The “dreaded” glucose drink

8/2/22 by Michelle

We had our 28 week appointment today: Glucose drink, ultrasound, OB appt, then blood draw.

I’m part of a pregnancy group and man o man did they make this glucose test sound like it was going to be horrid. I spoke with friends and my sister and they also had nothing but unpleasant things to say. So I went in with the expectations that today’s appointment would require a yummy food reward to console me from the pending misery.

They gave me the cold orange drink and told me I had 5 minutes to drink it. Guys, it tasted like a chilled orange soda, actually kind of refreshing from the room temp water I had been drinking all day. But I still was expecting the side effects that I was told about (passing out, upset stomach, tastebuds off for days, feeling sick, etc.

Right from there we went in for the ultrasound. Baby was already having a dance party so I was wondering how this was going to go. As with the prior ultrasounds, she was flailing her arms and legs so much that getting a photo was difficult. The important part was that all of her measurements, heart rate, and weight were great! She is 2lb 14oz (in the 56% percentile) and has a 152 heartbeat!

After the ultrasound we had our OB appointment. I had my questions ready this time, most importantly, asking if there was any alternative to the recommended sleeping on your left side. This position is killing my sleep and causing consistent back pain. My midwife said as long as you’re not laying flat, you are fine. WHEW….hopefully starting tonight I can sleep with some peace. I am NOT a side sleeper. We then made our next appointment in 2 weeks and the next in 4!

Then onto my least favorite part, getting my blood drawn…again. I rewarded myself with the Caramello bar that has been staring at me from my purse ALL day on the day (had to limit my sugar before the glucose test). And best of all, I have no side effects from the drink!

Second Trimester: Things they don’t tell you

7/17/22
It’s funny how many things that aren’t generally talked about during pregnancy! Here are a few things that they just don’t talk about lol.

By Michelle

1. Swollen and bleeding gums

Brian: Hey beb, you have something in your teeth.

Me: Nope, that’s probably just blood. Yep, blood.

2. CONGESTION

Oh I have a cold I think. Nope, not a cold. Pregnancy congestion.

For about 2 months, from dinner time to the next day I get so congested I couldn’t see straight. Ayyiyiiiii.

“It is common to feel more congested during pregnancy. This condition is sometimes referred to as pregnancy rhinitis or non-allergic rhinitis. Pregnancy rhinitis is congestion or a stuffy nose that starts during pregnancy, isn’t linked to an infection or allergy, and lasts for at least six weeks.”

3. Charlie horse wakeups

Ever get a Charlie horse so bad it wakes you up? Yeaaah, this happens several times a week and you just have to wait out the pain; massaging it makes it worse! OUCH!! This is still consistent through week 26.

4. I KEEP DROPPING EVERYTHING!!!

What in the world is wrong with me!? Seriously, I’ve dropped ten things a day over the last week. One night, I went to empty my bowl into the trash in the bowl went flying like a straight up frisbee into the wall and broke all over the place. We spent 10 minutes cleaning up broken bowl, chickpeas and hummus. Ayyy.

Today, I woke up from a nap super hungry and remembered we had yummy leftovers in the fridge! I heated it up and then dropped it all over the floor. I literally cried over spilled pasta lol.

I found this article, among many others, that made me feel a little better that it’s normal and it will go away after the pregnancy!

https://www.romper.com/p/why-do-i-keep-dropping-things-while-pregnant-theres-actually-a-reason-why-youre-so-clumsy-10139991

“After dropping your car keys for the hundredth time and retrieving them from the floor with the grace of water buffalo, you might be wondering why you keep dropping things while pregnant“

5. Your belly changes size throughout the day!

You wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and are like, oh look, Im still pregnant! Honestly, I feel good in the morning, clothes fit comfortably. As the day goes on and you eat anything, you just groooow! To the point where my coworkers have even pointed it after after lunch. 😂 I gain about 4-6 pounds from morning to night! It’s crazy! And my absolute FAVORITE part is feeling the baby swirling around and kicks! They make me laugh! Watching my stomach move around while shes dancing or kicking is such a fun experience!

Hello 23 weeks!
Week 24

Second Level Ultrasound

6/21/22

By Michelle

Today we had our Second Level Ultrasound at a specialist’s office. My reason for having to go to a specialist is because I’m AMA (Advanced Maternal Age). You are essentially considered high risk if you are over 35; but this is just a generality. Every woman’s body is different.

At this ultrasound, they take dozens of photos of every organ and bone to make sure everything is developing correctly at at the size/stage. We warned the tech that Baby S is a wiggly one. I feel her zooming all over the place whenever I am laying down 😆. Sometimes she kicks or punches so hard you can visible see it! About 10 minutes in, she said

“You weren’t kidding. This baby is FAST. I can’t get the photos in time. You’re going to have fun with this one.”

We started laughing! 🤣 Though the process took way longer than it normally does. She even stepped away to do the report and come back for the last 10 photos she needed thinking that Baby S needed a break being pushed on. To be fair, this appointment was supposed to happen at 20 weeks, not 22 (staff shortage). So the baby is much more sensitive to touch and loud noises at 22 weeks than 20.

The end result? All results were 100% perfect, no concerns, all blood tests were low risk and I no longer have to go to a specialist for any appointments. YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! 😁

Here are some of the photos the tech managed to get of her while she wasn’t zooming around.

“Do you miss drinking?”

Things to avoid while pregnant.

