Shockingly, I haven't done all the adorable Pinterest/blogger things with the chalkboard and weekly updates on how Baby is growing and changing and acting. To be completely honest, it wasn't really on purpose...I just kind of forgot. Time kept passing by and before I knew it I'd kind of let the opportunity pass me by. I figure I'm okay, though, because I've been posting nursery updates like it's my job and you'd probably all be super annoyed if you had to hear even more baby-related things from me. I thought I would take the chance to share a little bit about what the first half of my pregnancy has been like, and even though 22 weeks is a little random I can pretend that I'd planned this all along in honor of Baby weighing one pound this week (according to my Baby Center app, anyway).
First Trimester
The first trimester was pretty rough for me and Baby. Not the worst ever, by any means, and there are lots of women who have had it a lot worse, but I will say I didn't enjoy it. A lot of nausea, lasting all day every day. A lot of running to the bathroom and getting sick, lasting all day every day. A lot of fatigue, knocking me on my butt at random times throughout the day. There were many naps on the couch because it was closer than the bed. I did cave about halfway through and ask the doctor for some nausea medicine, which I didn't like being on but it helped considerably so I didn't complain. I complained a little bit about the side effects of that nausea medicine (is constipation better than throwing up?) but everything is temporary. That's my pregnancy motto, in fact: everything is temporary. Whether it lasts the first trimester or the first two trimesters or the whole pregnancy, the baby will be born at some point and the symptoms will stop. (I'm planning on continuing that motto into childbirth, which I hear sucks. Also, all-night breastfeeding.)
It's funny, because the first trimester dragged and dragged and seemed to last forever when I was in it, but now that it's over it all just seems like a blur. A blur consisting of only carbs for me, dinners not cooked for the hubs, and a house not cleaned too often. But the blur is over, and right around week 14 or so I felt like a veil was lifted and the nausea that had been constantly present since week 2 was finally gone. It was a beautiful feeling, and I'm a huge fan.
Second Trimester
The nausea did go away, but my appetite didn't come completely back. It's kind of hit or miss, and most of my days consist of multiple small meals whenever I get hungry. The constant nausea and vomiting in the first trimester meant that I didn't gain a pound until recently, but as of my last appointment a week and a half ago I've finally gained five pounds. The doctors aren't concerned so neither am I (although I will admit that there were times it really bothered me). I've gotten a lot of energy back, although there are moments I still get hit with exhaustion and take random naps. I've been able to capitalize on my bursts of energy, though, and get a lot of projects done both in and out of the nursery, which always makes me happy.
The first tiny kicks were barely recognizable, which I hear is normal, and then when I didn't feel any for the rest of the day I started to wonder if I'd imagined it. But have no fear, the baby has gone violent and by now I feel them all the time, usually when I'm sitting but sometimes when I'm up and moving. The hubs still hasn't been able to feel a kick; whenever the baby is kicking a whole lot and I put his hand wherever the kicks are, the little stinker stops. Every single time. It doesn't matter if the kicks just started or if he or she has been going strong for fifteen minutes. Trust me, Baby and I have already had words about this. Stubborn little pain in the butt.
We've finally had our second ultrasound and gotten to see our baby, who actually looks like a baby now! (See photo on top of post.) Baby's stubbornness showed up in full force with both the ultrasound tech and the doctor as well, rolling over to hide his/her face and covering it with his/her hand...kicking the ultrasound wand away...curling up in a ball and refusing to show his/her heart so they can count chambers. The tech had me moving into different positions and taking bathroom breaks to make baby cooperate, and the doctor did her fair share of pushing and jiggling my belly with the wand to annoy the baby into moving for her. Like I said: stubborn little pain in the butt. That being said, it was the most exciting thing to sit in that room for over an hour and watch different parts of our baby show up on the screen as they did the full scan and check, making sure everything was growing and developing normally. There were a couple of times where I saw the baby's leg or arm move on the screen and felt the kick or punch in my belly, which has got to be the coolest thing in the world. Everything seems to be on track and great with both me and Baby, which is always something to be excited about. (And for those who will ask: we're not finding out the baby's gender this time. We'll find out in the delivery room!)
Quick Timeline:
- First ultrasound: week 8
- Nausea ended: week 14ish
- First kicks felt: week 19 (on Mother's Day!)
