I have been looking at Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as a natural way to help with some of my "ailments" from body aches & pains, migraines, and infertility. I came across a local practitioner in Cary, NC and have been talking to her about things to help without ever having met her. I plan on starting a Arvigo/Maya Abdominal Therapy Massage session with her in March.

This massage technique is to restore blood-flow to the womb and I've also read that it may help if I have any scarring in my tubes, I know I have in my uterus. AT this point any natural techniques I can use to not spend thousands on exploratory surgery is my goal.

In the mean time she suggested this anti-inflammatory diet for me in order to cleanse my body of toxins and to figure out what my triggers are. She sent it along with a list of food to eat, not to eat, and those that cause inflammation, and decrease inflammation.

I have made a transition to this diet and over the past two weeks I have felt AMAZING!! Since I can't get my hands on any free-range and/or grass-fed meats right now I'm going mostly vegan with an occasional 3oz of reg grilled chicken.... and I have my one mug of coffee a day.. hey.. a girl has to have her coffee!!! I splurged over the weekend going to Carolina Ale House to watch UFC, and I really felt a difference the next few days, so I'm really trying to stick by it.

Bonus: I've lost 5 lbs since I started it 12 days ago :)

35/35

Yesterday marked the 35th week of my pregnancy and 35 days to go! I cannot believe that I have come this far. It´s all very surreal for me. I´m doing pretty well for 35 weeks, I think. I feel pretty immobile sometimes, but that´s to be expected. Some days are better than others. Today my tailbone really hurts, but maybe it´s all that sitting I´ve been doing at the sewing table to try and get things finished for the little one.

My to-do list is still pretty long, but I´ve knocked off a good chunk of it. Mr. Lillysaur needs to help me clean out the last couple of boxes out of our little girl´s room, hang a couple of pictures on the wall and fix the roman shade in there. I still need to find a lamp for some extra light, get a baby monitor, replacement screw for the crib (yes, we´ve lost one) and move a comfortable chair in there.

I´ve made an appt. to get the car serviced and the locking clip for the carseat installed. I´ve started packing the diaper bag and I´ve packed my hospital bag. Must not forget to charge the camera so that it´s ready to go when the time comes. Oh, and we must get the insurance forms filled out, that is if the agent ever sends them...So many things.

My next Dr.´s appt. is on Monday. I´m anxious to see if anything has changed. She said she´d check my cervix, do an ultrasound, check for Strep B and hepatitis and do another non stress test.

I´ve started drinking red rasberry leaf tea as the midwife in our birthing class suggested, and it´s not the yummiest thing, but with a bit of honey it´s ok. I also bought some special oil to use for perineum massages. Another thing recommended by the midwife. If it helps and keeps me from having to have an episiotomy, then I´m all for it. But I must say that massaging the perineum is a bit weird and even uncomfortable if I follow all the directions that came with the oil.

I´m sure there´s more to report, but pregnancy dementia has kicked in, and I just can´t think what it was I wanted to say! If I remember, I´ll certainly come back and post. Maybe during one of my nightly bouts with insomnia.

Five things

Although I have a few things to write about today, none are really long enough to justify their own post, so I'll just sum up here...

• I had another measuring ultrasound last week - they're getting more frequent as my doctors need to make sure the boys are growing at the same rate, which is always a concern with twins who are sharing a placenta. And OMG - I have big kids! My doctor was confident that it's nothing to do with the gestational diabetes - they're not really fat, just big. One of them weighed 2.45kg (5.4lbs) and the other was 2.428kg (5.3lbs). This means they're already nearly at the average birthweight for twins who are delivered at 36 weeks (5.5lbs), and they're also both over 1lb larger than the average singleton is at this stage. I know that ultrasounds can be off with weight estimates, but yikes! Their heads are still measuring ahead too - both are measuring a bit over 36 weeks.

• My doctor also told me that at this stage he's now confident that if something happened and I were to go into labor tomorrow, the boys are big and strong and would likely be just fine - perhaps they'd need to be on oxygen for a few days, but otherwise he feels good about their progress. This has made me feel more confident and relaxed; I'm now at the very end of week 33 (week 34 begins tomorrow), so while of course it would be ideal to hang in there until 36+ weeks, I feel better knowing that my little ones are now far enough along and well developed enough that if I suddenly went into labor they would be OK.

