Weight Gain and Pictures!

5 pounds in 2 weeks...that is what they told me I had gained from May 28 to June 11. It did not surprise me too much as I could feel that the baby had grown a lot and my belly was a lot bigger. It had also been much harder for me to get up off of the couch or the bed. But, the good news was that I had only gained 11 pounds total in the pregnancy. On average, people gain about 10-14 pounds by the 21st week, so I was right on target and even on the lower end of it, which made me happy. I was so worried that being on bedrest so early would make me gain weight too fast. I really don't want to be unhealthy and add other risks to the ones I already have.

I know it won't last as the bigger the baby gets, the less I will be able to move. It has been hard enough to move as it is, I can't imagine what it will be a couple of weeks from now :) My muscles have caused most of the problem because they get so tight sometimes, it really does hurt to move sometimes. But, I've been trying to do some little stretches to help my muscles. Some days are better than others and I just kind of go day by day with it :)

I've had some tightening and I'm not sure if it is contractions or just the baby moving. I've also had a lot more back pain lately. Both tend to go away when I change positions and I have also been drinking a lot of water to help me stay hydrated. I have been told that as long as the symptoms go away and are not timable it is ok and normal. I have found an incompetant cervix bulletin board that has been really helpful to me in knowing what kinds of things other women in my situation are going through. It helps to see that they are having the same kinds of symptoms and are also being told it is normal.

I can't wait to make it through this week without any problems! This was another huge goal for me, since this is the week I first went into the hospital with Ethan. I am now at the point that every day means a lot to me. I hate the fact that I sometimes have to think about the fact that viability is only a few weeks away and I have to make it to that point and take a deep breath and make it to the next goal. I try to use imagery to help me and the image is a fat, healthy little boy coming home from the hospital with me! It helps me to think about that and helps me to see the long-term goals a little easier, especially when the short-term goals are so important right now!

The picture above is the three of us when I was almost 13 weeks pregnant (I look bigger than I was). It was at our last out of town trip until the baby is born. Matt was in his friend Joe's wedding and we were happy to be able to have that trip. The picture below is one Matt took this weekend at 21 weeks 4 days. I actually look that pregnant and I love it, I never saw that with Ethan's pregnancy. I thought some of you who have not seen me in nearly 2 months and some of you even more, would like to see what I look like and how things are progressing.