THIRD PREGNANCY, FIRST 2ND TRIMESTER pt.1

WEEK 14

I am now officially officially in my 2nd Trimester now that I have hit 14 weeks of Pregnancy! I have definitely began to feel normal, somewhat back to my old self. This fact kind of scares me because I am in that stage where I feel normal, but I can’t feel the baby yet. I have come very close to ordering an at home doppler just so I can be reassured that everything is okay. Thankfully my fears have been held at bay due to the subtle pregnancy symptoms that follow you throughout your pregnancy. My ever growing belly, (that is still pretty squishy, I know it’s normal but sometimes I overthink it) having to pee every 30 minutes, my continuous acne,(I have never had before) extreme lower back pain, not being able to stand up for to long without feeling heavy and tired, having more intense constipation, smells making me instantly nauseous and gag on command. Other than those, this week has felt pretty normal, I had a headache on Wednesday, but other than that I was perfectly fine.

The Gender Reveal is next weekend and I cannot believe in just one week I will know who BABY C will be. My friend and I worked a lot this week on the decorations. She is making a lot of DIY items and I have been trying my best to help. Unfortunately I was not born with a DIY bone in my body. Everything seems to be coming together nicely, as the day comes closer the more excited I become! I called my doctor Friday morning to ask if my NIPT genetic test results were in because it had been two weeks and a couple of days since my blood draw. When the nurse called me back an hour later I was nervous to hear the results, but by the grace of God BABY C is completely healthy. All genetic testing results came back NEGATIVE, low risk! The nurse relayed to me that I wasn’t called with the results the day prior because the doctor hadn’t signed off on the paperwork yet and that she also had the Gender results… It was so hard to tell her NO over the phone! Instead I asked that an envelope with the Gender be given to the front desk so I could pick it up on Monday and hand it over to the GENDER KEEPERS! I already know how much harder it is going to be not to look in the envelope once it is in my hand!

Friday was also the Shinedown concert I went to with my in-laws. We had floor tickets so there was no place to sit down and the crowd was huge. I spent most of the time leaning on the rail they had set up and sitting on the floor in-between sets. There were a few crazies who drank too much, but were definitely having the time of their lives; and a few men smoking weed waayy too close in our vicinity to the point of contact high. After a few tries from the security he stopped. Towards the end of the concert we had to move off the rail because we were getting pushed back. This caused my back to hurt even worse and I wasn’t able to rest my feet. Not too mention the intense cramping that started because I had to pee sooo bad! By the end of the night I felt like I was dying, but it was definitely worth it. Just because I am pregnant doesn't mean I am going to stop doing things planned or things that I want to plan. I am growing another human, but can still live a normal life with few restrictions.

WEEK 15

OH MY GOODNESS! Today is the day that we will know who you are BABY C! Just a few more hours & family and friends will gather in our backyard to see what color silly string, confetti, and smoke comes out to be. Most people are saying girl and only a few thinks that baby is a boy. All week Brandon and I have been joking around with our Gender Keepers to see if we can get it out of them. As of last night Brandon is preparing himself for the the fact that he may not be getting the little girl he has dreamed of. (at least not yet) He said he was 70-30 in favor of boy because like I said he is preparing… just in case. I don’t think that I have ever really had much of a preference, even as a teenager when I thought about it. I am now so ready just to finally know who this little baby is going to be! No matter what he or she is going to be loved beyond words! When I picked up the envelope from the OB office Monday I freaked! Handing it over to my friend was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do! I even held the envelope up to the sun to see if I could make out the words, but I had no luck. Which is actually a good thing because no matter how excited or how much I want to know, I am happy I didn’t ruin the huge reveal for myself.

