10 Weeks and counting!!! (baby related)

Dec 12, 2011

Whew......let me tell you that I have missed posting.  This was always my "outlet" to get things off my chest and vent (for lack of better words).  I was to preface this conversation by saying that EVERYONE is different and EVERY situation is going to be different.  This is just my situation and my experience and what I am going through
Being pregnant after RNY is hard!!!!!  My one year surgiversary was November 29th.  And I think I did pretty good, was down a little over 120 pounds, was finally feeling better, had more energy, was exercising.....and then.....Positive Pregnancy Test LOL.
Since then life has really changed.  In the last 10 weeks everything has changed to be honest.  Some of you may remember that I was posting abour 8 weeks or so ago about my extreme bloating.  Did you know that bloating is a sign of pregnancy?  When you become pregnant your digestive tract slows down in order for your body to absorb more of the nutrients from your food (or at least thats what the Dr's say).  Which sounds logical right?  It sounds like a perfect thing for your body to do.....unless you are a post-op RNY patient who also had their gallbladder removed and who already has HUGE digestive issues!  That makes it a mix for disaster.  I was 10 weeks out as of Sunday and I am still bloating.  Not quite as bad (knock on wood....literally) but still bloating.  I have taken out stock in Gas-X, Mylanta, Beano, and a few other gas/bloat related products because I am buying them every week.  I take so much Gas-X I literally had a box in my car, a box at my desk, and a box at  home....oh and some in my purse just in case.  I talked to my OB and she didn't seem concerned.  Until I called her panicking because I was taking a daily cocktail of them all combined and was still in a world of pain and bloated so she called me in a prescription.  I am still bloated, I still deal with bloat every single day, and it still kicks my butt 90% of the time!
I have got to see the baby on ultrasound twice, and I go back again this Friday.  I got to hear that tiny beautiful heartbeat which literally brought tears to my eyes.  And in some ways makes all the ups and downs with food seem a little more worth it.  But it is still HARD!  When I was pregnant with my son over 8 years ago I didn't have a care in the world.  I took my vitamin and ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.....and I gained a nice 70+ pounds.  Most of which I lost....but picked back up over the 8 years since I had him.  I didn't worry about eating healthy, or drinking water, or walking, or eating slowly.  I just ate when I was hungry which clearly was all the time.  This time around it is TOTALLY different.  Everything is different.  I literally have to plan out meals and snacks and think about when I will eat so I can know when to get in my water, and even the choices of foods that I eat play a huge role in everyday life.  Does it have enough protein, enough healthy fats, enough good carbs, enough calcium.  Will it make me bloat, will it make my tummy/pouch upset?  If I eat this now will I regret it later?  Do I have enough time between this meal and my next meal to drink my water?  It is something that I think about every second of everyday.
So with all that said I am proof that RNY changes your life completely.  What may have seemed like a normal thing before surgery is now not so normal.  What use to be an unimportant detail is now a major part of every decision I make.  It is a totally different way of thinking.  It is also hard to get your head wrapped around the fact that even though I am not physically hungry I have to eat a snack.  I know the baby only needs around 300-400 more calories a day....but when I was barely getting in the 800-1000 calories that I need to make it through the day those extra 300-400 calories can be a major hurdle.  So I personally am adding in super healthy snacks every 2-3 hours, and light healthy lunches/dinners/breakfasts.
Fresh fruit and veggies, low calorie dips if needed, cheese, proteins (meats, fish, shrimp), complex carbs on occasion.  I find myself eating more saltine crackers than anything LOL but I am trying to switch that up or at least add something healthy and beneficial to the saltine to make it more substantial.  And don't even get me started on morning sickness.....morning sickness after RNY = torture LOL.  There is nothing in your stomach anyway so you can't literally get sick you just feel like you want to get sick all day.....makes for a very long and draining day.
On a positive note.....I WOULDN'T CHANGE A SINGLE THING!!!!!!!!!!!!   I am so excited to find out the sex of the baby, and be a mom again, I am excited for my son to be a big brother, I am excited to decorate the nursery.  I am excited about everything.  Even getting a baby bump and buying maternity clothes....which sounds crazy but I am embracing it all.  And after baby is born it will be back to maintenence, exercise and hopefully a skinnier waist line LOL

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