Primal Journal (Jen AlcesAlces) page 12

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Been a long time since my last post... I've since moved out of Chicagoland and into the wild west... Wyoming. Love it here! Miss my family and friends, but have met a few nice people here too. Oh, and I am pregnant, not expected and not planned. Sometimes BC is not fool-proof, but results in a little blessing. Expecting a little boy in July... wish I could be closer to my family though, as I'm a bit nervous about the whole thing! I could use some advice and support, as I don't have much here. Feeling a bit alone in the world, maybe that's why I'm back online.

My primal eating plan had been going great, and I was about 9 pounds from my goal (yay - that means a total weight loss of 42 pounds and down from size 14/16 to size 8/10!) Then I got pregnant... so now I'm gaining, but trying to keep it reasonable. I'm trying to do the best I can for this kid - he gets lots of eggs and veggies, fruit and dairy (sometimes yogurt is all that sounds good - so I go with it). Also some junk in there, but I try not to dwell on it. As long as I'm not doing anything too foolish like doing tequila shots while smoking cigarettes and eating 5-day-old sushi, I'm not going to stress about a few potato chips or a couple of chocolate candies. I'm already freaked out enough!

I'm hiking, biking, and doing strength workouts as much as I can while still feeling good. We hiked up a local mountain yesterday, and although it went slowly, I felt pretty good afterward. Sore and sleepy, but good. It was probably 12 miles, about 5.5 hours. Had fully recovered so went to Zumba class tonight... Planning to ride my bike again this week, but only short rides... longer ones bring on that fun phenomenon known as round ligament pain.

Anyway, I'll keep up with my journal better, especially as I keep searching for pregnancy related topics on the site...

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Just doing more research - this time on supplements. Now that I'm prego, here are the supplements I take:

Prenatal vitamin (Rainbow Light one/day)
B12 drops (only 1-2 drops/day, about 30-60mcg)
Magnesium Citrate (250mg/day)
Vitamin D (2000 IU/day)
Carlson's Fish Oil (1 tsp/day)

Some threads on this subject for future reference....
Vitamin D in Pregnancy!
Prenatal/Vitamin D question
Supplementing with fish oil: aye or nay?

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Hmm, so much for logging in regularly. Got a lot going on these days... only about 6 weeks until my due date, preparing for childbirth as well as the actual arrival of a new human to our household yikes! I'm still working full-time and am on-call this week, plus helping the BF with his magazine work.

I'm getting adequate sleep and eating enough food, but my weight gain has been higher than I would have liked. It will be 30-35 pounds total, but it's better that I feel good and baby is growing on target. Biggest test of the weight gain is that I wear my pre-pregnancy jeans once in a while and can still fit into them. Also, my brutally honest BF has commented that I don't look pregnant from behind, guess that should make me feel better too.

Anyway, I'm glad to be able to eat my primal foods again, although cooking meat does make me kind of nauseous... if someone else cooks it though, YUM. Steak, I want steak. I just don't want to cook it.

Still loving Wyoming, although it's so far from my family... Just found out there are a handful of paleo people in my little town, yay!

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Getting ready for a hike this weekend (yay!) They're predicting nice sunny weather and lows in the 40s & 50s. The Dr has requested that I refrain from real backpacking though... just day-hikes and camping near the trailhead/car. The BF is a bit disappointed with that, but I know he wouldn't want to carry me 10 miles back to the car if something went wrong.

Anyway, I'm not sure I have the energy to go more than 5-7 miles in one day - even with lots of breaks. Going up the stairs leaves me winded. Somehow I've still been going to Zumba class, but I can definitely feel my energy slumping by the end of the hour.

So my next true backpacking trip will be with a kid. Yikes. We met our pediatrician to be - and he was very supportive of taking our baby backpacking as long as we take a few precautions (sun protection, head support, safe sleep arrangements). Not bad at all!

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Ok so I did kinda go backpacking that weekend, and had a great time. We only went 7 miles or so (4 out, 3 back) and camped a half hour hike from the car. Sad that I won't be able to do that for a while... Planning on a short day hike this weekend, but have a grumpy and sick boyfriend.

