Wow! Time is flying so fast that I can barely keep up. I can’t believe that I’m at 32 weeks now (picture was taken at 30 weeks) and it feels more real each day. It is not to say that I am overwhelmed, but my mind does race through many things that are yet to be checked off. I do wish I had kept a better journal of my pregnancy in this blog, but it is so hard to do with a tiring body (at the end of the day) from a full-time job and packed weekend activities these days.
Pregnancy updates
Totally failed my 1-hour glucose test (read my experience here). Most doctors say that you do not need to fast for the 1 hour one, but I really feel like my breakfast 3 hours before the test made all the difference LOL. Took the 3-hour test a week after and passed with flying colors at every hour!
My growth scan is coming up this Thursday. Excited to be able to see Baby B again soon! Last I saw her was at 26 weeks – she’s a pretty small baby measuring around 20% percentile. We will find out how much she has grown since then! Her nose looks exactly like her daddy’s 🙂
The nursery is still VERY MUCH IN PROGRESS. It is so hard to make progress with our busy work schedules. We make most of the dent over the weekend (therefore, no more lazy weekends). We have been painting a lot of the existing furniture in there to match with our future nursery furniture. We are pretty excited about how it’s turning out.
Attended a breastfeeding class this past weekend. I didn’t feel like our particular class needed to be 2.5 hours long, but it was still very informative. I know a class won’t fully prepare me to breastfeed but as a believer of knowledge and preparation, I think I have some basic idea at least. FYI, I was 100% formula fed growing up and completely a believer in “fed is best”. I am going to make every effort to breastfeed, but in the end, I’m going to do what it’s best to keep myself and the baby happy and healthy.
Baby B’s kick is strong these days! Because of the anterior placenta, I was a bit late to feeling her kicks (or I’m just super oblivious). Her favorite kick position is behind my belly button (ouch) and loves to bury her face (?)/legs(?) on one side of my belly. The pressure can be intense to the point where my belly does not look round at all. I am also starting to see her movements on the surface (31 weeks). Her favorite dance times are between 8-10am, 2-4pm, and 9-11pm. I don’t necessarily do “kick counts”, but I’m generally aware of the baby’s activities throughout the day.
How I’m feeling
Honestly, I’m still feeling pretty good! It is true when the internet (or people) say that the second trimester is the best part of the pregnancy. The fatigue has gradually crept up on me in the last 2-3 weeks, although not as much fatigue as I have experienced during the first trimester. A brief nap or simply relaxing for a little bit just enough for me to get going again.
The round ligament discomfort is certainly more prevalent and the occasional sciatic nerve pain have been a little more intrusive to my day these days. I feel like my belly doubles in size by the end of the day. The weight can really weigh me down sometimes.
Long walks are more tiring – I get out of breath quite easily! Getting up is very challenging as well. You should try to see me get out of the bed.
While I’ve been lucky (so far) about acid reflux, I did experience my first real discomfort from eating rather big meals within a short period of time – that was NOT fun! So ladies, be sure to learn from my lesson and eat smaller portion but more frequently.
Finally, sleep-wise, I am still doing ok. I still sleep through most nights; the pregnancy pillow continues to be my best friend. We’ll see if this continues to be the case for the next 8 weeks (I doubt it). Charley horse is still not fun, though.
Things that helped me (especially during this trimester so far)
Prenatal massage! I cannot recommend this enough. Obviously, you would have to enjoy getting a massage in general, but this has helped me so much to relax. The growing bump (and thus weight) definitely puts your body out of whack, more than you realize. Be sure to book with a certified/experienced prenatal masseuse. A proper prenatal massage should not make you lie on your back (and if you do, you should be provided a wedge so you are lying down on elevation) and apply gentle pressure (no deep pressure massage). My masseuse focused on my lower back/hip area, neck/shoulder, and feet. I got one done at 29 weeks and felt good for about a couple of weeks now with gentle stretch at night before bed. I plan to get another one done soon.
I would love to say that I have been active all through this pregnancy but that would be a lie. I do try to take a walk regularly but have not had much time to “work out” per se. I did take a weekly Pilates class for up to 20 weeks. YouTube does have a myriad of prenatal yoga videos (search for a specific trimester) that are helpful in keeping your body stretched and relaxed. I found this to be particularly helpful right before bedtime.
Hope this helps for all my currently pregnant friends and readers! We are all in this together. I would love to find out how you are feeling at your current stage. I’m also fascinated by how each woman experiences pregnancy very differently. I feel blessed that my pregnancy so far has been mostly peaceful and uneventful (hoping to stay that way!).
As an overly cautious and realistic (my husband calls me ‘pessimistic’) person that I am, I will be honest again in that I have mostly kept my excitement under wraps until the start of the third trimester. It’s not that I am not excited about this pregnancy, but there is always a part of me that worries about the ‘what ifs’. Of course, I still have those moments even today, but I am here to tell you that it is ok to feel cautious about how you feel. Don’t feel like you have to demonstrate your excitement at the same level as what you see on social media. I felt the need to communicate this to my readers again because I personally received comments from others (in person) that my excitement level wasn’t at what they expected.
So please don’t feel like you have to show your excitement for the world to notice. Pregnancy is such a personal and intimate journey that the “realness” reaches women at different stages. It honestly didn’t feel real to me until I felt the kicks for the first time. Don’t let others dictate how you should feel. I’m cheering for you!
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