Baby Size: Grapefruit, 12 inches
How Far Along: 24 Weeks, 1 Day
Total Weight Gain: 18 pounds. 3 pounds this week. I was worried about the gain. 18 sounds like a LOT. I've never gained so many pounds in one year, let alone six months. I talked to my midwife about this, and she assures me that I'm right on track. That I should be aiming for 30 pounds. My nurse gained 90 pounds with her baby and our waitress at our favorite place in town gained 100 pounds - and they are both tiny now.
I just think the culture and my own thoughts on what a scale should say when I step on it really affect how I'm viewing these numbers. I'm also worried that my friends and internet strangers reading this will think, Oh man, she's gaining too much weight. She's going to be so fat after this baby. I know I shouldn't care, but I am actually self-conscious about the number but not about my body. I think I look great! I love the way my belly looks, but I hate that I've got that number in my head: 18 pounds. Soon, it will be 20-something pounds.
Before I was pregnant, I hated seeing two or three pounds gaining on the scale. I just am not sure to such a quick change and such a different change. Normally, I like to see the scale show a smaller number. And I suppose, I'd hate a smaller number now because I'm trying to grow a human being here, but it's weird. I don't know that I thought about how hard the gaining would be mentally. I'm hoping that this honesty about weight will help me with later pregnancies or my friends who are or will be pregnant. Gaining is okay!
Sleep: Sleeping normally. Last night, I had to get up and pee at 5 in the morning. But I shouldn't have had three glasses of water with my dinner. I think my sleeping through the night might be ending soon. My nurses and internet forum friends say this cannot possibly last the whole pregnancy.
Food Cravings: cream cheese ice cream. To be honest, I wasn't craving it until Bryan made it Monday night. After one taste, I'm ADDICTED. Bryan's mom got him an ice cream maker for Christmas, and we have used the premade mixes and other recipes, but nothing compares to this recipe. IT IS BETTER THAN SEX. And I love sex. I think about this ice cream ALL DAY LONG. I think about when I am going to get my next bite. I even had a small spoonful after breakfast. IT IS THAT GOOD.
Food Aversions: Meat in big chunks. I feel bad for Bryan because I keep choosing vegetarian meals. On Monday, I ate a baked sweet potato while he went to dinner with his favorite economics Dr. Benjamin of Clemson U. Bryan was so glad to miss that. Last night, I had macaroni. Tonight, I'm making taco salad with chicken - and I'll try to eat some meat.
Symptoms:
Hunger - I have been really hungry lately. I can't eat much before I feel full, but a few hours later, I am dying for more food. I think he's growing this week. I haven't really been hungry in the past couple of weeks, but lately, I'm ravenous. He must be going through a growth spurt.
Forgetfulness - I should've posted this yesterday, but I forgot. I pulled a file on Monday for a student, but when I went looking for it yesterday, I couldn't find it. I know it's somewhere in my office, and I know I pulled it because I remember the visual of pulling it. But where is it?!?! I forgot about a lunch plan I made with friends today until she texted me and I had to cancel with my second friend because I forgot about the first friend. Where is my brain?
Burps - I almost forgot this last one, but I remembered that I thought of it in the bathroom when I was doing my makeup. And eventually, it came to me. I burp so much! Why? Apparently, it's a pregnancy symptom, but it's so gross. They are loud, long and frequent. Especially if I've been laying down and then get up, buuuuuuuuuuuuuurp. So embarassing. Mostly in the mornings and at night, but it's not very attractive.
Doctor's Appointment: Tuesday. Everything looks good, though I hate the weighing myself part. I now weigh more than I have ever in my whole life. My nurse says that I am only going to get bigger. She says my stomach should double before birth. AH!
I talked to my doctor about my fears about birth and delivery since my close friend had such a traumatic experience, and she assured me that she would be there for every part of my delivery: the labor and (if necessary) the c section. She also had me sign up for birthing classes now instead of waiting until the July section since I may deliver before the classes end. I'm nervous and excited at the same time.
Movement: Baby is moving daily. I think he's a night owl because he is very still in the mornings except about 10am when he moves as I write emails or file new applications. He moves a lot after dinner and into bedtime. Last night, I was spooning Bryan and he could feel the kicks on his back.
Gender: Boy. His room looks very boyish. I can't wait to put it on Pintrest once the curtains come in and all the other little gifts from my May shower. We still have not progressed on the name front. We are looking at a list of six right now. Bryan's best friend Jason emailed a good list of potential names. Ones we're considering (after we stop laughing) include Titus Buckley, Hambone (like Cher, no last name), and Break Dance Buckley (BDB).
Best Moment of the Week: Sharing the nursery set up with my mom. It was really cool to shop with her and go, do you think this will look good on the changing table? What do you think of these frames? Do you think these monsters are cuter than these monsters? It was so fun putting everything together on Saturday night, doing the art project and hanging everything and moving furniture around until we loved the set up. She was the one who finished the trim in the room, and she was the one who really made everything happen. It was awesome to stand there with my mom on Sunday morning talking about how the next time she's here, the baby will be here and the room will actually be someone's room!
What I'm Looking Forward To: A relaxing weekend at home with Bryan - and an OKC trip to perform in the final show of the spring run. Also, I need to stop by Ulta before I run out of foundation and face moisturizer.
What I've Got for Baby: bins for diapers, two new outfits from clearance, a rug, frames, monster art, and more thank you notes. Baby received so much this week from the baby shower: clothes, shoes, hats, bath wash/shampoo, towels, onesies, toys, sleepers, tub, blankets, so much! Yesterday, I got a Moby wrap and a Boppy cover in the mail from friends. So sweet! And I've already written and sent all the thank you notes. Boom!
It's becoming more and more real. I don't like to get too personal on facebook, but I posted a picture this week of the finished nursery with me and my mom (I know Mom was dying to show the world). It's been sweet to see the comments, but I want to still be me, not mommy me. I don't want to be less of Alyssa. I want to be more. I'm not sure how this will all work out.
Fun fact I learned this week:
Dr.Nils Bergman has done comprehensive research to promote the concept of bringing the mother and baby together as almost a single entity. His studies show that babies have a biological need for skin-on-skin, and that a mother's body responds to this need. Dr.Bergman's research concludes:
A mother's chest temperature changes to meet her baby's needs, rising if baby is cold and decreasing if the infant becomes too warm. The mother's chest responds through biofeedback, doing a superior job to a traditional incubator.
A baby's stress hormones, blood pressure, oxygenation, temperature, and heart rate stabilize with skin-on-skin contact. These findings are changing hospital practices for the better. Babies are more likely to be left on their mothers for at least an hour after bitrh in order to assist in this vital sign stabilization. This is also true before and after any invasive procedure such as drawing blood.
A baby that experiences skin-on-skin is more likely to breastfeed without problems. Such close contact "elicits care-giving and protective behaviors."
Today, I felt my first Who-Stole-My-Brain-and-Emotions feeling. I was angry and upset and nauseous and on the verge of tears over a series of things that wouldn't normally upset me. I hated it, and the more I felt like I wasn't myself, the more upset it made me. By the time lunch came, Bryan picked me up and he knew something was wrong with his crazy wife. Instead of doing peanut butter sandwiches at home, he took me to a panini place in town. He likes to remind me that I need to take it easy and remember that I'm pregnant and stop trying to do everything I used to do. After a panini and more than half a slice of cheesecake, I felt a lot better. 
