How I am feeling at 14 weeks |
[posted by Nat] |
All week I have been thinking about what my first "real" (or long) post should be and it finally occurred to me tonight that I should simply answer the question that everyone has been asking me since we revealed that we have a baby on the way: how are you feeling?
Well, this very moment I am feeling OK. "Morning" sickness -- which, as you may know, is a complete misnomer -- was for me evening sickness. During the first trimester I felt great in the morning, tired and a little queasy in the afternoon, and then sick and exhausted after dinner. This was fine with me because I taught in the morning and I really didn't want to suddenly dash out of the classroom with my hand clapped over my mouth and then return and have to reassure some stunned student that it wasn't her literary analysis or her grammar that had sent me running from the room looking a little green. So evening sickness seems to have passed, last rearing its ugly head on New Year's Eve after having been pretty tame for a week or so. I guess it wanted to punctuate the end of the first trimester.
Now the question that comes to mind is what am I feeling. No, no kicks yet. At least, I don't think so. Sometimes I think I feel popcorn popping low in my belly, but that might be digestion. According to the books and websites I consult it's still a little early to feel the fetus (though Kerry on Baby Time -- a really good podcast about pregnancy -- seems to have felt her baby pretty early on).
(I just went to www.BabyTimeShow.com to make sure I put the right link in and read that Kerry's dad died this week. I don't know Kerry, but my heart goes out to her. My father died in August and it's hard for me to believe and to think about the fact that he'll never hold the Pumpkin in his arms. I'm glad for Kerry that her dad knew the baby was on the way and that mom-to-be and child were doing well).
What I do feel is a weight low in my belly -- not too heavy, mind you. At 14 weeks the Pumpkin (a nickname that we should explain at some point) is about 3.5 inches long (the size of a lemon) according to BabyCenter.com or 4 to 4.5 inches long according to iVillage's pregnancy calendar.
The two websites almost agree on weight: 1.5 or 1.75 ounces (though I guess .25 of ounce difference is probably a lot at this stage). That doesn't include amniotic fluid or the growing uterus, but I don't know how much that weighs. In any case, I definitely have a bump below my belly button, though I don't think anyone other than me would notice it.
The other thing that I am feeling is round ligament pain (at least I hope so! We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I'm going to double check with her). This usually occurs when I laugh or cough. At dinner tonight, for example, I coughed and felt a brief, but deep and stabbing pain on the right side of my abdomen. I had to leave the table and lie down for a few minutes. I find the pain paralyzing -- just for a few seconds -- but then it usually disappears fairly quickly (tonight I still feel a little numb after the dinner cough stab).
A few days ago I was a little freaked out because after cleaning the kitchen I felt out of breath and had to lie down on the couch. I don't know what the symptoms for high blood pressure are, but I got it into my head that perhaps I had high blood pressure. We were on vacation with only dial-up internet access so I didn't bother to check pregnancy symptoms online. When we got home I pulled out my Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
. For month 4 the book has a section on the respiratory system: "Stimulated by progesterone, your lung capacity is increasing this month. With each breath, your lungs are inhaling and exhaling up to 30 percent to 40 percent more air than they did before. [...] You may notice that you're breathing slightly faster this month. You may also be experiencing shortness of breath. Two-thirds of all pregnant women do, usually beginning around the 13th week of pregnancy. This is because your brain is decreasing the carbon dioxide level in your blood in order to make it easier to transfer more carbon dioxide from your baby to you. To do this, the brain adjusts your breathing volume and rate. As a result, many women feel short of breath." To boot: during pregnancy the rib cage enlarges 2 to 3 inches.
I knew the body changed a lot during pregnancy, but I had no idea how much and I had never stopped to think about the details. Morning sickness is what most people talk about and what most movies and books cover -- somehow that's more romantic than round ligament pain or a number of other symptoms I won't talk about tonight.
Anyway, all that to say that I mostly feel fine. A little tired, a little sore, but mostly OK. And totally thrilled.
