kim through
   the looking glass

Just for kicks I checked out my belly pics from my pregnancy with Gwen Read the rest of this entry »

I can’t believe I’m 27 weeks - officially in my third trimester. Only 10 more weeks until I’m full-term. Um - ACK.

Time for an update, methinks!

Overall, I’m feeling fantastic. A bit of back pain every now and then, but nothing like when I was pregnant with Gwen. I think a lot of that had to do with my job, so I’m so so so thankful that I’m able to stay at home this time around! With Gwen, I was sleeping with a Snoogle by the end of my first trimester … this time, I’m still sleeping with only one pillow - the one under my head! I find the back pain the worst on the days where Gwen wants to be carried a lot … and it makes me so sad when I’m not able to do it

I went to see a Thrombosis specialist a few weeks ago. He was unconcerned with my veins - in fact, he said that I was experiencing completely common symptoms among women who suffer from pregnancy-induced varicose veins. He reassured me that having varicose veins during pregnancy only slightly increases your risk - if at all - of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) post-partum. He said I’m definitely at risk for superficial clots (thrombophlebitis), but barely at an increased risk of DVT. That made me feel a TONNE better and I’m hoping that will help ease others’ concerns as well. They sent me for a compression ultrasound of the veins on my left leg just as a baseline, since I’ve still got a whole trimester to go, but it was, thankfully, negative and I was free to go! He also let me know that full-length hose are completely unnecessary and that thigh-high vs. full-length is merely a matter of preference and comfort. Please shoot me. I’ve been wearing full-length since mid-summer and have hated Every. Minute. Of it. He also suggested I wear hose on only the only leg, since it’s the most commonly affected and I show no symptoms of anything happening on my right leg. Maybe in the new year I’ll buy a new pair of thigh-high hose!

Brad has now felt Love Bug move a bunch of times - he/she is VERY strong already! I think we’re both finally starting to feel real excitement about this new addition to our family - excited to meet him/her and excited to see how our family is going to change!

I just busy. And feeling like I’m not sure what to write. And I haven’t a clue where my camera cable is. Time for a bulleted list, anyone?

• I’m 23 weeks pregnant now. Over halfway, 5 more weeks in my second trimester. Wow. Brad got to feel Love Bug kick this morning. I think that’s one of my favourite pregnancy experiences
• Our kitchen is coming along swimmingly. Cabinets are in, sink and flooring are purchased and the counter-top people are coming on Monday to do the template.
• I’m getting sick of living in renovation-land. I’m ready to have a working kitchen and dining room and to dig my living room out from underneath the paraphenalia associated with each unfinished area. Sooooo ready.
• I’ve been reading quite a bit! I finished ‘Kids Are Worth It!’ by Barbara Coloroso and LOVED IT - thanks for the recommendation, Chelsea! I’m almost finished ‘The Continuum Concept’ by Jean Leidhoff and am enjoying it immensely. Lots of interesting information that’s making me think long and hard about Western life.
• I’m knitting too! I’ve started some Christmas knitting, as well as a pair of socks for Gwen. Too cute.
• My brother-in-law and his girlfriend are spending a few weeks with us, which I love. I love having people here to share my day with - and Gwen loves having more big people to follow around and imitate!
• Next weekend I have an all-day LLL conference to attend. Should be interesting with Gwen.
• I have an appointment with a thrombosis clinic next week to check out my varicose veins - I’m looking forward to finding out what’s going on in there.
• I’m pretty sure we’re not doing the H1N1 vaccine. 99.8% of me is comfortable not being vaccinated - after all, I don’t ever get the seasonal flu shot … but there is 0.02% of me that’s terrified by all the fear-mongering. If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d be 100% sure I wasn’t getting it.
• I’m newly addicted to the show Gossip Girl. It’s horrid. But good knitting entertainment!

Wow - I can’t believe this pregnancy is statistically half over. It’s gone so quickly! Today I was invited to be a ‘belly’ for some Level II Midwifery students at my local university - what fun! They were split into groups and there were different rooms with pregnant women of different gestations. I was the earliest, and obviously Love Bug’s not terribly big yet, so they couldn’t palpate fetal postition or anything, but it was fun nonetheless.

