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Behind The Scenes Of Starting A Family – Chapter 7: The Second Trimester

If you haven’t started at Chapter 1 of the adventure, I recommend that you check it out–if nothing else to get to know me a little bit and figure out where we’re at on the journey to starting our family. Only missed a chapter? Press ‘end’ on your keyboard for the table of contents. Now that your caught up, let’s continue on. 

 

 

The Second Trimester

Most people talk about all of the cravings you will have and the strong sense of smell, but I just seem to be getting all aversions and no cravings. Some of my favourite foods have become nauseating just to think about, and it makes me quite sad. But there are things that seem to be changing week by week, and I figured I would share them with you as we go. Even if just for the humour 😉

 

Week 14

This week brought itchiness around my waist like you would not believe! I guess this means I truly AM growing… I am someone who has dry skin to begin with, which means a constant low hum of itch, with the occasional outburst. Lucky for me, I am also allergic to water (yup, a real thing!), so putting cream on often makes things worse rather than better. Recently I stumbled upon a water-less cream, which was designed to be a baby bump cream to avoid stretch-marks, but it also soothes the itch on my arms and neck. I am very grateful that it also smells amazing and helps me sleep.

The constant fatigue is dissipating, but I am feeling a lot more tired when I am doing things; needing to sit down more often, stairs feel like Mount Everest, lifting things is so damn awkward with this bump–you see where I am going. For the first time in my life, I actually asked for a store clerk to help my carry stuff to my car–I felt useless, but also felt fancy (is that how rich people feel?).

And I think I have gone through an entire kleenex box this week; between the constant sneezing with all of the cleaning we’ve been doing (the couch is arriving this week!), and just this crazy overall stuffiness–this can end any day now, I would like to be able to smell again thanks.

 

Week 15

Oh the headaches. I am used to migraines, I’ve been getting them since I was a kid, and the only thing that made them go away for any length of time was eating keto (low carb, high fat). That and Advil (ibuprofen) has always been my friend. Except now. You see, you can’t have that while pregnant cause it will harm the baby or whatever–you can only have acetaminophen (Tylenol), which never seems to get the job done for me, ever. So imagine the pain of a migraine, but everywhere like a headache, without any real way to relieve it. Yup, happy week 15 to you too brain!

And that tell-tale vertical brown line has started to form under my belly button–hopefully it stays as faint as it is and doesn’t spread, but that’s me being picky. The belly jelly my husband rubs onto me every night seems to be helping with the itch, and hopefully preventing stretch marks!, but it also helps us have one little intimate moment every day despite the hustle bustle going on around us. Make time for each other while you can–so that you still want to afterwards.

 

Week 16

Oh the lack of sleep is catching up with me. I even caved and bought a snoogle this week–you know, the super duper awkward looking pregnancy pillow. Yup… Finally getting used to it after about 4 or 5 nights. Despite the awkwardness and seemingly uncomfortable adjustment, it is finally starting to help with staying asleep at night because of the back support (this will come in great handy later!). Now the only reasons I wake up are to pee or because of my insanely itchy skin. I supposed that’s a win in this scenario.

 

Week 17

Yup, the bladder is definitely starting to be getting squished now. I guess it is an excuse to stretch my legs every hour..? Starting to feel some serious stretch to the skin, which means ITCH!, so I am very thankful for my maternity legging and my belly jelly. Not much exciting happening this week, but it is certainly getting harder and harder to hide my belly at the office (not exactly in the mood for prying questions).

 

Week 18

I am pretty sure I am starting to feel baby move. Nothing substantial, but every once in a while when I have been sitting for too long, parts of my belly gets really stiff. Who knows, might just be muscle spasms; I get them in my arms and legs normally so… Got to enjoy some relaxing time at the cottage with my parents, and boy do I miss the water. Between the boat rides, the sea-doo adventures, and the water sports–is there such things a word for water like wanderlust is to travel? Couldn’t go water-skiing, but my dad finally agreed to play nice as I enjoyed my tubing ritual (his usual goal is to see how far my brother and I go flying), so I got to mosey around the lake and got to sit on the tube for once instead of holding on for dear life. Don’t get me wrong, we LOVE that game, but with baby in tow, we took it slow this time. Next summer? Bring on the waves!

 

Week 19

It seems like right on the nose that 19 weeks was when our little critter decided to make itself known–right in the middle of my TV appearance actually–thanks for that kiddo!! But it was definitely a really cool, albeit weird as hell–alien moment for sure! Now if only my husband were around when it happens; poor guy seems to always miss it… BUT with our nightly ritual of him applying the cream to my belly before bed (yup, I am a luck gal!), he is sure to catch it at one point. We got to experience another ultrasound this week, to make sure all of the body parts are there and working properly, but because we patiently waited the extra week, we might be able to find out whether our little is a girl or boy. We still haven’t decided whether we want to know yet, but we got our secret envelope just in case we decide down the road we want to know. The nursery’s main colours are “wood” and a muted sage, so I am prepared either way–and pretty stoked about it to be honest!

 

Week 20

So feeling movement was short-lived, so I am back to feeling ever so impatient, waiting for my little to start poking against my belly instead of my bladder. You think you know what it feels like to really have to pee, until you are pregnant–and then you truly know. I can’t image how it will feel another 10+ weeks from now! This week I have had a huge drain in energy and excitement, like exhaustingly so–but I am unsure if it is entirely pregnancy related or if it is because I am in the last week of planning for my big baby show next week. Yeah, I took that on! Cheers to being just crazy enough to pull it off!