As far as symptoms go this week has been pretty easy. I have actually been able to go to the bathroom without any problems. It hurts a bit when the process is happening, but stomach pain has been at a minimum. My hardest day was Wednesday. My sisters college Graduation was held at GSU’s football stadium. So we were sitting in direct sunlight for two and a half hours! My shoulders were burning and even used my jacket to cover them because I had no relief. It was all worth it to see her walk across that stage in honor of her highly earned new degree. Other than the walking and heat I was okay. We got to my sister and her friends house for the Graduation party where I chugged some water and sat on the couch underneath the large fan and was able to cool down and get hydrated. It definitely got hot again when we all made our way outside to eat. I had to steal Brandon’s sunglasses because the sun was so bright and put my jacket over my shoulders again. I had tons of fun and happy I got to spend time with family and friends in celebration of my sister. I can for sure say when we got home that evening, I was ready to crash! Now that I am in my second trimester and have some of my energy back I am going to look into a pregnancy work out routine or even try and find a place to swim. A lot of people say that swimming is one of the best forms of Pregnancy workouts and my brother just put a pool up at his house! I will be over there all the time for sure! I am told this helps a lot with sciatica and lower back pain which is something I have definitely been feeling this past week! After the Gender Reveal Saturday I experienced horrible sciatica on my left side as always. I was in bed for awhile editing the reveal video and when I got up to use the restroom I could not put pressure on my left leg. Brandon had to pick me up and carry me back to the bed because the pain was so bad. Throughout the night whenever I had to get up I used both my hands to put a lot of pressure on my lower left backside just so I could bear to walk to the bathroom. When I woke up Sunday morning I was perfectly fine other than being sore, I think it may have been my shoes. That and round ligament pain! I had know idea what it was, but I thought I sucked air up in my colon or strained too hard because I have been super sore around that area, but my co worker was like no honey that is round ligament… you are stretching! It’s exciting because that means baby is growing, but can be uncomfortable for sure.

I finished up Birth Classes on one of my Pregnancy apps called Baby Center. They were very helpful and gave me questions to ask my doctor at my appointment next week. I am a very big planner and more than ready to start getting my Birth Plan together. Of course there is more research I will need to do because there is actually a lot that goes on when having a baby. I am so excited to be able to finally feel baby, I know it’s still really early and most woman don’t feel baby until closer or at twenty weeks, I am hoping within the next two weeks I will be able to feel some kind of flutter!

WEEK 16

BABY C is a GIRL! We are so excited to welcome her into our lives and smother her with all the love. Brandon has dreamed of having his little princess for years and I am so happy he is finally getting that. Our Gender Reveal Saturday was more than I could have ever asked for. Friends and family showered us with all the love and everything went to plan. Check out the details of the day here.

Week 16 started out with a lot of soreness from the week before, but as time goes on my pre-pregnancy energy is coming back to me. It is difficult to bend down and I really think I need to add squats to my Pregnancy workouts! My legs need some strength. My sciatica, lower back pain, and round ligament pain have definitely been apart of this weeks symptoms, but my new found energy has helped me clean out the guest bedroom and as much of the nursery as I could without help. Sunday I had my first hormonal/emotional breakdown in pregnancy. It wasn’t bad or over the top, but I definitely silently cried in my pillows a few times. I know it was an emotional breakdown because I was struggling to communicate. Every time Brandon would ask me what was wrong the words just would not come out. Eventually I told him how I was feeling and we were able to put things in place to help avoid the situation again. I had been surrounded by people all week and felt very loved by family and friends, but I still felt very lonely. I wanted my Husband and to be alone and spend time with him. It has been a struggle finding time to do that recently because of work and planning for baby girl. I felt much much better after our date on Tuesday evening because I was able to be baby productive while also spending time with Brandon. We went to BUY BUY BABY to start our registry together! This is something I have been wanting to do with him for awhile because we could celebrate our child together and we could both pick things out that we want for her. Brandon was very fascinated by all that the store had and he picked out a few things to purchase the same day with our gift cards. We continued our date with a nice dinner at Logan’s and then cuddles in bed. It definitely made for a perfect date night.

