Month: November 2017

Baby Update

Baby #2: Week 11

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Ugh, this week was rough, and I can’t blame it on pregnancy. The cold that I caught really slowed me down. I feel like I caught a Man Cold for how crabby and whiny I was about it. You would think that Gerrit and I being sick at the same time would be a little bit of a good thing, because we’d both feel like snuggling, relaxing, and taking it easy. Hahaha… have you met my child? Nothing slows him down. His energy level barely took a dip, while I was trying to just live on the couch, drink tea, and eat chicken soup. Moms should NOT be allowed to get sick! Thank goodness MY mom was still here to step in for me AND take care of me. I’m seriously still just so thankful she was here while I was sick, because she was an absolute lifesaver. Just move in with me, okay, Mom??

How far along: 11 weeks on 07 Nov 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a fig or a poker chip (about 2″ now!)
Gender: I still am leaning toward boy
Weight gain: none (-7 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast tenderness, back pain, some fatigue, low appetite, cramping
  • The nausea is easing up! I really only had it for the start of week 11.
  • Boobs are still a bit tender, but I feel like that’s subsiding too.
  • Minor and occasional back pain. Toward the end of week 11 I had more back pain though.
  • Definitely tired, but I’m attributing that more to the cold bug and less to pregnancy.
  • Appetite remains low. Not sure if that’s from being sick with a cold or just pregnancy. I still often just don’t even know what I feel like eating. Nothing sounds good.
  • I had some cramping in the middle and toward the end of week 11, but when I looked it up, it seemed very normal for the growth happening in the uterus this week. I wasn’t too worried, but I was relieved that it was a common symptom of week 11.
Maternity clothes: No, although I’m generally favoring looser fitting clothing. I can button my shorts with no problem, but I just don’t like feeling that tightness on my lower belly.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Eh… being sick screwed up my good sleep. But having my mom here meant I got to sleep in pretty much every day. 
Best moment this week: Waking up to homemade chicken noodle soup simmering on the stove (I love you, Mom!). She seriously picked up the slack for me while I was sick. My other best moment was picking up the baby’s heartbeat on our home Doppler the day we hit 11 weeks! I sent a Snapchat to my sisters and mom of the heartbeat, and we were able to find it again when Andrew came home from work that day. 🙂
Miss anything: I kind of miss my appetite, although I’m not hating the weight loss. I’m definitely not trying to lose weight, and I’m really pretty shocked that I’ve continued to slowly lose weight despite all the carbs I’m eating.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: None this week. I feel like I lived on chicken broth and tea some days.
Looking forward to: Our next appointment! It got bumped up to this week, and I’m hoping maybe Andrew can come with.
Daily living

Baby #2: Week 10

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As much as I think about the fact that I’m pregnant, I also feel like I forget that I’m pregnant a lot! Mostly because I’m not super sick and I don’t have a big baby belly yet. Sometimes I just wonder Am I seriously pregnant?? I look forward to being able to hear the baby’s heartbeat on our home fetal Doppler and feeling movement!

