{Pregnancy Update} Week 24

How far along are you: 24 Weeks

How big is the baby: Your baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he’s almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he’ll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon. (source)

Baby’s Gender: We don’t know but I think it’s a boy

Baby’s Name: We have decided on a boys name and have narrowed the girls names down to two and have decided on a middle name if it is a girl.

Weight Gained: 16-17 lbs. Today I feel massive.

Clothes:  I bought a new maternity skirt yesterday at Baby Gap for $1.97 and shortly I will need to buy some new workout bottoms because mine although they fit are getting more and more uncomfortable around the waist.

How are you feeling: I am feeling great! I was feeling under the weather this past weekend due to sinus congestion but that has passed and I’m feeling good!

What do you miss: Running. Sprouts. Sleeping on my back.

Symptoms: Lots of indigestion due to bananas.

Cravings: Fruit Salad! I actually went out last night and bought three bags of fruit so I could make a fruit salad. I also have been craving veggie burgers, avocado and salad.

How are you sleeping: This week I have been doing okay minus when I was sick.

Workouts: This week I rocked the workouts! Lots of walks and I went to pre-natal yoga yesterday- more on this tomorrow.

Next Midwife Appointment:  March 28th.

Other News: We have been on a mission to find a birth class that fits our needs, a natural pregnancy with as little intervention as possible, unfortunately we were having a hard time finding a non-hospital class.  Well I finally found a doula who teaches private natural birth classes and we are now in the process of setting up our classes with her, as well as, a natural baby class where we will learn about using cloth diapers, breastfeeding, baby wearing, sleeping options and more.

Sacred Pregnancy by Anni Daulter

When North Atlantic Books provided me with an advanced copy of Sacred Pregnancy by Anni Daulter I was thrilled. Although I was 20 weeks when I started reading this book I started at the beginning and I fell in love instantly with the style of writing, the tips and as I read through each week and reflected on my own experience I began to feel more connected to my own pregnancy.  I have been using this wonderful book, resource and journal ever since and plan to continue doing so for the next 16 weeks.

Below I am providing a short reflection on each week from 1-14 and next week I will reflect on weeks 15-25 based on the topic of the week in Sacred Pregnancy. I will continue to write reflections based on the topic of the week in Sacred Pregnancy each week in my Thursday pregnancy updates until I give birth.

For those of you who are pregnant, are planning to get pregnant or have friends that are you’ll be happy to know that this wonderful guide and journal for expectant moms will be released on May 1, 2012.  You can pre-order your copy today on Amazon, now I just need my girlfriends to get pregnant so I can buy them copies!

First Trimester

Week 1-4:  The first four weeks discuss Journaling, Sacred Space, Due Date and Meditation. I didn’t know I was pregnant until I was just over 4 weeks so I didn’t find these weeks quite as inspiring so I will start my reflection with Week 5: Cravings!

Week 5: Cravings- This week you will learn about paying attention to cravings, finding balance in your meals and lastly indulging (just a little).  I loved the ideas in this week for making own potato chips, a craving that many women have during their first trimester. I also loved that the suggestion to sit back and relax and watch Eat, Pray, Love.

Week 6: Womb- Much of this week discusses your bodies preparation for your growing baby.  One thing that suggested in this topic is to eat smaller meals throughout the day  to help combat morning sickness. I didn’t learn this until around week 9 in my pregnancy and I wish I had known back at week 6!

Week 7: Expectations- This has been one week that I consistently go back to whenever I get wrapped up with others birth and pregnancy experiences.  The more stories that you hear the more that we set up good or bad expectations for ourselves; instead we need to slow down, reflect on our own expectations and look for support.

Week 8: Body Image- This week gets into the nitty gritty of the challenging transition that you take on as a pregnant woman, a new body, a growing body and a new look.  This is something that was a bit and continues to be a bit of a struggle for me to deal with.  After years of maintaining a weight loss it is a challenge to feel comfortable gaining weight especially when you can’t control it and it is necessary.  One thing that has helped me is to budget for new maternity clothes, and not just any clothes ones that make me feel good.

Week 9: Romance- The topic of the week is all about making quality time with your partner.  This could be as simple as a hug, holding hands, and if you are feeling into it hitting the sheets. Finding time for romance can help reduce the stress and anxiety that comes with pregnancy.  To help keep the romance going my husband and I have weekly date nights, even more now than pre-pregnancy and it has been wonderful.

Week 10: Birth Art Expression- Although the suggestion was to get artistic during week 10 we did this during week 23.  We have been working on art for the nursery and will continue until the baby arrives.

Week 11: Exercise- During week 11 I was still feeling pretty nauseous so my workouts were lacking back then but increased around week 14.  Currently my favorite exercises to do are nice long walks with my husband and prenatal yoga. 

Week 12: Mindful Eating- This week reminds you of how essential it is to really focus on what you are eating because what you eat the baby eats. 

Week 13: Radiant Glow- This is the week when you really start feeling more connected to your pregnancy.  Once the nausea has calmed down it is really easier to enjoy being pregnant.  This week one of the ideas was to start taking belly photos to document your progress.  We started taking our photos around week 14 and it has been a lot of fun.

Week 14: Bonding- This week is about preventing uncomfortable symptoms before they happen such as drinking lots of water, eating a high fiber and high protein diet.  Additionally, one of the ideas is to talk to you belly and this feels weird at first but the more you do it the more connected you feel to you baby.

Stay tuned for weeks 15-25 next week!