Pregnancy update

In the realm of pregnancies, I've had it pretty easy so far. I've had zero morning sickness and have been able to function in a fairly similar manner to pre-pregnancy. Having zero queasiness has been a big surprise as I am prone to motion sickness and car sickness. In fact, the act of just sitting in the back seat can sometimes make me feel nauseous. Especially if you are zipping around a mall parking lot during your 45 minute lunch break in the act of trying to get a free Chik-fil-a meal dressed as a cow in the middle of July (Don't ask. Some people will do anything for free food. Which includes myself :)

Anyway, I wander. My pregnancy, so far, has been blessed. The first trimester was a breeze. I was more tired than normal and thirsty 95% of the day. While I wasn't throwing up, there were definitely foods that sounded awful. Mostly meat. Which was especially troubling for my carnivorous husband. I found myself desiring more salads, fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. Probably not a terrible thing, but hard on weekly menu planning. I also had a reduced appetite which caused me to lose some weight and get some flack by my doctors.

Now I am well into my fifth month and I'm noticing more changes. First off, my appetite is back. I'm back to my normal weight, maybe just slightly over by 2 or 3 pounds. My body is shifting and I'm beginning to bulge in my mid-section. It is an interesting conundrum because while I want to react negatively to the addition of weight to my body, I know that it's a good thing too. Bring on the fudge!

I've also started to experience lower back pain and some numbness in my left leg that can be associated with sciatica. I think this is a bad sign of future back achiness when I actually am fully pregnant in my third trimester. To combat the back pain I've done a couple of different of things.

1. I've started seeing a great chiropractor that specializes in pregnant women and pediatrics. She is also a doula. And ... very close to my workplace so I can get there and back on my lunch break. I had a really poor experience last fall with a chiropractor and their office manager. Needless to say, customer service is important and don't doubt the power of word of mouth.

2. I purchased a pregnancy pillow to help get a better night's sleep. I like it, but it's taken a bit of adjustment as I'm not naturally a side sleeper and I have a tendency to roll around at night. I have a feeling once I'm more pregnant I'll appreciate this further. But it's helping keep my spine and pelvis aligned which was a concern of my chiropractor.

3. I've scheduled a pregnancy massage for next week at the Aveda Institute. It might be a little premature, but I'm hoping to do one once a month until Baby K makes an arrival.

4. My chiropractor has given me a couple of good stretches for my lower back and has reinforced my need to continue my twice a week yoga classes. I've also started this yoga dvd at home too.

Hopefully a combination of all of these things will help with the back pain.

As far as cravings go ... ice cream and popcorn. :) I love me some salty/sweet combo!