23 Weeks

First off, thanks for all the encouragement and kind comments!  I'm up and down with this bleeding/bedrest thing, but I know I'll make it through and that these two precious babes will be worth it all! 

In case you are paying attention, I've switched back to counting my pregnancy based on my last period, rather than from my IUI.  These are the dates they use in the hospital, ultrasound lab, etc. so it just makes it easier to say.  So, today I've reached 23 weeks!  One week to go to viability (though many more to go till I have peace of mind about these babies).  Despite all that has gone on this past while, here is how I am doing:

Mood: Up and down, up and down.  I felt pretty good last week, even with everything that was happening.  This week I've hit a wall.  I'm super emotional and teary, and irritated very easily.  It's funny now, but this morning DH jokingly made a comment about April O'Neil (from the cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - he totally had a crush on her as a kid, shh... don't tell him you know!), and I burst into tears.  Can you say sensitive?  I'm kind of staying away from people because I just don't know how I'll respond.

Food: My eating patterns haven't changed much throughout this last trimester.  Typically I will eat a breakfast as soon as I'm awake, a second breakfast around 10, then have lunch, maybe an afternoon snack (depending on how late dinner will be), dinner and then a bedtime or a midnight snack.  My meals are not that huge and I don't usually find myself ravenous.  Mostly I can just tell when the babies are hungry and I know I need to eat something.  Candy still makes me nauseous.  I still love cold drinks.  I probably need to up my protein intake, but I find this very hard.  My go-to foods are grains (bread, cereal, crackers), cheese, yogurt, smoothies, and lots of fruit!  I have had a bit more morning sickness lately and even puked one morning (weird!). 

Sleep: Same old... I'll take as much as I can get!  Still sleeping mostly through the night with usually one awakening to pee.  About once a week I'll have a bout of insomnia from 2-4, but that is about it.

Exercise: Since I'm on modified bed rest, I'm being very careful, specifically about how much I am on my feet and moving around.  I'll do my yoga stretches since they are done on the floor, and once things settle down I'll try a bit of swimming (or floating, I should say).  My doctor gave me a few muscle toning exercises I can do with an exercise band, but I can't do anything that would put pressure on my uterus/cervix. 

Body: Belly continues to grow!  I discovered my first small stretch mark on the side of my belly this week.  It's only about 3cm long.  My OB was impressed that I haven't had many more, based on how big I am (and how quickly I am growing, I guess).  I did mention before that my poor boobs suffered the worst with the quick growth and are covered in stretch marks now.  Hopefully those go away!  I haven't really had any other aches and pains to report.  I think I have quite a few braxton hicks (BH) these days.  Sometimes my belly just feels so hard and heavy!  It doesn't always go away within just a few minutes like BH should so I don't know if it is that, or gas, or just my irritable uterus.  I just make sure to get off my feet when it happens and usually it subsides. 

Movement: Feeling these babies moving a lot more!  Last week I was worried as Baby B does not seem as active, but I am pretty sure it is just where he/she is placed.  I felt some movements this week that I don't think were Baby A.  And then just before the latest bleeding episode, Baby A was moving around like CRAZY!  We will see them next week on u/s so I hope to figure out their movements more then!  DH has felt them moving quite a bit now.  It never grows old.

What I miss: Right now, I would love, love, love just to go for a walk!  This morning I was up early, and the air was a bit crisp, with the sun shining and all I could think about was how much I miss walking.  I can't wait to do that with the babes once they arrive!  Also, these warm summer evenings are just made for a nice glass of fruit wine to end the day with.  I'll be looking forward to that next summer too.

Notable Moments: 
-  Well, last week was the whole bleeding/L&D/bed rest fiasco, which was quite notable.  This week has involved settling into bed rest and a new limited activity routine.
- I stopped working at my counselling job this past week, which was slightly unexpected. 
- The night Baby A was moving like crazy, DH was there to feel her and couldn't believe how strong her kicks were.  I just lay there and couldn't stop grinning!
- Oh, I ordered the wallpaper for the nursery, and all the baby bedding!  My parents are picking up cribs for us in Vancouver this weekend.  We just have to wait till the wallpaper arrives so we can match a paint colour for the other walls and then we (meaning DH and my parents) will get to work.  I can't wait.