Monday, February 18, 2013

15 Week Pregnancy Update

15 Week Pregnancy Update:





How far along: 15 weeks

Symptoms: more engergy this week. I was sick with the flu and miserable in bed. I stopped taking my nausea medication this week and I haven't had any more nausea! WAHOO! My boobs seem to have grown even more (they started doubling at just 5 weeks pregnant). My veins are starting to show more all over my tummy and breasts due to increased blood volume (common symptom of pregnancy.. goes away after the baby is born). I had a little break out on my back and chest area over the last couple weeks, this is due to hormones during pregnancy, a lot of women get break outs on their face as well but thankfully that hasnt happened with this pregnancy.  Its clearing up and I havent seen anything new so thats a good sign that pregnancy symptom was short lived. YES!. I am still hungry all the time.  I've gotten use to the heightened sense of smell, finally.  Headaches still coming and going. Peeing less in the middle of the night. Less digestive issues this week FINALLY. So I started taking my prenatal vitamin again instead of kid chewables. YAY! I've been experiencing round ligament pain a little bit but less than I had it last week.  Thank God. I get really uncomfortable when I sit for to long lately. I'm still very very bloated.

 Belly button in or out: its beginning to go a little flat when im full but its still in.

Wedding rings on or off: on

Cravings: same as the past few weeks, citrus anything and fruit. No food adversions.

Excited for: baby to move, our upcoming babymoon, and 20 week appointment when the Dr. will confirm we are having a boy!



14 Week Pregnancy Update

14 Week Pregnancy Update



How far along: 14 Weeks

This week I wasn't the greatest at tracking my symptoms etc. But here it goes:

Symptoms: Headaches are the new thing this week. I'm finding I need more and more fluids and that can sometimes helpt he headaches to go away.  I still feel nauseas if I dont take my medicine but Im only taking one dose instead of two.  I am getting a big more energy on some days, other days im still so tired.

Cravings: anything citrus or fruity

Looking forward to: Confirming the sex in the weeks to come. Feeling baby move! And of course going on our baby moon in a few weeks! 

Exercise: Still going light weights and cardio. I try to shoot for 5 days a week, sometimes I get an extra day in sometimes I lose a few depending on how Im feeling.

Sleep: gahh, sleep has been tough for the majority of this pregnancy. Between waking up to go to the bathroom, getting too hot, too cold, uncomfortable, and trying to sleep on my side only, its been difficult. I thought that didn't happen until waaay later, but for me it started right away.  


Sorry for the quick post. I need to get better at logging week by week.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Healthy Food.. What I've been eating

 Late night snack.. applesauce, vanilla yogurt, organic fiber cereal, blueberies and strawberries

Lunch: Tilapia, spinach and kale salad with green grapes, trader joe's goranzola and pear salad dressing, onion, blue cheese, and a side of spinach kale dip and tabbouli


 Late Night Dessert with the hubby on a movie date: Yogurland always topped with fruit.  Although this night particularly my citrus fruity cravings wanted me to get fruity pebbles, so I put a dash of those on the side.



Breakfast: Banana, blueberry flaxseed, peanutbutter, whole grain fiber bread from trader Joe's


Late afternoon snack:  Peanutbutter powder, flaxseed, honey, banana, and almond milk smoothie

Dinner: Chicken Tacos.. Chicken with chili, garlic, and lime, with fresh tomatos, onion, and shredded cabbage. I usually would add on cilantro but we didn't have any. I seasoned it with lemon juice and Trader Joe's green chili salsa. I put a tiny bit of cheese, and a flower tortilla (i have yet to find wheat ones that I actually like..they end up going to waste in the fridge).  If you have any suggestions let me know. We had these with a side of black beans with sweet potato chips. YUM!



