Hello Friends!
I have been patiently waiting to share this second trimester recap with you all! I'm going to be sharing my real and honest overview of my experience so far. I'll be talking symptoms, cravings, gender reveal, changing baby's name, and how we are preparing for this third (and FINAL) baby!
Let's Catch Up
Currently, I am approaching 28 weeks pregnant as I write this update. This past trimester has had its highs and lows, but overall another good pregnancy experience. We are just getting super excited to meet our new little one as our due date approaches! Can you believe that in 10 weeks this baby will probably be born?! I can't wait to finally be to that point and enjoy having another little baby to love on. Our very last little baby!
How I've Been Feeling:
I mentioned in my First Trimester Recap post, that this pregnancy has been totally different and harder than my last two. I still stand by that. I have gone through more pregnancy issues/symptoms with this pregnancy than my others. Let's hope things just level out towards the end here.
Normally, morning sickness and nausea fades off by week 12-14 for most average pregnancies. Mine lasted till week 16 and I was so thankful to have that behind me. I never really experienced that with my first two pregnancies. Having morning sickness where you feel like you're going to puke but never do is just awful.
Once we got past that, things started to look up. I did have a about a two to three week period where my pelvic region and hips were SO sore! It was so sore that it hurt to walk. I avoided having to go to a grocery store or having to do much walking even around the house. I couldn't really lift laundry baskets or squat down to grab things out of cupboards without extreme discomfort. It got to the point that I called my OBGYN about it. After asking if I had any bad cramping or bleeding with this, answering no, they advised me to basically go on bed rest if I wasn't doing anything else. At least until I could be seen again at the next appointment. They were also able to get my insurance to cover a maternity belt for me, which I wore everyday until the pain was gone or subsided. In about two weeks of wearing the belt, the pain subsided and it wasn't painful to get around. I do still have some days where if I walk around for too long or do too much, I get this pelvic region pain again. My doctor said it's probably from the uterus expanding or pressure of baby.
I've been carrying this baby pretty low. A lot lower than my other pregnancies for sure (reminder: Aerianna was breached so she was up in my ribs / Jaxon was low but about center and head down). The ultrasound tech said this baby is LOOOOW. Like real low. I totally agree! I always feel this baby to the right side of my belly button and most of the movements are low in my pelvis between my hips. I felt most movement from my other babies up above my belly button in past pregnancies. It makes me wonder if this baby is going to be ready early like Jaxon. Jaxon came into this world on this own 2 weeks early! I wouldn't be surprised if we had this baby early too.
I also have experienced new to me pregnancy symptoms like feet, ankle, and calf swelling. I had CANKLES for a good week. I only dealt with this out of the blue swelling in my legs for one week and then it disappeared. This was around week 26. I would be fine all day and by the end of my work day (working from home and sitting) I would have cankles. I would get off work to elevate and ice my ankles.
I've also had some acid reflux too. This is a pregnancy symptom I had with both my first two pregnancies. The first pregnancy I lived on tums to help with it. The only thing that helped my second pregnancy was chugging 2% milk. This third pregnancy is a combination between the two. I usually get it right after lunch or late a night. Although, this time around it isn't as terribly often. I've heard tales where it means you will have a hair baby. Maybe this baby just isn't all that hairy or won't have a full thick head of hair.
I'm still managing shots pretty well. Some days they don't hurt and other days I accidentally get a vein and start bleeding for a minute after the shot. My husband wants me to ask if I should start doing them more towards my side rather than 2 inches away from my belly button. We were advised early on that as your belly expands and the skin tightens it may be easier to do it else where. My husband is also concerned that I may end up stabbing the baby. hahaha. His fears are cute. So we will see what the doctor suggests on that. As of right now, I don't have discomfort where I've been doing them. If anything it's gotten better and less painful.
Overall, I think I've been feeling pretty well and doing pretty well managing the different symptoms that come with pregnancy. I'm just looking forward to this last trimester and getting to the point of holding our sweet baby.
