21 Week Pregnancy Blog -- Catch Up!

21 Week Pregnancy Blog -- Catch Up!

Written on Monday April 25, 2016

 

I can't believe that I am writing pregnancy blogs again...so exciting! With my first pregnancy, I was extremely good about documenting everything. I wrote a pregnancy update each week and still enjoy going back and reading them. For many reasons, I haven't documented this pregnancy in the same way. Now that I am past the half way mark, I thought I would write a 21 week/catch up pregnancy blog, basically summarizing everything I've experienced thus far with my second pregnancy. They say "every pregnancy is different" and while that is true, I've only experienced a few differences this time around (minus my hemorrhage). I personally love reading pregnancy blogs (especially while I am pregnant) to compare and contrast everyone's experience with my own. I just find them interesting! So, here's a look inside my second pregnancy.

                

How far along? 21 weeks 1 days

Baby: The baby now weighs 3/4 of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot and the size of a banana! The flutters are turning into full kicks and nudges and there may be a pattern to her activity. In other developments, the baby's eyebrows and eye lids are present now, and if it's a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.             

First Ultrasound -- it was a family affair!

Total Weight Gain: Thankfully I started off this pregnancy weighing 10 lbs. less than I was before I got pregnant with Grayson (thank you breastfeeding!). So far, I have gained 7 lbs. and I am very happy with that. My weight gain has been slightly less this time around, but I'm sure that will change with time and the baby getting bigger and bigger. We all know how the third trimester goes ;) My biggest fear and struggle with weight during this pregnancy is that I am very limited in my activity. I worked out quite often in my first pregnancy and I believe that really contributed to my 18 lb. weight gain at the end of the pregnancy. I loved feeling fit and active even while my tummy was growing and growing. With this pregnancy, I most definitely can't work out and I am limited in doing even basic activities. We will see how the weight gain process goes, but I am trying my very best to eat as healthy as I can and eating everything in moderation. I did this last time around and it seemed to pay off!

 

Maternity Clothes: I've always heard you are bigger with each pregnancy, but I have been a little smaller with this pregnancy (so far!). I was able to "hide it" until just recently. Right around hitting the 20 week mark is when it became a little more obvious. I pulled out my belly band around 15 weeks because all my pants are extremely fitted and gaining a few pounds in my belly made them hard to button. I haven't worn any maternity clothes as of yet, but am opting for looser shirts and almost always using my belly band for pants. I did pull out a maternity dress for a wedding this weekend and decided to show off "the bump"! :) I will probably pull down my maternity clothes soon, just so I have more options! 

 

Stretch Marks: I have slacked a little bit with this. I recently got back on my stretch mark cream game. Honestly my mind has been in other places. Luckily, I didn't get any stretch marks with my first pregnancy and I contribute some of that to the fact that I was really good at putting on the stretch mark cream and that I didn't gain a ton of weight. AND genetics....thanks mom! :) I have been moisturizing my belly twice a day and plan on continuing that!

Sleep: Pregnancy insomnia hit me much earlier this time. I had it really bad in the 3rd trimester with Grayson, but I have already been struggling with sleep for weeks now. I wake up all throughout the night and it's hard to feel rested when I wake up in the morning. It's similar to how it was with Grayson -- I don't have to pee and I'm not necessarily uncomfortable, but I just have so much on my mind that I wake up constantly. I'm not that tired during the day though, so that's a perk. Looking forward to trying to enjoy my sleep as much as possible before this baby arrives now that my toddler finally sleeps through the night! Also, I'm having very vivid and weird dreams! I remember having these last time too and I've heard it's normal, but such an odd pregnancy symptom!

                                            18 Week Ultrasound

Miss Anything? The biggest thing I miss is not having to analyze everything going on with my body. Because I've had complications and a few scares, it's really hard not to let everything freak you out. I'm trying my very best to be thankful for each week that passes and enjoy where I am at instead of wishing for everything to pass and for time to speed up. It's also been a major challenge not being able to be very active. Thankfully I am off bed rest, but it's difficult not being able to take care of Grayson in the way I am used to and not being able to do basic things like clean the house. Other than that, I always miss coffee when I am pregnant! I am drinking one half-caff cup of coffee a day and I am always sad when I finish my cup. For some reason, I always want what I can't have and coffee is always number 1 on my list during pregnancy.

