Prenatal Yoga Class
Some of my friends who are already mothers gave me some advice, telling me to try stretching for an easy birth, a breast massage, etc. I think these are important and I was also checking on the internet.
The stretching menu for an easy birth wasn’t too new or difficult at all for me fortunately, as there are some stretching exercises that I’ve been doing when I go to the gym, that I learned from a trainer in HK and there are also a lot of poses we learned from yoga classes that we joined in HK and in Canada.
And the special selections from these were the menu for an easy birth.
So all I have to do is just do it more frequently! That’s all. But that’s the most difficult part…
From this January, I stopped going to a regular yoga class with my hubby and started going to a prenatal yoga class, with the expectation I can learn more, stretch and relax in a better way.
Prenatal yoga has more poses that are easy on the tummy and more conscious of the baby.
Different from a regular class, this one consisting of only pregnant women has a different, softer atmosphere, and the size of the class is rather small. Each new mum is different on how far along they are with their baby, so the term is shorter (1 term contains 6 classes) than the regular classes to ease the coming and going.
It’s good that I can chat with these mums about their pregnancies and share information. The mums with 2nd or 3rd babies seem to enjoy this 1 hour yoga time to escape from the regular chores at home and relax.
Up until recently, my hubby used to drive me and waited for me, but now I have my own driver’s license finally and I can drive! A bit nervous at first, as it’s been a long time, and it was at night with snow. But fortunately the winter is coming to the end and the day light is getting longer already. It’s bright until 8:30 p.m. now.
By the way, getting a cramp in the legs seems like one of the symptoms that pregnant women sometimes have during the second trimester of pregnancy.
I got one while sleeping. It was about 2 weeks ago. I guess it’s because we have more liquid in the body and I feel swelling in my legs. I sit a lot at the computer, that’s also bad. So my body wants to go workout. The doctor also says we should exercise regularly. Since my morning sickness has faded away finally, I’m trying to go back to the 3-times-a-week cycle. My pace of exercise is slower on the machine. But that’s OK. After sweating and feeling blood circulation going around the body, I feel really good and food is more delicious.
If I sleep with my legs straight, I get more cramps. If I bend them, it’s unlikely not to get them, in my opinion.
My belly now looks like a belly of a pregnant woman. At first, I could look like a chubby woman with a big belly. It was subtle… now I think anyone can tell I’m pregnant. That’s better.
We got a lot of snow on Mar 21st, and then the temperature went down to -19 c degree on Mar 24th. It felt like we were still deep in winter. But on 27th and 28th, it went up around 10 c degree. Snow started to melt a lot, and the back streets are full of big ponds! Cars are splashing mud on each other. No one would get a car-wash in this situation. We are expecting some more snow in April, but now it feels like a spring a bit.
25 weeks.
Maternity Wear
I couldn’t fit into any more of my trousers since more than 1 month ago. I wear stretchable trousers at home, so no problem, but I don’t have many choice of clothes when I go out.
So we went out to get some new stuff.
Some women who have many fashionable and practical items don’t seem to be bothered about buying “maternity clothes” and wear stretchable skirts, dresses or tunics that cover not only the tummy but also the butt. But when I look around my closet, there are not many items like that at all. So we went to buy some, but it’s difficult to decide how many I would need, as I don’t know what type of body I’m going to have after giving birth.
My bras also got a little too tight and a clerk at the shop took my measurement. The bottom had no change. Good! But the widest got 2 sizes bigger! I heard that the bust will be bigger, but I wasn’t expecting this much. Anyway, looking ahead I guessed that I would use them for more than 1 year, so I bought 2 new bigger bras. I also got a nice loose dress and a pants with a stretchable waist.
I think jeans might be quite tight and could prevent blood circulation so I don’t want to wear them, but it looks like women love jeans. These shops below had many kinds of pairs (of course they have the stretchy waists like above). Breasts and tummies get bigger, so maybe they want to show off skinny legs, I guess?
There are 2 shops that specialize in maternity clothes in WEM (West Edmonton Mall) :
And also
– but the section for maternity wear was quite small.
If you think it’s a waste to buy clothes just for the period that you are pregnant, you have other choices to look for some that are wearable for both times. If the clothes can cover your tummy comfortably with stretchables or pleats, that would do.
At one of my recent favorite shops, Anthropologie, and we got one nice dress with pleats for me. This shop is not cheap, so I had to make sure that I can still wear it even after my pregnancy.
