Happy Friday Friends! Today, I’m 29 weeks (3rd trimester – what?! Already??) and I’m finally getting around to my 2nd trimester recap. You can read more pregnancy posts by checking out my 1st trimester posts here and here, as well as our pregnancy announcement here and gender reveal here.
Below, I’m answering some of the questions I’ve gotten…I feel like this format is the most organized. Thoughts?
How have you been feeling?
Really good actually! I’ve said it before, but most of the 2nd trimester was pretty uneventful (until the gestational diabetes diagnosis…more on that in a bit). After my nausea went away, I started feeling completely like my normal self again. With a few aches and pains here and there…so I guess my normal self, if I had hit the gym and was sore. My energy level has been pretty normal too…even without any caffeine and not sleeping the best. I sometimes felt myself getting winded a bit more easily, but nothing very noticeable. Really, the worst part has been having to pee a lot. And some hip pain and calf cramps that I get in the middle of the night.
You don’t look pregnant…
Haha, it’s not really a question but I do keep getting that comment. I kind of don’t know what to say, but I feel like people mean it as a compliment, so thank you? Or maybe they just think I’m not pregnant, just chubby around the middle? Haha. I guess didn’t really start showing until 20ish weeks, and didn’t look obviously pregnant until about a month ago. I heard this depends on the placement of your uterus, as well as if it’s your first baby or not (you show later on in first pregnancies). It also depends on what I’m wearing…looser fitting sweaters seem to hide the bump pretty well.
I think I look pregnant now that I’m 29 weeks! But waiters still offer me the wine menu (if I’m sitting it’s less obvious) and I’ve been asked to give up my seat on the bus! I have avoided maternity clothes so far though! (Hint: these leggings in your regular size). You can also read more here about what I’m doing for my winter coat.
Is the baby kicking?
Yes, Small Bean is currently making a punching bag out of my innards. Haha. It’s funny, because around 15-16 weeks, I heard that I should be feeling “flutters.” But I didn’t really know what that meant. At 20 weeks, my friend Christina gchatted me, and was asking if I had felt kicks. I said “not at all!” But after she asked, I decided to try to sit quietly and wait to see if I felt anything…and I felt light taps! I think that’s the best way to describe it. Like someone is tapping their finger on the inside of my abdomen. Since then, they’ve just gotten more and more noticeable. Now I can see Small Bean visibly moving/rolling around. He also kicks when I bend over or slouch…perhaps he doesn’t like it? Sometimes, if I press on my stomach lightly, he’ll push back!
What are you doing to prevent stretch marks?
I made “belly butter” out of shea butter, mango butter, grapeseed oil, and a couple other ingredients using this recipe. Also, I’ve been drinking collagen powder mixed into tea/water/macadamia or almond milk (it’s a good source of protein too!) I’m actually COVERED in stretch marks from when I was 13 and grew a few inches so I’m definitely still expecting to get some, but I haven’t yet. I’ve also tried this cream that I received from Volition Beauty…it has a strong eucalyptus scent, which I like, but might not be for everyone. You can read this post to see the other natural/clean beauty swaps I’ve made this pregnancy.
Why did you hire a doula?
Several reasons! I know a lot of women who elect to have their mom or sister with them during labor. But my mom and sister live in GA and NY…not to mention that my mom stresses me out. And my sister is only 21 (I don’t want to scar her for life).
I’m fortunate to have been pretty healthy most of my life, and haven’t spent much time in hospitals, nor have I had many medical procedures done on me. But that means I’m still scared of getting blood drawn! Chris also hates the sight of blood…when we talk about things like labor and delivery, he always looks like he’s going to either throw up or pass out. Supposedly, your doctor isn’t really around much when you’re laboring…so I wanted to have some support. Chris says he wants to be involved, but doesn’t innately know what to do. He feels like he’ll be a deer in headlights unless told by someone what he should help with.
Also, I’d like to try to have a natural-ish birth…yes I’m definitely going to a hospital, but I’d like to avoid extra intervention, medications, a c-section if I can. A doula is supposed to help with all of that.
I interviewed A LOT of doulas. Unfortunately, I came out of most of the meetings feeling overwhelmed, terrified, or frazzled. But I loved one doula from Chicago Family Doulas. She made me feel really at ease! Which for me, is more important than having experience with thousands of births, being certified as a midwife, a degree in nursing, etc. There will be plenty of medical professionals at the hospitals…I wanted someone who made me feel comfortable and could help calm me down.
I was also able to use FSA money to pay for doula services! (but getting it reimbursed was kind of a pain…I needed a doctor’s note, and then the doctor to fill out a form…etc).
Are you having a baby shower?
Yes, I wasn’t sure at first (I opted to not have a bridal shower because the idea of people coming just to bring me gifts made me feel bad! But I’ve since been to a bunch of showers, and see that it’s a fun way to get together, and no one should feel bad.) Some of my friends offered to throw me a baby shower, and I’m super excited. It’ll be in Chicago at my friends’ house. And it’ll be co-ed!
