it went down very smoothly. It tried to threaten me with indigestion, but that went away very quickly and I went the whole night without an acid-filled burp.

As for the physical discomfort ... my legs going numb, heavy tummy, dead arms etc ... I didn't have any of that either. I started doing my physical therapy stretches before bed which I think helped a lot because it really loosened my hips and legs. So I think I will try to do that from now on.

As for the weird dreams ... I feel like that was probably related to the food I was eating also. Especially the food I would eat right before going to bed. So the relief from the dreams last night is probably also due to the more bland diet I consumed yesterday. Just so you know, I also ate some special k cereal, a piece of corn bread, some chocolate (dark) in the afternoon and noodles as my last meal of the evening around 9pm. And of course because I didn't sleep the night before I had 1/4 cup of coffee (I am allowed 1/2 cup every day) to help me going in the morning and that energy lasted me all day, so I think all the extra moving around would have helped me digest everything before bed also :)

As for the anxiety, I do believe that it hormone related. We all know how when you wake up at night thinking about something, it all seems somehow worse, but then in the morning it doesn't seem half as bad or as urgent? Well, I didn't have any of that either.

It was wonderful to sleep a whole night without waking up to pee or for any other reason. I hope that I can get a few more nights like that before James arrives  :)

Settling in ... to a new home and the 'baby mode'?

This time last week were just about done moving all of our stuff into the new apartment and we (dad, Josh and I) were exhausted! We haven't unpacked everything yet, but this new apartment felt like home from night one. It's wonderful to have more space :)

We didn't get the Internet re-installed until Thursday and I have been working since then, so that is why I haven't blogged since before the move. But I wouldn't have had much more to talk about than being tired! It took me a good 3 days to recover from the 2 days of moving. I was in bed before 10pm every night.

I feel like my pregnancy has moved into a new 'mode'. I almost feel like I am in 'baby mode' ... meaning that if I am not eating or sleeping I'm crying about something [or nothing]. Seriously, I am constantly hungry! When I am eating, I am barely done with one meal before I start thinking about the next one. I do my best to make the majority of my meals and snacks healthy, though I don't always succeed. My stomach has also started growing pretty fast in the past few weeks, it's crazy!

I am also sleeping a lot more. I haven't really napped since my first trimester, but I am noticing naps sneaking back into my daily routine. I have also noticed that I get physically tired a lot easier than even just a month ago, another sign that I am growing for sure! In exactly one month I will be entering the third trimester, so no doubt the tiredness wont be going anywhere!

As for the crying ... I don't really cry that much. Though I do get frustrated a lot easier which ends in tears and the complaints of being uncomfortable are occurring more and more often.  At night time I find that I am either sleeping like a rock or tossing and turning all night due to numb/tingling legs and arms (from trying to stay on one side) or my abdominal area is uncomfortable because it is getting heavier or I wake up to use the restroom and cant fall back to sleep.
I also get the numb/tingling legs during the day if I have been standing at work for a while and my pelvis and lower abdomen also get tired from standing.

So in those respects I can definitely see my pregnancy progressing. One the more positive end, I am dreaming about James more and more (last night I was breast feeding, burping and bonding with my son). We can also see James moving more often now. Josh saw him move for the first time the other evening which was exciting. And I am just over all excited as the days to meeting our son become less and less :)

I also don't complain about having to eat all the time except when I am working and cannot (am not allowed) to eat! After all, this is the most wonderful time for a woman to eat whatever she wants and craves without the guilt  ;)

That pile of 'too small' shirts is getting big!

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant ... that's 4 months ... that means that in 2 weeks, I will be half way done with my pregnancy. Does it feel like it? Absolutely not! In some ways it feels like I am only starting my pregnancy.

In the past few weeks I have finally gotten my appetite back. It's nice, but also feels like somewhat of a curse because I am constantly hungry or craving something. Well, I cant decide if it's actual cravings or if I am using my pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything in sight. But that's a whole different blog.

So my belly is finally growing. I am pretty excited about that. There is nothing more beautiful than the belly of a pregnant woman. But unfortunately my boobs and ass have done a little growing of their own. At least it looks that way. My face is also a little rounder but that's to be expected. The prospect of gaining weight has had me a little on edge from time to time, but when I remind myself of what its for I settle back into excitement. As of this morning I weigh more than I have ever weighed in my whole life. I think the most I weighed was when we first moved to the USA, and that was 108 pounds. I then lost weight and sat around the 100 pound mark until I stopped doing gymnastics and dancing and picked up running and strength training. That brought me to a strong 104-ish. When I first became pregnant I sat at 106 pounds and didn't move for a while as I struggled to eat ... but luckily I didn't lose much. But as of this morning I am 109.8 pounds. I guess two weeks ago I hit 108.2 ... but come on, that's not far above the 108 mark. So anyway ... long story short ... the baby is a growing!

From here on out, I should gain 1-2 pounds per week. Sounds like a lot right?! But I am sure I will manage just fine! Now, if only I could move myself from Del Taco (etc) to the salad bar with whole grain buns ... on second thoughts, pass me the fries!

Yay Greens!

So I am 14 weeks and 5 days today and I have eaten a field greens salad with olive oil and salt 2 days in a row. I am proud of this because for the past 3 months I have eaten very few vegetables since they were a major food aversion. As I have moved out of my first trimester I have noticed the nausea less and less. Smells entice me now more than they have in a while and I'm acting on it!

Yes, I still crave french fries and hasbrowns and cheese like it's nobody's business and I still act upon those cravings, but each day I am getting at least one salad or a side of veggies (steamed, grilled or sauteed) along with a lot more whole grains and healthy proteins.

For a while, not being able to eat veggies was a drag because I have always been so healthy. But now that I am adding more and more veggies in my daily meals I am feeling better about what I am feeding my little peanut. I want peanut to come into this world loving veggies as I always have. So hurray for a milestone in my pregnant eating  :)

Aaaand Josh laughed at me.

For those of you who don't live in Ireland or England ... this is the best flavored milk in the whole wide world. Unfortunately you cannot get it here in the USA, not even in powder form. I tried to buy it from a website that sells Irish food in the USA, and they didn't even have any, and I was craving it BAAAADLY!!!

So I did what any pregnant lady with a crazy craving would do .... I emailed the company in England. I told them I am pregnant and am craving their banana flavored milk and asked if they knew any way I could get some all the way over here. To my surprise they responded within 24 hours saying that there is no way I can buy it over here BUT that they would send me some samples.

We were a little concerned that the package would get stopped in customs .... but nope! Here they are and I am one happy happy pregnant lady! Josh had laughed when I told him that I had e-mailed England, thinking that I was crazy. But nope .... I would be laughing now, but I'm too busy looking for a big old straw!!!

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.

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.