Holiday time + 7 months pregnant + bite blockers

It's a combination that has not been easy to live with. Overall having braces has not been as terrible as I thought it would be. I got used to the metal mouth feeling, like my teeth are armored and ready for battle. This pregnancy has been tough as well but I'm past the worst of the nausea and on to general discomfort (at all times).

However...on December 12th my orthodontist upped the ante. I now have brackets and braces on ALL my teeth (the very back molars were left alone initially) and I also have bite blockers on my back teeth to adjust my bite. This means my teeth only touch at the back, so I can't get a proper bite on anything at all unless I chew on the bite blockers themselves. It's super awkward and my cheeks have been in agony for 16 days now. I'm developing a bit of a callous in that area but I still need to eat very soft foods and keep to liquids as much as possible.

This is not good for pregnancy as you can imagine. My last midwife appointment on the 20th went like this:

Midwife: Eat more
Me: ....
Midwife: Even if it's pie. Don't turn anything down.

So yeah, I have been indulging when I can. I'm adding PB to my smoothies and getting protein and fibre and iron whenever possible. Still haven't gained any weight in this pregnancy and I'm 33.4 weeks along. My belly's growing and the baby is fine, so that's good. My boobs are flat pancakes and my jeans keep falling off my bum though. And my face looks...thin. I don't know how to feel about any of it, really. I feel very conflicted. On the one hand I NEED to be strong for a good delivery and a healthy baby (and to nurse well!), on the other hand I'm kind of stoked that I won't feel pressured to lose a bunch of baby weight once I give birth.

Anyway, Christmas went well despite not over-indulging like I used to. I did have a few extra helpings of mashed potatoes which was great :) mmm soft buttery potatoes!

Time to update this blog with some photos.