getting rid of pregnancy brain

Remember the thing called “pregnancy brain?” This phenomenon does not disappear right away after delivery. In my case, it kind of stayed. I still forget a lot of things and it’s getting worse. I just don’t forget where I put things. Lately, I am also forgetting the name of things so I just refer to them as “that thing”. I haven’t noticed I’ve been doing that until my husband pointed it out. He said something like: “That thing is called a window.” He said I should name things properly if I want our child to learn those.

So when I say I want to get back into shape right after pregnancy, I just don’t mean physically. I also want to get back into shape mentally, that is why I started doing some simple brain fitness exercises to regain the sharpness of memory I once had. Simple things like using my non-dominant had to eat, to write, and to use the mouse pad and playing my guitar and learning new chords are things I can do to exercise my brain. It can be very frustrating sometimes but I just remind myself that I am doing my metal health a favor by persevering at doing these brain exercises. Also, I started to read again. Reading has always been a way for me to feed my mind so no matter how busy I am, I try to squeeze in reading in my daily activities.

kegel exercises for me

It’s been three months since I gave birth and I should slowly consider joining a kegel exercises class. I should’ve started earlier but I was busy adjusting to being a new mom, taking care of my baby, and receiving friends and relatives who want to come and see the new addition to our family. Joining classes and other things that spell commitment was something I had to put off.

But though I didn’t go to a kegel class right away, I did and am still doing some kegel exercises at home because I am afraid of the possible negative consequences of not doing it. I had a very difficult delivery and I delivered a very big baby so I really should pay attention to my muscles down there.

Some women suffer from a medical condition called pelvic organ prolapse after giving birth. This is a condition where the womb or other organs in the pelvic area drops into or pushes against the wall of the vagina. Some cases are really serious that those who have it have to get a vaginal mesh implant. And some who get vaginal mesh implants experience the negative side effects of it such as urinary problems, pain during intercourse, perforations within the bladder, organ injuries, and infections. It can get really complicated that some even file a vaginal mesh lawsuit against their doctors.

I am afraid of such condition so if there is a way for me to strengthen my muscle control down there, I’ll do it. I mean, I am all okay now but I’ll probably get another baby. Who knows!? What’s important now is that I’ll try to prepare my muscles there not only for the next possible child birth but for my health in general.

feeling lifeless

There have been many nights when my sleep is interrupted by the urge to go to the loo. It’s not the most pleasant thing but at least I can fall asleep as soon as I climb up back to bed. Yesterday, I woke up at 4am for no reason. I didn’t feel the need to go to the loo. I am just awake.  I tried to fall back to sleep but I was not successful so at 5am, I stood up and go about my day. Today, the same thing happened. I was wide-awake at 4am and can’t sleep anymore. It sucks because I didn’t sleep early last night so I really can’t figure out why I am well awake so early.

As a result, I feel so tired during the day.  I feel so weak and cranky so I don’t get a lot of chores and work done. It’s frustrating because I am really wasting a lot of time sitting around and feeling weak when I am so desperately wanting to do some things before my baby arrives.

I initially planned to do a lot today—a bit of ironing, de-cluttering, and probably do some baking but I don’t know…. right now, I am not up do to any of those things.

Another thing, the weather is great but I also don’t feel like going out. Crazy! If this is one of those things related to pregnancy, I hope it goes away ASAP.

mixed emotions on something

I don’t know exactly where this came from but I remember being told that if I tell somebody about my dream, I will sort of jinx it. So it’s like, if you have a bad dream, it’s better to let a soul knows about it so it won’t happen. The same goes with plans and what might happen in the future so I am going to tell you something in the hope that it won’t happen.

Of course, nothing is fixed yet. This will just happen if all the ifs happen first so it is not really concrete yet. But anyway, the thought that we might be moving to Munich, Germany is something I just can’t smile about now. First, I like it here. I am already adjusted to the life here. Second, we just bought our place last year and with all the hard work we put into this place, it’ll be a shame to leave it now. Lastly and the most important one, we are going to have a baby and I just don’t like all the hassles of moving to another city with a baby. I think that’s a lot of adjustment for the family. Also, I’ve been to Munich. It’s a place to see of course but right now, I just can’t imagine living there.

It’s really crazy how often we moved from one place to another in the last four years. At the beginning it was fun but I now reached a point where it’s all too tiring for me. I can’t do this over and over again.

