21 weeks kind of snuck up on me. Now that I am past 20 weeks I feel like I can let go of the reins a bit and just enjoy being pregnant. The best thing about the last couple weeks is a major dropoff in bad headaches. I've had a big surge in energy and am back to my usual self. So far I have gained 12 lbs, seems crazy that I have around 20 more lbs to go. I am gaining the weight more on my ass than my belly at this point. Hello cellulite. I ready Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs and her strategy was just not look at her behind in the mirror. I think that is wise advice.
I read an article by Jewel in the OB's office and she recommended this book called Ever Since I Had My Baby: Understanding, Treating, and Preventing the Most Common Physical Aftereffects of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Roger Goldberg.
This book talks alot on how to prevent or remedy urinary and anal (omg!) incontinence (and many other problems) that occurs after labor and delivery.
I wanted to check out this book because I have a bladder disorder already called Interstitial Cystitis or "IC". Having IC makes me have urinary urgency and frequency and during flare-ups I feel like I have a UTI. I manage it by diet. I don't drink anything but water and milk. I avoid spicy and acidic foods. My IC has gotten a little better during pregnancy. Apparantly there are estrogen receptors in the bladder and so the lining of the bladder is more coated during pregnancy.
However I have already noticed some leakage when I sneeze, which is often. So I've started Kegels and am determined to get in a habit of doing them religiously. This book really shows that not enough research has been done in this area of women's health, but C-sections are definitely not as damaging to the pelvic floor as going through a vaginal labor and delivery. I don't want to have a C-section, but if it were to be indicated, avoiding pelvic floor injury would be a silver lining. This book has brought up some food for thought and I will definitely be having a conversation with my OB about this topic and avoiding episiotomies and forceps if at all possible.
On another note, my sister's friend's sister was scheduled to do a FET in Jan and she did not use condoms during the month she started lupron on day 21 of her cycle to prepare for her FET. She thought there was no way she could get pregnant. Well, she found out she was pregnant after she had taken lupron for several days and now she is on all this progesterone and estrogen support to prevent miscarriage. I don't know all the details, but I don't think the importance of using birth control method to prevent pregnancy before IVF or FET is hammered in enough from the doctors and nurses. A couple of days before my retrieval this summer, we had unprotected sex and found out that we should not have. But no one gave us explicit instructions not too. It ended up being fine, but still I think doctors and nurses need to give more instructions in this department.
Yay for February and all the ladies cycling here and yonder! I hope everyone gets a positive beta and take home baby (ies).
