Week 12 and 13 Are A Nosy Affair

I'm a little late posting for week 12, so I'm going to combine week 12 and the beginning of week 13.

 As of week 12,  my nausea has started to subside a bit, but my battle with congestion has now become Nose War 3. Word on the street is that 20-30% of pregnant women experience Pregnancy Rhinitis. PR, as I like to call it, happens because while pregnant, your nasal passages can become swollen and irritated causing you to experience symptoms like congestion, nasal itchiness, coughing and sneezing. I also have noticed an increase in mucus, so I've tried cutting back on my dairy as that apparently can make mucus even worse! I cannot believe how bad my sinuses are! I have never been one to rave about my sinuses, as I always felt they could pick up the slack a little. I can't remember a time that sleeping on my back resulted in me feeling like I was drowning from post nasal drip...mmm....yuck! But this is ridiculous! I have had many nights where I either can't get to sleep because I can only exhale, not inhale through my nose, or I have woken up around 3am because my nose totally became blocked up! The last few nights I have either tried sleeping with my mouth open (which I can't do because I either drool all over myself, or I fear spiders crawling into that wide open space and choking on them in my sleep), or sleeping in the sitting position, which is horrible for my sciatic nerve. I should mention that it too has decided to join the side of the nose in this body war. I have had 6 days in a row of bilateral sciatic pain ( I should mention I have experienced sciatic pain often before getting pregnant too...just not this frequently), and it is now leaving my back in constant dull pain mode.

To help with my nose issues, I've invested in a Neti Pot, which is a small pot that helps clear your nasal passages. It uses a saline solution that flows through your nose using the power of gravity. Apparently the Neti Pot was originally used in yoga to assist with proper breathing techniques. I had heard many good things about the Neti Pot, so I decided to try it. My first experience with it wasn't so...zen, as having something pour in one nostril and come out the other side is a little unsettling to say the least. I am pretty sure I swallowed a ton of that water. After I got the hang of it, it was actually kind of fun.

Besides the Neti Pot, I went and purchased hydraSense for congested folk. It helps by shooting a stream of 100% natural source seawater into your nose to clear out mucus and allergens. Again, yum! The thing I really like about hydraSense is that it is really easy to use, and is so natural you can use it anytime without risking it becoming a habit, like with medicated decongestants.  http://www.hydrasense.ca/en/. So far, the combo of the two is helping me breathe a little easier at night, though I do keep myself propped up a little with an extra pillow, just in case.

With regards to my back pain, sciatica occurs when your sciatic nerve is pinched, or is irritated. The sciatic nerves are attached to spinal roots that travels down your back, through your bum all the way down your legs. That is what makes this pain such a pain in the butt. Literally. You can feel pain anywhere from your lower back, to even your foot! Mine tends to be very strong in my lower back and feels like a sharp jab that makes you hold your breath and stop all movement. I've invested in a prenatal yoga DVD and bought a pregnancy pillow to help prop my body into a better sleeping position. I know I need to stop standing for long periods of time and I need to take time just to stretch. I really hope this pain will go away soon, as there really isn't anything I can take for it, and well, I still have many more months to go.

On the plus side, my Little Muppet is now going on 13 weeks! The baby is currently about the length of a medium sized shrimp and the size of a peach and has formed fingerprints on it's little fingers and baby fuzz on it's body. It can now flex it's limbs and may even be able to put it's thumb in it's mouth! Awwww! Kawaii!

In other news, my body is starting to feel the good ol' round ligament pains when I move from one position to another too quickly. It's just a quick jab or dull ache that happens because they ligaments are stretching and thickening to accommodate the growing baby and uterus.

Here is my week 12 baby bump photo. I will post 13 later this week. :) Chris would also like me to mention that he is the photographer responsible for this photo. Chris, thank you! ;) I am starting to get some of my appetite back, though I really don't seem to want meat. I'm very happy eating fruit (especially plums, raspberries and strawberries), goldfish crackers, soup and slushies...but only orange. Today I had some chinese food, so we'll see how my body handles that.

Thank you everyone for reading and enjoying my blog! I am having a lot of fun documenting our adventures and can't wait to share it with Little Muppet!

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