• My PUPPP rash is now covering most of my torso (belly, chest, arms and sides) and parts of my legs - after discussing it with another of my doctors, he prescribed some hydrocortisone cream for me to use. And oh my...it is wonderful! There's still some discomfort and a mild itchiness, but NOTHING like what it was before. I know that a lot of women who have PUPPP try to avoid the steroid creams, and I did try the natural remedies I've found online, but none of them helped and I'm just so happy to get some relief from the crazy itchiness! 

• I've spent the last week cooking extra meals, and Mr Bibliosaur and I now have enough dinners in the freezer to feed us both for a week and a half after the babies arrive. I don't think we could fit any more in there, so I might call it quits now!

• The nursery is soooo close to being complete! We just need to get the bedding sets (which should arrive tomorrow) and reupholster the cushions of the rocking chair, which my lovely mother-in-law is going to help me with this week. In the meantime, here are a few teaser shots:

Lose the Weight, Gain a Baby

My story is really pretty simple! Girl meets boy, they fall in love, get married, have a baby, buy a house, move to the country... and spend over a year TTC a second child! I guess that last part is where things get complicated!

Our first pregnancy wasn't planned, infact, we were on BC at the time! I always thought that avoiding pregnancy would be more of an issue for us than TTC. Boy was I wrong! After our son was born we immediately got back on the pill and about a year later went off again. I have had some problems with blood clots and my Dr. thought it was in my best interest NOT to be on the pill anymore.

For the first year we explored other options of BC but when our son turned two we decided it was time to start trying for a second child... he will be four in October! We have had some "success", (I guess you could call it). Last January we discovered that we were expecting and two days later, we weren't expecting anymore! In March we decided to try again but again at seven weeks we were no longer pregnant!

In July I made an appointment to see my doctor. I decided at that point that maybe it would be a good idea to have some blood work done. Everything came back normal and we were told to start trying over the counter ovulation kits. We did this for awhile with no success so we stopped spending the extra money and started using an online ovulation calculator.

In January (of this year), I decided that instead of calling a specialist (like my friends had all suggested we do), I would go on a diet. I have been watching what I eat and working out for the past two months and have lost over 30 pounds. I truly believe that my weight has affected our chances at conceiving and I hope that with losing the weight, we'll gain a baby!

Going well so far

You may remember that at our last appointment, the midwife was a bit concerned with my rapid weight gain. I had gained 10 lbs in one month, putting me up 25 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight (which was still a good bit above where I really should've been anyway). Add to that my family history of pre-eclampsia and being at a higher risk of gestational diabetes, and the midwife was quite ready to put the breaks on my weight gain.

She prescribed a diet heavy in proteins, and light on carbohydrates. Whole grains okay. Veggies good. Fruits okay, as long as they were lower on the glycemic index.

So I started the new eating plan immediately - right before Thanksgiving. I made it through Thanksgiving with only a taste of apple pie and not a bit of any other dessert. After that first week, it got immeasurably easier.
I spent half of my college years on Weight Watchers, so I'm used to restricted eating. But this time around is much easier, I must say. Because I'm eating lots of protein and good carbs, I stay full longer. I snack frequently - but now it's things like almonds, hummus with whole grain crackers, or an apple. And amazingly, even during pregnancy, my appetite has gone down. I'm no longer eating everything in sight!

I stepped on the scale about a week ago, and I was already down 4 lbs from my last appointment! Considering how much extra weight I had on me, this is definitely a good thing! I know I've been eating plenty, and baby Citysaur is definitely growing in there. We have another appointment next week, and I think the midwife will be very pleased!
Honestly, I believe the key to my success this time is the source of my motivation. I'm no longer doing this for me. Now I'm doing it for our little baby, and it really does amaze me what a huge difference that makes! It's Christmastime, and that means lots and lots of sweets - everywhere. Cookies and fudge and pies and cakes, all over the place. Sweet treats almost every day at work. And so far, I have resisted every bit of it! The only splurge I've had this whole time was a piece of the top layer of our wedding cake at our anniversary celebration last weekend. (It was quite yummy!) I don't think I've ever been this good at the holidays before!
I really hope all this will keep me healthy the rest of the pregnancy, and allow us to have the birth experience we're hoping for - not to mention keeping our baby boy healthy as well! I suppose time will tell, but I at least feel good that I'm doing the best that I can for him now.

Slowing it down...

My weight gain, that is.

Mr. Citysaur and I went to see the midwife for our latest check-up yesterday, and almost everything was great. Baby's measuring well, heart rate sounded good, everything was right on track. Except, of course, for the weight gain.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but at 23 weeks, I'm up 25 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. I've had a weight problem my entire life, so I'm really not surprised. Disappointed, yes, but not surprised.

