I don't know that many people who have been pregnant within the last 10 years, so I turned to my two sisters-in-law for advice. One has three kids (the youngest is 9) and she had rough pregnancies - extremely sick for the first 20 weeks each time and then continuing nausea until she gave birth.
My other sister-in-law has Type I Diabetes and gave birth to her daughter 18 months ago when she was only 33 weeks. She had very rapid weight gain near the end of her pregnancy due to swelling & pre-eclampsia. Her daughter spent 2.5 weeks in the NICU after birth. It was a really tough time and it made her reconsider how many more kids she wanted to have.
I never anticipated to have an equally rough experience, but I prepared myself to not have an easy time being pregnant. I expected to gain much more weight than I have at this point, and to have a larger belly at 20 weeks. I also thought I would gain more all over my body, but so far, my weight gain has been concentrated in my belly - for which I am thankful! I expected my nausea to be more intense than it was in my first trimester, and to feel more sick throughout my pregnancy in general. I just thought that pregnancy would be a lot harder on me.
I feel lucky because I truly love being pregnant. The bigger my belly gets, the more kicks baby gives me, the happier I feel! Its true for me that the second trimester has been easier compared to the first, but throughout my pregnancy so far, I feel blessed to have had a fairly smooth experience. I'm looking forward to all the changes in the coming weeks!
Week: 20 weeks!! I can't believe I'm halfway through!!
Gender: It's a BOY!! We found out last week!!
Total Weight Gain: At the doctor last week, I got the official number - I've gained 2.5lbs since my last visit 4 weeks ago at 14.5weeks. I'm expecting that to pick up more soon!
Exercise: I've been walking a lot more this week! Its been tiring but I have a sweet husband who gives me long foot rubs. :)
Nutrition: Similar to last week, I've been eating yogurt, granola & fruit for breakfast most days, and clementines & bananas as snacks.
Food cravings/aversions: This week I'm craving clementines & mozzarella pesto sandwiches on a baguette. I've also been craving eggs over easy & eggs benedict - but I can't eat those. :(
Signs of Stretch Marks: Not yet! I haven't been as diligent with putting on the cream lately either. :/
Maternity Clothes: I finally bought my first official maternity shirt from Motherhood Maternity and I love it! I'll wear it in one of my photos soon. Its so comfortable & cute!
Sleep: Sleeping okay, still researching body pillows & procrastinating spending the money! ;)
Feeling: Great! I've had a couple mild headaches this week but I've just been too excited about finding out that our baby is a boy to care!
Baby Movement: The movements are becoming stronger & more frequent! I love it. :) My husband finally felt baby kick last night!!
Belly Button In or Out? In
Wedding Rings On or Off? On
What I miss most this week: My family back in Minnesota. They were so excited to hear the gender news but I wish I could've told them the gender and the name we chose in person. :)
Best moment this week: Finding out that we are having a darling little boy!
Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! Even though I'm not looking forward to a long drive, I get to spend lots of time with my husband. We're breaking the news that we're pregnant to his extended family then, too!
Did your expectations of pregnancy match your reality? Did your pregnancy experience make you rethink your plans for the future of your family? Any advice for me for the coming weeks? I love hearing from you! :)
xo kristen genevieve
Eeep! You look gorgeous! I see the bump. Congrats on reaching the 20 week mark. What a milestone! So happy you are having a sweet boy. It will be awesome to share our experiences with our lil men. My boy is still just doing little flutters so Mr. ShuGar can't feel him yet. I can't wait for him to feel him.
ReplyDeleteI am with you that my pregnancy has been pretty easy. I luckily didn't get any morning sickness really and no real pain. It definitely makes me want to have another one. I hope to have one more soon if all goes well. Are you going to do a maternity shoot? We gotta wait for more bump, but it might be really beautiful. We just bought this book called "Baby Bargains" which is supposed to give tips on baby merchandise and consumer report tips, prices etc. It came highly recommended.
Congrats to both of you!
Thank you!! Yes, Baby Bargains has been very helpful for me - my sister-in-law gave me her copy a few months ago. :)
DeleteI am such a planner (I blame it on being a Capricorn) and I've always wanted kids close in age. My brother & I are 18 months apart and were very close growing up. I feel like its something we'll have to decide once our first one joins us, but based on my pregnancy alone, I already want more! Being pregnant is amazing! :)
I would love to do a maternity shoot in my third trimester, I just need a find a photographer that fits my style & budget. My husband & I shot our own engagement photos and I regret it. Our wedding photographers were amazing but they're back in Vermont. I also really want newborn photos. Are you doing a pregnancy photo shoot? At what point in your pregnancy do you think you'll do it?