Saturday, January 25, 2014

Week 22 Recap

Well, we made it to the end of Week 22!

Source: The Bump
We experienced a few big milestones this week:
  • We started our baby registry.  This was a lot more overwhelming and stressful than I imagined it would be.  There are just too many darn cute things out there!  Shep and I spent 2 hours last weekend scanning random onesies, washcloths, and bath supplies at Buy Buy Baby.  We then finally made it to the back of the store where the cribs were located, only to realize that all the convertible cribs in the store were humongous and likely wouldn't fit in the tiny room we have designated as our baby nursery. ... Cue the pregnancy hormones - slash - anxiety combination platter ...  After feeling totally defeated, we exited the store, frustrated, marching right past the car seats and strollers.  Good thing we spent all our time on the totally unimportant items and got zero accomplished in terms of necessities!
  • We announced our pregnancy news to our social network connections.  This was a big step for me.  I spent dozens of hours over the past couple weeks creating our video announcement and then literally sat with my finger on the button for what must have been 15 minutes, totally afraid to post it once it was ready.  Shep finally convinced me to do it, and I'm glad I did.  Here's the video if you want to check it out:

  • We attended an information session at the hospital we're planning to deliver at.  One of the Labor & Delivery nurses ran the 90 minute session, which included a virtual tour of the delivery unit, an overview of what to expect from the hospital staff during delivery and afterwards, and other important tidbits.  The whole thing was very surreal.  I realize that 4 months is going to fly by and that May will be here before we know it, but for some reason while we were sitting there everything seemed so hard to really picture.  Am I in denial?  Possibly.  I haven't really been thinking too much about the actual birthing process and hospital stay, and I think I need to start doing that.  I realized when the nurse was talking about pain management and labor pains that I am completely unprepared emotionally for that part of the process.  But then I started thinking:  is anyone ever prepared for the actual process of giving birth???  I guess that's what Lamaze and other classes are meant to do, but like I said, it just all seemed so foreign to me... almost like I was watching a movie about what some other couple was going to experience.  I better snap myself back to reality soon because the goal is to take home a healthy baby in late May and in order for that to happen I need to get it outside my body first!  ;)
In terms of symptoms, my nausea actually wasn't so bad the first few days of the week.  Just like during Week 17, I thought maybe it hit the road for good, but alas it showed it's ugly head again later in the week.  Oh well!  Other wonderful symptoms on the menu for this week -- warning: severe TMI alert -- included gross flatulence, burping, and of course the fantastic irregular bowel movements.  Luckily, I haven't had any constipation but things are a bit looser down there than I would like.  Enough said.

My belly has DEFINITELY popped out a bit more, and for the first time someone offered me their seat on the train.  My belly button is also in the midst of popping out -- right now it's at a weird stage where it doesn't really look like an "innie" or an "outtie", but a "flattie"!

Apparently our baby is sleeping about 12 to 14 hours per day, though you'd never know it from all the kicking!  I definitely felt some black-belt-worthy roundhouse kicks this week.  It's a good thing baby is still small enough that the kicks don't hurt as much as surprise me, but I'm worried that once s/he is bigger these kicks might get really painful!

Alas, it's all for a good cause!  If nausea, powerful kicks and embarrassing bathroom odors are the worst I have to deal with in order to grow a healthy baby, I'll do it!

7 comments:

  1. I LOVED your video announcement! It made me cry watching the reactions of your family members....that is so cool and so special that you have that on video!! Good job on the video....it's scary to announce to the whole world on FB, but now there will be that many more people celebrating your little one and looking forward to his/her arrival in May. Thanks for sharing your finished product -- awesome job!

    Hope your next attempt at finishing up your registry goes more smoothly than your first attempt! And, hope the nausea goes away for you (and all that other "stuff" calms down, lol)....but you're right, it's definitely worth it!

    Allie

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    1. Hi Allie, thanks so much for the kudos on the video! It was several hours of work, but I think totally worthwhile as I will treasure it for years to come and hopefully get to share it with our little one some day! I am such a sucker for anything photo or video related, AND I have a terrible memory. So for me, this was a must have!

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  2. Nicole...wow. Just wow. LOVE the video! I am so happy for you and your husband. You are truly a beautiful couple and you deserve all the happiness in the world. I'm sorry you still aren't feeling so well. With Mitch, I had nausea and vomiting nearly the entire nine months. It did start to ease up a bit at around the sixth month, but I still had it occasionally. Again, I am so happy for you!! XO

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    1. Awwww, Mel, thanks so much!!! You are so sweet to be so complimentary on the video. It was a lot of work, but something I'm so glad I invested time in. I can't believe you had nausea and vomiting almost your entire pregnancy with Mitch -- WOW. I don't know how you did it. I only vomited 3 times in my first trimester but the nausea alone is really wearing on me at only 5 months so far, so I can't imagine how you coped for so long with both! Ugh! I'm sure in your mind he was worth every minute of it though. ;)

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  3. Oh. My. Word. Your video was absolutely perfect. I had to pause after watching it before I could read the rest of your post because I was crying so hard. I'm so glad I'm able to look in on your journey from the outside. It's absolutely magical. If your bowels cause you too many problems, try probiotics! I started them 2 days ago and already feel waaay better. I laughed out loud at your belly button comment because that's exactly where mine's been at for the past several months. So strange. I hope your nausea gets better. You seem to be way ahead of me on the planning so I know you'll be perfectly ready when that baby comes and I have a hard time believing there is anything that can prepare us for the labor and delivery experience, but we'll survive!

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    1. I meant that my belly button has been like that for the past several weeks...not months!

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    2. Thanks so much!!! Sorry for making you cry -- apparently the video had this effect on a bunch of people. I totally hear what you said about not being prepared for labor and delivery -- that's why I'm practicing avoidance and just trying not to think about it! ;) And so glad to know I'm not the only one with a "flattie" belly button - ha!

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