Also Tuesday Brandon met me at the OB’s office for our 16 weeks appointment. It was a little bit longer than the one before because I came in with lots of questions and my Doctor had news. After being called to the back the normal prenatal appointment things ensued like urine sample, blood pressure, and weight. when my doctor came in we discussed my weight gain which is something I have been nervous about because I have a high metabolism. I have only gained 2 pounds since my first appointment and only 1 since my 12 week check up. So a pound every 4 weeks it seems. She informed me that she wants me to gain at least 25 pounds and that you usually start putting them on faster closer to the end of Pregnancy so she isn’t concerned with it just yet, but wanted to make me aware. Then she took out the doppler and noticed my list of questions already pulled out. She found her heartbeat very fast! Almost instantly after placing the probe on my belly. Her heartrate is lower than it has been, coming out in the low 150’s where as before it was in the 170’s. Her heartbeat is still fast and strong through, she may have just been sleeping because last time she was moving around a lot! I am so happy Brandon was able to come with me for this appointment so he could hear her in person and not over a recording. My doctor then told me that there was one blood order in for me to check for spina bifida and then we got into my questions. Lastly she told me the very sad news that she will be moving back to where she is from with her Husband to be closer to family and maybe start their own. I am very happy for her, but obviously wish she cold have stayed until after my daughter was born. It is nerve racking because she knows my history and has been with me through both of my losses and she knows how I operate and vise versa. I will be transferred to another doctor in the practice that I get to choose and with her help and opinion I was able to pick the next best fit. My now doctor will do my 20 week anatomy scan in June and then for my next appointment I will meet my new doctor who will be delivering baby girl. My last appointment with my now OB will be my 28 week and then I will be fully transferred over. Overall the appointment went great and left me with a bittersweet flavor, but I have faith that it all will work out the way it is supposed to.

We are so excited to welcome BABY GIRL and get her nursery together. Brandon is buying paint and shades this weekend while I purchase the dresser from Ikea and the crib is just waiting to be put together. This stage is one of the most fun ad exciting parts, I am trying to keep the negative thoughts at bay and focus on all that is going for us. Hearing her heartbeat definitely gave me peace of mind and cannot wait to finally feel her move!

WEEK 17, 18, & 19

Oh my goodness! Sciatic pain is no joke! Monday I had to crawl to my bed and hop around my house during the night because I could not put any weight on my left side. It was like every time I moved a sharp pain or cramp would make itself known. I pushed myself that day after I got home from work because the upstairs really needed to be cleaned instead of laying down and getting some rest. My nerve had been bothering me all day, but I pushed through it. I woke up Tuesday morning feeling really sore when normally the pain would disappear after a nights sleep. Unfortunately I could not listen to my body because I was on my feet all day at work do to circumstances I could not control. This led to me silently crying in front of a customer and coming home to ball in bed do to the pain. My little girl really likes to sit on my nerve apparently. My Husband made me take Tylenol and do stretches that help with sciatica. He massaged my back a little and I woke up Wednesday in no pain other than some round ligament. He rubbed my belly saying, “she’s giving you hell already.” I don’t know what I would do without him because he forces me to take medication when I normally choose to suffer through the pain.

I am definitely getting bigger! Baby girl is growing like a weed because I now have to roll down the front of my work pants because of my protruding stomach. Looks like I am going to have to try and find some maternity pants I can wear to work. I have started to feel some itching, another sign that my stomach is growing! I finally started using some of the Palmers Stretch mark creams I have. I ordered a variety pack from amazon.

I am so excited to be heading in to my 18th week of Pregnancy because I am so close to feeling baby girl move. I can usually tell where she is by the shape of my stomach or feeling how hard a section of my abdomen is, the further we get the more excited I am to actually feel movement and not just stiffness. Also on the agenda this past week was the nursery. Brandon got all the big stuff cleared out and my mother-in-law helped him paint the room a pail yellow to match the theme I am trying to create. We put the crib together and the dresser will be picked up this Sunday, now all the big furniture (other than the glider) will be in and shaping the room, ready for me to work around it with décor.