Dinner: I made these with what I had in the fridge and freezer.  Chicken sausage (i think it was feta and herb flavored -trader joes), sauteed onions, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and garlic, layered atop steamed broccoli and cauliflower, atop brown rice noodles (trader joe's), stacked on sauteed spinach with crushed red pepper, olive oil & fresh parmesan (SO SO DELICIOUS AND FLAVORFUL)


Breakfast: I make these often on the weekends (my hubby loves pancakes and french toast so I find ways to make it healthier). I made Blueberry banana pancakes usings Organic Pancake mix, applesauce instead of oil, almond milk instead of milk, and 1 egg.  I add in blueberry flaxseed for Omega-3's.  I mix in mashed banana and fresh whole blueberries. I sliced up some strawberries and put some sugar free syrup (you can use fresh jam or honey or agave, whatever you'd like). SO YUMMY!


Breakfast: Quick and easy..if you are going to eat cereal then do it right. I had Cascade Farms Organic whole grain cereal with no artificial flavors, tons of fiber, with banana, blueberry flaxseed, cinnamon, and vanilla almond milk.


Lunch: My hubs loves burgers so I made healthier ones that I will eat as well.  These were ground lean turkey, and I added veggies (red bell pepper, onion, oregano, garlic, chili powder, salt & pepper, 1 egg white, and 1 habanero pepper), for dinner I usually put them on whole wheat buns with avocado, onion, pineapple and a splash of teriyaki sauce...but since it was lunch time, i wanted something less filling so I put mine atop a pineapple onion feta cheese arugula salad.  We had bbq beans as a side (nothin' healthy about those, but they are good and they are good protein).  You can see my hubbys wheat bun below.. I added Trader Joe's yogurt pepperjack cheese on one of his.



Breakfast: Whole grain Fiber bread, 1 egg mixed with 2 eggwhites, tomato, red pepper flakes, cucumber (all we had left for veggies in the fridge), onion, garlic, cauliflower, and cheese with salt and pepper.



Breakfast: My hubby wanted oatmeal so I did my standard, oats with almond milk, honey,  raisons cooked in, cinnamon, blueberry flaxseed, and sliced honey almonds. You can add in banana or blueberries too.  I made myself some eggs with broccoli, onion, cauliflower, red pepper flakes, cheese, salt and pepper, and garlic. I usually like tomatos and spinach but we were all out and I wanted to use the veggies up that we had left in the fridge.


Dinner: Shrimp tacos on whole wheat tortilla with tomato, kale, fat free sour cream, onion, cheese, and cooked in red pepper flakes, lime, garlic, salsa, and olive oil. Sides: Kale salad with cilantro dressing, cranberries, onion and mediterranean feta cheese blend.  Small Side: Tabbouli. We had black beans and chips for a starter.


Let me know if you have any questions or great recipees we should try!

13 Weeks Pregnant Update- Second Trimester!

13 Weeks Pregnant







Hello Second Trimester!!!

How far along: 13 weeks

Symptoms:  Symptoms are slowly going away, still on medicine for nausea, praying I can stop within the next few days. Less tired, a little less bloated this week. Head aches. Hungry all the time. Still getting up to pee a couple times a night.  Round ligament pain when I get up and move to quickly or if I try lying in a position that doesn't work well witht he bellly (lol).

Exercise: Still on it and its still tiring.

Baby Bump: Feeling very pregnant, baby bump is sticking out, especially after meals and at night!

Missing anything: Being able to sleep comfortably.

Excited about: BEING IN THE SECOND TRIMESTER!! WAHOO! Feeling baby move and confirming the babys sex. Oh and the babymoon!

Cravings: Citrust foods, lots of fruits, chips and salsa, melted cheese on pizza or nachos, grilled cheese, etc.

Adversions: None.




12 Weeks Pregnant



12 Weeks Pregnant




we surprised our families with a box of Sprinkles cupcakes..when they opened the box, they found this little SURPRISE>>BOY! We also got to show them a video of the ultrasound and several pictures of our growing boy.

 Perfect little angel

(we surprised our families with a box of Sprinkles cupcakes..when they opened the box, they found this little SURPRISE>>BOY!

