Tag: baby #2

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!
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!