Revisiting the Pregnancy Weight Gain

Week    Weight Gain Goal (35lbs)    My Weight

24           162.83                                167.0

26           165.46                                169.0

28           168.10                                172.0

30           170.08                                176.0

32           172.07                                179.0

34           174.05                                183.0

36           176.03                                187.0

38           178.02

40           180.00

 

So, I am officially week 37 tomorrow and I am 2 pounds away from the 45 pound mark from my original 145 pounds. 

Oddly, the midwives really do not seem bothered in the least.  They say things like, …look at how much you are doing, …look at your swelling, …look at your breast size (gulp!), …you will be breast feeding, ….look at your food journal, …this is just how your body handles it, etc. etc. 

It has been a quite surprising breath of fresh air, especially since one of my office mates, who is 3 weeks behind me, is being berated by her OB about her 40 pound weight gain.  She is on almost the exact same track as I have been.

If I were ever lucky enough to get pregnant again, would I do things differently?  Yes, but not because of the weight gain per se.  I would make a more powerful effort to keep exercising (beyond my walking and squats).  I would keep lifting weights.  I would be better prepared for the cravings and nausea and exhaustion.

Regardless, I know the weight will come off.  Even when it takes work. 

Right now I am concentrating on healthy food and labor preparations…which are…interesting.  To say the least (I will say more later:).

I like to do the things I like to do.

I have noticed/recognized several things in the last few weeks. 

I have thrown myself into life “projects” with total abandon and complete organization and proactivity.  Like our wedding, and house hunting, and setting-up my office, and infertility, and pregnancy testing, and now all things baby.  I have 3-ring binders with 5 folders each and numerous books…and I am always about 3-4 months ahead of where I would actually make sense that I would be given my state.

Yet the things I have to do, that I don’t want to do or am unsure how to proceed with…I stall and put off and hem and haw and ponder.  Still, when they are done I feel so good.

I have so little extra time now, I am getting better at getting some of them done…but that will soon come to a halt.  So I need to start saying no and recognize that that is just life….and hope it doesn’t ruin my career.  I just wish I HAD said no before I got that extra pay check.  Once your have been paid, you are kind of screwed…you HAVE TO GET IT DONE.  Ugh.

Speaking of all this, I better get back to the 3rd day of grading…that I have been putting off and off and off some more.

His and Her Panic Attacks: Baby Edition

Mr. Ology and I have had several together and I have had a few additional.

We both started freaking out when we went into a Babies-R-Us, but the gift card was calling!  It was so big and bright and overwhelming.  I turned to him and said, ‘I am totally freaking out.  Can we get out before we are consumed?  I think I might vomit from the fake cuteness.’

The hubs came home from work with a story about a co-worker who would sleep under his desk for a few hours each day because the new baby never stopped crying.  We both cringed and consoled each other.

I went to tour my first daycare, and I felt like a total imposter.  Like I am just faking all this baby-crap.  That feeling has been exponentially compounded by a total lack of pregnancy symptoms and halted abdominal growth (I hope she is ok in there). 

Am I grateful?  Yes!  Am I freaked out?  Yes!  Do I feel like I am faking it all?  Yes!  Do I routinely look at the Hubs and say “Holy Shite.  I have no idea what I am doing” ?  Yes!

I am just going to keep faking and hope everything works itself out.  That is what moms do, right?  **Cringe** The only mom I am/have been is a Dog’s mom…and I know that I know what I am doing in that department.

Baby stuff makes me panic.    

A series of calamities, including poop.

Oh wow.  I have had quite a day thus far.  It has been so monumental that I decided I should just write it all out now.  If you can’t stand someone talking about poo, have a nice day.

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First (not the calamity):  I had my first person ask me if I was pregnant.  Since I still just look a little fat (unless I am laying down), I was quite surprised.  The girl works 4 doors down from me and serves as our department’s AV person.  She has always been really nice and welcoming.  It ends up that she is due 2.5 weeks after me…so she has preggo eyes.  She spotted the weird weight gain that is all in my FUPA.  Get this, she got pregnant BY ACCIDENT!!!  Went to the ER just sure she had a cyst…nope, 6 weeks pregnant.  Lucky twerp.

Second (the series of calamities):  I had to get up early and grab some sodas and water for a Wildlife Society meeting the students are having tonight.  So around 8 am (yes, my schedule is fanfreakintastic) I headed into 7-11.  I was quickly drawn to the coffee.  This particular establishment has one of the best coffee bars I have ever seen in a gas station.  SO…I walk out with my sodas and a medium Pumpkin Spice decaf….YUMMMMM!!

My lecture starts at 9:30.  I go to the office.  I go make some copies.  I feel a rumble.  I get asked if I am pregnant.  I go back to my office.  I feel a pain.  I start to sweat.

CALAMITY:  Apparently, my stomach DID NOT THINK ‘YUM’ to the decaf.

I have 10 minutes before class starts.

I quickly go to the bathroom and notice a single piece of toilet tissue floating in the bottom of the toilet.  **CLUE  CLUE**  Shouldn’t be a problem, right?

I do some unspeakable, long big business.  I then do what my father calls a “courtesy” flush (which means you aren’t completely done but you wanna take the smell down a notch).   The water starts to rise, along with the poo. 

5 minutes until class starts.

I honestly did not know what to do.  I could hear people in the hall. 

CALAMITY:  The toilet does an additional automatic sensor flush…the water is now up to the rim (there was no tank…the tank is inside the wall). 

PREPARE Yo’ Self.  I stand up.  I push up my sleeve and reach threw my own poo and unclog the huge wad of paper down there…that deceivingly looked like a single piece.  The water stops rising but the toilet does not finish the flush.  I dare not try again.  Poo and paper are just sitting in a bowl full of water at the very very edge. 

CALAMITY:  I see that my shirt sleeve and my sweater sleeve went into the water with my hand.  ICK!!!  I wash my hands 3 times.  I wash my shirt sleeve and sweater sleeve…all while praying the water starts to go down.  Nope.

I stand by the door trying to hear if the people have gone.  It sounds all clear.  I turn out the light and open the door. 

CALAMITY:  “DING”.  The elevator, which is right beside the bathroom door, opens and out comes the janitorial staff lady.  WHERE DO YOU THINK SHE GOES? 

I walk quickly past her, with my head down toward the stairs.  All of this is in an open atrium-style stairwell.  I see her walk into ‘the disaster’.  I head straight to ANOTHER bathroom downstairs and ‘finish’ all that I started…along with about 5 more minutes of hand/arm/sleeve washing.

Class started late but I don’t think I smelled like poo. 

My hubs gagged on the phone when I told him the whole story.  Most people probably just never speak of such things but I am sure they happen, right?  Right before they go in to teach a bunch of undergrads??

Good Times.