By the way, the mall was very dry. After spending 3 hours in the mall, our lips got rough, and as I took my sweater off and on many times for fitting, my hair got really fluffy with static electricity even though I had on some hair product. My eyes got red as well…
Maternity shopping… quite boring for my hubby but he patiently waited for me. Thanks!
Usually I wait for him at book stores and CD shops. So even-steven?
Snowflakes
This morning, it was -12 c degrees and snowing, so I went out and took some photos.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a macro lens, but I took photos with the biggest resolution possible and cropped them.
There are really beautiful arts of nature.
It’s the 22nd week of my pregnancy now and I feel the BB moving. She seems she’s awake when I’m up and she’s in sleep when I’m in sleep. I’d like to apologize to her for the shocks and noises of my coughs… Finally, I’m better.
I bought this dress a long time ago. But I realized or someone told me that this dress make me look pregnant. I think I wore it once or so, and then kept it to wait until I get pregnant. I think I’ve been keeping this dress for a decade…
OK, now I’m pregnant and my belly is big. It’s time!
Oh no! It’s already too tight around my belly! It’s not a stretchy kind of material and it’s uncomfortable. When am I going to wear this?
Stretch Mark Massage Oils
Look, look! A twin egg again!!
I’ve been using a massage oil for the last month (4 months of pregnancy) to avoid stretch marks on my tummy.
And now I feel itchy on my tummy. Is it because the oils might be not so suitable for my skin? No, that’s not it. Now the skin seems to be really starting to stretch. That’s why. I had a big tummy before due to too much eating occasionally, but not this big. So I have to ask my tummy skin to do its best.
At first I referred to this page (Japanese page). “Use a good oil everyday and don’t skip, even for one day. If you forget, a stretch mark might appear.” Oh, that’s scary… Well, not so much, but I don’t want a lot of them to appear if it’s avoidable. So I got the recommended one in the page (on the right). It was sold in Canada, too. It’s a German product. I noticed Germany has good aroma-related products. This is Stretch Mark Massage Oil from WELEDA. It smells like real aroma essential oil, which I used to smell at really nice aroma therapy salons I visited in Hong Kong. Very comfortable smell.
The one on the left was a gift from our HK friend, S. Thank you very much. It’s miracle oil from a British brand, Boo Boo. The nice refreshing citrus smell makes me feel good too.
If I go and join aroma classes, I could make these nice oils in a way I like, but I don’t know how, so I’ll buy them for now.
To avoid stretch marks, taking a lot of liquid and exercise are as important as the massage oil. To stretch the skin nicely, it needs new cells. To create new cells, we need good nutrition, water, and blood circulation.
My doctor says massage oil is a waste of money, but I don’t think so.
Second Trimester Pregnancy
Jan 17
My first appointment with an obstetrician. We heard the baby’s heartbeat. Mine was 77, and the baby’s (BB) was 152! So fast!! Some people say if it’s more than 150, it’s a girl.
Tea also contains caffeine, so don’t drink too much. But green tea is OK, the doctor said. Are you sure? I thought green tea also has caffeine. I still drink it sometimes though.
And I was told not to eat sashimi too much as it sometimes contains radiation. He speaks so fast that we didn’t have a chance to ask why. We will ask next time.
Jan 21
First time to join a prenatal yoga
Jan 28
2nd class and it continues…
Jan 28 – 30
The temperature dropped to -25 c. The humidity at home was only 35% and I got a sore throat. My small attempts to make the air wet cannot defeat the dryness.
Even though I have to continue eating when I feel nauseous, I shouldn’t stuff myself at each meal time, I just noticed now (too late). I get full, but then I get nauseous. Not to vomit, I have to keep eating. That’s very hard.
On top of it, coughing, burping and tooth brushing make me feel like gagging as well.
Even a very small burp makes me gag after drinking some liquid. Normally, I don’t even notice small burps even when I’m healthy! But now each time I feel nauseous and realize how many times I’m burping a day. Am I burping a lot because I’m pregnant?
Tooth brushing time is a hell time of the day. When I wrote about it on FB, kind friends gave me some advice. Very nice!
“For a time being, take a rest from brushing, and use an interdental brush, dental floss and mouthwash for anti-bacteria.”
Another friend sent me a link of a doctor saying “brush before the meal”.
Thank you very much.