Here I must say, I absolutely LOVE our midwives! There are two that practice at the birth center, and the one we saw yesterday was wonderful. She took out lots of time yesterday to sit and talk with us about our concerns, and then hers as well. She explained clearly and directly, but without being condescending, that I absolutely must not continue to gain weight at this rate. She said that if I do, we will not be giving birth at the birth center - and will most likely have complications that will result in a much less pleasant birth experience than what we're hoping for.

But in addition to all of that, she spent plenty of time explaining what I needed to do differently. She's putting me on a diet. She wants me to watch my carbs and eliminate all sweets. That's right - all sweets, two days before Thanksgiving and a month before Christmas. I should more or less eat like I'm on the South Beach diet. And I need to be exercising every single day.

It's all fairly elementary stuff, and I know I can handle it. I lost 80 pounds in college on Weight Watchers - so I know I can do it. And this time, it isn't just for me - it's for our son too.

We have a heartbeat!

Twelve weeks, five days...and we finally got to hear our little baby's heartbeat!

Allow me to start at the beginning...

Today was our first appointment with a midwife at the Birth Center we chose a few weeks ago. After signing a couple more pieces of paperwork, we were sent right in to see the midwife. No waiting, no reception area with baby magazines or TVs playing medical infomercials or fancy aquariums (I've seen all at various OB offices over the years)...just a "go right in!" So we sat on the big, fluffy couch in the exam room while the midwife talked over my medical history, asked a few questions, then walked us through some pregnancy basics.

After that, it was on to the exam table for the requisite blodd pressure check (just fine) and then, what we were waiting for...out came the fetal doppler!

She felt around for a while without much success, other than some placental sounds. We readjusted, searched a little more, and then BINGO! A heartbeat!

I was in such utter shock that I didn't even think to cry - though normally I cry at everything!

I've read that fetuses sometimes don't like the doppler wand, and ours was no exception. Our little one kept squirming away every time the midwife would start to get a reading. Finally we got a good fifteen seconds or so - long enough to get a reading of 166 BPM. I borrowed a digital recorder from work, so I even got a good recording of the moment, which I have listened to approximately 80 bazillion times since then.

The other big news to come out of the appointment wasn't really news at all. The midwife wants me to watch what I eat, especially concentrating on getting plenty of protein and dairy, and limiting my intake of sugars. I have struggled with my weight all my life, and I've already put on a few pounds - more than I should be gaining in the first trimester. She also urged me to get back to exercising, and not to wait until I got my energy back - because then I'd put it off forever.

Mr. Citysaur heard all of this, and he especially took it to heart. We hadn't been back home twenty minutes when he found an elliptical machine for sale on craigslist and was offering to buy it for me. Luckily, it hadn't been claimed yet, and a couple of hours later, we were on our way to go pick it up!

I've already had my first workout on it, and now I have no excuses for not staying in shape!

A heartbeat and an elliptical of my very own - I think I'd call this day a success.

What do you feed the person who eats nothing?

Thus far I've managed to avoid true morning sickness (yeah I know - it's still early days yet!), but for the last four days or so, I've grown some serious food aversions. The thought of virtually everything makes me nauseated. And when I say everything, I mean...everything.

It's a daily struggle to think of something - anything - that I can stomach. For the past few days, the only things I've been able to choke down are grilled cheese sandwiches and red meat, preferably a plain hamburger patty. I couldn't stand veggies, and fruit was out of the question. The idea of chicken or fish made me want to puke.

(As a side note, when I tried to find an image of these things together for this post, I found this:

It's called a Hamburger Fatty Melt, and is a hamburger patty sandwiched between two grilled cheese sandwiches. I seriously could have lived off this for the last three days. Healthy, I know.)

But today, even grilled cheese and red meat don't sound good. Mr Bibliosaur volunteered to go to the grocery store and asked what I wanted for dinner - maybe plain pasta? Since just the idea of pasta started my stomach flipping wildly, I wracked my brain for other ideas. Finally I came up with two things: sweet potatoes and apple juice. Those were literally the only things I could think of that sounded appealing - in fact, my mouth is watering right now just thinking about sweet potatoes mashed with butter. Oh sweet baby...come to mama!

I really want to be able to eat healthily for this baby - and for myself, since I've slowly lost 8.8 pounds (that's 4 kilos, for my fellow Aussies) in the last two months. The last thing I want is to put all of that back on in the next couple of weeks.

But what do you eat when nothing sounds good, and the things you can choke down tend to be high fat and don't exactly amount to a balanced diet? Does anyone have any tips?

