I’m already entering the third trimester by the time of this bumpdate (😬) so rather than just write about how things are going this particular week, I’m turning this post into a pregnancy summary of the first two trimesters.
I was so on top of keeping track of things with Jameson, less so with Nora, but this takes the procrastination cake I think haha! I don’t even have many pictures of this pregnancy so far, and certainly not cute posed pictures with anything resembling decent lighting. Ah well. What are ya gonna do. This is real life.
First Trimester
Overall the first trimester was the most difficult of my three pregnancies. I was super nauseous (although never actually sick) for weeks on end — something I never experienced with Jameson and only slightly experienced with Nora. The only relief I found was good old fashioned snacking! If I let my stomach get even close to empty, I would immediately feel so sick and miserable. I was also super sensitive to smells and would gag at the strangest scents that no one else could even detect.
Crackers (especially Goldfish) were my bffs in the first trimester. I never left home without a little cracker snack pack because the second that nausea hit, it was all downhill. I didn’t have any specific food aversions, except I weirdly went through a phase where it was a struggle to drink water, which I normally love and chug on the daily. Thankfully that passed quickly. No real cravings first trimester, but carbs always sounded good. 😋
I was also very fatigued that first trimester. I’m sure part of it had to do with having two toddlers in tow, but some days it felt like a Herculean effort to roll myself off the couch and get lunch together for the kids. We spent many hours snuggled up reading stacks and stacks of books, which I’m certainly not complaining about. 😊 Somehow I stayed on top of Jameson’s schoolwork but I was definitely moving a whole lot slower than usual.
Second Trimester
Trimester number two was a doozy for completely non-pregnancy reasons. Right around the beginning of it, the covid-19 pandemic broke out. We were cooped up at home for weeks on end, not completely sure what was going to happen but wanting to take precautions to protect me and the baby, and to protect others as well. I don’t regret this at all but it was very draining to be inside all day long, every single day, with no one to interact with but each other. I’m the sort of person who likes to get us out of the house at least once a day, even if it’s just to run a quick boring errand. I find myself and the kids going absolutely bananas if we don’t! But obviously that stopped being an option.
Luckily my energy had improved by that point and the nausea was completely gone as well, so I was able to keep up with the kids better and find some creative ways to stay busy at home. Plus the weather was gorgeous at that point so we took advantage and spent many hours exploring our backyard and neighborhood. We also enjoyed several really fun units with school, which I hope to do brief write-ups on sometime soon!
One random issue I dealt with for the majority of the second trimester (I’m still not sure if it was entirely pregnancy-related or not) was…pink eye! 🤢 It started with the kids catching a strain of it and then passing it on to me. And then it never. went. away. Everyone else was completely recovered but I would wake up every few days with one or both of my eyes completely bloodshot and and burning and sealed shut with goop. So gross and SO FRUSTRATING. I’m sorry to say that I shed many angry and confused tears over this situation, especially because the coronavirus had shut down my eye doctor and I had very limited access to acute eye care. Finally I got in contact with an optometrist friend and she patiently guided me through some steps I could take (although admitted that my case was baffling even to her!).
The last straw was around week seven of near constant pink eye where I basically begged my friend on hands and knees to get me an emergency appointment at her office. She immediately did and the doctor I saw recommended a different approach than the antibiotics and steroids I was so sick of using. We started treating it like allergies because a lot of the symptoms made sense for that (even though many others didn’t) and lo and behold, it improved! Now I’m on a daily dose of Zyrtec, plus using heavy artificial tears and special over-the-counter intensive allergy eye drops when needed. I haven’t had any issues since starting this regimen, for which I am SO thankful. I truly believe the Lord was using it to break down some of my issues with pride and control. There is obviously no way to humanistically micromanage a situation like that. 😅 Pregnancy always reminds me of my total dependence on Jesus and this was just an extra strength dose of reminder!
Around 20 weeks was our anatomy scan. This was the point with our other two kids that we had the gender confirmed! But from the start of this pregnancy we had decided to keep the gender a secret. 😊 In the past I’d always been highly against this for our family (“what do you mean you don’t want to know?! How will you PLAN?!”) but after seeing one of my best friends wait until the birth to find out and seeing how special and extra exciting it all was, I asked Alex if he’d consider it. We figured that since we already have a boy and a girl (and pretty much all we need for a newborn either way) it might actually be fun to wait this time around!
