This is not at all a pregnancy post, a peanut post, or even a family/friends post. I just wanted to commemorate the fifth anniversary of my dreadlocks. It’s been a long and interesting road, and no one is more surprised than I am that I managed to stick out what is, essentially, ONE hairstyle for so long.
Yay, me!
Never imagined I’d get to this point. I’ve no idea what I’ll do with my hair next.
What? Not this again…
Today marks the second occurrence of Friday the 13th this year. It’s been a fairly innocuous day thus far, yet I can’t help but think back to Friday, September 13th, and the bomb that was dropped on me that morning.
I have talked about my superstitions in various posts in this blog, but aside from a single unfortunate coincidence, I’ve no real ties to (nor fears about) this day. Still, in keeping with the somewhat ominous tone of Friday the 13th, I thought I’d share something that I’ve been keeping to myself for a while…
* * *
I am a creature of the night, and my habitual night owl tendencies have been thrown into overdrive by my inability to sleep comfortably for any stretch of time. To fill the hours between sleep and wakefulness, I rely on my old friend internet to keep me entertained. I’ve mentioned that I’m an avid reader of mommy blogs, but my natural curiosity finds me poking my nose into things that are likely best left alone while pregnant.
It’s official. I’m huge. At least, the belly is. Honestly, I know I’m defying some kind of law of physics, and I don’t understand how I’ve not toppled over from sheer imbalance.
People – friends and relatives – are certainly getting a thrill out of my proportions. Generally, I’ve always been “the skinny one,” particularly within my family. I have an aunt down from Barbados, so my mother and I went to do some visiting on Sunday. I also haven’t seen my mother’s other sisters since the annual family BBQ in August, so I knew they were in for quite the surprise.
Sure enough, there was the widening of eyes and the cracking of jokes (“you look like an anaconda after a meal!”). While I could certainly do without the latter, I got rubbed and patted like Bhudda, which I didn’t mind at all. They are all tickled to see my burgeoning bump.
I read someplace that the third trimester is where babies tend to double in size, and I seem to be the textbook example of this. My father was away for two weeks, and upon his return on Monday, his first words were “Let me have a look at you!” followed by, “Holy, jeez.”
I certainly feel the difference. The skin on my stomach has darkened considerably and itches constantly, despite my religious application of balms, lotions, creams and oils. In the last few weeks, my sleeping patterns have changed yet again; I’m unable to sleep through the night, and there’s no way in hell I can sleep lying down, regardless of which side I choose. My navel still hasn’t popped. It’s just stretched flat and taut across my belly, leaving a shallow little dimple.
Sadly, my boobs haven’t grown any bigger. I’m going to have to be content with the set of small Bs I’ve been given.
What a difference a month makes.
This isn’t me; the lucky lady is free of a lopsided linea nigra, and has a better outtie than I.
In the early months of my pregnancy, and even before I got pregnant, I was very diligent about taking my pre-natal vitamins. The brand I use, NFH, was recommended to me by a naturopath co-worker. After doing some research on the brand, I wound up choosing their Pre-natal SAP vitamins on account of a number of factors (made in Canada, totally organic, capsule as opposed to pill form) – although I disliked the fact that I had to take them three times a day.
The Pre-SAPs have a funny taste, and since I battled quite a bit with nausea in trimester two, I cut back on my per diem (as approved by Dr. Freedman) to twice a day. However, I was still fairly good about taking them when I should. Now that I’m in the home stretch, I find that I’m forgetting to take them even once a day, and I dunno if it’s due to pregnancy brain, or just being over the whole experience. My diet has been pretty balanced (if you ignore the carbo-chocolate-bingeing), and I haven’t been slacking on the nutrients aspect, per se. However, I think I’m going to switch to a 1x day brand for this last bit. I feel awful about depriving Aisha of any other supplemental good stuff before she’s born.
Ah, a mother’s guilt. It starts early, doesn’t it?
The shape of things to come?
I have been dealing with Braxton-Hicks probably since early in month six. They have been frequent and uncomfortable from day one. In spite of the discomfort, the B. Hicks are usually mild and painless; my belly contorts and makes interesting shapes, much like the image above. Right now, though, I feel like I might be in the throes of early labour. It’s 6:49 am, and I was awakened not too long ago by a hard kick from Aisha, and severe pressure around my mid-section.
1. 6:49 am – 30 seconds.
2. 6:50 am – 31 seconds.
Because the sensation is more painful than usual, I am timing these cramps/contractions. They’re coming about a minute to three minutes apart and lasting for about 30 seconds. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m in more pain/discomfort than usual. I really hope it’s not labour.
3. 6:53 am – 35 seconds.
Perhaps I’m just dehydrated, and these are ridiculous Braxton-Hicks. I quickly consulted Dr. Google, and nothing he says indicates that this might be labour (no bleeding, discharge or anything like that. Will keep searching. And praying).
This can’t be labour. Aisha’s still kicking about in there. Read more
this wasn't in the manual 