Pickles

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So it has happened. My first cliched pregnancy craving. Last night at 10:30 p.m. it hit! "I must have pickles!" It was so weird. Until now, I have craved things but nothing that I absolutely had to have, right at that moment. This was different. So much so that my dear husband put on his shoes and headed to the local grocery store to satisfy this need of mine (and "the baby's" which always gets him)! As he was shuffling out the door I rattled off:

"Make sure they're the refrigerated kind."
"Dill, not sweet."
"Spears or halves, not chips."
"Crunchy."

He muttered an acknowledgement and disappeared out the door. Ten minutes later he returned and produced my sweet (well, sour, actually) reward. A jar of chilled, Claussen Dill Pickle Spears.

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I gobbled up two on the spot, right out of the jar. Delish! They truly hit the spot. Which is so odd, because I cannot tell you the last time that I had a pickle. Maybe a couple of chips hiding on a burger or a spear plopped on the plate next to a sandwich? Nothing notable. Now that they're on my radar, I have a whole jar. Thank goodness... I'll be prepared should that gotta-have-it-right-now feeling should wash over me again.

Nine Weeks

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Today I am nine weeks pregnant. My itchiness is subsiding thanks to the prescribed prednisone, topical cream and the shot of Kenalog I got last week. Cravings for bagels and cream cheese with lox are strong and it seems that my morning sickness has decided to come in the evenings now. I feel queasy from about 7 p.m. onward. So I am sure to get all of my food for the day in before then, which isn't too difficult.

So delish! I am limiting myself to one serving/week though I could probably eat it every day right now!
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I am waking twice a night now to pee and overall, I have lost 7 lbs. since my BFP in May. I am not worried about the weight loss since I am considered obese and pregnant and it's fairly typical for "fluffy" mamas-to-be to drop some weight during the first and sometimes second trimesters. I am eating regularly, so I know I am getting all of the nutrition the baby needs right now. My goal is not to gain more than 20 lbs. during this entire pregnancy (doctor's orders) so I am feeling pretty good about it all. That said, my shape is changing and my waistline is thickening (for a bigger girl, I have always been hourglass shaped). I am starting to feel my waistbands tighten on my pants and capris and know it's mostly bloat since they're tighter at the end of the day. But I anticipate wanting to wear some maternity clothes before the summer is over, so I have been bidding on eBay for some gently used items like capris and slacks.

According to BabyCenter, here's what's happening with the Little Being this week:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

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Wanting to up-chuck

Oh my word. Since yesterday evening, and all of today so far, I've been suffering from some major food aversions and nausea. Major, I tell you!

Did you know it took me 30 minutes to eat my cereal this morning? Ridiculous. But every time I put a bit in my mouth, I'd have to force myself to chew and swallow. That's how unappealing it has become in the course of a day.

I cannot possibly think about any type of food without feeling completely sick to my stomach, and I have to hold back the nausea because I really could up-chuck if I let myself.

The worst offender right now? Raw meat. Just looking at this picture makes me want to throw up:

Image source.

Hopefully it didn't make you want to toss your cookies either...

Actually, I lied when I types that ALL food is making be completely sick to my stomach. There is one particular thing that actually sounds appealing at the moment: butter chicken with rice, cooked by someone else other than myself thank-you-very-much.

Image source. Mmmmm, butter chicken!

But, it's 9:41 am at the moment, and I don't think butter chicken is the best choice for second breakfast. (Another great thing about the first trimester - second breakfast, just like a Hobbit!)

Even though the nausea and the food aversion thang is quite annoying, I am so very very happy to be experiencing these symptoms. To me it means our little baby-boo is growing. And that's a very good thing. (5 weeks and 2 days today! To some that might seem like nothing, but that's one-eigth of the way there. WOOOOO!)

So, what about you other 1st TM ladies out there? Any food aversions? Any food you just *gotta* have?

First Craving

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Today I am 6 weeks and the little being is the size of a sweet pea. How cute! According to BabyCenter.com:

This week's major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you'll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you'd find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby's eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

And last night I had my first bonafide, gotta-have-it, food craving. What was it?
Black beans with cheddar cheese and sour cream. I mean, I needed to have it and now! So funny. And SO good. It truly hit the spot in a way that I cannot describe. And since I used low-sodium, organic black beans with reduced fat cheddar cheese and light sour cream, it was a half-way decent choice packed with fiber and protein.