How was the 20 week ultrasound?
Good! I was told it could take up to 2 hours since babies don’t always cooperate…and you might have to come back another day and try again. But Small Bean was a good boy and moved around so the ultrasound tech was able to take all the necessary pictures. At one point, I suddenly had to pee, even though I went right before the ultrasound. And the ultrasound tech was like, “Oh look, he’s pressing his foot against your bladder!” I guess that explained it. We were probably there for 45 min? All the results came back normal too!
How do you have gestational diabetes? You’re thin! And you eat healthy!
Thanks guys. But apparently it’s not related to that. As I’ve researched gestational diabetes, I’ve found there’s still so much that’s unknown about the condition, but basically, when pregnant, your body needs more insulin than normal. Some people don’t produce the extra insulin they need, or their placenta hormones block the insulin from being used properly, leading to higher blood sugar levels. (How your placenta hormones react might be due to the father’s DNA as well. I was like – Chris, you gave me diabetes!! He has a huge sweet tooth, lol.) If someone is overweight or has an unhealthy diet, they might be more likely to get it, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get it if you’re a healthy weight/healthy eater.
I found out at my 24 week appointment. For the test, you chug a bottle of basically what is pure sugar. And then they test your blood an hour later. Your body should know to kick in and lower your blood sugar level back down to a certain number…but mine was almost double what it should have been. Some doctors will move on to the next 3 hour test, where you drink another drink with even more sugar, and then they check your blood every hour. But my doctor said my 1 hour test number was already high enough to give me a conclusive diagnosis.
Luckily, I tend to eat pretty healthy foods anyways, so I don’t have a problem not consuming desserts. But I miss things like bread/rice/pasta. My diet now consists mostly of just meat, veggies, cheese, and nuts since I’m trying to be healthy. Because eating a gestational diabetes diet doesn’t mean you’re eating healthy. You can have a ton of Burger King patties and chug Diet Coke all day long, and have it not effect your blood sugar. But that’s not good for you in other ways. So that’s the challenge…eating healthy with very limited foods…and making sure I get enough diverse nutrients for the baby. Also carbs are cheap…by avoiding them, our grocery bill is skyrocketing!
The other annoying part is pricking my finger and checking my blood after I eat. But I’ve surprisingly gotten accustomed to it. My doctor has given me the green light to check less frequently, but I’m still checking a lot because I’m curious! The part that scares me is potentially harming the baby. Mothers with uncontrolled blood sugars can give birth to HUGE babies (like 12 lbs!) with blood sugar issues. Uncontrolled diabetes can even lead to brain damage, missing limbs, still birth…the list goes on. So it’s a huge priority to make sure my numbers are good…so far they are! I’m hoping to keep it that way, and stay off medication and insulin. If you become medication/insulin dependent, you will typically be induced early or have a scheduled c-section.
Anyways, if all goes well, the diabetes should go away immediately after delivery…although for some people, it’ll still be a few months before they go back to normal. Unfortunately, getting gestational diabetes increases your risk of getting type 2 diabetes 7-fold!! Which is scary. Chris made me feel better though by explaining it this way. Some people who get it were pre-diabetic anyways…if you had a 20% chance of developing type 2 in the next 5 years, your chance becomes 140%. If my chance was like 2%, now it’s only 14% (my doctor was really shocked I got gestational diabetes at all because I was deemed low risk due to my age, weight, blood sugar levels pre-pregnancy, etc).
Ok, that got really long! Reach out to me if you have any more questions on the topic!
Do you have a nursery ready?
HA not even close! We have yet to move! Chris and I still don’t have a moving date, but it will probably be early February (fingers crossed). We’re finally doing a tour of the mostly completely condo this weekend and I’m excited to see how it turned out! Once we move, we’ll start buying a crib, stroller, car seat etc. And I’ll feel a LOT more settled once that’s done. You can read more about our condo drama here.
Are you going on a babymoon?
We’re not. It would have been fun, but given everything we have going on, it makes me nervous to get out of town, even for a weekend. We have to close on and move into our new condo, rent out our place that we live now, close on and SELL the other new condo after it’s done being built (we can’t get out of the contract), and maybe find a new tenant for our investment property if the current tenant doesn’t re-sign. Oh, and buy a car after we move (we can’t get one now because we have no where to put it).
It’s crazy because we originally started our “move” in March 2016 when we went under contract for a new home. Who would have thought that it’d be 3 years later, and a baby on the way, and we still haven’t moved!
You only have a couple months left before the baby!
Haha, I know. I need Small Bean to stay put until his due date, because we’re not quite ready for him. This trimester, my goals are to MOVE. Set up his nursery (and the rest of the condo – we’re getting new bed, new dining room table, new couch, etc). Take some baby/birthing classes. Pack my hospital bag. Keep eating well and managing my blood sugar levels. Get my work done at work and on the blog. Spend quality time with Chris. There’s a lot left to do!
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading, and let me know if you have any other questions!