Seriously, I'm super huge pregnant. I guess that's why people are nervous about me doing Zumba or hiking. If I just sit around, I feel like crap though. Better to keep moving I think. I'm due in about 2.5 weeks, and have some early signs which I won't mention here because things like my cervix are still private matters. Although I notice everyone asks me, even strangers. Oh well. I've only gotten a few "omg you're ready to pop!" comments. Bah.

I'm just grumpy because it's warm and that makes my feet swell. And my boyfriend is not helping with anything, so I'm online and wasting time when I should be doing real things. Like practicing my Bradley Method stuff (alone) or cleaning the floors. Or getting outside in the bright Wyoming sunshine. Hey that's a good idea...

[Paleobird]

Congratulations on the upcoming Grokling! There seems to be a lot of that going around right now. You, Dr Bork, Onalark, Valkrie, Mixie are all busy perpetuating the tribe. And those are just the ones I can think of off of the top of my head.

I think it's terrific that you are still up and moving around and going hiking. Pregnancy isn't a disease and I'm sure Grokelle wouldn't have been sitting around with her feet up for nine months. When are you due?

Oh and congratulations on successfully shutting down that train wreck thread the other day. Well done.

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Thanks, Paleobird! There is a lot of procreation going on in the Primal world... I am noticing more and more lately. Great to have a place for somewhat like-minded people to share these things and also to know we are not alone, whether it's baby-making, menopause, or general health discussions. I sometimes forget how great some of the people are on MDA.

I totally agree about pregnancy not being a disease. I imagine about 10,000 years ago I would have been responsible for getting water, gathering food, and just doing basic chores despite my big belly. So I'm still here working, taking walks, cleaning & cooking, and exercising when I can. Although I have to admit it's getting more difficult by the day... I'm due on July 5th - about 2.5 weeks YIKES! Not sure how much bigger this belly can get!

Geez - that thread was/is a trainwreck. I saw it had a little more wreckage going on after I wrote, but maybe it will fizzle out. Although the wrecks can be entertaining at times, I have a short fuse for fat-bashing and general back & forth nonsense (unless it is genuinely funny!) Oh well.

Glad to see you posting on here... often I see the long-time members step away after a while, but you have always had good advice and experience to share. It is much appreciated. Hope you are well & happy! Thanks again for the good wishes

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Being knocked up in 90+ degree heat is torture. Luckily, it is a dry heat, the kind that sucks the moisture out of your eyeballs as soon as you step into the sun. But still, that is better than high humidity - I'd be a sopping ball of sweat, even in the shade. Like in St Louis or Dallas. Why do people live there? You have to plan your wardrobe purchases to hide sweat stains, no thanks. Or maybe that's just me - I'm one of those unlucky sweaters.

Anyway, today as I read the she-grok thread, I realized that I am not a baby-crazed chick at all, never have been. Weird that I find myself in this situation and even excited about it. I know kids can be cool - my nieces and nephew are ultra cool, and I hope I can raise this kid to be a decent human being who is fun to be around. I will love him always, but that doesn't mean I have to fawn or be some baby crazy lady. Just a chick who hikes and dances and works in IT, who just happens to be a mom and hopefully a good one.

[Paleobird]

Yep, the train wreck thread chugged on for a few more pages only to be derailed this time by a bunch of women drooling over pictures of scantily clad muscular men. Hopefully it will stay derailed this time.

Yes, there are a lot of really good people in this community. The jerks sometimes seem numerous but I think it's just because they are more vocal.

Wow. You are about ready to pop. That must be difficult in heat like that but I do love Wyoming. I've driven through there and I think it has some of the most spectacular scenery in the US.

You are going to be a great primal mom.

My best wishes for you and the Grokling.

[Jen AlcesAlces]

Excited for my doctor's appointment today - yes I feel ready to pop - but seems this little guy has a little more growing to do.

I loooove that my doctor is not one to induce unless necessary, especially for first time mums. He told me that he really trusts a woman's instincts on labor & delivery and prefers not to interfere with that. If only he wasn't going out of town for a week! Eeek, little guy, maybe you can hold on until he gets back!

Heat wave continues - although I think we've learned to cope better now. Open every window in the house at night when it's 65 degrees, then shut everything until 7pm the next day... there is a stretch in the late afternoon that is unbearable. So, I get to spend some time in the basement until that passes. Lots of ice water. I love Wyoming and can't think of any place I'd rather live... but when we get our own place, I'm having a window AC unit or a swamp cooler.