My appetite has been good despite waves of nausea. Oddly enough I get nauseas either just upon rising or in the late afternoon around 3 p.m. The later bout generally turns off my appetite for the evening and I have been know to just have toast and scrambled eggs for dinner.

Mr. Divasaur is concerned that I am not eating well-balanced meals, but I've assured him that as long as I am eating he need not worry. I am getting fruits and veggies during the day but in the late afternoon/evening I have no taste for them. Since my BFP I have dropped 3 lbs. I am sure it's just due to an increased metabolism with the little being on board now.

My doc is okay with me maintaining or losing during the first trimester since I am overweight. In fact I am only to gain 15-20 lbs. over all and most of that should come on during the third trimester. So far so good. I have managed to walk on my treadmill twice this week. My boobs are so sore that it hurts to put them in a sports bra to do it and, in general, I am really fatigued. But I hope to increase it to 3-4 times/week minimum. Maybe once I get my nausea under control. I have managed not to barf and am hoping to keep it that way. Lemon candies seem to really help.

Aside from fatigue, nausea, sore breasts (although less so now than two weeks ago), weepiness and frequent urination, I am doing fairly well, I think. My UTI is gone now and my yeast infection is well on it's way out too. The spotting stopped as soon as I started treating it with Monistat3. Mr. Divasaur's been a real trooper...he picked it up from the drugstore after work at 11 p.m. so I could start it that night and not delay another day. What a man! I cannot wait until everything is all cleared up and we can spend some "married time" together. It's been a while. He's been nothing but understanding though and just wants me to feel good and for the baby to be healthy. That makes three of us.

Doing Bad Things in Vegas!

Everyone talks about babymoons, and I suppose that's what I just took. Except it wasn't with my darling husband, it was a full on GIRLS TRIP! My last blast! Or, maybe not last, but certainly a great trip for my 2nd Trimester (I'm 26 Weeks). 

TEN girls converged upon the Wynn in Las Vegas for the weekend, filled with long lazy days at the European pool, swank dinners, exclusive nightclubs, some gambling and more limo rides than I can count. Oh yeah, we did Vegas in STYLE! 

And, true to Vegas fashion, I broke a few rules. And I loved every second of it! With my doctor's permission, of course... So don't try this at home. Ask your doctor first. But just so you know, there ARE some taboo things that you CAN do once... 

(1) I drank WINE! I didn't even ask, but my doctor voluntarily told me at my appointment last week -- in front of DH -- that since I was going to Vegas, I could have one glass of wine. On Friday night, I tasted my friend's red wine, which was delish! So I had two more sips. Then on Saturday night, I ORDERED my very own glass of Chardonnay! 

And that leads me to the second taboo thing I did... Because I loooooove to have wine with SUSHI! 

(2) Yes, that's right, I ate SUSHI! Again, I asked my doctor about this and she said that my this point in my pregnancy, it would be fine to have a few pieces. We were going to Nobu, after all! So I ordered a shrimp tempura roll -- shrimp is OK in limited amounts, so I've had shrimp twice before while pregnant. But then I also ordered a SPICEY AHI roll! That's right, I ate tuna. My doctor said it was OK! Of the 6 pieces in the roll, I ate 4. They were small. And it was YUMMY! 

(3) I bared my belly and laid out in the SUN! I don't think this is really taboo, actually. But it seemed a little crazy to me. I asked my doctor and she said that as long as I wore a high SPF sunscreen, drank plenty of water and watched the color of my pee to make sure I was not dehydrated, took frequent dips in the cool pool and breaks in the shade, that sun tanning was perfectly OK and even healthy for the baby! 

I figured since we were at a EUROPEAN pool and some girls were topless, that I could put away my tent-like maternity swimming costumes and wear bikinis! I did get a few strange looks, but I also got a ton of compliments! And when my girlfriends ordered mixed drinks, I sipped on banana coladas and berry smoothies. 

It was a fabulous weekend. It just goes to show that being pregnant does NOT mean the end of all fun. And, with your doctor's permission, there are a few rules that, if you are far enough along in your pregnancy (I was 26 Weeks), you can break. 

Viva Las Vegas! 

You know how I know I'm pregnant?

I ate an entire puff candy sundae and still want to pass out and sleep for a thousand years.

The sundae consisted of creamy honeycomb ice cream, sweet and sticky butterscotch sauce, craggy chunks and crunched up bits of puff candy and a toasted melty giant marshmallow on top. Sugar x 1,000,000! Yet I'm still zonked. I'm guessing that description is probably a clue I'm pregnant, too; but seriously, best sundae I've ever had in this country.