Category Archives: 2nd trimester

Baby Deuce: 14 Week Bump Update

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Helllloooo, second trimester!  I figured that since I’ve finally reached my second tri, and my belly is already much larger than it was at 14 weeks with C, it’s time to start the weekly bump update.  :)   It took about 25 chaotic attempts to get these two pictures.  I couldn’t decide which one I liked better, so I’ve just included both!

How far along? 14 weeks, 2 days

Cravings: Strawberries and raspberries

Aversions: Beef, fried foods, eggs and, most of the time, any meat.

Feeling? I’ve gone from 8mg of Zofran every 8 hours to 4mg every 8 hours.  Improvement!  I’m still in a constant state of nausea, though.  My energy level is increasing slightly, and I’ve been able to clean our home more (much to the relief of Hubster). ;)

What I’m looking forward to: The nausea subsiding (hopefully!), getting off of the Zofran, and my energy level increasing.

What I miss: Running and any other form of high-intensity cardio.  I cannot wait to workout hard again after my 6-week postpartum checkup.  Yeah, I know that’s a long time from now!

What was the BEST part of last week? Being able to drop from 8mg to 4mg Zofran.  I’d love to be able to stop it completely.

What was the WORST part of last week? We were traveling a lot last week, which was fun, but it makes me very tired!

Milestones: I started feeling Baby Deuce move this week!  I find it funny that when C is squirming on my lap and Baby Deuce is moving, I can feel both my kids moving at the same time.  Whoa. :)

5 Things You’ll Love About Pregnancy

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1. It’s acceptable to wear stretchy pants on a daily basis.  Who doesn’t love the enveloping comfort of an elastic waistband?

2. You’ll be showered with gifts.  If you’ve been married, you might recall the joy of a gift registry.  You get to do that all over again – except this time you get to pick out all kinds of cute little clothes and accessories.

3. People will compliment you.  Yeah, of course there’s always the nay-sayers who say things like, “WOW, you’re huge!”  But for every one of those, there is at least one person to tell you that you’re glowing.

4. You’ll get preferential treatment.  Need to sit in a busy place?  Someone will look at your belly and then make room for you to sit down.  Going somewhere?  Someone might open that big, heavy door for you.  Granted, I remember being outraged that no one made room for me to sit while we were waiting at a restaurant once.  But I was also feeling exceptionally large, tired and angry at the world in that moment.

5. Your husband/fiance/boyfriend/significant other/random person on the street will do things for you.  Like bring you food.  Or paint your toenails.  Okay, so random person on the street may not submit to the latter…but you get the idea.

5 Things You’ll Never Miss About Pregnancy

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1. The incessant need to pee.  Seriously, there were some days that I could have camped out in my bathroom.  But our bed didn’t fit.

2. Not being able to see your feet.  I don’t normally look down when I walk, but the ability to see your feet is sometimes very helpful in preventing stubbed toes…or when scaling a flight of stairs.

3. The inability to tie your shoes.  I gave up on normal-person shoes and wore slip-ons for my entire 3rd trimester.  It’s like trying to bend over a ginormous bowling ball that kicks.  Screw that.

4. The pregnant woman shuffle.  By the late 3rd trimester, your normal walk morphs into that of a penguin.  Sexy.

5. Feeling like a washed-up whale.  When you’re ready to deliver any day, you can barely move, and the world no longer creates a shirt large enough to cover your belly…well, that’s a feeling you simply won’t miss.

On tap for tomorrow: 5 things to love about pregnancy.

Birth Plans

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All of the pregnancy books tell you to come up with a birth plan so that you know exactly what you want to do when the time comes.

I’ll admit, the thought of a birth plan was a little daunting to me.  This was my first pregnancy and I had no idea what to expect from a labor and delivery experience.  I was afraid to plan it all out because that meant I had to really think about it ahead of time.  My doctor asked me about it during one of my late third trimester appointments.  When I said I didn’t really have one, but I knew I wanted an epidural, she just chuckled and said it was probably a good thing.  The people who come in with a three-page birth plan, for example, are often disappointed because things never seem to go exactly as planned.