(little boy parts?..tell me what you think)

How far along: 12 weeks

Symptoms: Frequent peeing still, I mostly notice at night (this should subside as I progree further into the second trimester, HURRAY!), sleep is okay, getting uncomfortable though. Headaches often. Hungry all the time, but I get full quickly and sometimes so full it hurts. Still bloated. Still having digestion issues but going to the bathroom more regularly than before (TMI..i know, but I want to be as genuine and real as possible for other mommies struggling with zofran and progesteron slowing down their digestion). Still nauseas, I have tried a couple times to stop taking zofran and skip my morning dose, but I end up taking it around 12 because the nausea comes back. Im Feeling good overrall. Not cramping at all in legs or tummy any more. 

Exercise: Exercising is hard, my legs feel heavy and I get exhausted easily now. My lower back hurts when I do back work outs. But I know this is part of pregancy as my uterus grows, your back curves more and theres more weight pulling on my back..so it all makes sense.

Dr. Update: I got the flu shot at 12 weeks, 5 days pregnant due to the severity of the flu this season and everyone around me in Southern California it seems has had or has the flu. Its very scarey for pregnant women, infants, and the eldery (all having low immune systems.  Our 12 weeks genetic screening (sequential screening) test showed that our baby s perfecly healthy and is in the clear as of now for down syndrome.  A lot of mommies dont want to know the results and opt not to do the test (just drawing moms blood from her arm, and an extra 2 ultrasounds looking at the babys neck, spine, head etc). My husband and I decided we'd like to know if our precious baby had any health issues, that way we would have ample time to plan and make sure we have great insurance and our finances in order for our little one that may need extra care.  That isn't the case now and we can rest assure knowing our baby is healthy and growing strong.  Its a personal decision for every pregnant couple, and we are so happy with our results and our choice.  Its not unsafe in any way, and gives the parents time to prepare and figure things out, so I say why not~!

We went over our bloodwork from my 8 week appointment and everything looked great and right on track: good iron, vitamin d levels, etc..all healthy! Baby is measuring perfecly for his gestational age! Wahooo!

EXCITING NEWS: We went to visit my friend who is the Ultra Sound Technician to see if we could find out the gender early.,.WE ARE 90% SURE ITS A BOY!!!! He definitely had a penis, but I guess little girls can be really swollen and are often confused for little boys at this stage, so we are holding off on buying anything for the bun, but I could not contain my excitement and keep it to ourselves, we had to share with everyone.

Belly Bump: I'm starting to show a little bump on my lower tummy where my uterus is. Some of my bloating is going away (HURRAY) so I actually look smaller than I did at 10wks.  

Food adversions: Not really any right now. Smells bother me but they dont impact my eating (:

Cravings: Trying to eat plenty but also stay active.  I've been way more hungry. Especially breakfast.  I eat every couple to every few hrs. A typical day is: I eat breakfast, snack, then work out, then lunch, then 1-2 small snacks while at work and then dinner and then a snack but a bigger one later at night because iv been eating dinner earlier than I use to (so baby is getting really good nutrients and plenty of them). 

Miss anything: Raw sushi. My pre baby body. It can be hard some days, seeing your body change and fear of the unknown of what it will look like at the end of the road. I know this is such a blessing, I feel so gifted and undeserving, so I try to keep my eyes on how beautiful this is that I get to help create this little human being inside of me, and be its protection and home for the next 10 months (now 7).

Excited for anything: To confirm the babys sex. To feel baby moving!


Thursday, February 7, 2013

11 Weeks Pregnant Update

11 Weeks Pregnant Update



This is a pic from Kelly, one of my best friend's baby shower.  Its a fun photo because Kelly is in her 3rd trimester, her friend is in her 2nd, and in this pic I was in my 1st tirmester.  Its neat to see the difference 

I love Kel, she always gets me to take a pic belly to belly. I will thank her later for all of the memories shes helped capture. I cant wait to have little boys that are 6 months apart. She is studying to be a Dula..so she will be helping me and coaching me through this pregnancy, and preparing me for labor. Shes due any day now! Its the cutest story, she found out she was pregnant on Father's day, and she is due on Valentines day. What a special little baby!