I’ve gotten this question A LOT in the last couple of months. This is a very easy answer: not in the slightest. I am a social drinker. I rarely drink at home, I don’t drink with meals, and I don’t drink to help relax or go to sleep. Once we found out we were pregnant, any drinking stopped and, no, I don’t miss it at all.

On the contrary, I’ve been pretty happy to be DD, I don’t miss feeling yucky after drinking or not being able to sleep from it (plus it saves $$$). I also think it’s been so engrained in my mind that pregnancy and alcohol don’t mesh, so I have not craved or desired alcohol at all. I did buy non-alcoholic wine 🍷 twice: 1) so I could toast at an engagement party and 2) to join in on wine game night on vaca in Helen, GA with some of the fam.

I ordered a Sprite at this winery.

Some other things that you are supposed to avoid while pregnant (that are relevant to me) and how I got around them.

⭐️Unpasteurized Feta Cheese: Honestly, most feta is pasteurized. At restaurants, I ask just in case.

⭐️Bagged lettuce: Easy one. Buy a fresh head of romaine. Wash and cut it yourself.

⭐️Kitty Litter Cleaning: Brian does it, lol

⭐️Cleaning products: Replace with vinegar/water mix

⭐️Caffeine: You are allowed to safely consume a certain amount each day. I never drank much anyway…but for now I allow myself an iced latte once or twice a week.

⭐️Roller Coasters and rides, alcohol, lifting heavy items: Simple, just avoid them for the pregnancy and a couple months after.

Bring a seltzer water while everyone else drinks beer.

Halfway there!

June 4th, 2022

By Brian:

20 weeks here and there, still fresh in our minds and excited for the next half. Friends and family have given us support and congratulations beyond what we expected, and we are truly grateful to have such a wonderful support network. The gender reveal was an explosive experience with friends and family. We have picked out a name which we will hold off until the end of the blog. From the chance and unexpected moment we found out we were pregnant to that time the intense back pain reintroduced itself – we intend to share in our best, and not so best, experiences during our pregnancy. We will also share in our cooking adventures as we will now be cooking for three.

Mom can feel the kicks now, but dad can seldom feel the little bumps from the outside. -Brian

Cosplay this summer will be interesting…

5/24/22

By Michelle

Bucket list item ✅ @MEGACON

For MegaCon this year, Melissa and I decided to do Merry and Pippin from LOTR right after they released the dragon firework. 😂 I was super excited about this cosplay and despite MegaCon being a super hot mess, we had fun getting ready, got some great photos, and best of all we got a photos with the Hobbits themselves.

The costume proved to be difficult when my pants didn’t fit anymore. I used a hair tie and a clip to keep them closed. 😂 Hobbits are supposed to be a bit round anyways.

We get to our turn for our photo and we chant, “Lord of the Rings is the number one trilly!” The 4 actors start chanting the same thing! Elijah said, ”this is fu**ing awesome!!” I turned to pass him his sign and he was gone. I turn around and he’s taking our photo 😂😂 He looked at Sean and said, “I’m taking a photo! Yes, I know Sean” as Sean was letting him know to hurry up.

We gifted them the signs and the license plates inspired by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s LOTR rap (watch immediately if you haven’t https://youtu.be/L1dU1HZ_73M). Melissa wasn’t in this photo unfortunately but she was there in spirit! What a fun 25 seconds 😂😂 #colbert #1trilly #1trilogy #lotr #hobbits

(There was an acrylic barrier between but I photoshopped it out)

Piriformis Hell

5/20/22

18 weeks

Welp, yesterday at the end of the workday, my right piriformis gave out. If you know my injury story, I went through almost two years of excruciating pain, trying to figure out what was wrong with me. After draining my savings accounts and seeing half a dozen doctors and physical therapists, nothing helped. The only thing I could do is wait it out for about 6 months and make modifications to everything in my life: my bed, my chairs, how I sat, got rid of 80% of my shoes, how I stood up, etc.

The last flare up I had was *right* before my bachelorette party in November 2021. When that happens, I can’t walk without a crutch. Piriformis pain is NO joke. It mimics sciatica pain, if you’ve ever had that. It was always my left side. For the first time, this time, it was my right. It probably was triggered by the pregnancy weight gain (I am up about 11 pounds).

I had to call into work because I couldn’t get out of bed. I was able to crawl to the dining room where Brian called in reinforcements and my mom came over for the day to help me. It was definitely the WORST I had ever been. Walking was out of the question. To the point where a threshold on the floor was too big of an obstacle for me to get over. I sat in a desk chair all day and rolled myself around. The next morning, I was feeling MUCH better, just a small limp. Phew.. here is to hoping that doesn’t happen again.

The Big Reveal!!

By Michelle

Once we got our genetic testing back to make sure everything was healthy on 4/25/22 (14 weeks), we wanted to announce the pregnancy to our social media world.

I got the phone call when walking to pick up my lunch at work. She explained that all of the testing looked great and asked if I wanted to know if it was a boy or girl or if she should put it in an envelope. I said,” TELL ME NOW!! I want no surprises!” So the next day, we did an informal reveal in front of my sister’s house with a ton of people on Zoom to watch! The video is posted on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/5013294/videos/a.10113322664425541/371808011377583

We chose a little football for my nephew, Frankie, to kick for us to do the big reveal! It worked out perfectly and to be honest, I knew it was a girl at week 6…instinct? I don’t know!