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.

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.

indulging during summer holiday equals diet

Our three weeks holiday is finally over, or at least for my husband who went back to work this week. I still have like three weeks off work and I savor each minute of it.

Our vacation this is much simpler compared to our previous vacations. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it just as much as the others. The first week of our vacation was spent in our home. My in-laws came and they helped us with some work. They spent a few days here and in one of those days, we made a day trip down to Italy and back to Austria. We also made stops in some of the cities we passed by. That was fun.

The second week was spent visiting nearby towns in Styria, visiting Vienna and some towns in Lower Austria. And we spent the third week camping in Croatia.

vien in senj, croatia

Overall, I had a lot of fun. The camping was a whole new experience and I learned a lot. I got a nice tan and a few pounds. LOL! I have to shed those extra pounds before my friend’s wedding in October. I want to fit in my dress so I need to look for some best weight loss diets ASAP.

On the second thought, I still have three weeks’ vacation so I probably just postpone the dieting until the time for relaxation and self pampering is over. *wink

needing a new pair

I am becoming more and more bothered by my eyesight. Lately, I am experiencing unexplainable headaches and I noticed that I can’t see clearly with my pair of glasses like I used to with them anymore. I think I really need to have my eyes checked, get a new prescription, and buy a new pair of glasses.

Before learning about Zenni optical, the fact that I need new eyeglasses would have been a problem for me because eyeglasses are really costly. Right now, I am okay with the fact that I have to buy myself a pair of new eyeglasses every half year because I can always get them at a very cheap price from Zenni Optical. I’ve read a lot about Zenni Optical already and these articles are mostly from satisfied customers who are happy to share some frugal tips on buying eyeglasses. These happy costumers say that the frames from Zenni Optical don’t reflect their price because they are high quality frames—something you wouldn’t expect to get for only a few dollars. They also said that the service is also very efficient and fast and they are generally happy with the glasses they ordered from Zenni Optical.

I haven’t bought any Zenni Optical yet but basing on all the praises they are getting lately, I will try them too.

when driving

It is never a secret that I am not good with driving. When I am driving, I use up like 95% of my brain capacity. I really need to concentrate to avoid getting in to an accident or getting a loud horn from fellow drivers (they can be really rude that I am always tempted to show them my long, lovely and fragile looking middle finger).

I do wear my contact lenses when I drive although I also own a suitable pair of glasses. I am not vain, I just feel more comfortable with the lenses but I have one problem with wearing lenses. When one lens (or both) dries up, my vision immediately blurs. This occurred to me many times during the winter. It was really cold so I always turn my car heating to maximum. The first time it happened to me, I immediately pulled over. Of course, I got a few horns but I didn’t care. For the succeeding times, I blink first but when blinking doesn’t work, I open my windows.

A wide clear view when driving is for me, very vital. Eyeglasses are cool when I am reading or when I am doing something in front of my PC but the fact that I can see the rims bothers me. Too meticulous? Well, if I can only drive with shoes other than my old brown sneakers, I might disagree with that.