If you know me, you know this is super out of character for my type-A planner personality. 😂 But actually it’s turned out to be one of my favorite parts about this pregnancy! Not knowing if I’m carrying another daughter or a son, not being able to picture who this person will be at all, it’s somehow made it more special in certain ways. This is a tiny soul we’ve been given, someone being formed perfectly for us, someone who will fit into our family exactly right and complete us in ways we didn’t know we needed. We don’t need to know “boy” or “girl” to enjoy that excitement! I get to spend time connecting with this baby as a person, rather than try to picture and plan for everything they “might be.” Plus it makes the days and weeks leading up to the labor and delivery process a little more tolerable. 😅
The end of the second trimester brought the fatigue back with a vengeance — possibly, dare I say, worse than the first trimester. It’s been so bad that I literally have to psych myself up just to stand from sitting. I recently had bloodwork done to check on my hormone levels and possible deficiencies and they did find that my thyroid is functioning low (which is actually pretty standard for me but possibly worsened by pregnancy) and that I’m deficient in vitamin D. I’m now on a supplement for the vitamin D and plan to talk with my midwife about the thyroid issues next week at my appointment. I’d say the vitamin D supplement is helping, but some days are better than others.
I honestly think being at home all day for all those weeks, and still having to avoid too many outings or interactions even now, has really taken its toll on me emotionally and thus physically. It makes me sad to know how much we’ve missed out on, to have missed park season and splash pad season (too hot now, darn it AZ) and seeing all our friends. I never realized how much I crave having plans and buzzing around from place to place, as much as I might complain about there being “so much to do.” But this is where God has us, where I’m being challenged, where I’m learning to rely more fully on Him for all I need. This was the way my third pregnancy was always meant to be.
And now here we are, entering the third trimester! It’s been flying by so fast. When I was pregnant with Nora I’d remember certain pregnancy milestones I had experienced with Jameson and feel like it was taking forever to get there. This time I’ve zipped right by them without even noticing haha! But maybe that’s a good thing, especially for my third summer pregnancy. I’d rather it zips right by. 🥵
If you’ve actually read this far, I am both impressed and amazed. This is really just a way for me to process the past six months or so, and to have something to look back on in the years to come. But I sure can get wordy about it, yes? 😂
Before I go, though, I wanted to end with some quick summary facts about these first two trimesters and this baby in general, just for my own record!
Movement: This has been my most active baby by far. Most active, and strongest. Makes me a little worried about what the toddler years will bring. 😅 I’ve actually been woken up in the night by this baby’s kicks! That’s never happened to me before. And when he/she gets into a workout groove, it is constant movement until…I don’t even know. They tire themselves out and fall asleep? Ha! Most active times seem to be right after I’ve eaten, when I lay down (especially on my side), and whenever I’m trying to fall asleep which is super fun. Or basically anytime. I swear this baby is in near continuous motion. I also felt kicks earliest with this baby, right around 13 weeks I believe.
Cravings: I never really get true pregnancy cravings but I’ve been really digging salads and lots of fruits and veggies lately. Also yogurt and granola. And oatmeal! Always oatmeal. Earlier on, like I said, I was all about the crackers and simple carbs but that’s leveled out a bit now. Honestly the bigger problem has been these weird anti-cravings! I’ll get so hungry but hate the sound of absolutely everything. Won’t feel sick, just not in the mood for anything in particular. Or I’ll just not be able to decide what I want most to eat. I know that doesn’t sound like a big problem to have haha, but it is annoying. 🙄 I want to make the most of what I put into my body and the baby’s body so I’ve been trying to keep our fridge and pantry stocked with nutritious choices.
Sleep: First trimester was totally fine, second trimester I went through a phase where I had trouble settling my mind down to actually sleep, and now we’re in the phase where the baby is so strong and kicking so much that it makes getting to sleep a real fun adventure each night ha! Also it’s like my internal clock has changed… 5 or 5:30am rolls around and ping! my eyes fly open and my mind is ready for the day, even if my body isn’t.
Weight gain: Similar to my pregnancy with Nora, the weight gain is slow goings. The baby always measures on track but my weight either stays stagnant or creeps up very slowly. I think I’ve gained about 4-5 lbs total so far at 28 weeks, although I don’t own a scale so I don’t keep track very closely. I’m thinking my low functioning thyroid might be part of the problem though.
Weirdest symptoms: Definitely the pink eye. 😑 Hated it.
Favorite moments: Having the kids come to the 8 and 12 week scans (they haven’t been allowed to come to appointments since, because of covid 😭) and hearing them talk for weeks about getting to hear the baby’s heartbeat. Watching our weekly baby video updates together via the What To Expect app during our morning time. Snuggling on the couch daily with the kids as they feel the baby move — they are both SO excited and sweet with their little sibling. Having Alex working from home — a blessing that’s come from this pandemic! We’ve enjoyed so much wonderful family time and even most of our meals together. 😊
And that’s finally all for now! I hope to be back next week with a regular bumpdate after our last growth scan on Friday! Yay!
Milk with a Meal 