What's Weighing on Me

People kindly ask all the time "how are you feeling!?" I've come to realize that unless this person has been pregnant or is pregnant, they're really not ready for my response. I'm inclined to simply answer "good!" But the reality is a little touch and go.

The way I'm feeling now that I'm almost 26 weeks pregnant versus how I felt in the first trimester is vastly different.

In the first trimester, I was worried all the time. I read every pregnancy book I could find and was only concerned that the pregnancy would progress. I also had different symptoms then - queasiness, smelling abilities like a hound dog, soreness, insomnia... and other wonderful little things of which I'll spare you.

Somewhere in between then and now, my mind has grown to accept that I am pregnant. I've lost track of what week I am in the pregnancy, I haven't been thinking about the process as much and generally getting more used to this phenomenon.

What's weighing on me now is a little different. I've found that I'm now more emotional, more uncomfortable, and gaining weight like crazy. In the grand scheme of things, these complaints really aren't too bad. But - if you're ready to know "how I'm feeling" ... read on.

Craughing 
As a friend so aptly referred to it - I've developed an anomaly called craughing - which is a combination of crying and laughing at the same time. I'll start laughing at something, then start crying, then laugh at myself for crying... and the whole thing turns into this strange howl that I can't control. I've also found myself crying in random places, like the middle of a Walgreens parking lot when I broke down for no other reason than feeling uncomfortable.

Pillow Talk
And then there is the pillow talk, or needing a pillow to wedge under my belly when I side sleep at night. Luckily there has been a break in my nightly routine from waking up at 2:30am every morning to one that allows me to sleep through the night. And as for the other kind of pillow talk - that's a whole other story.

Exercise
I'm convinced that anyone who says they "loved being pregnant" is either on some amazing endorphins or was not an athlete beforehand (sorry peeps). The essence of "going slow" is at a whole new level with a 25 pound belly (and yes, I realize my belly does not weigh that much... it's in my a$$ and my face and everywhere else... but I'm going with it - okay!?)

Let's start with running. To warm up I move just faster than a walk which gets the stomach muscles bobbled around and loosened up. The first 15 minutes of that feels like a mild bladder infection. After about 1 mile I generally have to stop to pee. Then I get a nice little kick in performance for a few minutes until I reach my max threshold at about 20-30 minutes of movement, and then I'm done.

As for swimming, forget the rotation and pulling action. It's more akin to a bobbing walrus wafting through the water. If I pull too hard, it tightens the stomach muscles in a strange way which is pretty uncomfortable. Again, 20 minutes is about my maximum output.

I tried prenatal yoga, and loved it. It would make a non-preggie fall asleep, but the subtle movements and stretching feel great.

Thank god for walking. It's my new form of fitness. Otherwise, exercise has become an act of going slow, breathing, and getting the blood to circulate.

Weight Gain
In my head I never wanted to be that girl who gained a ton of weight during pregnancy. But - here I am... gaining more and more every day. I think my problem is that I had this expectation that I would be fit during pregnancy, and I really just need to let it go and embrace that I don't have control over my body right now. Having gained 10 pounds on back-to-back doctor visits had me shocked. Luckily, the doctors are really cool and they just try to talk you off a ledge rather than telling you you're doing something wrong - or worse - to improve your diet. I love my Doc!

Food, food and more food
What does a pregnant woman crave? The answer is, simply - food! :-) If I get even a tinge of hunger and I don't have food in front of me, I'll either start to cry or claw my way to get some. Lately, I've been leaning towards heartier offerings, including bran muffins with molasses and heavy yogurts with oatmeal. I generally lean towards cheeses, heavy carb meals and anything delicious.

Here are a couple of concoctions that I've tried and enjoyed lately:

Farmgirl Susan's Bran Muffin Recipe
2 cups (5¾oz / 164g) organic wheat bran
1 cup (5oz / 141g) organic oat bran
1 cup (6oz / 170g) organic whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons (12g) baking soda1 teaspoon (6g) baking powder1/2 teaspoon (4g) salt2 large eggs
2/3 cup (5oz by weight / 156g) milk
2/3 cup (5½oz / 156g) yogurt
1/3 cup (2¼oz / 65g) safflower oil (or other neutral oil or melted organic butter)
1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) honey
1 teaspoon (6g) pure vanilla extract (optional)


1/3 cup (3¾oz / 108g) sweet molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup

Instructions:
Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 375°. Grease a standard size muffin pan or line the cups with unbleached baking cups.

Combine the wheat bran, oat bran, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and set aside. Combine the eggs, milk, yogurt, canola oil, molasses, and honey in a small bowl and mix well. (Note: you can use all honey or all molasses instead if desired.)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Generously fill the muffin cups with batter. I use a large stainless steel scoop, which is also great for portioning out cookie dough.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and serve warm, or let them cool on a wire rack.

Y-Oatmeal Bomb (my own concoction)
1 serving size container of strawberry Chobani yogurt
1/2 cup oatmeal
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 banana (or other fruit)
1 tablespoon finely chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon flax seed

Instructions:
Mix it up and enjoy.

I'd give you the recipe for smarties and other little goodies I eat... but I think you may already know how to find those :-)

So - to answer the question "how am I feeling?" ... the answer is pretty good! However, there are unmistakable ups and downs. Of course, I wouldn't change the scenario for anything, but it is fun to banter about it now and again.

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