I went in knowing that I wanted an epidural and a vaginal delivery.  That was the extent of my birth plan, and I thought of it as very relaxed and “go-with-the-flow.”  Hubster can attest to my laid-back approach – I even allowed him to watch the NFL draft on ESPN while I was in labor! ;)

As it turns out, I was not quite as “go-with-the-flow” about everything as I thought.

After 16 hours of laboring in the hospital (preceded by 3 days of early labor at home) and 1.5 hours of pushing, the on-call OBGYN broke the news that I would require a cesarean delivery.  I immediately burst into tears.  I had only wanted two things out of my birth experience, and a c-section was NOT one of them.  I thought about the surgery, the longer recovery time, the fact that I would need c-sections with any future deliveries.  I felt like I had failed by not being able to deliver my son vaginally.  I had pushed for 1.5 hours, to no avail.  Why couldn’t I do it?  It was devastating.

Nearly three weeks later, I have the gift of hindsight.  In retrospect, my c-section was not a terrible thing.  Our little C is here, and he is perfect.  My incision is healing very well.  Even though I went through surgery, I have TONS more energy than I had at the end of my pregnancy.  I was worried about losing weight because I would be less active, but I’ve lost all but 6 pounds of my baby weight already.  Yes, I have a long way to go before my incision and abdominal muscles totally heal.  Yes, I will need to have a cesarean with my future kids; but on the bright side, I will never need to experience a painful labor again.

While I have been reflecting on this topic myself, I also feel there are additional reasons to blog about it.  I have a few friends and family members who are expecting and will be thinking about their birth plans soon.  I’ve also seen birth plans mentioned by several people I follow on Twitter.  Even though I was pretty laid back about my birth plan, I still was devastated when things didn’t go as I had hoped.  I really want to encourage women to go in with a plan of what they would prefer to happen, but to also be open to the very realistic possibility that events could happen that will change that plan.  I don’t want anyone to feel like they have failed their baby or themselves because things didn’t go as planned.

If you don’t want drugs, but find you need them – you are NOT a failure.  Labor and delivery HURTS.  It’s okay to need medication to be more comfortable.

If you need pitocin to move things along – you are NOT a failure.

If your doctor needs to use forceps or a vacuum to assist in your delivery – you are NOT a failure.  Your doctor does this all the time and feels that it’s best for your baby to get out faster with assistance.

If you need to have a cesarean – you are NOT a failure.

Events occur during pregnancy, labor and delivery that you may or may not anticipate, but that’s okay.  You are giving LIFE, and that is an amazing thing.  How your baby arrives here does not matter a day, a week, or a year later.  You’ve carried, nourished and given life to a little person.  That’s all that is important in the end. ;)

Pregnant Ladies – Read Warning Labels on All Prescriptions!

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This evening, I had to pick up a prescription for a UTI.  Since these infections are very common during pregnancy, I wanted to share my cautionary tale with you.

I read the warning label when I got home and noticed that this particular drug is not recommended for use in pregnant women who are at term (38-42 weeks).  While my OBGYN obviously knows that I’m at term, I called the pharmacist because the warning made me uncomfortable.  He looked it up to double check and told me not to take it.  He said he’s never seen it prescribed in women after 36 weeks, even though it is a common drug for use in early pregnancy.  He told me to call my doctor in the morning and see if there’s a specific reason she prescribed this drug and if there is something else she could have me take.

Read your warning labels!!! I’m not sure what the danger might be, but I’m so glad that I double-checked!

**(Update – called the doctor the following morning.  Turns out this particular drug is only dangerous at full term if you have a certain deficiency in your pregnancy.  I got the all-clear to take it, but I’m so glad to have checked it out!)**

Pregnancy Does WHAT?! No Way!

