I can’t believe that I’m already 20 weeks into my pregnancy. It seems like time is just flying by and I wish it would just slow down a little bit so I could enjoy this time. Now that I’m well into my 2nd trimester, I’m feeling better and I want to enjoy this time; not just the process of knowing that a baby is growing inside of me, but also this time with Rob. It’s kind of exciting preparing our home and our hearts for a little one and we will never have an experience of being future new parents again. I’ve been getting so many questions from family, friends, and readers about how I’m feeling, it seemed like the perfect time to do a bump update and fill you in on life these days.
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How far along am I?
Today I am 20 weeks and 5 days into my pregnancy. I still haven’t wrapped my head around all of these changes yet. Even the growing baby bump catches me by surprise. I’ve been wearing a lot of flowy tops, which have a tendency to disguise the bump rather than accentuate it. I shot these photos myself with a tripod and timer a few days ago, wearing a more fitted pre-pregnancy top. I had to do a double take at myself in the mirror and the photos that day because I hadn’t realized how big my bump had gotten!
How much weight have I gained?
So far, I’ve gained about 9 pounds, and the doctor says I’m right on track for what I should be gaining at this stage.
How am I feeling?
I feel pretty good most of the time! I still fight a few waves of nausea when I get out of bed in the morning or when I go too long between meals. Fortunately, those waves are much easier to fight off these days than they were during my first trimester. When I am feeling nauseated, the feeling gets much more intense if I have to bend over to reach for something on the floor. It’s such an odd trigger for nausea, but this stuff isn’t always logical!
How are my emotions?
I’ve honestly been pretty shocked at how relatively normal my emotions have been throughout my pregnancy thus far. There were a handful of nights early on when I cried more than any normal person over pretty small things, but that was when I had pretty strong nausea and was overtired. For the most part, I think I’ve managed to avoid becoming too teary-eyed or upset over small matters and have kept my pre-pregnancy range of emotions (it is my sincere hope that I am not delusional and that Rob would also agree with that statement). I don’t even cry at every episode of This Is Us, which is really saying something!
Am I getting any exercise?
Not as much as I should! Thankfully, the unseasonable warm Michigan weather has encouraged me to get out and start taking walks. Rob and I went on a trip to Grand Rapids last weekend (more info on that soon) and it was a great opportunity for us to enjoy a few long walks together. I also signed up for a free 30 day trial subscription to Daily Burn and have done a few of their prenatal yoga videos. Prenatal or not, the yoga is seriously challenging, but it has been nice to stretch and feel like I’m getting some meaningful exercise.
How am I sleeping?
Better, but not really great. For a few weeks, I battled some pretty intense hip pain at night. When I laid on my right side, my right hip would begin to throb. At that point, I would roll to the left and my left hip would throb. This continued all night long and was monumentally uncomfortable. I tried using a regular pillow between my knees and ankles without any relief, then splurged on a much fancier pregnancy pillow. The fancy pillow was pretty cool and comfortable to curl up with, but didn’t do anything to curb the pain. The big fancy pillow is currently tucked away in on of our closets and I’m back to sleeping with a regular pillow between my legs. The hip pain has significantly decreased and I’m not exactly sure why, but I think the prenatal yoga may have helped. I am so happy to be relieved of that pain, which often shot down to my ankles and left my hips feeling achy for several hours each morning.
Even with the hip pain mostly gone, I’m still tossing and turning at night and not sleeping nearly as deeply as I did early in the pregnancy. I figure it’s just my body training me for life with a newborn, but I sure do miss my deep nights of sleep!
How did our ultrasound go?
Rob and I went in for our 20 week ultrasound this week. Thankfully, the doctor’s office has a newer ultrasound machine that did not require me to drink a ton of water ahead of time. This was a huge blessing because our baby wasn’t very cooperative with the ultrasound tech and always seemed to be in the wrong position for the measurements she needed to take. We were in there forever, but it was wonderful to see so many images of our little love bug.
Are you having a boy or a girl?
Rob and I are holding firm in our determination to have the baby’s sex be a surprise. Thankfully, we didn’t really have to deal with temptation during the ultrasound. Our baby was curled up in a ball most of the time and the ultrasound tech didn’t even have to tell us to avert our eyes.
Any movement from the baby yet?
Yes! I felt one little kick while I was sitting in bed last weekend and was disappointed that I didn’t feel more movement after what must have been a pretty forceful stray kick from our little one. A few days later, I felt a lot of movement from the baby and I must say it was a pretty incredible feeling. The kicks were strong enough that I could feel them on my hand when I held it to my belly so I was excited to share the moment with Rob. Of course, each time that Rob reached out to feel it, the baby would stop moving. I’ve felt many more kicks since that night but poor Rob is still waiting for the right moment to feel a kick himself.
Am I craving anything?
Just the foods I can’t have. Specifically, red wine and cold turkey sandwiches. I miss those two things so much and I often ask family or friends with a sandwich or glass of wine in hand if I can take a moment to smell those wonderful aromas. Other than that, I really don’t have a lot of strong cravings.
Any food aversions?
Chicken has not been my friend for quite some time. I’ve eaten a handful of chicken dishes over the course of the pregnancy, but it’s usually small bits of chicken mixed in a salad or fried, cut up and placed in a pita with cheese, lettuce and tomato. We actually had chicken enchiladas for dinner last night and they weren’t too bad. Probably because it was tiny bits of chicken covered in yummy cheese and sauce.
Other than that, most foods are fair game. I gave up coffee at the start of my pregnancy because the hormones and morning sickness completely turned me off to the aroma and flavor. For the past few weeks, I’ve been enjoying a hot cup of decaf coffee most mornings. But I’ve been drinking my java with cream and sugar, rather than my pre-pregnancy standard of taking it black.
Any stretch marks yet?
Thankfully, not yet! I haven’t invested in any fancy moisturizers this pregnancy. I have always slathered on a generous amount of lotion after a shower, so I’ve been keeping up with that routine, making sure be extra generous with my new curves.
How’s the nursery coming along?
If you can believe it, I don’t have any grand plans for the nursery at this time. We painted the walls white throughout our house when we moved in and I plan to keep the clean white walls in the room. Rob and I bought a white crib and dresser from Pottery Barn Kids back in January. The dresser is on back order and the crib is currently boxed up in our basement. We haven’t registered yet and we don’t have a specific color scheme in mind. I’m leaning toward gray accents with pops of pink or blue after the baby is born, but we won’t go over-the-top with our nursery decor since we are trying to save for our forever home.
How is Rob handling all of the changes?
It probably won’t shock you at all to hear that Rob is pretty much a father-to-be superstar. He picked up so much slack around the house during my first trimester when I was too tired and nauseated to find any motivation. Even though I’m feeling much better these days, he’s still hard at work to keep me and the baby happy. He cleans the bathroom so I don’t have to be around chemicals, does most of the cooking and dishes, even takes care of most of the laundry! He has also continued to read What to Expect When You’re Expecting right along with me, as well as The Expectant Father and a few blogs for Dads. I simply cannot say enough good things about his level of support these past few months.
top via Stitch Fix / tank / watch / jeans (similar)
And there you have it! A not-so-little update on how I’m feeling and what life is like as we prepare for the baby to arrive. Things are pretty good in the Gavin household and we will be sure to share more updates with you in the coming weeks!