Ugh, do I look tired? I woke up the day I hit 10 weeks with the start of a cold, and I feel like it shows. Darn this weakened immune system! I usually avoid Gerrit’s little cold viruses, but not this time.
How far along: 10 weeks on 31 Oct 2017 (Happy Halloween, baby!)
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a kumquat… or a Lego man apparently haha
Gender: no idea
Weight gain: none (-5 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast/nipple soreness, back pain, food aversion, constipation, some fatigue, dysgeusia
  • Because I feel like my nausea is linked to having an empty stomach, I’m really shocked that I haven’t had any nausea in the morning! It always hits me hardest around dinnertime.
  • My boobs are sore, but I only really notice it when Gerrit is climbing on me (those toddler elbows are very jabby!).
  • My back pain is about the same. It’s the worst when I’m standing and making dinner.
  • I still have an aversion to veggies in particular, but a lot of times I just have low appetite and that general “I don’t know what I feel like eating” feeling. Like nothing sounds good.
  • Constipation comes and goes. It’s never uncomfortable, so I feel like my digestive system is just really sluggish right now.
  • I feel like most women are just exhausted in the first trimester, so it’s odd to me that I’ve had very minor fatigue.
  • Dysgeusia is the “bad taste problem” that some experience in pregnancy. So far I’ve only had a few days of it, but it’s really unpleasant. Everything seems to leave a bitter or metallic taste in my mouth, and it makes finding something that sounds appetizing even more difficult. I’m hoping it doesn’t come back, because ick.
Maternity clothes: Nope
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good! My mom is still here, so I’m still sleeping in as often as I can — thanks, Mom! 
Best moment this week: Gerrit’s 3rd birthday & his dinosaur birthday party! His actual birthday was pretty low-key since his party was the next day. I made him one of his favorite meals (spaghetti & meatballs) and we let him open his gifts from us while dinner was cooking. The next day was a big ball of stress for me haha. I always do that to myself!! Despite being stressed out, things came together pretty well, and Gerrit had a great dinosaur birthday party. I will do a separate post detailing that soon! I’m still recovering from it… 🙂
Miss anything: Eating whatever I want. So many things just don’t even sound good to me lately, and I never know what I want to eat.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: No real cravings really… water crackers and cheese has been my go-to snack in the evenings. I’ve also been loving the blueberry Belvita breakfast crackers.
Looking forward to: Our friends’ Drop Night! Once theirs is over, there’s only one more before Andrew’s!
Baby Update · Daily living

Baby #2: Week 9

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I don’t know if the “morning sickness” (I put it in quotes because so many people do not feel it just in the morning!) people get just varies from pregnancy to pregnancy or if it tends to ease up after your body has gone through a pregnancy. I was definitely more sick with Gerrit! Maybe my nausea is just less this pregnancy or maybe I’m better at dealing with it. I’m much more aware of when I’m starting to feel icky, and I find a snack to eat. If I’m not hungry at dinner (which tends to be the worst point in my day nausea-wise), I still eat a few bites and wait to see if my appetite kicks in. I feel like when I was pregnant with Gerrit, I just figured, Well, if I’m going to throw up, I’m going to throw up. And this time I am focused on avoiding trips to the toilet! One thing for sure: I definitely don’t feel sick in the mornings like I did when I was pregnant with Gerrit. I woke up always feeling nauseated last time around and needed to get food in my stomach before I even sat up in bed. This time I feel pretty good in the mornings!

How far along: 9 weeks on 24 Oct 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a cherry
Gender: I have no “gut feeling” on this, but I find myself calling the baby “he” and “him” a lot. I’m not sure if it’s because I already have a boy or what.
Weight gain: none (-4 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast/nipple soreness, bloating, back pain, food aversion, constipation, some fatigue
  • Like I mentioned, the nausea seems to really hit me while I’m making dinner and carries into the actual meal. I don’t know if eating a snack before I start cooking would help? Might be worth a try until this nausea goes away for good.
  • Boobs are still sore. I don’t like it.
  • I still don’t think I can truly be “showing” much yet in the stomach area, so I think I’m just feeling bloated a lot. But they do say you show earlier with subsequent pregnancies, so who knows.
  • My back pain is about the same. It’s the worst when I’m standing and making dinner.
  • The same foods are not appealing to me: most veggies, salad, and pretzels.
  • I feel like I don’t have to elaborate on the constipation… it is what is is haha. But I blame it on my lack of veggies lately!
  • It’s hard to say if I’m actually more tired, or if I’m just sleeping more because I can. But I’m taking advantage of it while I’m able!
Maternity clothes: Not really.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good! I’m shamelessly taking advantage of having my mom here to hang out with Gerrit in the morning while I sleep in. 
Best moment this week: Spending time with my parents. We didn’t do a lot while my dad was in town (my mom stayed longer), but I did take them to see the creek in town, hiking by Lake Amistad, and to Governor’s Landing to see the water. Mostly we just spent time together, which is exactly what I wanted.
Miss anything: Eating whatever I want. So many things just don’t even sound good to me lately, and I never know what I want to eat.
Movement: not yet
Cravings: Raspberry anything, apparently! The commissary didn’t have raspberry sorbet, so I got raspberry gelato, and oh.my.gosh… that was delicious. Anything with raspberry or lemon sounds good to me lately.
Looking forward to: Gerrit’s birthday party!