 

Week 21

HALF WAY THERE! Yes, we are officially at the halfway mark having completed the 20th week. With only 4 months left to get everything ready, I am definitely getting on the antsy side. Sending my colour-blind dad across town in dead traffic to test colour swatches for wooden cribs is the perfect example of how well my brain is working right now… At least it means I also trust him! But seriously, I always used to roll my eyes when people used baby-brain as an excuse for forgetting things, but holy crap! That sh*t is real!! I literally feel like my brain is disintegrating sometimes, just starring at my computer screen trying to remember what I just opened this internet browser for, or running to grab the pen and paper to write something down before I forget, only to not remember what I wanted to write. Now my note-book lives in my pocket because I like me my lists! And now that I *finally* upgraded my phone, I can even have Siri continue my list while I am busy doing other things like driving.

 

Week 22

So I went from ‘cutesy bump’ to ‘holy crap where are my toes’ real fast this week. Even my husband said something–and he never says anything in regards to my weight. He LOVES the bump, and I am so glad. I get extra snuggles and some extra attention, so it’s a win-win in my books! Speaking of books, after unpacking a few more storage boxes from the move last fall, Alex stumbled upon an old collective from his childhood of nursery rhymes, short-stories, and poems, and he’s been reading them to our growing little. He is so damn excited for this kid, and that makes me so happy!

 

Week 23

I kept telling myself it would be worth the wait, and I am so glad I stayed positive, because it totally was!! At exactly 22 weeks and 4 days, both of us were able to feel baby kicks at the same time, for the first time–together! I don’t think I could have asked for a better experience to bring us all a little closer together. Again this week I feel like I growing by the second–as in go to bed one night and wake up the next morning and the shirt I wore the previous day no longer fits, growing! But it’s okay, having an actual baby bump is much more fun and soothing for the soul than just feeling fat. And I suppose that means I have permission to buy some new cute clothing? Especially since my faucets-for-boobs have been getting extra active this week. Thank goodness for the reusable breast pads I got in the swag-bag at the Baby Is Coming event earlier this month to tide me over until I can better prepare for this sh*t!

 

Week 24

It’s almost a daily occurrence now for me to experience little baby movements, little kicks + punches here and there, but nothing prepares you for that first alien moment where your entire belly shifts and protrudes as your tiny human tries to escape! That was my experience this week, and while it was slightly unsettling, I cannot wait for it to happen again! Still no cravings per se, but there are definitely times where I am really not in the mood to eat things (I have been blessed with a ton of aversions apparently!), and others where I will eat anything and everything. Though every once in a while my husband and I enjoy fruit-for-dinner because that’s all I seem to want to eat some days. Can you blame me? I got to enjoy all of the in-season fruit this summer and I am pretty stocked about that: strawberries, peaches, grapes, raspberries, and now apples! Also, I discovered a local bakery a few months ago, and it is safe to say that a visit to COBS is a weekly occurrence these days–I love me some scones! Even the savoury ones are amazing!

 

Week 25

Another rather uneventful week. Nothing new, other than my slightly bigger belly. The unjustifiable hunger has set in though, so that’s great–and probably partially the cause for my growing mid-section, especially sine this week fell on Thanksgiving with all the foods, ha ha! Gone are the days of wearing my usual shirts, and I’ve been having to buy new clothes–new to ME anyways. And it’s an excuse to wear more fall dresses and enjoy sweater weather while I still can!

 

Week 26

The only new this week are the constantly tingling legs when I stand up after being seated for a while. And standing for hours on end at my usual events is proving to be more difficult. Speaking of which, carrying stuff is so damn awkward now! There’s this giant thing in the way, and while I am fully capable of carrying said items, the belly just makes it impossible. Oh well I guess–still getting used to letting others help… Still tired all of the time, but recent stressful scenarios haven’t helped with that, or the constant need to pee–so really it’s just because I don’t sleep well. Even the 8PM bedtimes don’t let me get in a full night’s rest. Apparently this is my life now, so I better get used to it!

Side note: I went shopping with my bestie since I have pretty much outgrown all of my weather-suitable clothing at this point, and stumbled across that perfect candle I have been hunting for for almost 3 years now! It smells perfectly of trees, without the rotting leaves undertone, or the feeling like you’ve walking into a commercial lumberyard. I ended up finding it at Flock on Wellington, and happy to find that it is made by a Canadian company out on the west coast (SSI Candles). 

 

Week 27

With the second trimester coming to a close, I thought there might be a little more excitement, but it’s been rather uneventful–and that’s NOT a bad thing! I will take my boring & healthy pregnancy over an eventful one any day! My back has been a little more sore, I have been eating all the things, and we’re finally making some headway on the whole ‘nesting’ thing. We finally got the basement storage room figured out and all boxes unpacked from the move last November. Hurray! Alex has been reading more to my belly, and while I feel movement occasionally throughout the day, I like to think that his voice makes it squirm a little more out of recognition–who knows. Only time will tell.

And with that, we continue through the adventure hand-in-hand. Chat soon!

 

Ready for the next chapter? Here’s to continuing on the roller coaster of parenthood! Check out our Baby Shower & Gender Reveal Party!

 

 

 

 

ps: Yes, this post contains some affiliate links, where I make a few dollars for my baby-fund should you decide to purchase one too. BUT they are only things which I have purchased and used myself and have received my stamp of approval (not an easy feat!), and has no impact whatsoever on how I feel about them. Feel free to reach out with questions about the recommended products.

Missed a post? Here they are: Chapter 1, Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6

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