Ready to Pop

Well, my topic doesn’t refer to the way I’ll be in six more months, when I’m really ready to pop, but I’m ready for my belly to  pop out already! I have to say one of the things I didn’t realize about being pregnant was how long it would take to actually look pregnant. I’ll probably be eating my words soon enough after a few months of really feeling like a whale, but right now I’m ready for that telltale bump that tells the world I’m not just a little heavy around the middle, I’m having a baby!

Ummm, chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven … sorry, got distracted for a second there.

Anyway, aside from that I’m just still really glad I’m still feeling good. And I feel good that I’ve gotten back on a regular workout program. I always know that once I get to really doing my 3-4 times a week regularly, I don’t let myself get really off track because I feel too guilty about it. It’s not like the Wii Fit is a super hardcore workout, but since I’m not supposed to get my heart rate above 140 anyway (although this says different – hmmm), I might as well do something fun. Plus, I think the yoga and balance stuff will really be helpful, and there’s a lot to be said for strenghtening the arms when I’m going to spend the next few years carting around an increasingly larger child.

On another note, I’ve been starting to think in a general way about nursery decor and strollers. It’s all a little overwhelming when it comes to stuff like strollers, carseats, etc. I’ve decided that the best approach is the same way I made the decisions about my wedding (with a little more research since there’s a safety element involved, of course). The basic idea is that there are so, so many options, and it’s neither possible nor necessary to explore every single one before making a decision. You just have to get 3 to 5 good recommendations (from friends, online forums, Consumer Reports, etc) for each item and then compare them and pick the best for you. That’s my plan, anyway.

Pound for Pound

So I’m kind of freaking out about my weight gain so far. It all started out so positively. At my last appointment two and a half weeks ago I’d gained 3 pounds, which from everything I’d read was right in line with what was good for the first trimester. At that point I was just a day shy of 11 weeks, so I figured it was pretty close to the end of the first trimester and maybe I’d gain another pound or so in the next couple weeks after that.

Two days ago, earlier in the day before my doctor’s appointment, I’d even responded to a thread on the Babycenter forum from another mom-to-be worried about her early weight gain and reassured her that it sounded fine, and while I was a little worried about the coming weight gain, I was trying to avoid stressing about it by not weighing myself too often. Even at the doctor, I tried to escape without a weigh in, but in the end the nurse got me. On the scale the weight kept sliding to the right, all the way to 138. That meant not only have I gained 7 pounds since my first appointment on Nov. 14, but I’ve gained four pounds in the past two and a half weeks!

I know that later in the pregnancy this rate of a pound a week can be normal, but yowsah, I don’t think it’s supposed to start happening this early! When I bemoaned the situation to my sister today, she offered some helpful rationalizing – was I at my summer weight or my winter weight when they did the first measurement, she asked? And it’s true, I was at my more active “summer” weight – I was 2 or 3 pounds below what I usually am. So I keep telling myself that I’m only up 4 or 5 pounds from my normal weight, which sounds somehow better, but really it’s just splitting hairs because no matter where I started, I’ve gained 7 pounds in 7 weeks!

On the other hand, if I gain a pound a week for the rest of the pregnancy (theoretically, about 26 weeks), then my total would be 33 poounds, which is still in line with the 25 to 35 pounds they advise. And I know that a lot of women do gain more than 35 pounds, especially with their first. But I also know that the more I gain, the more I’ll have to lose, and starving myself on salads and water for 6 months after I have the baby will never be an option for a food lover like me.

So my plan going forward, ideally, is to try not to obsess about the weight gain and still eat when I’m hungry, but try to make sure I’m really still hungry when deciding whether I need to finish that burger and fries or slab of ribs or chunk of lasagna (hey, I eat healthy breakfasts, lunches and daytime snacks!). I’m also going to try to eat even more healthy snacks and keep fewer indulgences like candy and ice cream and chips close at hand.  But the biggest thing is probably getting back on my regular exercise schedule. Keeping my heartbeat below 140 has made the elliptical a bit of a drag, but to be honest, I’d been slacking off from my usual 3-4 times a week a good two months before I found out I was pregnant, and it’s time to get back on track. I’ve been doing more Wii fit and keeping to my regular Saturday walks with my sister, so that’s a start.

Wish me luck … and bring on those carrots!