- Second ultrasound: week 21
- First time going into public and knowing I looked pregnant: week 22
Pieces of Advice/Things I've Learned:
I don't want to be the pregnant woman who thinks she can now offer words of wisdom to every other pregnant woman, but I do have a couple little tidbits that I've learned that may or may not be helpful to someone.
-When I was super nauseous all the time and couldn't keep too much down, Ensure protein shakes were literally lifesavers. They're small, but have a couple hundred calories of goodness in them that curve hunger and go down a whole lot easier than most of the food in your fridge when you're that disgusted by food. Plus they come in multiple flavors (I had to keep myself from drinking too many of the chocolate ones in one day, because they're so stinking yummy).
-Buy a belly band. Guys, these things are fantastic. I have the Belly Button brand, because I got a sweet coupon from my doctor's office, in both black and white. I can't even describe how helpful these little things are. They slide over your jeans and cover your waist, allowing you to wear your non-maternity pants/short/whatever without buckling or zippering them up. There's a little button in there, too, which attaches to your pants so it stays in place; there are about ten slots on the inside of the band to allow you to move the button as your belly grows. Translation: you can wait a really long time to buy anything labeled as "maternity." As of today, at 22 weeks pregnant and a now very showy belly, I haven't bought any clothing other than these bands to be more comfortable while pregnant. And even though my belly didn't pop on out until recently, it was so uncomfortable and rigid that I couldn't zip my pants at about week 8 and the belly bands came to the rescue. Right now, the little button has almost made it to the middle slot on the band, which means I still have lots of room for growth before I need to get something with a maternity panel. Every pregnancy is different, which means every pregnant belly is different, but I will sing from the rooftops the beauty of these things forever and ever.
-Stay off Google. When I was pregnant last summer with Sam, I was constantly afraid of what I was eating and what medicines I was taking and how I could potentially harm our baby. I didn't want to to do anything wrong, and I spent a ton of time researching my every move on the vast world wide web. As it turns out, there are a million different opinions on the internet and there are crazy people on the internet. There are also about a billion things, according to the internet, that you cannot eat, drink, consume, or be in the same room as if you are pregnant. Honestly, it can be ridiculous. Even doctors vary greatly in what they tell their patients and what standards they consider to be safe, which is enough to make you absolutely crazy. And I stressed myself sick over all of it, needing to be perfect so the baby would be healthy. When we lost Sam anyway, it took me a couple months to get to the point of healing where I realized that God is in complete control, and I am not. Google isn't either. When we got pregnant this time, I made a firm decision to stay off of Google. I haven't asked Siri a single question. I trust my doctors, and I follow their guidelines and their guidelines alone. I don't worry about what other pregnant women have been told or what rules they follow, and I don't worry about whether I'm somehow hurting our baby. I follow my doctor's instructions, I use good solid logic, and I take comfort in the healthy reports that have come with each month's doctor's visit. Baby is healthy, and Baby is growing, and it's such a wonderful relief to not have to worry about every one of my actions. Pregnancy isn't supposed to be a prison sentence or a source of stress, for crying out loud. If you trust your doctor, do what your doctor says and tune everything else out. If you don't trust your doctor, find a new one.
-Take every piece of advice with a grain of salt (even mine). Every pregnancy is different just like every child is different. Family and friends and acquaintances - and random strangers - will give you plenty of advice and nuggets of information, and I'm a big believer in taking everything in and deciding whether you need to keep it or discarding it. Not everything is going to be helpful, and not everything is going to apply to you. I'm sure it will only become a bigger issue once I have a child people can see and offer advice about, but it can start now too. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has their own experiences, and everyone wants to be helpful by sharing with you all of their opinions about their experiences. Take it all in, smile, and then consider whether it's actually helpful to you or not. Talk to your husband; see what he thinks. You're allowed to ignore people's advice, and you're allowed to table it for a later time to see if it applies to your child or not. Because honestly, who knows? We can plan and plan and plan every single thing down to the smallest detail ("I will be this kind of parent...", "We will do such and such...") but in the end, your individual kid's personality and preferences can't really be planned. A lot can be planned, and should be, but a lot is just going to have to be left up to "we will see." And if you're a first-timer like the hubs and me, a whole lot is going to be trial and error anyway, am I right?
I think that's all for now, friends. Sorry it took me so long to put this together, and I'll try to check in again at some point before I have a real life screaming baby to show you...but if not, there's always nursery update blogging to look forward to.
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