
I was 20 weeks last Monday. Wow, how time is flying by! In the last few weeks I have had some definite movement, or flutters (quickening) by the baby even on the outside of my belly. Of course it stops moving every time I try to get Adam to feel it. The small flutters have been happening for a while now, since about 17 weeks but the past two weeks it was very obvious. It was moving around a lot, which is fun to feel and realize something really is growing inside of me:-) People are finally seeing that I am pregnant. Must be those new maternity clothes.
I had my 20 week mid-wife appointment last week. I had a lot of questions for her regarding this diet she has put me on. At the last appointment she said I needed to be on a low carb diet to keep my blood pressure down. Or at least that is what I thought. I had some high blood pressure after I got out of college, my doctor felt it was mostly "white coat" syndrome so we started taking it at home and I lost a bunch of weight. Those both helped and I haven't had a high reading since around 2004. But my mid-wife is really worried about that. Also because my weight was higher than it should making me more at risk for gestational diabetes. So she explained that her low carb diet is more for keeping my weight gain down, reducing my risk of developing gestational diabetes, which is all related and connected to also keeping my blood pressure down. It seems complicated but she said this is what all mid-wives and OB's are doing with high risk patients now. She is trying to be preventative, the role of the mid-wife, instead of having to have medical interventions that I don't want. My goal is to gain as little weight as possible and so far I am doing well. I didn't gain any weight between this last appointment and the one before, even though my body is obviously changing. My total weight gain has been 8 pounds and I am 21 weeks (5+ months). I am committed to trying to do my best, to have the least amount of interventions so I can give birth naturally at the
Birth Center.
So I am trying to be really good and eat my low carb diet and exercise as much as I can. Adam and I have been walking after work 3-4 times a week and trying to get out each weekend for some longer exercise either skiing or longer walks. I am also doing Prenatal yoga, which has been really fun.
I have been to 2 yoga classes so far. It's been fun to be in a room full of pregnant women. The class is 10 weeks long, each week representing a phase of the 10 months of pregnancy. My friend Becky is also doing it with me.
The other big news is that we got a KING size bed. More room for me to stretch out and get comfortable, room for Gryffin, Adam, and the baby!