Category: Baby Update

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.
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!
Baby Update · Daily living · Parenting

Baby #2: Week 8

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I don’t know if it’s because my first trimester is happening in October (Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness Month), but I’ve been so worried and scared about losing this baby. I have no reason to feel that way! My previous pregnancy was normal, and I’ve never had a miscarriage. But I know so many people who could say the same thing, and that’s what made me ultra aware that you just never know. I was so anxious to get to my OB and both see the baby and hear a heartbeat.
My first appointment with my OB went well. I got all my paperwork squared away, and got to see Baby Kiel #2 with my mom and Gerrit. Everything looks normal! The doctor confirmed that I was 8 weeks along on the dot and gave us a due date of 29 May 2018. Baby’s heartbeat was right at 160 bpm. I’ll be going back in at 12 weeks, which is probably around the time I’ll be announcing the pregnancy officially!

How far along: 8 weeks on 17 Oct 2017
Approximate size of Baby: the size of a raspberry
Gender: no idea
Weight gain: none (-3 lbs)
Symptoms: Nausea, breast/nipple soreness, bloating, back pain, food aversion
  • The last day of week 8 and first day of week 9 I had pretty much NO nausea! I was actually a little worried… is feeling better a bad sign?? But then the nausea came back after dinner that night. No actual vomiting though so far!
  • Does the boob soreness go away?? I can’t remember!
  • Some days I feel bloated, some days I feel normal. We had a few cooler days, so I pulled out my (non-maternity) jeans, and they fit fine. I just feel like I have more of a tummy pooch than normal with certain tops.
  • My lower back still hurts here and there. I definitely think it’s not as bad when I’m more active, but it’s hard to want to get off the couch when you’re feeling nauseated.
  • Certain foods are not sounding appealing lately. Most veggies don’t sound good, and I can only eat a few bites of salad if I make myself. The smell of pretzels has been making my stomach turn. I made a marinade for chicken with some white wine, and the smell of wine actually made me gag. In general, my appetite is low, I get full quickly, and I’m eating things I don’t normally eat (more carbs, cheese, sweet snacks).
Maternity clothes: Not really. I have a few tops I wear here and there, but they’re not really necessary.
Stretch marks: no new ones
Belly button in or out: in
Sleep: Good when I can get it! I don’t seem to be craving much extra sleep though, which seems odd for the first trimester. I still get by with about 6-7 broken hours most nights.
Best moment this week: I have 2 this week: my parents arriving and seeing our baby for the first time! My parents drove in from Chattanooga on Monday, and I love having them here. I love when my WHOLE family gets together, but having my parents to myself (and my little family) is just really special to me. Gerrit is having fun with his Mimi & Papa, and I enjoy the extra pairs of hands and company throughout the day.
We also got to see Baby Kiel #2! I had my first OB appointment the day I hit 8 weeks, and they went ahead and did an ultrasound. It was definitely different from when I saw Gerrit for the first time. We saw Gerrit at 10 weeks, and he was moving around and starting to look more human haha. At 8 weeks, our baby looks pretty blob-like yet. But we got to see him/her and hear a nice steady heartbeat of 160 bpm. Gerrit was mesmerized by it! My mom had him on her lap while I was getting the sonogram done, and she said he sat so still watching and listening. Although he doesn’t say a whole lot about the baby, I think he’s very interested in this whole process!
Miss anything: Eating healthy — I’ve been a lot more lenient with my diet with the low appetite and food aversion. I’m trying to just go with it for now and not feel guilty, but I just want to want to eat a salad again!
Movement: not yet
Cravings: Animal crackers (probably because I knew it helped my nausea when I was pregnant with Gerrit), cheese sticks, and raspberry sorbet.
Looking forward to: Gerrit’s birthday — I need to get my to-do list in order so I get everything ready in time!