23 weeks

The day after that last post I came down with a terrible cold. And because I couldn't take any of those whiz-bang multi-med cold relief pills, and because plain ol' Sudafed makes me feel like I'm on another planet and keeps me from sleeping, I was stuck with my symptoms. I wanted to scratch my face off, it was so itchy. I was so miserable.













And then I went out and bought a neti pot. My midwife had recommended it to me months ago to deal with the day-to-day congestion that I've been having for the last 20 weeks. I wasn't sure it would do any good, but I was willing to try anything last week. A neti pot, for those who don't know, is a little kettle-shaped container that you fill with a dilute saline solution. You stick that little nozzle in one nostril, lean forward, and pour the water into your nose. After running through your sinuses, it comes out the other nostril, flushing out whatever it can, loosening whatever's left, and generally soothing inflamed nasal membranes. It looks gross, but it allowed me to breathe for about an hour after each use. That's huge when you can't sleep. I use mine whenever I feel a bit congested now, and I have learned that some people use them at the first signs of a cold to help ward it off. Highly recommended, and available at most Walgreens. Go get thee a neti pot!

Now that I have recovered, I feel great. I feel so lucky to have had such an easy pregnancy so far. My weight gain has leveled off - I went through quite a growth spurt there for a couple of weeks. I've gained a total of 19 pounds - finally no longer at the tippy top of the average for where I am in the pregnancy. I've continued to work out and go to yoga, and I might even start going more often than three days a week to help me sleep better.

Because here's another thing you don't learn until you're pregnant: pregnancy steals your sleep. I'm convinced that my body is somehow (hormonally?) preparing me to need less sleep. I used to need (NEED) a full eight hours to feel normal the next day. Jay always thought this was strange and somewhat indulgent. He especially thought this on days when he had to get up early for a photo shoot and I stayed in bed...sometimes for hours.

But my mom knows: I have always been very sleep-needy. Lately, however, I rarely get more than seven hours of sleep but, somehow, I don't feel overtired. I get up to pee. I get up to turn over. I need to sleep with pillows between my legs and under my belly now, so turning over is quite a production. I get up to pee. I wake up with sore hips and a sore back. I get up to pee. I just wake up. A lot. And especially to pee.

Pregnancy is very much about acknowledging that your body is no longer your own. I feel very much like I am sharing it with someone else. Someone who moves around all day in my belly. I think I felt a foot the other day, pressing out for more than a few seconds - a little hard spot. It was awesome. Here I am, in photos taken yesterday:



We purchased a Pack N Play the other day, to use as a bassinet in our bedroom for the first few weeks of life with baby. We've started researching other baby gear, but I'm in the midst of writing my literature review for my Ph.D. oral exam and we're waiting until I finish writing before we embark on any serious gear collection. I am dreading Babys R Us. I've heard that place is a plastic nightmare.

If you have any suggestions for must-have baby items, please let me know. We have registry lists from a couple of friends who have recently had babies, but I'd still love to hear your thoughts.