Dr. Appointments

I'm in the homestretch...

Yesterday I had my sixth OB appointment and was informed that after my next visit, my appointments will be scheduled every two weeks.

I knew it was coming -the third and last trimester- but I just didn't expect it this soon. In a couple of weeks, I'll officially start my seventh month/third trimester, which seems wild to me.

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Updates from this visit:

Back Pains

Dr. F told me that the worst thing for alleviating back pains is to rest more. This causes a vicious cycle of weakening muscles and increasing pain. And although according to the running article I previously posted below, Dr. F said that running does not necessarily help with back pain but that in general being active does. He told me that walking would have the same effects as running (arrrrggggghhhh...it's so boring!). I have a pamphlet with back exercises and also understand that tightening my abdominal muscles is still "doable" and advisable throughout the pregnancy...interesting. On another note, I also received the "go ahead" to run up until my due date =) Baby Mason's gonna come out jogging!

Flu Shot

Also, Dr. F shared some insight on getting the flu shot- although it is not the same as it was 4 years ago (when people would often get sick for 3 or 4 days post-vaccination), that he recommends the flu shot for specific groups of pregnant women: those over 35, those with chronic health conditions, those highly exposed to germs, those with contact to people who are highly exposed to germs. And although the CDC recommends pregnant women should receive the vaccination in general, I didn't fit into any of the categories Dr. F mentioned and I also didn't want to risk the possible side effects of taking the inactivated vaccine (such as fever, aches and soreness at the site of injection).

Next Visit

For my next visit, I'll have the glucose test to show whether I've developed gestational diabetes. This is actually the primary reason I've continued running. As an Asian I'm at a higher risk, in addition to me not being able to curb my hearty appetite (especially for cupcakes). I have officially resolved to NOT be concerned with my weight gain. After joining a pregnancy Online network, I realized that pregnant runners are few and far between {READ: no one else is running and there are very few that stay active in any sort of exercise at all...}

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What I've learned from reading, researching, and connecting with other preggers locally:

Breastfeeding- as discussed in this post

Stretch Marks- although stretch marks are often hereditary, the best way to avoid stretch marks is to not become overweight. Also I'm more likely to get stretch marks if I were to bulge out suddenly which would put a greater strain on my epidermis...thank goodness I've had the gradual bulge! Also supposedly the moisturizing and shea cocoa butter cream solution is a myth; although I'm using Nivea cream on my torso just-in-case! If I were to get stretch marks, I wonder when this would show...

Pregnancy Symptoms- though I had complaints about what pregnancy has done to my body so far, there are a lot of pregnancy symptoms that I've been able to avoid which is a huge blessing! I think when I originally read the list of symptoms, I somehow convinced myself that those are all to-be-expected (inevitable) while in fact, they are a list of things some women have to deal with, but many women also bypass them, such as:

• morning sickness
• mood swings (actually I'm pretty happy...ALL the time!)
• increased sensitivity to odors/foods (I can still eat Thai)
• leg cramps/cramps in general (just back aches for me)
• heartburn
• varicose veins/spider veins
• stretch marks (although I really want to avoid this one because they last after the pregnancy too!)

Praise God!

May He continue to bless us and keep me and this little guy healthy!