BUT in the case of my husband’s job, this kind of move means a lot to our finances so it can’t be that bad. It’s actually good. I am just getting all sentimental and panicky. Maybe it’s with the pregnancy.  Maybe I just really like it here. *Sign, why can’t we just stay here and just get the money we would get if we would move to another city?

the austrian patient

My husband came home early today. Actually, he didn’t go to work. He went to the family doctor this morning to get some prescription for the sore throat he’s been having since last weekend. He thought, he’ll head to work after he gets the prescriptions he needs but the doctor advised him to stay home until he feels better. The doctor gave him an excuse from work until Friday with the option to prolong it if he still does not feel ok next week.

My husband does not get sick often. I mean, he does get sick every now and then but not enough for the doctor to let him stay home. He has an infection of the upper respiratory tract. His throat, nose, and ears hurt and he’s got a slight fever too. Poor guy.

I have to take care of him of course, and I do it willingly but we also have to take care that I don’t get what he has. Considering that I am pregnant… getting sick is really not an option for me.

In other news, I don’t think I will get a lot of work done now that my husband is home and needs my attention. That’s my only regret because the tasks from my online freelance jobs are slowly piling up on me. But the fact that my husband can be home is nice. I mean, it already feels like a weekend even if it’s just Wednesday. LOL!

the closest thing to exercise

No matter how busy I am and no matter how much work I have in front of the computer, I make sure that I find the time to move around. Being pregnant and soon to be giving birth, it is necessary to move my ass every now and then. I am thankful that the weather allows me to take walks now. Most days, I just walk around the neighborhood but if I am feeling overly zealous, I walk to our community’s center (plaza). It’s about 20 minutes walk from our place but since I am pregnant and I walk slow, it takes me around 30-40 minutes.

When I reach the plaza, I sit for an hour or two in a coffee shop. Sometimes I order a yummy looking cake but most of the time I just get me four scoops of ice cream and savor it slowly. I take walks alone (when hubby’s at work). In the community where I live, I really don’t know anybody who I am comfortable having coffee with. Most of my friends are living in the city and I am just too lazy to drive there and meet them. For small walks (i.e. exercise or moving my ass a bit), I rather do it alone.

four scoops of ice cream

My number 1 craving right now: ice cream

mac in a coffee shop

I bring my MAC with me or sometimes, I bring a book.

almost Paris

Hubby flew to Paris tonight to attend the JEC composite trade show tomorrow. Not having been to Paris, I wanted to go with him. Since this is a business flight for my husband, the company he works for pays for everything, and if I would go with him, we would have to pay for my plane ticket ourselves. At first, it was a very brilliant idea. We just have to pay for ONE rountrip plane ticket! We don’t have to pay for a hotel accommodation because the company he works for covers that.

The plan was, while he attends the trade show, I could go and roam around Paris. Then when the day is over, we could go back here in Graz together (it’s just for one night and one day). Brilliant. But the thing is, the cheapest roundtrip plane ticket we can find is 571Euros (graz-vienna-paris-vienna-graz). The fact that there are no Graz-Paris direct flights could be the reason why it’s that expensive. So…I think, I would be plain crazy to spend that much for just a day in Paris.

Then I got the crazy idea to go ahead and take the train in the morning and meet my husband in Paris when he arrives at night (around the same time I will be arriving with the train) but because I am very pregnant, there’s no way my husband is going to allow me to take such a long train ride alone. My husband can’t ride the train with me because he has to work during the day. Sad to say, there’s no way this crazy idea is going to work.

So I am home alone tonight because I am a stingy rat. I’d rather save the 571 Euros for future holidays that will give us ample time to see and enjoy a place. Heck, I am not going to spend that much just to go pee in Paris. LOL. Paris will always be there and there will be still plenty of chances to see it.

link from blogs: another way to earn money

It’s the middle of the week and I haven’t got any writing or editing tasks from my employers yet. Being a work-at-home-wife (and soon to be mom), it irks me that I am not able to make the most out of my time. I want to earn money but opportunities don’t come so easy—I have to search for and seize them.

If I don’t act now, I will end up earning zero this week. So in my attempt to look out for other sites which has pay-to-blog schemes, I came across LinkFromBlog. It looks like this site has has been around for about two years now but I never read about or heard of them until this day.

Buy blog reviewsI’ve read their FAQ and their terms and both sound professional to me. The only thing that makes me a bit uneasy is the fact that I have to put on a code on my blog…but I think I can live with that. Of course, I also read some of their current bloggers review on them and so far, all I’ve the things written about them are positive. Personally, I still can’t say if it is legit or scam or if it is are better or worse than other sites that offer paid reviews because I have yet to test them.

I hope they are legit and that they are better than the rest though.