Week 26

I have my appointment today :) Nothing exciting, just the usual, but I'm hoping they start measuring my belly. I should also be getting the gestational diabetes test soon since that is done between 24-28 weeks. I hear that is not a fun one, let's hope I pass it!

Symptoms:
Hunger pains. I am hungry often, so much so that I can't even pack enough snacks for work. I have a bowl of cereal before I head off to work, then I sip on hot chocolate, then I eat either dry cereal or an apple around 9 am-sometimes I hold out until 10 am, by 11:30 am I'm hungry again and try to have a few crackers until lunch at 12:30 pm. I usually have a sandwich or bagel sandwich, carrots, banana or other fruit and crackers for lunch. Come 2:30 pm I'm hungry again. Ugh, it's hard to pack all that stuff. Plus, it's hard to think of healthy things to eat since my mind automatically goes to cookies, chocolate, chips, all the good sugary or salty foods. The afternoon is usually when I give in and get a piece of chocolate from my cube neighbor, darn her good chocolates! By dinner time I'm actually not as hungry, cereal and toast will hold me over all evening thankfully.

I think Bria is changing positions, I don't feel as much movement to the left of my belly like I was. Most of it is down low now which makes me think her legs are down there? Anyway, because of her shifting I feel her much less now and I don't like that. It's like all her movement is muffled. Even in the evening when I lay down for bed I just feel a few nudges from her but some can't even be felt from the outside. I liked it better the other way she was laying, hopefully she is at least comfortable in there. Also in this position she kicks my bladder multiple times a day, I need to kick up the kegel count even more!

Panic attack. We were lying in bed and Brian was talking about his day at work and how he drove to a few different places to take care of peak stuff (Christmas time is peak time) and I started freaking out about how much he drives the bug. He drives it to and from work obviously and it's a 50 mile drive one way, plus a lot of the time he has to drive during the day for work stuff. I couldn't get a grip and I just freaked out about how that is too much for driving for the bug and it's so much wear and tear on it. I had to sit up and breath slowly because I was seriously nauseous over thinking about this, I knew I was having a panic attack so I tried to calm myself down but it doesn't help that your husband is laughing and thinks it's hilarious. Sheesh. It was one of those times I had to think back to his good moments of this pregnancy. I got over it although it still stresses me out that he drives so much.

Brian asked me last night, "So how is this pregnancy going for you, is it what you thought it would be?" I told him I thought I'd feel more pregnant, I still feel like my normal self, minus being able to shave my bikini area and bend over, and add bigger boobs. All and all I feel really good, my back pain is not as bad as I was expecting, although I know the last month or 2 is really going to kill me. But I'm so grateful that this pregnancy has gone so well and that Bria is healthy and safe in there.


Baby:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. She now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.