Speaking of my 18th week, I began having some anxiety and fear surrounding the “feeling her move” thing. I have been anticipating it so much and over thinking it that I freaked myself out when I got to the end of my 18th week and still didn’t know for sure if I had felt her move. The fear was so intense that I wasn’t able to sleep for 3 nights, but thankfully after speaking to my doctor and was reassured that it is normal for 1st time Pregnancies to be felt more definitively in the 20th week and not so much in the 18th although some 1st time moms do, but all pregnancies are different. I know that fact, it is easier to hear it than to believe it, but I think I am pretty okay now. I spoke to other mothers and shared my thoughts and fears on my social, I got a lot of encouraging feed back. Ironically the very same day I shared my feelings I think I may have felt her move with a spasm right above my belly button. I have also felt bubbles off and on, but I just assumed these were gas. I second guess myself a lot so I honestly have know idea! Other than my mental health my physical has been alright this week. Definitely have some bloating, but my sciatica has only effected me twice this week and neither of which were bad.

I take it back! 19 weeks of Pregnancy has been pretty brutal for me. I believe more because of my circumstances than the pregnancy itself. We are extremely short staffed at work this week, so I am in charge of the Teller Line with very little tellers and have been on my feet for the better part of the day. My feet and sciatica have flared up in pain and everyday of the week so far I go home exhausted. I have needed lots of prayers and Jesus to get me through this week. I have continued to do sciatica stretches, but they haven’t helped much this week due to the amount of time I have been on my feet. Unfortunately around 7 or 8 at night the pain gets so bad I can barely walk, thankfully it was only like this on Monday and Tuesday, the rest of the week it never got that bad. staying on the topic of unpleasant pregnancy symptoms, I developed a Yeast Infection for the very first time in my life! I have a had a lot of discharge over the past week and a half. More than usual, as in soaking through my undergarments, but I assumed it was just part of the Pregnancy experience. Then the itching began. Over the weekend it was off and on, but Sunday morning it became pretty intense and leveled out after about 20 minutes. As the work week started the itchiness tapered off, but then Wednesday morning I noticed the white discharge had turned yellow! I knew that wasn’t normal, so I called my doctor and was asked to come in for an exam Thursday afternoon. I read a couple articles about what it could be and I assumed it was most likely a yeast infection. At the 1:30pm appointment this was confirmed and I was given a cream to suposit in my lady region over the next few days for it to clear up. Apparently it is very common in Pregnancy because your PH balance and all your hormones are off. I still haven’t gotten used to all of the changes my body has and still is going through. My bump definitely has popped and it is so weird to see! I have always been tiny, now having a growing belly is taking some getting used to.

A plus side going in for the exam is I got to hear baby girls heartbeat! It took a second to find her because she was continuously moving in there. I believe she was towards the back because the sound of her heart was very subtle and then gradually got louder and faster ranging from 133-145 bpm. She even kicked the probe! I think I woke her up with the hot Cheetos and cold water I stuffed my face with on the drive over to the office because I did not get a lunch. I now know what to do before going in for my Anatomy Scan on Tuesday! I can’t believe I am a couple days away from seeing baby girl for the first time since she was a tiny seahorse at 7 and a half weeks. She now has all of her parts and needs to grow. We will get to view every inch of our sweet baby, including making sure that she for sure is a GIRL! I am nervous going into it because I have been thinking of the visual test the OB will be looking for and making sure that she doesn’t have any birth defects. But I am going to try and not focus on that part and more on the exciting wonderful part of seeing her move around and finally taking home more ultrasound photos! We love you so much baby! We are so ready to see you on JUNE 14TH!

WEEK 20

Oh my goodness you guys! I finally felt baby girl! Without a doubt, no second guessing I absolutely knew for sure that it was her. I have felt bubbles and minor spasms and flutters and maybe even some swooshing, but I never knew for sure, but the night of June 14th I felt what was absolutely little kicks! I had really bad acid reflux and sat straight up in bed, I just sat there perfectly still and all of a sudden I felt a hard kick and then smaller ones following it. This happened off and on for like an hour and then I fell asleep. I had the biggest smile on my face and was relieved and so happy. Throughout the week I have continued to feel these little kicks late at night and after I eat something or drink really fast. It’s like I am waking her up. Sometimes they are really sudden and it is hard to tell when they are happening, but if I sit still or focus on the feeling in my belly it is undeniable.

