Wow…second trimester already!

Hey guys, today makes 15 weeks! I had an OB visit today and her heartbeat was spot-on at 160-170 bpm. My belly has been expanding, but not like it did with BG–even though I weigh less now than I did with BG, my tummy is soft/squishy instead of hard. I presume this is because I have loose skin and, moreover, because I don’t have my colon (which was impacted due to taking Zofran with BG).

I loved my body/my belly with BG, but between my squishiness, scars from surgery, and my ostomy bag, I don’t feel very cute. I think part of my lack of enthusiasm for my “bump” is also that it’s my 2nd pregnancy and I have A LOT more on my plate–with BG, Mr. MLACS was gone 50% of the time, we lived in an apartment (now we are homeowners) and I didn’t have a toddler, plus it was a hard-won pregnancy, so I reveled in my ‘pregnant-ness’ and had lots of time and money to buy cute maternity clothes and take bump photos. I can’t be the only one–has anyone else found that their first pregnancy was all pinterest-y, but subsequent pregnancies were less so? I don’t want baby sister to feel less important or celebrated, because she is my little miracle and just because I’m not into *myself* right now is no reflection on how much I’m into her. I hope little sister understands and doesn’t take it personally. Because once she’s here, I’ll give her everything I’ve got just like I did for BG. Oh, and henceforth little sister will be referred to as LS.

So maybe you are wondering…how is pregnancy different with an ostomy? Well, first off, my ostomy bag covers the right half of my belly. As my belly grows and changes, I’ve had more challenges…

1. I eat more–a lot more–so my stoma and ostomy bags are getting a “workout” from all the food I consume.

2. My stoma is changing size. It has increased 2-3mm in diameter (so currently 28-29mm) and is protruding more.

3. Because my belly isn’t flat anymore, my stoma is changing size, and I am eating more, I’m having more leaks. In fact, I’ve gone from changing my appliance once every 4 days to changing it almost every day. And when I have leaks it irritates my peristomal skin.

4. I’m going to try different bases/bags to see if I can prevent leaks, and also because my preferred base only goes up to 35mm and may become too small.

5. My bag is much harder to hide under clothes. I had an easy time concealing it, even under skin tight clothing, prior to pregnancy/my belly growing. But now I can see my bag through almost anything I wear, tight or not. I’m frustrated about that. And between wanting to prevent leaks and also wanting to be comfortable, wearing compression garments is basically out of the question at this point.

6. I need to buy some new maternity clothes that suit my new body, but because I’m not into myself right now and I’m busy, I just haven’t made the effort. I really need to. I really wish I had a good friend here who I felt comfortable asking to go shopping with me.

So to be honest, having an ostomy has made pregnancy less enjoyable for me in some ways, as much as I hate to admit that. But I’m grateful to be healthy and moreover I’m grateful that LS is healthy, and that’s what really matters. The rest is trivial.

XOXO,

MLACS

 

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MaterniT21 Results

When I went to my 11 week OBGYN appointment, I had blood drawn for the MaterniT21 test. Many of you know that this test checks to see if baby has chromosomal abnormalities. It checks for the three most common trisomies, Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, and Trisomy 21. The test also looks for anomalies in the X and Y chromosomes, and thusly will tell you the sex of your baby.

I’m always uneasy when I have ultrasounds and tests, and this was no exception.

On Monday my OB nurse called and said she had my test results. The results were:

1. Baby tested negative for chromosomal abnormalities. This does not mean that baby doesn’t have chromosomal abnormalities, but it does mean that baby does not have the ones mentioned above.

2. Baby is a… GIRL! So BG will have a little sister!

I’m very pleased that baby is healthy and I’m pleased that BG will have a sister–my own sister drives me nuts but I’m glad I have her, especially since our parents are now deceased…all we have is each other. I hope BG and her sister have a much more harmonious relationship than my sister and I. Being 4 years apart might help their relationship. My sister and I were only 1 year and 9 months apart, and statistics show that age gaps of this length breed sibling rivalry, but shorter or longer age gaps have less issues. Here’s hoping.

In other news, I’m feeling better and suuuuper excited about Fall! I have already started cooking and baking up a storm, even though it’s still hot here in the South. I made chili, cornbread, and a homemade from scratch peach crisp (peeled the peaches myself) on Friday. Had guests for dinner last night and made a cobb salad bar with fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado, hard boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, bleu cheese, freshly grated cheddar cheese, romaine lettuce, mixed baby lettuces, ranch dressing and bleu cheese dressing. And meat choices of grilled steak or chicken. So everyone could build their own salad. It was so.freaking.good! Salad tends to clog up my ostomy bag, which is annoying, but this salad was 110% worth the inconvenience. And there are leftovers today, yay!

I also contacted Mr. MLACS’s trainer, who is actually a friend of mine, and told her we need to get him back on track. So she’s going to get with him and have a “state of the union” talk. We need to get exercise equipment for home. We are leaning towards a stationary bike. I’m curious about the Peloton bike. Anyone have any suggestions about what to buy or where to purchase? I don’t want to spend too much money because I have a lot of business expenses related to my inheritance and Mr. MLACS made a pretty huge mistake on our taxes so we owe the IRS everything in our mutual savings. I should have money coming in but not for a month or two. So, looking for a good deal on a stationary bike.

XOXO,

MLACS