Best Moment of the Week: Feeling more and more movement has been amazing! It's always such an encouragement for me when I am feeling scared about the pregnancy. We are also working on a name and are pretty close to a final decision :) Although I don't think we will officially announce it until she is born...so stay tuned!

Movement: Movement has been completely different with this baby. I was a full 20 weeks before I felt anything while pregnant with Grayson. Even when I felt movement, it was very small and took weeks to get stronger and stronger. I felt our sweet girl move at 16 weeks! It was so much earlier that I almost didn't believe it was actually movement, but she kicks me so hard constantly, so there was no denying it after just a few days. Honestly, I view it as a blessing from God. This pregnancy has been so trying that feeling movement a whole month earlier was such an encouragement to me and kept me staying positive when I was very worried. Plus -- movement is my absolute favorite part of being pregnant. I mean who doesn't love feeling their child move all around in their belly?! It's the BEST. She moves all the time and the movements are very strong and defined. I told you, she's a fighter :)

Food Cravings: I'm super boring when it comes to cravings. I never really craved anything specific with my last pregnancy and it's similar this time. There are things I like more than others, but nothing super out there or that I can't live without. I'm really loving veggies and hummus or veggies and Ranch. I'm not nearly as into fruit, cereal, or gum as I used to be. I still love sweets, but prefer legit sweets instead of fruit. (Who doesn't?!) With both pregnancies, I have always enjoyed food a little more and wanted more solid meals. I have really been trying to amp up my protein, fruit and veggie, and water intake. I have to constantly make myself drink water because I get dehydrated very easily. I've been loving Greek yogurt and cheese sticks to get my protein in. I honestly believe it's all about balance when it comes to eating healthy during pregnancy. I eat everything in moderation and don't deprive myself, but I also try to eat a lot more healthy stuff than junk. Try being the key word! One random thing that happens to me when I'm pregnant or breastfeeding is that I turn into a night eater! I was never one to wake up in the middle of the night, but because I am up so frequently while being pregnant and nursing....I can't help but get myself a little midnight or 3am or 5am snack! Haha.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope! I have been so fortunate with both of my pregnancies not to ever experience this side of things. I have never felt nauseous or thrown up in either pregnancy....thank you body!

 

Gender: Girl! I seriously still cannot believe I am having a little girl! It's still very surreal. I was convinced that she was a boy and that I was going to have all boys. Not that that's a bad thing, but of course I wanted to experience both sides. Josh and I are thrilled about it. Josh really wanted to experience being a daddy to a little girl which I thought was so sweet. We originally were going to keep the gender a surprise again, but with me having so many ultrasounds with this pregnancy, we decided to embrace it and find out the gender! It's going to be a big change because I am currently in boy land! Grayson is ALL boy which I love, so it's hard to imagine a little girl. I can't wait to go clothes shopping though! ;)

                                   20 Weeks Pregnant!

 

Symptoms: My biggest symptoms with this pregnancy have been extreme round ligament pain and a lot of pressure. I've experienced this pain for months now which I am told is not associated with the hemorrhage. I have heard that your second pregnancy is more painful which I can agree with. Supposedly, your ligaments are all stretched out and less strong with the second pregnancy, so that's what causes the increase in pain. I would have thought it would be opposite! I've also experienced a lot of pressure....you would think there's a full grown baby in there! Besides having pain, it really hasn't been that bad! I'm constantly thirsty, so I am always trying to make sure I'm drinking enough water. Constipation and acne were major issues with my last pregnancy and they are both much better this time around. The only other big symptom I have had is gas. Not the stinky gross kind, but the uncomfortable type of gas that gets stuck in your tummy and is extremely painful. Drinking water definitely helps with that, but it's been an issue off and on.

Happy or moody: My emotions have been ALL over the place! :)

Looking forward to: My next appointment with the specialist in 3 weeks. I'll have an ultrasound looking at the baby and checking on the hemorrhage. I also love seeing the baby (one perk of having a high risk pregnancy is a million ultrasounds!) and I'm very anxious to see how the hemorrhage is doing. Please be in prayer for a positive report at that appointment!

Thank you all SO much for all the support, encouragement, and prayers we have received! We feel so loved and blessed to be surrounded by such an awesome community of people.