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When we announced we were expecting, there were some things that people described to me that I simply didn’t believe would happen…until I went through them.  Here’s my list of things that sound too weird to be true.  Feel free to add additional ones by commenting on this post!

  • “There will come a point when you will pull a muscle if you turn over too quickly in bed.” Ha, yeah right!  That’s just silly. Enter week 30, I roll over and – OUCH!  Pulled a muscle in my groin.  Beware, ladies.
  • The previous statement should have been followed up with, “Then there will come a point when you’re so big that you’ll either need help to turn over in bed or it will take you a good 3 minutes and a bunch of pain.” Week 36-37 is when this joy started, and it just gets worse!
  • “No matter what maternity clothes you buy, you’ll practically need a mumu in the end because that will be the only thing that will cover you.” Pssshhh, yeah, okay! Um, this one is unfortunately SO true.  Again, week 36-37 arrived and I found that the bottom of my belly was peeking out under most of my maternity shirts (granted, I am carrying VERY low).  So THIS is why they invented full-panel maternity pants!
  • “You’ll feel like a beached whale at the end.” No way, everybody says that but I’m sure it’s not a big deal. Last night, ladies, I almost swore off clothes until I pop out this kid.  I’m just so uncomfortable in anything.  But then I realized that the world probably wasn’t ready for a large, naked pregnant lady.  You’re welcome.
  • “Shaving your legs will be nearly impossible.” I’m sure if you bend a certain way, it would be fine… Now that I’m in Week 38, this statement is true – especially if the baby’s feet are taking up residence in my rib cage.  There’s no bending around THAT.  Yet, I find myself shaving my legs with more frequency than at any other point in my pregnancy.  (Hey, don’t judge – I was pregnant in the winter!) I don’t want to risk being a hairy beast when I go into labor.
  • “Two words: lightning crotch.” That just sounds weird. It first started happening to me in the third trimester – hopefully you’ll never experience it.  Imagine shooting pains deep inside parts of your body you never wanted to experience pain in.  Yup, that’s lightning crotch.
  • “You’ll probably pee your pants.” Um, I have WAY more self-control than that. Yeah, I do have control of my bladder…but I had also never had a 6-8 pound baby lying directly on top of it.
  • This isn’t really something that anyone warned me about, but it is something I’d like to comment on: the books all tell you exactly how much weight you should gain; but in reality, if you’re eating healthy and not totally being out of control, your body is going to gain what it will gain and there’s nothing you can do.  Going into my third trimester, I had only gained 8 pounds.  I was pretty proud of myself.  Then the third trimester arrived and my belly burgeoned – I’ve gained almost 20 pounds this trimester.  I know that some of it is water weight, because I have sausage fingers and cankles.  Regardless, I’m trying not to get too down about it because I know that I’ve tried to eat well and I have not given in to every craving.  So don’t worry yourself too much over weight gain.  Here’s a helpful chart of how much weight typically goes where.

So, that’s it, ladies!  Don’t laugh too hard at things people tell you, because months later – much to your chagrin – you may find that they’re true.  ;)

Why Every Pregnant Woman Needs an Exercise Ball

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About a year ago when Hubster wanted to get an exercise ball, I was against it.  I pictured this big ol’ ball taking up what precious little floor space we had.  I pictured it sitting there collecting dust because neither of us would ever use it.

Then I got pregnant.

Toward the end of my second trimester when the aches and pains starting to really set in, I begged him to pull that deflated exercise ball (which, I was correct, had never been used) out of the closet and pump some life into it.  I had heard the benefits of an exercise ball for labor (aka a birthing ball).  If it helped ease pain in labor, it had to help during pregnancy, right?!

It. Is. Wonderful.