Some other symptoms I have been feeling this week aren’t new at all. The same sciatica and the GA heat has hit an all new record this week! I did acquire a doctor’s note for work stating that I need/can wear supportive shoes to help with the nerve pain. I have been on my feet practically all day everyday and have unintentionally made it worse, now I have permission to wear tennis shoes and other arch supportive shoes into work. (I work at a bank and have to dress business casual) As far as my Yeast infection goes it has completely cleared up. I took my last dose of inserted cream on Wednesday night, the yellow discharge stopped Monday, and I hadn’t been itchy since the weekend. I think that was caused from putting the medicine “up there” because my body wasn’t used to it.

The most exciting part about this week was my 20 week anatomy scan on Tuesday! I was 20weeks 2days and we actually got to the office a few minutes late due to road construction, but everything turned out okay because 10 minutes after we arrived we were called to the back for the sonogram! I laid down on the fancy bed/table/chair, the sonographer put cold jelly on my lower abdomen, and then placed the probe in the middle of the jelly, spreading it over my tummy. The first thing I saw on the screen was her butt! Baby girl is currently breech, but that is typical and pretty normal for this point in pregnancy because babies are flipping and moving around a lot. I am going to be honest I barely knew what I was looking at on that screen! The sonographer checked every part of her body, but on some screens I was completely lost. She mentioned what she was looking at every time she moved the probe or look of the screen, but actually trying to make out what she said was pictured was a little challenging lol. Her legs and arms were measured at 19weeks and 6days, that is what Brandon mentioned to me, I was struggling to see what all was being typed on the images because my eyesight is horrible and I was straining to see the screen well from my position. My due date did not change, it is still October 30th. The OB’s at my practice go by the first ultrasound to determine the due date and rarely change it because babies are going to come when they want! Plus baby girl still has plenty of time to grow and get fat, because I am so small I figured I was going to have a smaller baby. I will say that I hit my goal! I gained two more pounds since my last appointment, so I now way 112.5 (as of 6/14) which brings me to a total of 5 pounds gained in pregnancy. Baby girl’s heart and spine are absolutely perfect! The blood test from my 16week appointment that checked for spina bifida was negative and the beautiful image of her spine on the sonogram confirmed these results! We got to see her little heart at work, just pumping away with all of its parts perfectly placed and working. Beating at 152 bpm and sounding absolutely amazing. I remember my smile growing even bigger as the sound cascaded in the room. Watching Brandon see his daughter for the very first time in live action was an amazing experience, I can’t speak for him, but I believe it was one of the highlights of his life. Baby C was moving around a lot in there and I am surprised I could not feel her moving then, we already know from my other appointments how active this little girl is. She was kicking me and swinging her arms and nocking herself in the face with her hands. It was definitely one of the coolest things I had ever seen in my entire life. It wasn’t the most advanced or high definition vidoe’s, but knowing that she is a living breathing human being that I am growing inside of my body is an indescribable feeling. It’s surreal. Nearing the end of the Ultrasound the sonographer had her profile up where you could see her face and body. She zoomed in and out on her body and I still cannot believe all the buttons and clicks that that machine does! She is the most perfect little thing ever! Although I am a little nervous because at the moment her head is measuring at 6cm and my OB said that it is yet to be “BIG” meaning she could definitely have Brandon’s large noggin! My lady parts are already screaming! I think she is going to have my nose though because it is very defined in the photos, pointed and all. Seeing her little lips and her round tummy with the umbilical cord sticking out that will eventually be her belly button, her little fingers and toes, I am absolutely falling more and more in love with my little girl by the day! Now that I am able to feel her kick it makes this experience even more real! Knowing that after loosing two babies I am so close to having one here on earth. Brandon and I took home 7 sonogram photos of our daughter. Four profile and body images from different angles of the womb. She was scrunched up almost in a ball in there with her knees bent and her legs hovering over her middle. Two of her lady business that proved to us she is most definitely still a GIRL! Those images are neat because you see her pelvis and upper portion of her legs, and her tiny little bootie, but there was no male business insight! Lastly a still of her little feet! They were practically on top of each other, so it looks a little funny, but to me her little feet are everything! I am very happy with my experience seeing my baby girl in motion and how big she has gotten!

