2 More Days!

Well, we are scheduled to have this baby boy on Monday. Whoo hoo! I'm very excited and a bit scared, but I think all moms go through a bit of that before facing down labor and delivery, right?

It's been a rough week or so; I started showing signs of preeclampsia over a week ago and felt completely awful! I've been in L&D twice to be monitored, was dehydrated both times, had a UTI that needed IV antibiotics, and had high blood pressure that they debated admitting me for (my blood work came back still in normal ranges, so they sent me home). I also gained 8 pounds in 5 days from the swelling, so I was pretty miserable. Yuck!

And then the FedEx man came.

I love the FedEx guy. Not only does he give our dogs treats when he pulls in, he brings packages. This time, it was the Sunrider Calli Tea I'd ordered from my grandmother. I used this after I delivered Emily to help rid my body of the toxins and fluids from labor, and loved it. It's totally safe for pregnancy, so I decided to go ahead and start drinking it in the mornings.

Want to know what has changed?

Everything!

My blood pressure has completely stabilized, my lab work on Friday had remarkably improved, my energy level has shot through the roof, and I've lost five of those 8 pounds of fluids that I had gained so quickly. The keeps me in my goal of gaining 15-20 pounds during this pregnancy (right now I'm at 16 pounds gained). I've always remarked about the benefits of Calli Tea, but holy cow! I'm totally sold. I don't think I'll ever stop drinking it again (it's been about six months since I'd ordered a box).

Thank you, Grandma! :-D

A Slight Change to the Eating Plan

It has been 10 days since I changed my eating plan and so far, so good! I have had to change up a few things, but they are helpful. For instance, instead of my fruit/protein shake for breakfast, I'm actually eating a bowl of Cream of Wheat. Yes, I eat Cream of Wheat. And yes, I also love grits. I suppose I'm multi-cultural!

Why Cream of Wheat? Well, I'm running anemic, but added an additional supplement with my prenatal vitamin is too much for me and my little guy, so I'm back to the old standard I did during college. Did you know that one bowl of cream of wheat has 50% of your daily iron intake? Emily even eats it; I gave it to her as a baby starting at six months (instead of rice cereal), so she has enjoyed having it occasionally for breakfast again over the past week.

So anyway, yes, Cream of Wheat for breakfast. Then when the kiddos eat lunch (about 11:00), then I have my fruit/protein shake. More solid foods come around in the form of a light lunch around 1-2, then supper for dinner. I've actually had a lot less heartburn during the day with eating like this. My energy level goes up and down, but some days I blame on being pregnant. Yet it is nice to know that I'm eating enough calories now, even though half the day is liquid! Liquid is good when your tummy is squished up, so at this point, I don't care if I'm drinking them or not.

Emily and I have also been taking more walks; 4-5 times a week we will walk at least a mile once or twice a day. She loves it, and it's good for me and baby progression! :-) But anywhoo, the husband is asking for the computer, so I need to go. I will update more later!

Day 3 Is Done and Day 4 Has Begun

So yesterday was somewhat a yucky day, but most of that was due to severe lack of sleep. I woke up at 3 am with a bug in my hair; needless to say, there was no going back to sleep after that! I also didn't do my exercise in the morning, but did go on a mile walk before supper. I did sleep wonderfully last night, though; only up twice during the night. I also didn't drink as much as much as I'm supposed to, and I'm feeling the fatigue of that this morning as well.

I did have to see an orthopedic doctor yesterday and get fitted for bi-lateral wrist braces for pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrome. So I have to wear them 23 hours a day for the next two weeks, and then I'll be re-evaluated. So in the meantime, they make me feel very clumsy! I'm going to have to re-learn fine motor skills, I suppose. I was smart enough to make sure that I took them off before I started cooking dinner!

I'm trying a new combo of fruit smoothie today; 1/2 a kiwi, 4 strawberries, and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. I don't eat a lot of bananas and have been able to tell the last couple of days that I have been, so I think I need to move it to at least every other day.

Day 2: Finished!

So, day two of the new eating plan has come and (almost) gone. It's been a good day, though I'm tired tonight, probably due to the fact that I had to get up five times last night to go to the bathroom. *sigh* The joys of the last month of pregnancy!

Since it is Monday, today is a weigh-in day and I was thrilled to find that I had only gained a half a pound for this week. Yeah! That has been my goal over the last month, to keep it at half a pound a week during this 3rd trimester. Puts my total pregnancy weight so far at 12.4 pounds. As my OB wants me to keep it between 15-20 pounds, I actually think I will be able to manage that.

I did have quite a bit of energy earlier on in the day, and had to force myself to lay down for an hour while Emily napped. I dozed, but didn't really sleep. I did struggle with hunger more today, so I built in a couple more snacks into my menu tomorrow that still keeps me within my calorie goals.

I did love exercising this morning! I actually felt energized after 40 minutes of yoga, and then Emily and I walked a mile this afternoon while I was avoiding the munchies.

The biggest benefit I am doing on my own in all this is getting ready the night before. I plan my daily menu, plug it in, get as much done on meals for tomorrow that I can, and have been working on getting the house picked up as much as possible before bed. Maybe I'm nesting? I don't know... I am tired tonight, but I think a lot of that is the pain in my hands/wrists/arms. I should get my wrist braces tomorrow, and am hoping that will help keep the swelling down and pressure off of the nerves (I've been doing my hand exercises today and doing ice treatments tonight). A huge blessing is that my insurance covers the braces. Yeah!! I was hating the idea of having to pay for wrist braces that I will only use for a few weeks, but I called my company to see what coverage I have with medical supplies, and yep, they are covered so long as my doctor writes a prescription for them. He did late this afternoon, so I'll pick it up tomorrow and Lord willing, have them by the afternoon, if not sooner. :-)