I bounce on that thing almost every day.  Unlike sitting in a chair, laying down or standing, the exercise ball takes all pressure off of my lower back and pelvis.  Last night, I think it saved me from a trip to labor & delivery.  Cramping and back pain set in and my doctor suggested that it might be the baby’s position on a nerve.  If I had an exercise ball, I could move my hips around to try and put baby in a different position.  That’s when that little light above my head (you know, the cartoon light that pops on when you have a fabulous idea) sputtered to life.  ”Yes, I have an exercise ball!”  If the pain didn’t subside, I’d have to take a trip into the hospital to get checked out.

I proceeded to bounce my little heart out on that exercise ball and – alas! – Baby C must have been sitting on a nerve, because the pain started to subside.  Hooray!

I strongly recommend an exercise ball for every pregnant woman!  Whether you have issues with back pain or just for a strange instance such as the one I had last night, it could save you from popping pills for your pain, suffering in silence, or even from a trip to labor & delivery.

Bra Shopping, the sequel

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Back in November, I had a mortifying experience purchasing bras.  Little did I know that there would only be more shock and embarrassment to come.

Why did no one ever warn me that in the second and third trimesters, your rib cage expands to accommodate your increased lung capacity?  So now, not only has your cup size changed, but you may also need a larger band size?!  The horror.  Oh yeah, and none of the books that I read warned me that your boobs may start to leak in the third trimester.  The horror.

So, my friends, beware.  You may end up with a wider rib cage and big, leaky boobs before your baby even arrives.

A Bladder Betrayal

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The scene: a cold, Midwestern evening.  Sitting in my apartment, cruising the web and absent-mindedly watching Netflix.

Suddenly, I sneezed.  My eyes widen in horror, then well up with tears as I realize that my bladder has completely betrayed me – more than usual, that is.  Instead of a tiny leak, it’s time to go change my pants.  Dear Bladder, Why have you forsaken me?!?!?!

Even though I was the only one to witness this event in the comfort of my own home, I still found myself embarrassed.  And then the tears started to flow.  Needless to say, I have a renewed interest in being BFFs with Kegel.

Three months to go and I’m sure there will be more accidents in my future!

Vindicated

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So I guess I’m not the only one who doesn’t enjoy being pregnant…  The Bump published an article that was included in their latest email, entitled, “Pregnant and Miserable.”  If you agreed with me and are, well…Pregnant and Miserable…there are some tips to get you through.  :)

Weekly Update

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27 weeks, 0 days

Size of baby: Cucumber (15 in., 2.2 lbs)

Newly craved food: Grapefruit, alfredo sauce

Food aversions: Beef, fried foods

What do you miss: Not necessarily what I miss, but I really, really would love to go on a vacation!

What are you looking forward to: Trying my other pregnancy workouts – tried prenatal pilates thus far and it was great.

What was the BEST part of last week? THE PACKERS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!  Need I say more? ;)

What was the WORST part of last week? I’m not sure…probably being kicked in the ribs…

Weekly Update

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26 weeks

Size of baby: Cucumber (approx. 15 in., 2.2 lbs)

Newly craved food: I indulged in some Cold Stone this week and it was fantastic!

Food aversions: Beef, fried foods

What do you miss: This week I started to miss working in a full-time job, mostly because of the constant social interactions that come along with it.  It’s weird being home all of the time, and I’m looking forward to having our baby to keep me busy!

What are you looking forward to: My three pregnancy workout DVDs just arrived and I am excited to try them out!  Look for reviews in the upcoming weeks ;)

What was the BEST part of last week? We moved around our furniture in our living room and bedroom.  The pack and play is now set up in the bedroom, which is nice but also a little strange since the baby won’t be coming until April!  Our living room rearrangement provides for some more floor space and we’re enjoying how much bigger it feels now.

What was the WORST part of last week? Even since taking this picture on Tuesday, I feel like my belly has taken on a life of its own because it looks so huge now.  My belly feels so heavy by the end of the day and I am becoming more and more aware of how much my lap is starting to disappear.  It’s so strange!  But I suppose that may be the reason for my discomfort the past several days.