20 weeks (pregnancy #2)

Well, holy moly, we’re halfway there! How did that happen?

 

Thanks everyone for all of your lovely comments on my 19 Weeks post! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the return of the pregnancy updates. I absolutely love hearing from you guys!

 

This week I had an appointment with one of my midwives. At this practice, each patient is assigned two midwives and they alternate every appointment. My appointments are monthly right now, but they’ll become more frequent as the pregnancy goes on. We went over my anatomy scan results, which came back great. I mentioned to my midwife that I’ve been feeling a bit run-down over the past week, and she said that it’s likely related to a baby growth spurt. I’ve been hungrier lately, so that could definitely be the case. Also, my butt, boobs, and belly are expanding at a rapid pace all of a sudden! Do you ever get that feeling like your butt grew overnight? It’s so weird. We’re going to check my iron just to be sure, even though when it was checked a couple months ago it was the highest it has ever been (to my knowledge). I was pretty pumped to hear that my ferritin came back at 142 in March. I credit this to having just one period in 2 1/2 years (thanks to pregnancy and breastfeeding)!

 

Sleep: I’ve been going through a bout of pregnancy insomnia where I’m wide awake for 1 to 2 hours in the night. Adriana, on the other hand, is sleeping much better this week! I think she’s getting a break from teething, which I know is temporary, but I’ll take it. There’s been no night terrors to speak of (we’re actually not sure if that’s what it was or not…could’ve just been teething or sleep regression related). If only I could get my own sleep and hers to align! Hahah…yea right.

 

Nesting: In the past two days, the nesting urge has hit full force!!! (Much sooner than it did last time.) Mainly, I’m interested in decluttering right now. I’ve already donated two large bags of things, and there will be many more to come! Clutter has been building up in our house, and I just can’t take it anymore. Anything that doesn’t get used (aside from sentimental things) is going. I think Eric knows from the first pregnancy just to let me do my thing. I’m a nesting ninja right now, there’s no denying it. And boy am I fast! I figure why not take advantage of this in the second trimester before the belly gets really big.

 

Movement: Baby’s kicks are becoming more frequent and noticeable. I absolutely love this stage because the kicks are still so gentle. I’m wondering if I’m going to have intense rib pain this time around. I had it for months with my first pregnancy and it was just awful. I remember sitting there with an ice pack on my ribs, but not getting any relief at all. My ribs stretched and expanded the first pregnancy and never returned back to their former shape (at least to my naked eye), so hopefully they won’t need to expand a great deal this time!

 

Wearing: Workout clothes and sneakers, maternity tees and jean jackets, empire waist dresses. I did order a few new maternity items this week, and I’m excited to have a few more things to wear. I desperately need some maternity jeans still. Let me know if you have any recommendations for maternity jeans (preferably without the over-the-bump band as I’m not a fan). I prefer maternity jeans with the side panel inserts instead, as I find the over-the-bump ones fall down a lot.

 

Worrying about: Oddly enough, I’m not worrying about very much right now! It’s such a change from my first pregnancy where I googled everything. I worried a lot about labour (and avoided all labour-related books until the very end). I’m much more relaxed and at ease with the journey now, and know that I have a strength in me reserved just for this. Adriana also keeps me so busy I don’t have much time to think about it! I haven’t read any Babycentre or What to Expect weekly pregnancy updates in ages.

 

Exercise: I’m still going strong with my Barre3 online workouts and treadmill walking. I work out every day (with an off day here and there) and I do about 15 minutes of Barre3 followed by 30 to 40 minutes of fast treadmill walking (right now it’s usually around 4.6 mph at incline 3%). I also do some arm work with free weights (5 minutes here and there while watching TV at night). These workouts energize me so much and really boost my mood! If at any point I feel like the workouts are starting to deplete my energy, I will modify what I’m doing. I’d really love to stick with the strength training until the very end, even if it means modifying the exercises a great deal.

 

Aches and pains: My sciatica pain has been so much less this week. It’s almost not even noticeable. I credit a couple things: 1) Seeing my osteopath again (I’ve been twice), and 2) decreasing the incline on the treadmill (I went from incline 6% to 3%). I’m going to continue seeing the osteopath as she’s helping to realign my twisted hip (which is a result of carrying Adriana on my right hip all the time and my bad posture while standing).

 

The bump: Suddenly, I feel super pregnant and I’m noticing the bump when I bend over. The bump gets bigger and bigger as the day goes on. I joke to Eric that by the end of the day I look 2 months farther along! Looking back to my 19th-week pictures, I definitely think baby had a growth spurt this week.

 

Mood: I’m not going to lie, I’ve been feeling quite emotional lately. I haven’t felt emotional since early in the first trimester so this kind of threw me for a loop. I feel my eyes tearing up over the littlest things. I was just reading over my 20th-week update from my first pregnancy and this line made me laugh: “Energy wise, I’m feeling amazing. Aside from brief hormonal mood swings when I feel like I could snap someone in two, I feel happier now than I have in a long time.” I’d say that this sums up how I’m feeling now quite well (aside from this week’s lower energy). I love having these updates to look back on because they make me feel a bit more sane!

 

Cravings: I had a return of nausea earlier this week which now seems to have gone away. I haven’t had any major cravings this week, although I definitely enjoyed some of my favourite vegan chocolate cupcakes! I also had a really random craving for my Gazpacho and had to whip up a batch immediately. (I was too impatient to wait for it to chill so I chilled it with ice cubes in the bowl.)

 

Doula or no doula: I worked with a doula for my first pregnancy and delivery, and it was a great experience! I’m not sure that I’m going to hire one this time though. Since I’m with a midwife this time around, she’ll meet me at the hospital and, I believe, stay with me until delivery and a bit after. She will also come visit me once I’m home, too, which is awesome. I feel like having a doula might be too many hands in the kitchen, but I’d love if some of you could share your own experiences. My goal once again is to have a drug-free birth (and maybe a shorter pushing phase! hah), but time will tell how this next labour goes down. Side note: If you haven’t read it already, you can find Adriana’s birth story here. (Side side note: OMG, she was SO tiny…I tear up just seeing her newborn pic!!). If there’s one thing that experience taught me, it’s that I can get through anything I put my mind to.