Gaining Weight....but it's Okay This Time

I was sitting in the parking lot of the blood draw lab this morning, waiting to get my 7 vials taken to test my vitamin levels, and it occurred to me that I should update this blog. A lot has happened since I last posted in November, namely that I've managed to gain about 4lbs but I'm not sweating it. Since I'm pregnant!

18 weeks pregnant at the moment, so yeah...I'm a little slow to update readers of this blog.

At 15 weeks. 

My OB and Bariatric doctor are both very happy with my health and timing on this. A long time ago the Bari doc had laid a hard date of 18 months post surgery. She said a woman should never get pregnant before then, and honestly I totally agree. I am able to eat reasonable portions now, about a salad plate or small cereal bowl of food at a time....and the major body shift and rapid loss had pretty much leveled out.

Still I wondered immediately how this pregnancy would feel different. It's been 8 and 6 years since I've done this, and my body has changed tremendously. Not to mention that with my second pregnancy I gained around 75lbs and for the most part had never lost it. Would I feel hungry, weak, nauseous this time?

So far, the ease of this one has shocked me. Minus some smell-induced nausea in the beginning, I have never had morning sickness and pretty much feel normal. I've noticed that I'm a bit hungrier in the second trimester but still not experiencing that 'starving all the time' sensation. My c-pap continues to bless me with amazing nights of sleep so my energy has been great.

I wonder if the tools in my box are actually making this pregnancy easier...more stable blood sugar, better sleep, and perhaps the ability to eat small bits at a time is what keeps nausea at bay.  What I thought might be more difficult seems....easier?

And yet there's a paranoia part of me that wonders if the baby is okay. Am I taking enough vitamins? I know for sure that on a given day, I'm not getting enough protein. Is it growing enough? Is a gain of only 4lbs enough, given that in my earlier pregnancies I probably would have picked up 20 by now?

So I will be happy for the big ultrasound in a couple of weeks, to hopefully put my fears to rest. And by the way, Doc says that 4lbs is just fine. Weight gain and baby health do not necessarily go together.

All was fine at my 12 wk ultrasound. 

Here's hoping the second half goes as smoothly as the first!