32 Weeks

How far along? Today I am 32 weeks 1 day pregnant!

Baby size: 19 inches long and 4.5 lbs! He's getting huge!

Weight gain: I have an appointment on Wednesday, so we'll see what the scale says.

Cravings:  I'm not really having any, but I'm trying to convince myself that I'm craving fruits and vegetables.

Aversions: I still haven't been brave enough to try yogurt again.

Movement: I have a night owl living inside of me.  He seems to think it's acceptable to squirm around my belly all hours of the night.  I hope he gets his days and nights figured out once he starts breathing oxygen on his own.

Sleep: I'm having trouble getting comfortable enough to fall asleep.  Spending all of my time flipping from hip to hip isn't the most comfortable way to sleep.  I end up with pain in my left hip a lot of time.  Not cool.

Let me just say that I have had a pretty easy pregnancy so far, which I am very grateful for.  However, I have had one particularly unpleasant symptom off and on throughout my pregnancy.  It was actually one of the first symptoms I noticed before we got our positive home pregnancy test.

Now you want to know the symptom, don't you?  I don't normally talk about things like this.  There are certain things I like to keep to myself, but I wish someone had warned me about this particular symptom.

Ladies, I'm talking about constipation.  

Glamorous, right?  It hasn't been a constant issue, but it has reared its ugly head now and then.  Apparently it can be a big problem in the third trimester because your intestines are no longer in their happy home in your abdomen.  Oh, no.  They are pushed around by your uterus and your squirmy baby.  Digestion is already slowed down, allowing you to absorb more water and nutrients from your waste.  Moving your intestines to new territory doesn't help.

So what's a girl to do?  

I think my medical options are Metamucil and stool softeners.  Neither sound very appealing.  Instead, I drink boat loads of water and am adding as much fiber to my diet as possible.  Since dinner I have eaten a 3oz package of baby carrots and an 8oz jar of crushed pineapple.   That's only 16% of my recommended fiber intake for the day.  

I am determined to win in the battle against my intestines.