impact on the every day

As I move into my 5th month of pregnancy, I now have a visible lovely lady bump (as Andy refers to it), and the pregnancy continues to feel more real as my everyday routines become impacted. I have been doing a lot of adjusting to all the newness the past couple of weeks. Socially, it is interesting to see how people react to my pregnancy especially at work. I have been delightfully overwhelmed by the responses and support I get. I interact with hundreds of people a week (some times 100+ a day), and I am amazed about how excited so many people are by my news.

Here are some other areas of my life that are impacted:

Sleeping: I read in a couple books and online that one should not sleep on their stomach or back after 16 weeks. So, for the past couple ten days or so, being a stomach-sleeper, have struggled to fall and stay asleep comfortably on my side. I even did research and bought a special pregnancy pillow. The pillow helped a lot. However, when I mentioned my sleeping struggles to my midwife on Monday, she told me I can sleep on my stomach and back until my belly is very large. Needless to say, I happily slept on my stomach (with my Preggle pillow) the past two nights. Damn overly-cautious pregnancy books.

Clothing: many of clothes are not fitting, so I sorted through my closet to create a section of what I can wear. I also went shopping at the Salvation Army and Goodwill and found several nice items. Also regarding clothing, I have to keep extra set of clothes in my car just in case I sneeze too hard. (Sneezing sometimes can cause pregnant women to involuntarily tinkle--its already happened twice to me, thank goodness both times were at home).

Exercise: I have been focusing on creating a weekly exercise routine. I found a great book called "Expecting Fitness." I also got a prenatal yoga video from the library. I love the yoga video because it really focuses on connecting with your baby and your body. My goal is to do at least 30 minutes of cardo twice a week, lift weights twice a week, and do yoga once a week, and do pelvic floor exercises daily. I'm doing okay so far, but it is only the second week of my routine. When you see me ask me how it is going to keep me motivated.