second trimester recap

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but as of yesterday, I am in the last week of my second trimester of pregnancy! Once the misery of the first trimester faded away, the weeks passed in a blur of holidays and daily routines.

The whole family is started to get really excited for the arrival of our newest member. Pippa rubs my belly every night, talks to the baby, and gives him a tender kiss. I taught Teddy (who himself is merely 18 months) to pat my belly and say, "baby!" although I still think he has no concept of what's going on. Justin and I took advantage of being teachers who get extra time off at the holidays. He set up the crib and cleared room for it in Teddy's room (now the boys' room!), and I washed, folded, and laid out the 0-3 month clothes we had used for Teddy. It really doesn't seem like that long ago that he was wearing them! I was a mess of hormones handling the tiny sweatpants and pajamas. I'm not crying, you're crying. 

Photos

I'm not great at taking weekly "bump date" photos during pregnancy, but if I happen to think of it after getting ready in the morning, I'll snap a few and pick one where my belly looks the smallest. I love watching the belly progression in the second trimester, because it goes from looking like I ate too many tacos to a full-fledged baby bump! 

Symptoms

I still feel a little nauseated when I wake up every morning, but I drink a nutrient-dense chocolate shake with whey protein right away, and I feel better within minutes. Between weeks 18 and 20, severe headaches plagued me for days at a time. My doctor suggested drinking more water, and rest in a dark quiet room (hahahahahaha - 2 active children makes that near impossible). It was hard to fathom drinking more water than I already was, but I made a conscious effort to drink four 25 oz tumblers each day, and that helped tremendously. 

My OB also warned me that since I have already had two C-sections, I would likely become quite uncomfortable as the belly grew, since the area around my scar won't stretch like the rest of my belly. In the past 2 weeks or so I have noticed the discomfort he was talking about. It's amazing how God created our bodies to handle these changes, though, and I feel grateful for a very healthy, uneventful pregnancy so far. 

Clothes

As this is my third pregnancy, I already have quite a few maternity staples on hand. However, my past two pregnancies have largely taken place in the heart of midwestern winters, so I have an abundance of pants, leggings, and long sleeved shirts. Here in northeastern Florida we haven't had much winter weather to speak of. Temperatures have remained mostly in the 70s, so it's been too warm for a lot of my maternity wear.

During the Gap Friends & Family sale in December I stocked up on my beloved Pure Body tanks and t-shirts (<-- affiliate links). I added 3 body-con maternity dresses from Target that were on major clearance (I ended up getting them for about $5 each), and I end up rotating the dresses with the 2 maternity skirts I own during the work week. As for lounge wear, I wear the same pair of comfy shorts every day, and they are threadbare. Unfortunately, I haven't found a suitable replacement yet, so they will have to do for now. 

At the moment, I am on the hunt for a pair of maternity shorts, but apparently it's winter everywhere but Florida, so I haven't found much online. Hopefully spring lines start coming out soon! For now I have my eye on these next time there's a sale!

Exercise

Still walking 2.5 miles 4-5 days each week! Occasionally I fit in an arm or leg workout after we get back, but I honestly haven't been too concerned about it with so much else going on in my life right now. Strangely, my weight gain has been exactly the same pound for pound with each pregnancy. Its funny how we think we can control things like weight gain during pregnancy, but apparently my body knows exactly what it needs to do, and does it regardless of the amount of exercise I get! (I do try to keep my diet mostly healthy and somewhat clean during pregnancy in order to nourish myself and the baby. Cereal definitely happens quite a bit though). 

The Babe

At 21 weeks I had my second ultrasound to check the baby's progress and to do the anatomy scan. My husband came with, and we dropped the kids off at school, so it honestly felt like a date! The ultrasound technician was so excited that we were finding out the gender of the baby that within 15 seconds of laying on the table and rubbing the gel on my belly we knew that the baby was a BOY! Even better news was having the post-ultrasound appointment with my OB who told us that everything looked perfect! Both Pippa and Teddy had a white spot on their heart that was detected at the anatomy scan, which cast a small bit of anxiety on the otherwise joyous occasion. This time, though, we left the ultrasound walking on air

Favorites and Must-Haves

+ Gap Pure Body tanks 

+ coconut oil for my ever-expanding belly - I use the Target brand (Simply Balanced) unrefined organic

+ large tumbler for water - I'm consuming water like it's my job to avoid those nasty headaches. I'm also reaching that stage in pregnancy where I'm thirsty all the time and crave cold, fruity things. 

+ Chocolate Coconut Almond protein bars (dairy free!) - I must carry snacks in my purse at all times. I still get nauseous if I go too long in between meals or snacks. These nutrient-dense bars fit the bill. They are meant to be meal replacements, but I'll eat half a bar as a snack if I'm out and about and need to eat. 

That's a wrap! I'm enjoying the energy and (relative) comfort of the second trimester while it lasts. If past pregnancies are any indication, I'll be entering beached whale status fairly soon. I've been through it enough times, though, so I have a slightly more laid back perspective about the weight gain, water retention, and discomfort the last trimester brings. Each day is bringing us closer to meeting our sweet little boy!