Being pregnant with Serena....

My pregnancy, overall, with Bunny (Serena's nickname in the belly) was good. I had more pain, from my bad tailbone (which I hurt myself years ago), to my hemorrhoids (from a natural childbirth with Lina<3), to lower back pain, to more allergies (especially in the summertime), to more headaches,  and to more pressure everywhere. Even from all these daily unpleasantness moments, I overlooked all of it, rest as much as I can (while trying to spend as much time with Lina<3 as possible before Bunny was born), not take any medication either for allergies or pain (I can handle a lot of pain, and I am anti- medications unless absolutely necessary).

The first trimester was exhausting all way round. All I wanted to do was sleep, and put my feet but it was very hard because Lina<3 wanted to play, play and play. I did get to laid down on the couch, and "relax" while Lina<3 climbs all over me as I dozed off here and there. I did feel very nauseated because of the prenatal vitamins I took in the mornings. And the doctor told me to switch to nighttime which helped a lot and I felt less nauseated, and a little more energy. The only thing that I would change is to see the doctor earlier, for prenatal care. I saw the the doctor at 10 weeks, which made the doctor want to knock on my head, lol. Thank goodness that no emergencies came up before then. Always recommend early prenatal care. The diagnosis of placenta previa came towards the end of the trimester, it was scary. When the doctor told me the diagnosis, I could not help but laughed because of her tone. The doctor said "no sex, no dildols, nothing inside the vagina!" Lol, it was funny to me. The doctor responded, "This is serious, the placenta cannot come out before the baby, you could bleed to death, it puts you at risk of bleeding to death, it puts the baby at risk, do you want bleed to death?" before waiting for my answer, the doctor said, "I don't, I don't want a dead patient".

The second trimester was better.  I was more energetic, and in even more pain everywhere. I felt that it was hard to do anything at times. The pain and pressure was everywhere from my head, my tailbone, hemorrhoids, my groin area (ligament pain), and my vagina (yes, I said vagina, I felt a lot of pressure there, and it was fat, and swollen). All that pain and pressure did not matter, as I started to feel my Bunny move very early on, even in the first trimester but the doctor said that it was too early and that it was probably gas. The second trimester, Bunny was growing and moving. It was exciting. As my belly gets bigger, it was easier to explain to Lina<3, that there's was a baby in there. Lina<3 would kiss the belly. Bunny loved hearing Lina<3 played and screamed toward the end of the trimester, and always kicked and moved whenever she hears it. Since I had gestational diabetes with Lina's<3 pregnancy, I knew that I had watched what I ate. That was hard, because I was always hungry, and my taste buds were not the same. The foods that I used to like post pregnancy, it was no longer satisfying enough. The foods that I thought I want and was not satisfying enough either - like samosas, chicken sandwiches, chips, chocolate, rice, turkey breast, turkey sandwiches... nothing tasted the same. But that did not stop me from wanting to eat, and eat. I did not exercise much, because I was usually in pain, which made it harder to want to do anything. I did try to walk as much as I can.

The last trimester was more painful. Sometimes, it is hard to walk, stand, or sit... what was I suppose to do? Using a heat pad was a really helpful. I pushed through the pains, and enjoyed belly wave of movements, and kicks throughout the day. It kept me going. There were very good days, of course.  I was feeling great, no contractions towards the end of the trimester, going strong, and until the day you were born (I thought Bunny was going to hold off until her due date, which I will tell you about in the next post about her birth story).

My tips for staying sane and healthy during pregnancy
1. Stay away from bad foods... especially junk food, (my pet peeve, and it was hard to do so I limited my portions instead).
2. Try and exercise... even if it is just walking a few blocks at a time.
3. With the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.... portion control was extremely important, staying away from white carbohydrates which can raise your glucose levels. I did not have to take insulin because it was managed with diet and exercise (well, mostly diet). Drink a lot of water (at least 64oz) throughout the day, but especially after eating your meal, and before you take you finger stick.
4. Drink a lot of water, at least 32 oz of water.
5. Rest, Rest, Rest and elevate your feet.
6. Relax and do not stress, stress is not good for your health or the baby's.