26 weeks and on

Since the remainder of my pregnancy was pretty uneventful, I am going to do this post in a sort of question and answer format.

How much weight did you gain?
In total, 30 pounds. I had hoped to maybe gain a little less, but I guess my baby needed it! I lost at least 20 pounds within a week of giving birth (and a couple pounds are still hanging on now...).

Did you have any cravings or aversions?
I LOVED LOVED LOVED all of the fresh pineapple on the cruise and wished for more once I was home. I didn't have any strange cravings though. The only big aversion was hamburgers, and beef in general, but mostly burgers. YUCK. To this day I cannot eat fast food hamburgers (I threw one up mid-pregnancy and that did it). That is a big deal, too, because I normally love beef. I was raised on meat and potatoes. Even the smell of burgers brought on nausea. Josh was unhappy about it, too. He had to sneak Wendy's behind my back...

Stretch marks? Swelling?
No noticeable stretch marks until after I gave birth. I had two tiny ones under my belly button, and one right above it. I only had noticeable swelling when I went to Hawaii. A combination of the heat and flying did me in. I gained about three pounds that week, but lost all of it by the next week. I was lucky enough to be able to wear my rings through my whole pregnancy.

How long did you work? How did it go?
I worked until my due date (actually the night before I was due), but I didn't actually give birth until a week later. Work was actually pretty good. I think that it helped time pass quickly and kept me active. I never got to a really uncomfortable stage of pregnancy, which is a good thing considering I am an R.N. and am on my feet for most of the night. My goal throughout was to be able to take the stairs to work on the fourth floor throughout my whole pregnancy, and I was successful! The most annoying thing about work was that the last little bit just seemed to drag. I just wanted to be done. Be able to rest. Kick back and relax.

Did you exercise during your pregnancy?
I certainly did! I wanted my body to be strong going into labor! I ran until the beginning of my eighth month, until my stomach muscles couldn't handle it anymore. From that point on I walked every day. Josh even walked with me! It was such a great time for the two of us to talk about all of the new and exciting things that were about to happen to us. It really brought us closer and gave us some much needed "just us" time. I also did what I could of Jillian Michael's "No More Trouble Zones" (nothing that required me laying on my stomach) and a prenatal yoga DVD (not very high intensity, but very relaxing and full of great stretches).

Any aches/pains?
Nope, I was pretty comfortable throughout. Thank goodness, too, because I went a week over my due date.

Favorite maternity wear? Items?
Um, sweats. And sweatshirts. I had some maternity shirts and jeans, but I feel like I hardly wore them. I was either wearing scrubs for work, or lounging at home in my comfy clothes. I didn't really use anything special during my pregnancy - no creams, belly bands, etc.

What did you have to give up during your pregnancy?
I gave up pop, coffee, fake sweeteners, food coloring, alcohol, anything I wouldn't want to feed my child once they were out in the real world. What I eat goes directly to them.

Anything interesting happen at the doctor?
Not really. I had a 30 week ultrasound to make sure that the markers in our baby's head had gone away, and they had. 100% normal and healthy. They said she was measuring small, though. I don't really place much stake in ultrasounds measuring capabilities, though. It seems like 9/10 times they are wrong. We still didn't want to know the gender, but my mom starts thinking it is a girl (which is what I thought the whole time) because the ultrasound looks like me when I was a baby. Josh's mom, my mom, and my dad got to be at this ultrasound. It was a pretty special experience, and we got some 3D pictures, too!