Week 20: Halfway There!

*disclaimer* photo above was taken directly after a dinner of sushi (cooked of course) and frozen yogurt....just sayin'

So this week brought us to 20 weeks and the halfway point in my pregnancy! It's very hard to believe we only have 20 weeks (ish) left to prepare for our daughter's arrival!

The first 20 weeks seemed to go by very slowly. Especially the wait to arrive at the second trimester and announcing our good news to friends and family.

We also had to move at the very beginning of my pregnancy. We are currently in Little Rock, AR for my husband's pilot training until October. We arrived here mid-May, when I was about 5-6 weeks along.

My poor husband had to load pretty much everything into our UHaul because my OB instructed me not to lift, push, or pull anything over 20lbs. That is incredibly restricting. So I packed and organized and cleaned everything while poor husband loaded our furniture and boxes alone.

My lifting restriction wasn't the only restriction, either, not by a long shot. I thought the halfway point would be a good time to reflect on the first part of my pregnancy and what I've had to avoid (either by doctor's orders or my choice) in order to feel safe throughout this scary time.

Obviously I haven't had any alcohol. Not since our trip to Hawaii in March! I dont miss it as much as I thought I might. Really it's only at mexican restaurants and at my parents' house do I miss those yummy frozen margaritas...occasionally a glass of chilled white wine crosses my mind as well.

I have avoided caffeine as much as possible. There are still trace amounts in chocolate that are hard to avoid, but I haven't had any caffeinated beverages. (Though sometimes I splurge on a caffeine free pepsi as a treat!).

Also in the beverage department, I have chosen to avoid artificial sweeteners and herbal teas. Both were a bit harder than the others because I have grown very accustomed to my morning diet coke and my evening hot tea. The artifical sweeteners was something I  chose to do on my own. I've found I'm not very comfortable when research is unsure on the amount of something it takes to have a negative affect on the fetus. So I try to steer clear altogether. The same goes with herbal tea, though that recommendation came from my OB.

I have pretty much avoided medication whenever I can. I have used tylenol and benadryl once or twice, and unfortunately needed a colace supplement for awhile thanks to the lovely side effects of pregnancy. Other than those three things (all with my OBs stamp of approval), I have stayed away from all other forms of medicine. I did have a cold that I blogged about earlier and normally I attack those things full force with NyQuil and the like. All I had this time was Earl Grey (caffeine free) tea with honey, and saline solution for my nose. It was cleared up in five days!

Food hasn't been as tricky. Obviously, no raw fish, or eggs (missin my cookie dough!), and also no soft cheeses (like feta or brie).

But by far the hardest thing I had to avoid in that first trimester was running and exercise. This was also my choice. I had some exercises approved by my OB, but my own reading lead me to believe that with my previous miscarriages, it wasn't something I felt safe doing. Am I saying that no one pregnant should exercise in the first tri? No. I am simply saying that it wasn't something I felt comfortable doing given my previous history. It no longer carried the ability to release my stress and bring me sanity, which is a BIG part of why I exercise to begin with. Luckily, I'm past that point now and am working my way back to a good workout schedule. It's very different now, but then again, most things are!

All this said, I'm still incredibly grateful that I've been given the opportunity to make these decisions and am so happy that everything is still going well. I'm loving this stage of my pregnancy. I can feel our daughter kick every day....a reminder that she is alive and well. I'm not too uncomfortable or huge yet, and I'm not wanting to puke my guts out or nap all day long.

Next milestone is the 3rd trimester! Only a few weeks away!!