Feb 1
Blood and urine test, 3rd time
Feb 4
3nd class of prenatal yoga
Feb 10
I’m still gagging but haven’t vomited for the last 2 weeks.
Feb 11
4nd class of prenatal yoga
At the end of Jan, I got a sore throat from the dryness. I try to be super cautious. I remembered about the medical masks that my parents sent me last year and started using them at night to moisten my throat while sleeping.
18th week
On average, it is said the peak of morning sickness is behind me. But it depends on the person and I’m not that average person. Damn!
Feb 12
I got a cold finally. I started coughing hard. We were planning a short trip from the 15th!! Damn!
Feb 14
Seeing my obstetrician for the 2nd time.
I had an appointment, but waiting time today was 3 hours! What do you think?
I know it can’t be helped. The doctor can be very busy with emergency cases. I was told in advance that we patients sometimes have to wait for a long time for that reason. But…. we are pregnant ladies… And in my case, I’m coughing so hard. I should be sipping some rooibos tea at home comfortably… And it’s a Valentines Day… I can only kill time by reading a book or snooze with a strange posture and get a possible neck pain. It’s a bit sad…
The appointment was for 13:15. I was going to have lunch after this, so I went to see the doctor without eating lunch. My hubby came to me at the waiting room saying Happy Valentines Day! and gave me the half of the 12 inch Subway sandwich. Thank you! I was going to eat the last stuff in the fridge as we were leaving for a trip from the next day, but as he bought me that, I ate it. Phew! That was good, as I wasn’t expecting I would see the doc after 4 o’clock. When I got home, it was 5!
My hubby had classes and meetings, so he couldn’t wait around with me because it’s so difficult to know the exact time at this clinic. It can’t be helped.
But the doctor apologized, and after hearing the BB’s heartbeat, my negative emotions disappeared.
Doctor was in a hurry, as I thought. His talking is so fast. As expected.
I asked a question that we couldn’t ask the last time. He told me not to eat much sashimi. And why? That was the question. We had never heard that sashimi contains radiation before. The answer was to kill the bacteria/parasitic insect. I thought they get killed by freezing at some certain temperature, but I guess it depends on the fish or the preserving conditions or the regulations of that country, some radiation would be used… But it’s very difficult to find out which fish, which restaurants, and so on, he says, just don’t eat it too often or too much. By the way, he likes to go to Mikado Japanese restaurant, which we haven’t tried! We gotta try it! ^^
I search on that subject and I found that it’s been reported quite widely in North America that pregnant women shouldn’t eat much sashimi. I didn’t know that! Not only the radiation is worrisome but also pregnant women are more vulnerable to some bacteria called Listeria, which is in sashimi sometimes.
And one more question. I have a good chance that my coughing will become very bad. If I want to have cough syrup, is any bland OK to take? And the answer was NO. Oh, good I asked. “Robitussin” is OK to take, he said.
My weight was now 2 kg more compared to 1 month ago. Because I have to continue eating when I feel nauseous, I thought I gained too much too fast. But 2 kg was normal, he said. Oh, really? Good! Wow, I’ve been eating so much, but it was OK? I guess I really am able to eat for 2, eh?
Feb 15 – 21
Taking a short trip to Calgary and Lake Louise
The day time in Calgary was 12 c degree! So warm!! But at night it was cold with some wind. I forgot and left my medical masks (to moisten my throat while sleeping), and I lacked the ability to prevent dryness to my throat. Then I got a cold. I couldn’t sleep because of my frequent coughing and neither could my hubby. In Lake Louise, my nose started to get runny. Luckily I didn’t get any fever, we still enjoyed activities like snow mountain hiking and cross-country skiing. Somehow during these activities, my cough stopped. Mysterious… It was a great feeling and nice to get some sore muscles from good exercise.
The day before we left Lake Louise, we went to a Japanese restaurant in Banff and I ate a lot of Gari (Japanese sweet ginger pickles). I don’t know if it was why, but from that time, my sickness got dramatically better. I was able to sleep without much coughing. Wow! Ginger power!
The next day, I felt much better and then noticed my morning sickness was also almost gone! Excellent!! Still, coughing makes me gag, but the after-meal sickness got much lighter.
Feb 22
2nd time for the ultra sound. No abnormality. Looks like it’s a girl!?
The BB flipped 180 degree when I went to the washroom and came back! Amazing!
The BB’s weight is 270g right now.
And it’s 20 weeks.
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