2nd Trimester Recap

Well, now, I’m already a few weeks into my 3rd trimester with #minivegan.  Already??  It’s time for a recap of the 2nd trimester.

I already posted about my 20 Week Ultrasound.  This post includes all the other happenings.

In general, it’s true what “they” say about the 2nd trimester (for me).  My energy came back.  And that was a good thing, because I was working a lot.

My food aversions went away, and I started eating more like “normal” for me.  The “desperate hunger” diminished, although I was left with a pesky sweet tooth.  I really got that under control after we got back from Snowbird (week 21).  I also stopped having to eat in the middle of night, except for some especially hungry weeks (i.e. ~week 25).  I think the little boy has growth spurts.  Despite my appetite ups and downs, my weight gain has been very consistent since week one.

As each week passed, my belly was much smaller than I thought it would be…

WEEK 15

I had an appointment with my midwife at Cascade Birth Center on February 19, 2014.  We heard baby’s heartbeat:

WEEK 16

At the end of this week (March 1), I think I felt the first little kick.  I’d get real quiet before going to sleep at night, and see what I could feel with my hands on my belly.  It felt like a little tap.

16 Weeks

WEEK 17

On March 5th, I had my blood draw for the Harmony prenatal test.  The next few kicks came at the end of this week (March 7, 8, 9).  Eric was lucky to feel a BIG one on the 9th.

WEEK 18

On Friday, March 14th, the blood test results came back:  BOY!  (See the 20 Week Ultrasound post for more details).  After that, I was feeling kicks daily.  I called him my “lowrider” because I felt the kicks barely above my pubic bone.

WEEK 19

I had a midwife appointment on March 19th.  The ultrasound was on the 21st.  Listening to the heartbeat never gets old!

WEEK 20

We spent the week with family, skiing in Little Cottonwood Canyon, at Snowbird and Alta (Utah).  This shows our view out the window.

20 Weeks

WEEK 22

By this week, baby was kicking with higher frequency.  After dinner was a particularly energetic time!

22 Weeks

WEEK 24

For some reason, I started getting more emotional this week and the next.  I could cry without much provocation.  I cried tears of gratitude, love, worry, and for no real reason at all.  If you’d needed an actress to cry on cue, I was your girl!

24 Weeks

WEEK 25

This week was when I noticed that my belly felt much more firm instead of soft.  I had another midwife appointment, which meant another opportunity to hear baby’s heartbeat…

On May 3rd, my belly was lopsided as I snuggled with Millie on the couch.  When we went out to dinner with Eric’s parents that evening, my mother-in-law gave me a nice gift.

Baby “swam” over to the left side!

Thank you, Diane!

WEEK 26

At the start of this week, my mailman delivered a super sweet gift from my friend Anja.  Go check out her website/blog at All Up Anja.  I love my #PPNSNG pals!

At the end of this week, I started feeling my first Braxton Hicks contractions.  At first I thought that baby was just doing something different, but then I realized what it was.  My belly just got uniformly firm and stayed that way for a minute.

Thank you, Anja!

26 Weeks

My biggest physical complaint during the 2nd trimester has been my declining sleep quality.  It seems to be a pattern of:  go to bed about 9:30 PM, then wake up any time between 11:30 and 2:00, pee, then wake up at least 2 more times after that.  Or, I’ll just stay wide awake for an hour (or 2), or I’ll toss and turn the rest of the night.  Ugh!

Because of all that, I basically gave up (after week 23) doing any before-work exercising.   I’m cutting myself some slack right now.  I skied all through ski season and now I go on walks each weekend, but, with my work schedule, that’s all I can muster.  At least my job is an active one.

I’m very much looking forward to my last 2+ months.  My work schedule is finally lightening up, I’m almost finished with getting the house ready for baby, and I’ve got some fun events on the calendar.

Not to mention, it’s almost summer, which is always good for body and mind!

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2nd Trimester Weights (Weeks 14-26):

February 11, 2014 = 113.2 lb
February 18, 2014 = 113.4 lb
February 25, 2014 = 115.6 lb
March 4, 2014 = 114.6 lb
March 11, 2014 = 116.4 lb
March 18, 2014 = 117.0 lb
March 25, 2014 = no data
April 1, 2014 = 118.0 lb
April 8, 2014 = 120.2 lb
April 15, 2014 = 121.0 lb
April 22, 2014 = 121.4 lb
April 29, 2014 = 122.8 lb
May 6, 2014 = 124.8 lb

Total 2nd Trimester Weight Gain = 11.6 lb
Total 1st + 2nd Trimester Weight Gain = 25.8 lb