There were two groups rotated through my room. For the first group, I was the first real pregnant woman they’d ever interacted with, the first fundus they got to feel (measuring right at the umbilicus), the first time they used the doppler and found a baby’s heartbeat. It was so much fun not only to hear Love Bug’s heartbeat all morning but also to see the looks of awe and wonder on the students’ faces as they palpated my uterus and listened to the heartbeat - still a very strong, slow 140 - 150 bpm I feel honoured to have been a part of their experience … and I remember very well what it’s like to interact with a real, live patient for the first time!

I also got to show off my varicose veins to the two groups - heehee - it was kinda funny seeing them be shocked by the extensiveness of the veins - my secondary midwife, B, who was there for the session assured them that mine were likely to be some of the worst they’d seen. At least it’s a learning experience for them!

Love Bug is about 6.5 inches long and weighs aboug 10.5 oz. He/she was moving up a storm early this morning while I was lying in bed and was enjoying stretching out and kicking the doppler while we were at the session! I’m definitely feeling more and more movement, although not nearly as much as with Gwen - stinkin’ placental position! I’m sure that it doesn’t help that I’m chasing Gwen around for most of the day and not really thinking too hard and fetal movement.

I’m getting more and more excited to see who is in there and meet this baby!

Unbelievably, I’m 18 weeks pregnant already. How on earth is this happening so quickly?

We had our second trimester ultrasound this afternoon and it was fun. Apparently the baby was so wiggly the tech had issues getting all the pictures she needed. And, since my placenta is in the front, that’s why it’s so difficult for me to feel the movement. And guess what? We’re having … Read the rest of this entry »

So a flurry of activity has occured here in the past few days. My $188 compression stockings developed identical twin runs on the heels and I was unimpressed, to say the least! I made a call and headed out to the pharmacy where I got them and chatted with the RPN there about my symptoms and such. Read the rest of this entry »

These were taken this morning. I definitely feel like I’ve popped - although I haven’t had many questions about it - maybe because everyone already knows

15w + 2d bare belly

15w + 2d

How on earth am I already 15 weeks pregnant? I need to take a belly pic - it’s like it’s growing every day

I went to see my family doc about my varicose veins and he is referring me to a vascular surgeon because of the extensiveness of the veins. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow. I feel like this pregnancy is just flying by! It probably helps that I’ve had maybe a grand total of an hour of nausea … and it has been wonderful, although not entirely comforting. While it was awful being nauseous 24/7 with Gwen, it was reassuring to know that nausea = pregnant. This time, I do have symptoms, they’re just less obvious ones - like highly emotional, incredibly exhausted, and laden with nasty, painful varicosities.

Yay, pregnancy!

Really though, I’m feeling more and more happy to be carrying this new life and looking more and more forward to meeting Love Bug. Read the rest of this entry »

Oddly, I’ve been thinking a lot about babywearing lately. I guess it’s not too odd, since I still carry Gwen quite often, but I find myself thinking about the fact that I’m not likely going to be able to wear her nearly as long as I was hoping.

And finding myself feeling guilty.

When I was pregnant with Gwen, I developped some NASTY varicose veins in my left leg. I had to wear support hose. One of my tip-offs that I might be pregnant again was a nice plump varicose vein running along my thigh. I poked it and thought, “Hmmm … it’s been a while since I’ve seen one of those … like … almost a year … OH CRAP.”

So, needless to say, the veins are back and I’m already wearing the support hose. During my last pregnancy, my midwives wanted me off work because it involved lifting that was adding extra strain to my cardiovascular system. I’m assuming it’ll be the same this time, only the lifting and carrying that I do now is of a very different sort.

I’m hoping to wear Gwen as long as possible, not only because I love it and she loves it, but also because I am one of the few people I know or have seen in Hamilton wearing a baby. And you know what? I believe that being visible and wearing your baby out of the house goes a long way toward normalizing babywearing and encouraging other people to do it.

I am, however, thankful that Gwen doesn’t hate our new stroller - in fact, she loves riding in it and gets excited when she sees me pull it out and open it up. But the best is still how she rests her head on my chest when I’m getting her in the Mei Tai and snuggles her head under my chin when I’m tying it.

She still loves transportation by mama the best!