One of the biggest reasons I started this blog was to document my pregnancy. I really want to be able to share my experience with other mommies out there. Every pregnancy is different, no one is the same but it’s nice to learn about how other people are doing because it helps you remember that you are not the only one going through this. You are not alone!

Well for me, it surely has been a whirlwind. I thought I was never going to survive the first trimester. It was really bad. 🙁 I remember thinking “will I ever feel normal again”. Sure enough, I woke up one morning and did feel normal! I was relieved. Morning sickness is really a misnomer. It should be called  all day sickness because it can come at any time in the day and last for how ever long. I had it from the moment I opened my eyes in the morning to the moment I went to sleep at night. Absolutely horrible! But, like I said I survived and don’t get me wrong I have been extremely grateful the whole time. I know it’s a blessing to have a baby and I am very happy but it doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Now fast forward to 17 weeks! I had my check up yesterday with The Midwives of NJ. First, let me  tell you I love them. They are so caring and they take their time with you and I’m really enjoying the process. At my last appointment they were concerned that my Thyroid was too high but they took some more blood tests and they told me yesterday that my levels are back to normal! Phew! I’m so glad that happened because I would have had to take medication and I really try to avoid that. Also, last appointment my vitamin D was extremely low and they took some more blood tests and guess what? It’s actually even lower. Yikes! I started taking supplements but they don’t seem to be working so I have to switch to a different type of supplement. Vitamin D is really important for anyone, pregnant or not. The baby ends up taking most of it and if you’re surrounded by people who are sick your body gears up to fight it off and uses your vitamin D supply. Hopefully, my new supplements will help me and I can get back to somewhat normal levels in no time.

Now the most dreaded topic of pregnancy. Weight gain! I hate talking about this because people like me who already have body issues to begin with, you can imagine how hard it is to see the scale creeping up each week. Well, I already gained 17lbs and I am only 17weeks. That’s 1lb a week. Granted I am not working out like I used to and I have been very laid back about what I have been eating so it’s totally normal that I would gain weight. Here’s the thing though, I want to have a home birth. To make a home birth successful there are some things you need to make sure happen. Your baby cannot be a “big” baby, so that means more than 8lbs. It’s because it’s more difficult to deliver vaginally when the baby is that large, so if I gain too much weight and the baby gets too big, it ain’t gonna happen. Another thing is gestational diabetes, if I end up getting that, I also cannot have a home birth. And of course, if you end up having a high risk pregnancy for other reasons and/or the baby is breached, obviously it will have to be a C-section.

So as you can see being a candidate for a home birth is actually not that easy but I want to try my best to make that happen so my midwife told me I have to change my diet. AAAH! I know! It’s going to be difficult at first but it’s really important for me to make this work. She is recommending no carbs and no sugar. I mostly have to eat protein, fat and dairy. I can have 2-3 fruits a day (which sucks because I love fruit, especially oranges). Now this doesn’t mean I can never have a cookie or ice cream or a burrito. On occasion it’s fine, maybe I can save these treats for a weekly cheat night or a special event I am going to. I will also be upping my workouts because I have been extremely tired lately I haven’t been very active. Plus, it does not help that I live in NJ and we were still getting snow up until 2 days ago. Ridiculous right?!  The weather will be getting nicer soon and I can go for more walks and maybe even some hiking. I try to do spin at least twice a week and weights twice a week as well.

So that’s pretty much my 17 week update. I got to hear the heartbeat again which was really cool. The Midwives keep telling me it’s a boy according to the rate of the heartbeat. But I find out at my next ultra sound in a couple weeks so we will know for sure then. I can’t wait so then I can start decorating the nursery! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Yay!

Well thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it. Until next time!

xoxox

Joela