31 Weeks

Ever wonder what a pregnant woman looks like when she lies down during the last trimester?  This is not, in fact, a beached whale or small mountain range.  This is me at 31 weeks.

Sex During Pregnancy...Part 2

I blogged recently about sex during pregnancy, and promised to write more about specifics.  So here we go...sex during pregnancy part two.

Pregnancy will affect your sex life because your changing shape (meaning huge baby bump) will change what positions work the best.  For most couples, good old-fashioned missionary position is kind of the sexual norm.  After the first trimester, this position is pretty much out until after the baby's born.  So here's my look at what positions do work well during pregnancy.

Spooning: This is probably the best all-rounder position during pregnancy.  Since your partner's behind you, it means that your bump isn't an issue at all (so this position feels pretty much the same as it did before you got pregnant).  It doesn't put any pressure on you (meaning it's less likely to be uncomfortable or lead to heartburn) or on your partner (meaning you're not squashing him).  It's also a bit of a lazier position, so it's perfect for when you're tired during pregnancy but still want to get some.

Perk: It leaves his hands free ;)
Downside: You can't see each other or kiss.

On all fours/Doggy: Again, your partner's behind you so that pregnancy bump isn't an issue.  Basically, you get down on your knees and either your hands or elbows.  He kneels behind you.  This allows for really deep penetration so it's sure to be a big hit with your other half.

Perk: Easy to control tempo
Downside: Same as spooning

Woman on Top: This one's pretty self explanatory.  You get on top.  It's intimate because you can see each other.

Perk: Probably the best position for you to come
Downside: Also the most tiring for you

Obviously all of these tips are for hetero couples.  Here's why.  This is a blog, not a guide book.  I'm speaking from my experience, and my only partner is my husband.  These are tips for couples who are expecting and still want a great sex life too. (Yes, it is possible to be parents and lovers.)

Pregnancy Pictures

Picture taking seems to be a bit of an obsession among many pregnant women and their friends/families.  I admit that I've taken "bump" pictures before (a few of them are on this blog). 

I've seen some fantastic pregnancy pictures (click here to see an amazing bump picture) and some awful ones.

I'm curious.  What do you think makes a good (or bad) pregnancy portrait?  Do you have any good tips for taking bump pictures? Do you love or hate bump picture?

I'd really appreciate any feedback.  If you don't want to leave a comment on the blog, then you can email me at bloggingwithbump@gmail.com.

Sex During Pregnancy

If you're pregnant, obviously you've had sex at least once.  Yet somehow it seems that once you're pregnant, people assume that you're not getting any (at least not until after the baby's born and you've miraculously lost all of the baby weight).  Seriously.  Try shopping for maternity lingerie, for example.  It's ridiculously difficult to find maternity lingerie (and I mean actual lingerie and not just bra & knicker sets).  Most maternity bras are so ugly that even my grandmother probably wouldn't want to wear them.

So here's the deal.
Pregnancy does not mean celibacy.  In fact, pregnancy can be a very sexy time.  According to my husband, men find pregnant women sexy.  Let's face it: when is a woman more, well, womanly than when she's pregnant?  You're super curvy (not only your bump--most women's breasts get bigger and/or fuller during pregnancy too), and probably less self conscious than normal (I don't have to worry about my "wobbly bits", as Bridget Jones would put it).

So let's talk about sex during pregnancy.

Yes, pregnancy hormones can affect your sex life, and they can have a major impact on your libido.  This isn't always a bad thing.  In my first pregnancy, I was seriously horny pretty much all of the time.  That's right.  You hear about pregnancy being less sexy because you're tired and feeling sick etc.  Sometimes that's true.  Sometimes, though, being pregnancy will actually make you want it more.  Trust me, I know.  I think my husband started to get a little overwhelmed by the time our daughter was born because I was pretty much insatiable.

That's not always the case.  Thanks to pregnancy hormones during my second pregnancy, my sex drive was lower than normal.  However, I still had a sex drive, and we still enjoyed a good sex life. 

During my third pregnancy, I was tired at the beginning, but I was happy and excited.  My husband and I enjoyed a lot of passionate sex during this time.  Unfortunately, that pregnancy ended too early.

Obviously it didn't take long for us to be at it again, as I got pregnant again very quickly (oops!).  My sex drive, to be honest, is about the same as it is when I'm not pregnant.  That's not to say that sex is exactly the same.  Changing shape means that different positions become better (I'll do a different post about the best sex positions during pregnancy).  Thanks to changing hormone levels, what feels fantastic one night may be disappointing the next (and vice versa).  Although I really enjoy love making (and cuddling and foreplay, etc), some nights it's harder to actually reach orgasm than others.

You know what, none of those things really matter.  If you and your partner love (and lust) each other, pregnant sex can be fabulous.

23 weeks pregnant

A la my new years resolution, I am going to try to be a more dependable blogger.  Not that reliability is necessarily a great trait for bloggers, as interesting and creative are probably more valuable traits, but at least it's something.  So we're about a week and a half into the new year, and I'm posting again.

I intended to do a little weekly pregnancy update on here.  Obviously, it hasn't happened, and I've just been posting willy-nilly about pregnancy and family topics as they've occurred to me and I had time.  If I'd paid less attention to willy and more to blogging, I'd probably have a lot more readers.  On the other hand, I probably wouldn't have a pregnancy blog.  (Sorry for the bad play on words. It wasn't planned, I promise.