I cannot believe I am already half way through my Pregnancy, but I am so excited to meet her in 19weeks give or take! I am finally going to be spending some money on myself with a Amazon Maternity spree. I have pretty much ran out of clothes that fit me comfortably. Also on this weekends agenda, shopping for baby girl! There are a ton of small shops and Instagram stores that I have been dying to purchase cute things from! I am very grateful for the recent pay raise so we are able to get baby girl things that I love, as well as a huge mix of hand me downs! We have already been given a ton of baby things from friends, it is crazy how many clothes she already has and she is only the size of a banana!

WEEK 21

The beginning of this week was very stressful! Monday, I cried 4 times, 3 of which were for no reason. Brandon made fun of me for not being able to get on the bed and I cried! I have been extremely stressed out lately with my large load at work and also making sure I stay on top of everything that needs to be prepared and gotten for baby girl. I was not able to relax over the long weekend like I had planned due to an unforeseen work complication and a long To Do List! Tuesday I went back to work and held back tears for the majority of the day until I just BROKEDOWN. I managed to get everything done 10minutes before walking out the door for the day. I was finally able to relax for the first time in 4 days and slept the entire night! I woke up Wednesday morning feeling much better, but a little embarrassed to go into work after crying in front of everyone because of my frustration.

Symptoms this week has obviously been the lack of emotional control! I have been able to manage the ever changing Pregnancy emotions fairly well up until this week. I am crying at absolutely nothing, but I am hoping this is just a fluke given this past weeks stressors. I do know this is very common and apart of pregnancy. ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN has been full force this week. On Monday I noticed it to the point of holding my lower stomach because every time I moved I would feel extremely sore. I had been on my feet constantly all weekend and hadn’t had a break so I assumed I was doing too much. I later realized that it was round ligament pain radiating from my lower back to my front, I still could have pushed myself too far, but I know now that it is a normal pain in pregnancy. Over the past couple of days my sciatica has improved. THANK GOD! It is still painful at times, but starting in the middle of the week I did not notice that particular pain as much. I have begun wearing arch supporting shoes to work and while doing household chores, I think this is where the improvement is coming from. UGH!! Constipation is back and in full force. Over the past two months I haven’t noticed it much, but over the past 2weeks it has become prominent again. I think it may have a lot to do with how my diet has been the last couple of weeks, I have been eating fast food a lot and drinking more Coke than I wanted. I had a movement last Thursday and did not have another one until Wednesday of this week and even that was hardly anything. I did notice some yellow fuzzy stuff on the unmentionable’s. I flushed it the first time, but I noticed it again this week so I mentioned it to a nurse Thursday morning when I went in to do paperwork for Brandon’s FMLA. Doing my own research I learned that it was most likely mucous and the nurse agreed. I know why they tell you not to google things because I really freaked myself out over what it could be and barely slept. I worried that I wasn’t doing enough for my little girl and hated if I was potentially hurting her. After speaking to the Nurse it calmed my nerves and realized it is normal and not the beginning of Cholestasis! I will be trying to keep myself accountable by drinking a lot more water, cutting back on my soda intake, and eating a better balance of food.

On a better note baby girl has been kicking up a storm! Still early in the mornings and at night, after I eat or drink, and randomly throughout the day! She has become more active this week I have noticed and it is super cool! If I am sitting still I notice it more and it gives me peace of mind that she is doing alright in there. Brandon has been able to feel her little kicks this week too! It makes my heart melt knowing he is able to feel her and somehow be physically apart of this process even though he isn’t pregnant. He has been giving her knuckle dabs all week, that is his thing! One thing that has me relieved and even more excited for baby girl is setting up her nursery. The dresser is officially up, her mattress is now in her crib, and we have a few shelves up on the wall! We are so excited for your arrival little girl!