32 weeks

Hooray, it was a good appointment today! I only gained one pound in the last 4 weeks. That makes up for the last two months :) My iron count was really low which could be a problem when I deliver but not a scary problem. Just a possible transfusion and a lack of energy. I will keep taking my pills and pray my numbers go up enough before I deliver. Other than that everything was great. Jenna sits so quietly for these appointments. I was proud of her. Since everything is going well, I don't have to go back to the doctor until 36 weeks (one month from today).

Pushing forward

I was just recently told by my friend that she wants to join me and journey back to fit, so I will continue this blog. And it is encouraging to know that someone else out there is traveling with me. It has been hard to be healthy this pregnancy. The last two months have been full of cravings, gaining too much weight (in my opinion, not my doctors), and failing at my goals. And I can't balance things by exercising since my joints don't allow. But I will move forward, and push on. Friday is my next doctor appointment where I will see if this month has been a better one, weight wise. I hope so.

As for a new goal for eating this week...
Less coffee, more water. (or "wather" as my Jenna says it)
One sweet a day.
More protein, less carbs.
More water. More water.

Eating better

Goals for the next week of pregnancy:

Healthy breakfast (granola or high fiber cereal with milk)

Fruit and yogurt smoothy for snack (recently read that yogurt and blueberries are very good to rhuematiod arthritis!)

Healthy lunch (need to buy some lunch options for me!)

Snack of applesauce, fruit, or veggie

Healthy dinner (as healthy as possible with our options!)

**One small dessert/treat per day at the most

Pregnancy so far

Two months prior to pregnancy: Stopped taking Enbrel. Continued with anti-inflamatory meds until about one month before trying to get pregnant. Joint pain returned within about 2-3 weeks of ending meds. Mostly an overall soreness, but also some concentrated joint pain.

Pregnant February 14th!! We got pregnant the first month we tried, the soonest possible date after being safely off medicine! Praise the Lord for His kindness and grace.

First Trimester: Really hard one. I was very sick, throwing up and unable to eat much of anything. Lost 5 pounds. Nautious all day every day, until about 14 weeks. Joint pain was worsening, some days so painful that I couldn't walk/move my wrist, etc. Doctor told me to take Tylenol PM to help with nausea and with sleeping through the night with a little less pain. I found that sleeping a ton (around 12 hours each night plus a daily nap) really helped ease joint pain. If I didn't get enough sleep, I would get a bad flare up.

Second Trimester: Sickness gone but joint pain increased. Doctor prescribed some pain meds for the unbarable days or nights. Still needed a ton of sleep but I wasn't as tired. Still taking Tylenol PM. Some of my worst flare ups were during this trimester. About once a week I would get a bad flare. Pain that would be so severe that it would make me nearly throw up.

Third Trimester: I am only a few weeks into my third trimester, but it has been the best by far! I hesitate to say it, but it almost seems like I have gone into remission! We will see how the rest of the trimester goes, but so far so good. I am sleeping comfortably, not needing as much sleep. I am still resting for two hours during the day, but not feeling the urgent need as much. My activity level has been much higher, which is really a blessing because I feel the need to prepare our home for this little one. I hope my third trimester continues to go this well.

Taking notes

I am starting this blog for several reasons. First, I want to log some memories of my pregnancy so that I can make the right decision when we want to have another baby. This pregnancy has been very hard at different points, but memory is short and I want to be able to make a good choice regarding growing our family. Second, I want to log weight loss goals, exercise goals, etc to motivate me the months after this little baby is born. One thing that has been very hard about this pregnancy is that I haven't been able to exercise AT ALL. A walk to the grocery store with Jenna in the stroller is too much for me most days. So, I will have a lot of work ahead and need some motivation. If anyone out there wants to join me in my weight loss journey, I would love that. If not, I am hoping that this blog will keep me motivated. I realize that I can't start loosing weight yet, since I am still pregnant. But I am going to begin watching more carefully what I eat, starting today :)