17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks!



Total weight gain? 9 pounds. I only gained one pound last week, thank goodness!

How big is baby? 5.3 inches!! Baby's about the size of an ice cream sandwich. :-)

Maternity clothes? Well, last week, I suddenly began to feel like I was being strangled by my bra and it kept happening no matter which bra I had on. By the end of the day, my upper back was killing me. I finally put it together that my ribs were expanding and it was time to get some bras that were a little bigger around. After a little shopping trip to Motherhood Maternity on Friday, my back felt better immediately. Now, if only my boobs would catch up with everything else that's growing!!

Sleep? Eating high protein dinners later is definitely helping my sleep, but I'm still waking up for a snack most mornings between 4 and 5:30. Fortunately, I'm usually able to fall back asleep. The worst part about sleeping this week has been some sneaky leg cramps. I hate them, seriously. Thanks to Facebook, I received a ton of advice for preventing them and dealing with them if they happen. Hopefully, I will be able to manage to ward them off for the rest of the pregnancy because, seriously, I hate them.

Best moment of the week? I had three this week. First, getting new bras. My ribs said "thank you". Second, Ryan and I went to our pool for the first time this summer and it felt so good to get all the weight off my legs and relax in the cool water. Third, my physical therapy appointment was great. The therapist knew exactly where my sore spot would be just from my descriptions. She said she was pretty sure what it was so she put pressure right where it would hurt and said I had piriformis syndrome. It's caused by a combination of my snapping hip syndrome and the release of the hormone relaxin. Basically, my left butt cheek is tense and the muscle presses on my sciatic nerve, causing shooting pains to run down my entire leg. I have to wear this funky hip stabilizer belt whenever I walk more than a block. It's pretty uncomfortable, but hopefully it will help ease the pain so I can actually go on walks. For at least the rest of this month, I get to see the therapist twice per week for new stretches, exercises, and, my favorite part: a light tissue massage. Yes, my butt gets massaged.

Funny moment of the week? After spending Saturday at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the American History Museum and then spending Sunday enjoying the sunshine, I was just enjoying relaxing. Ryan was playing video games in the living room, so I made myself comfortable in bed with a bowl of popcorn, the iPad, and a mini-marathon of "Little House on the Prairie." Ryan popped in after I'd been relaxing for about two hours and asked, "you're not making it to the store today are you?" Nah... I was just too comfy! I'm enjoying being prego-lazy because I know next time I'm pregnant, this little one will need my attention even more than Ryan does now!

Symptoms? Sore hip, stuffy nose, leg cramps, and I'm starting to get a few growing pains around my belly. You'll see in the photo below that it is definitely expanding. Good symptom: my hair is getting so long, it's covering my boobs like a mermaid!

What I miss? This week, I tried to wear two of my favorite shirts and Ryan promptly alerted me that they had become awkwardly short and needed to go into the other closet. I thought I'd get a little more time out of my shirts. Boo.

What I'm looking forward to? Our next OB appointment is tomorrow! I was hoping we would get to persuade them to do our next ultrasound at the appointment but Ryan won't be able to join me for this one. Looks like you all have to wait a little longer to see if this little one has a hot dog or a hamburger!

Here's the 17 week bump!