24 week Bump Date

24 Week Bump Date

My age: 29

How far along: 24 weeks

How big is baby: The girls are as big as two corn on the cobs!
Weight Gain: 20-22 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight of 135lbs.
Exercise/Activity Level: The best thing we did this week was start a two week trial membership to the Healthplex. Since I can't workout, I have been using the therapy pool to stretch out my back and lap pool to work my arms and legs. My back feels great once I'm done. My goal is to go at least 3x's a week.

Maternity clothes:  Pretty much everything I wear on the weekends is maternity clothing. I can still wear my pre-pregnancy workout pants to work, but they are stretchy so that doesn't really count. I have a maternity jacket that I wear a lot and just bought a new jacket from Costco (large) to accomodate my expanding belly. 

Except mine is teal.

 

Stretch marks: None yet-- even though I feel like my belly is going to burst after dinner!

Belly button: I'm not really sure what's going on here... the top is an outie, but the bottom is just flat. It's a really attractive look...not!

Sleep: I'm sleeping relatively well considering the large baby bump that seems to be growing by the day! I sleep with a pregnancy pillow (thanks Mel!) and it helps support my belly and my back. I do wake up 3-4 times a night and have to rotate from one side to the next, but fall back to sleep pretty quickly. I do notice that my body starts to wake itself up when it's time for me to wake up for the day.

Best moment of the week: My mom took me out to dinner on Wednesday and on a maternity clothes shopping spree at Target. We went to Applebee's where my brother Joe works so we were able to spend time with him while we ate our dinner. I even resisted my FAVORITE dessert : The Triple Chocolate Meltdown. It's seriously to die for!

After our dinner, we headed up to Target to check out the maternity selection. I've been so blessed during this pregnancy to not have had to buy anything so far! I had a huge tub of clothes donated from my aunt's friend, my aunt's buying me outfit after outfit, and my good friend Mel hooking me up with all her maternity clothes. The good and bad about this is I can't wear most of those outfits to work, since I wear workout clothes everyday. Mom and I grabbed several workout tank tops, spring t-shirts, and some more workout attire clothes. I should be all set for the majority of my pregnancy :)

Food cravings: Sweets are still my #1 craving, but I'm not hitting up McDonald's drive through for Oreo McFlurries or ice cream cones like I was! I made a healthier version of brownies (greek yogurt instead of vegetable oil) and they were actually pretty good. Vanilla ice cream may be a nightly routine- but at least it's lowfat and no sugar added.

    

Food aversions: All food aversions are gone :)

Symptoms:

• Hot flashes, nausea, and light-headedness: This occured a couple of times this past week. It may have been associated with taking my prenatal vitamin on an empty stomach, but not 100% sure.
• Lower back pain: I can tell when I've been on my feet for too long. Stretching in the pool is my lifesaver for this.
• Hunger: I feel like this has ramped back up the past couple of days. At the beginning of my pregnancy I could never get full, but that only lasted a couple of weeks. I feel like the girls are going through another growth spirt because I'm constantly hungry!

Movement: Lots! Baby A seems to be moving the most- or at least I feel movement more on my right side than left. I feel most of the movement during the morning, right when I get to work. I have felt them move at the same time just a handful of times - which is pretty amazing :)
Gender: Girls

Labor Signs? I had a slight scare on Sunday. Barry and I went over to the Healthplex and I didn't feel great before we left, but I thought it would get better...it didn't. By the time I walked into the locker room, my stomach was as hard as a rock and huge. It was hard to breath and I thought I was having contractions. Julie, my 35 weeks along with twin momma friend, talked me through it and gave me some advice. We left the Healthplex and I went home and relaxed on my left side for the next couple of hours. The pain slowly went away and I haven't felt anything like that since. I think the girls didn't agree with my lemonade that I had for lunch that day... Lesson learned!

What I'm looking forward to:  Hopefully passing my glucose test on Monday, February 16th- and hearing the babies heartbeats.

What I’m nervous about: We are officially at 24 weeks which means viability! The girls could survive if they were born, even though we want them to stay cooking for a couple more months. Hitting this point in my pregnancy as reduced a lot of stress and nerves!

What I miss: My workouts, abs, and sleeping on my stomach- but I would't trade this experience for anything!

Next appointment: Monday, February 16th at 8:20am