11 Weeks Pregnant Update

So I somehow skipped week 10. I didnt keep a log and I never took a picture. This is the only week thus far that I have really blown it on and missed. But I'm sure it looked pretty similar to weeks 9 & 11. Not much changed until around week 12 or 13 when the nausea started to lift a bit. (Stay tuned to find out more)

How far along:  11 Weeks 

Excited for: Seeing our little bun. My girlfriend Ashley that is the US technician wants us to come in on friday when I'm 12 weeks to see if we can determine the gender early on! SOOOO EXCITED I cannot contain myself.

Symptoms: Same. My legs still feel heavy when I exercise. Stomach cramping stopped a while ago. 

Cravings: OH BOY! I am craving everything fruity and citrusy.  I am all over Trader Joe's fruit leathers, fruit snacks, dried fruit and fresh fruit.  My favorite right now are Oranges and Raspberries. Kelly (in the above photo) introduced me to Cliff's Fruit twists! They are all natural and all fruit, so so yummy! I can eat a few a day (:  I'm not too into chocolate or ice cream right now, which I usually love. Some of my go to fruits right now are: dried apricots, oranges, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, and strawberries (anything tart is yummy). I Love ANYTHING MEXICAN. Especially chips and salsa (i could down a whole basket and 6 bowls of salsa). Seriously. Its always been my guilty pleasure.  Loving cheese. And also Pizza! (CPK is in my dreams these days), not a normal craving for me..Im usually okay with having pizza ever so often, but it seems im having it 1-2 times a week right now.


Bump Update:  I can feel a little bump where my uterus is, its pretty neat! Some of my bloating is going away, but it comes back certain days when I eat somethign that is harder to digest (like pizza).  

Exercise:  My lower back hurts often, especially when I lift light weights, which I didnt do for 2 months after I found out I was pregnant. I'm just not getting back into the groove of things and building my muscles back up.
 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

9 Weeks Pregnancy Update


 You can just tell how exhausted I am by looking at these pics (lol)


9 Weeks Pregnancy Update


How far along: 9 weeks 
Symptoms: Awful constipation (I had already had issues with this due to progesterone slowing down your digestive system as well as my growing uterus pushing again my intestines) but now being on Zofran for a week, its been a week since I was able to go to the bathroom.. talk about PAINFUL. My nurse advised me to try stool softeners, supositories, more fiber in my diet, increase my liquids etc. I tried it all, nothing worked.  On day 10 of this horrible bloating and cramping, I tried a water enema as the nurse suggested, even that didnt do anything.  Finallly, I think after trying so many things, I started to get some relief every few days. But not much. This lasted WEEKS. I'm exhausted even more these past 2 weeeks,I wake up so tired even with 11hrs of sleep
My back hurts and I get leg cramps. I think its my ligaments loosening and moving and my increased blood volume.

Am I showing: I don't have a bump quite yet and I'm so far at 2.5 lb weight gain it fluctuates though depending on what I've eaten that day. I tend to carry water weight any how.

What am I missing:  I'm not missing anything really. I jus want to feel 100 percent myself but that won't happen until this baby comes I'm sure.

Cravings: not really, I've been liking sweets again and eating captain crunch and bagels often. 

Adversions: fish, pizza, soups (I ate too much of it), store bought tortilla chips
But craving restaurant ones? Haha. 

I cooked for the 1st time in 3 wks and I've been exercising like 4-5 days a week light cardio not weights yet,although I want to I'm not motivated to get to my regular gym class schedule. Smells really gross me out right now, even things I use to like. I'm irritated by a lot of smells now a days. 
Still always hungry but not forced to eat as much as I did the past 3 wks with the horrible nausea. I had to eat more to settle my tummy.