My growing bump at 23 weeks

At any rate, I'm now 23 weeks pregnant.  This is about the point where babies are considered viable.  That means that if my baby were born now, he would have a fighting chance.  Still a small chance, though, so let's hope he stays put for awhile.  As both of his big sisters were late, I doubt that it will be a problem.

He is starting to get into more of an asleep/awake pattern, so that he'll move around for awhile and then be quiet for awhile at regular intervals.  Yes, I can feel him move around.  He even woke me up for the first time this week because apparently 3 am was a good time to have a party, or practice kick-boxing, or whatever it is babies do in there.  Ironically, as I'm writing this he just woke up and started kicking again.  In my head he's saying, "Are you talking about me again?"

To find out more about week 23 of pregnancy, click here or here.

True Blue

My baby boy's foot

I'm now at the halfway point: 20 weeks pregnant! 

We had an ultrasound this week.  Our sonographer was really good.  We got some really good views of our baby wriggling around, and could see that everything looked healthy.  It's amazing to see their little fingers and toes, heartbeat, ribs, etc.  Absolutely amazing.

We wanted to find out the baby's sex, and luckily our baby obliged with some very clear views.  There was absolutely no mistaking that we're having a little boy!  We're really excited, especially to know who our baby is.

Craving?

I'm not sure if it counts as a pregnancy craving or not, but I seem to be drinking hot chocolate by the bucket lately.  Maybe it's a pregnancy thing...or maybe it's just because it's getting cold outside and festive inside.  At any rate, this is definitely my new vice.  I justify it because the only way I'll drink milk is in hot chocolate, and calcium is good for you, right?

Telling The Kids

We wanted to tell our kids before it became public knowledge that I was pregnant.  So after everything was fine at the scan, we sat down our kids and told them.

My four-year-old is absolutely delighted.  She says she's "quite pleased" and she sang a little baby song.

Our two-year-old doesn't really understand what's going on, but at least this time she didn't say she'd rather be a car.

Pregnancy Confirmed

After taking the positive pregnancy test, I called and set up an appointment with my doctor's office.  My husband came into the appointment with me.  The doctor kept asking when the first day of my last period had been, and I kept having to explain that I hadn't had a period in a long time (when was it?  Last May maybe) since I hadn't had a period since before I got pregnant before and it was ectopic.  So we had no way to date this pregnancy.  As we had no idea on dates and needed to make sure that it wasn't ectopic again, she immediately booked me in for an ultrasound at the hospital.  Once again I was booked for a vaginal scan as they are clearer in earlier pregnancy than abdominal scans.

We went to the hospital and were shown into the exact same room where we had been scanned last time before I was rushed into surgery.  I was terrified of having a similar experience again.  Luckily, this time the sonographer could tell us almost immediately that it was not an ectopic pregnancy.  This pregnancy is in the right place and everything (so far) looks healthy and normal.  And (here's the big surprise) I was already 9 1/2 weeks along!!!!  That means that we conceived just 2 1/2 weeks after the ectopic pregnancy surgery!  So that was definitely a shock, but we're excited.

Pregnant?!

After the last post, I feel like I should backtrack a bit and explain...

I'd mentioned before that I hadn't restarted my period yet after having an ectopic pregnancy end several months ago.  I knew that it would take a little while for my cycle to get back to normal, but hadn't expected it to take more than a couple of months.  So I was putting things away in the bathroom cupboard one day, and found a pregnancy test.  I took it.  As we have used contraception 100% of the time, I was expecting to just rule it out.  Instead, after a very long minute, the test came up positive! 

It was one of the tests that dates as well, so it said that conception had occurred over three weeks ago (the longest time on the test).  I was in shock.  I wanted to be excited, but part of me was scared that it could be something residual from my last pregnancy or (even worse) that it could be another ectopic.

I called my husband to tell him, and then immediately called to set up an appointment with my doctor.  At this point I was still just kind of literally in shock because I didn't know exactly what was going on or what to expect and how to respond.

Things I want to remember about this pregnancy:

• We were so happy and excited.  I can remember all of the anticipation before hand, and how absolutely thrilled we were when I took the test and it came back positive.
• Like with all of my pregnancies, I was really tired during the first couple of weeks.  It was a satisfying kind of tired, the kind that makes you sleepy but also a bit smug because you know the reason why.   My husband was fantastic about getting up with our girls in the morning and letting me rest (sometimes for naps in the afternoon too).  The girls were also very patient about watching children's TV more often than normal so that I could rest.
• This little baby was (and is) greatly loved.  I remember my husband saying "I love you", then putting his hand over my tummy and saying "and you."
• I may only have been in the first trimester, but being pregnant definitely affected my eating.  I ate stuffed vine leaves like crazy.  My husband kept buying them for me, and I just couldn't get enough of them.  I remember one perfect day when I felt pregnant and fantastic.  We went to the market and the olive guy gave me a huge free pot of stuffed vine leaves.  A kind lady on Freecycle gave me a huge bag of fantastic maternity clothes.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we played outside with our girls.  It was just a bunch of little things, but it was such a happy day.
• I also really liked shakes.  It was really hot, and we don't have air conditioning.  Pretty much every day I made myself a shake for breakfast with ice, a banana, some milk, some nesquik, a spoonful of peanut butter, and some flaxseed.