Well, this very moment I am feeling OK. "Morning" sickness -- which, as you may know, is a complete misnomer -- was for me evening sickness. During the first trimester I felt great in the morning, tired and a little queasy in the afternoon, and then sick and exhausted after dinner. This was fine with me because I taught in the morning and I really didn't want to suddenly dash out of the classroom with my hand clapped over my mouth and then return and have to reassure some stunned student that it wasn't her literary analysis or her grammar that had sent me running from the room looking a little green. So evening sickness seems to have passed, last rearing its ugly head on New Year's Eve after having been pretty tame for a week or so. I guess it wanted to punctuate the end of the first trimester.
Now the question that comes to mind is what am I feeling. No, no kicks yet. At least, I don't think so. Sometimes I think I feel popcorn popping low in my belly, but that might be digestion. According to the books and websites I consult it's still a little early to feel the fetus (though Kerry on Baby Time -- a really good podcast about pregnancy -- seems to have felt her baby pretty early on).(I just went to www.BabyTimeShow.com to make sure I put the right link in and read that Kerry's dad died this week. I don't know Kerry, but my heart goes out to her. My father died in August and it's hard for me to believe and to think about the fact that he'll never hold the Pumpkin in his arms. I'm glad for Kerry that her dad knew the baby was on the way and that mom-to-be and child were doing well).
What I do feel is a weight low in my belly -- not too heavy, mind you. At 14 weeks the Pumpkin (a nickname that we should explain at some point) is about 3.5 inches long (the size of a lemon) according to BabyCenter.com or 4 to 4.5 inches long according to iVillage's pregnancy calendar.
The two websites almost agree on weight: 1.5 or 1.75 ounces (though I guess .25 of ounce difference is probably a lot at this stage). That doesn't include amniotic fluid or the growing uterus, but I don't know how much that weighs. In any case, I definitely have a bump below my belly button, though I don't think anyone other than me would notice it.The other thing that I am feeling is round ligament pain (at least I hope so! We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow so I'm going to double check with her). This usually occurs when I laugh or cough. At dinner tonight, for example, I coughed and felt a brief, but deep and stabbing pain on the right side of my abdomen. I had to leave the table and lie down for a few minutes. I find the pain paralyzing -- just for a few seconds -- but then it usually disappears fairly quickly (tonight I still feel a little numb after the dinner cough stab).
A few days ago I was a little freaked out because after cleaning the kitchen I felt out of breath and had to lie down on the couch. I don't know what the symptoms for high blood pressure are, but I got it into my head that perhaps I had high blood pressure. We were on vacation with only dial-up internet access so I didn't bother to check pregnancy symptoms online. When we got home I pulled out my Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy
. For month 4 the book has a section on the respiratory system: "Stimulated by progesterone, your lung capacity is increasing this month. With each breath, your lungs are inhaling and exhaling up to 30 percent to 40 percent more air than they did before. [...] You may notice that you're breathing slightly faster this month. You may also be experiencing shortness of breath. Two-thirds of all pregnant women do, usually beginning around the 13th week of pregnancy. This is because your brain is decreasing the carbon dioxide level in your blood in order to make it easier to transfer more carbon dioxide from your baby to you. To do this, the brain adjusts your breathing volume and rate. As a result, many women feel short of breath." To boot: during pregnancy the rib cage enlarges 2 to 3 inches.I knew the body changed a lot during pregnancy, but I had no idea how much and I had never stopped to think about the details. Morning sickness is what most people talk about and what most movies and books cover -- somehow that's more romantic than round ligament pain or a number of other symptoms I won't talk about tonight.
Anyway, all that to say that I mostly feel fine. A little tired, a little sore, but mostly OK. And totally thrilled.
-maman
posted by Nat
2 Comments:
Glad to hear you're still thrilled admist all the physical changes!
I felt round ligament pain in the 2nd trimester too, but for me it usually happened when I was walking, and often felt like a stitch in my side. My midwife told me to drink a lot of water, though I don't remember if that ever helped. Lying down would usually make it go away.
Glad to hear the "morning" sickness has passed too!
Apparently what I was feeling is probably not round ligament pain, but just pain caused by the increasing heaviness of the uterus -- that's what the CNP we saw today explained. Though now that I think about it I think I have had the stich-in-my-side type of pain a couple of times when walking or standing around, most recently at Babies "r" us.
Thanks for your description! It's helpful to get info from someone who has been there!
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