A few years ago a co-worker of mine (I'll call him Ed) would come to work almost every day with hamburgers, large fries and a large soda.  Ed was overweight and would sweat profusely all the time.  He always looked tired and worn out.  Ed worked second shift so when he got to work, he'd eat before the shift started.  If Ed wasn't eating hamburgers and fries, it was some other sort of junk food.  Ed didn't eat a normal portion; it was always a large portion.

One day I told Ed, "If you keep eating like that you are asking for trouble!”  Ed made the statement, "You have to go sooner or later so I'm not worried about it!” 

Mayo Clinic and Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of Mayo Clinic Health Manager, a privacy- and security-enhanced online application that provides people with a place to store medical information and receive individualized health guidance and recommendations based on the clinical expertise of Mayo Clinic.

As I’m sure everyone has figured out by now, I’ve had my baby boy.  His due date was March 6th, but he didn’t arrive until March 11th, 2009. 

I had a doctor appointment on Tuesday, March 10th to get an ultrasound and see how he was doing, since he was officially “overdue” at that point.  I had lost 2 pounds and was dilated 4-5 cm.  I was happy to know that I got so far without pain.  The ultrasound showed that Baby was doing fine, and that he was “just about” 8 pounds. 

Since he was constantly getting bigger, his amniotic fluid was getting lower. 

As of today, I am 38 weeks pregnant.  Not much has changed, except that Baby Boy got bigger, as did my belly.  I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday.  My weight is now 145 pounds, and when the midwife did my fundal height measurement, she found that the baby dropped.  She can tell because my measurements were going up each week, and this time it was smaller. 

I usually measure right on with the number of weeks I am.  This means that yesterday I would have ordinarily measured 38 centimeters, but instead I was only 36.5. 

The Zone Diet

Nutritional profile: 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates.  This profile has more fat than I would generally recommend.  Also, this is a low calorie diet.  The website states that women are to eat 1000 to 1200 calories per day, while men are to consume between 1400 and 1600 per day.  It doesn’t take into account variations in individual calorie needs.  An interesting note is that the website states that they say “no” to processed foods, yet many of the suggested meals on the site include processed foods.

Creatine’s most notable trait is its role in the energy production process.  It is an organic compound found in muscle fibers that is made from three amino acids: glycine, argininie, and methionine.  ATP and CP (creatine phosphate) are stored in muscles and serve as a source of immediate energy. 

The more ATP and CP that is in the muscles, the more the muscle can lift.  Additional creatine can be obtained through consuming meat and fish.  Many athletes choose to supplement with creatine, though, because cooking meat converts the creatine into creatinine, which is easily flushed out of the body through the kidneys. 

As of today I am 36 weeks pregnant.  9/10ths of the way there! 

It hurts to roll over, and rolling over is the way I get in and out of bed.  Everything seems to hurt on the bottom on the inside (at the risk of giving out “too much information”, I’ll just leave it at that). 

Fortunately, if I’m already sitting or already standing, I seem to be okay for the most part.  It’s the getting up or sitting down that hurts.  My skin also seems to be extra dry these days.

As of today, I am 33 weeks pregnant.  This past week, I’ve been getting tired faster, and it has been harder to wake up in the mornings.  I’ve been experiencing more random aches and pains as he continues to grow. 

Baby has had the hiccups more frequently this week.  I know there’s nothing wrong with hiccups, but I don’t like it when he gets them.  I think it’s because I don’t like when I get them.  Yesterday I attended a breastfeeding class, which was nice, and very informative. As I sat there, I slowly but surely became overwhelmed at just how much work this is going to be (not just breastfeeding, taking care of a baby in general).

As of yesterday, I am 32 weeks pregnant.  I started noticing changes this week.  It feels as though baby is getting heavier.  When I stand, I feel increased pressure on the bladder and all other organs down there. 

This, of course, means more frequent trips to the bathroom.  Getting up, getting out of the car, and going up stairs takes more work these days.  I feel like I’m crossing that line where everything becomes really uncomfortable.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not there yet, I just feel that transition coming.