Our Birth Plan:
We still have not reached the point of talking to the anesthesiologist about having me put under for surgery rather than attempting a spinal or epidural for a third time. This waiting game for answers on that bothers me. For the most part, I stay pretty calm and worry fear. Basically, it will be what it will be and we can't control it until that day comes. I have worries that they won't approve it and that the epidural or spinal block will fail again for me. Leaving me paranoid that they might start cutting and I feel everything. Yup, not okay with that. It's a whole thing and I'm not the slightest bit prepared for if it's not approved. I'm just going to try to remind myself that however it happens; it's going to be alright!
My sister actually recently just gave birth to her son. Her delivery didn't go as planned either and ended in a c-section. She was extremely fearful for a c-section, because of knowing my experience and just in general being very knowledgeable of how the surgery is preformed. I was amazed and so proud of her. Luckily for her, her spinal worked and she numbed. She was awake throughout the whole surgery and did so well! Of course, mentally, she was still wigged out. At least she did it and wasn't completely freaking out like me. So if she can get do it then I'm sure I can do it too... that is if I numb.
I know I've talked about my birth experiences in other blog posts, but here is a quick recap of what happened in the past with me. My first pregnancy was a c-section due to a breached baby. I had a epidural with my first c-section and I did not numb. I could feel pain sensor responses when they did their "prick" test. I immediately started shouting at them to not cut. They thought I was crazy or just paranoid. Again, I shouted at them to not cut. They agreed it was best to put me under. The second c-section, I had plans to be put under from the very beginning. But towards the end, plans changed when doctors changed. This doctor would not approve me to be put under from the get go. It took me a long time to mentally prepare myself that I might be awake for this one. This time around they did a spinal block instead of a epidural. The spinal block would be stronger and should work without failing. I also asked for calming medicines that could be given to me during the procedure. I remember them giving one dose of that and asking for my husband as I started to feel the anxiety build. They told me he was coming and right behind the operation doors. Next thing I know, they were giving me another dose of the calming meds. Probably because I was legit panicking and I'm sure my blood pressure readings were getting high. That second dose or my anxiety caused me to black out. I don't remember anything after them saying "give her a second dose". My husband says he entered the OR and I didn't know he was there. I was laying on the table screaming. Just screaming. I have no memory of this. He could not handle being in the room with me unaware that he was there and my screaming. He told the nurses and doctor that I needed to be put under and he was leaving the room since I had no recognition or acknowledgement of what was going on. They assured him that I would be put to sleep and that's what happened.
My hope is that they will approve for me to be put under and we can avoid another situation like this from happening. My guess is they won't approve it and something similar will happen like it did with my second pregnancy. I will probably panic, black out, scream my head off or be totally awake, screaming my head off, uncontrollably crying, and lead to being put to sleep. I absolutely do not want to be apart of the experience. I have no desire to see what the outcome might be or take my chances with seeing if I numb or not. Hopefully in my next recap post, I will be able to share good news about our birth plan!
Food Aversions & Cravings:
Nothing much has changed here, besides being able to stomach hot coffee again!!! It's been a glorious month enjoying hot coffee in the morning. I still crave ice cold drinks and slushies. I still want sweet items like fruit or fruity flavors. Although, I don't have strong cravings for anything. Nothing I couldn't go without having that is.
Gender Reveal:
We had to wait till my 20 week appointment to find out the baby's gender, because my insurance would not cover the blood test. It was a extremely long wait and we would kindly debate whether it was a boy or a girl. My husband really wanted it to be another boy and I had strong feelings since day one that it would be a girl. I mean, I even silently referred to our baby as a girl quite often before evening knowing the gender.
At our 20 week ultrasound, our baby was in a weird position facing my spine. It made it difficult for the ultrasound tech to get all the images she needed. We couldn't get several images of the heart, lungs, mouth, and of course... the gender. Yup. We waited all that time to have to wait 4 more weeks for our 24 week appointment to find out if our baby was a boy or girl. They gave us this to go by... "It looks girl - ISH, but I would not be surprised if a penis popped up." Insert strong eye roll.
The next appointment, it was suggested to make sure we eat well and drink a ICE cold drink before coming! No problem! We grabbed breakfast and iced coffee before going to the appointment. It seemed to have helped, our baby was much more active. We also had a different tech who was able to get the images we needed more easily. Most importantly, WE FOUND OUT THE GENDER!
Of course, I could have planned out in advance a grand gender reveal for instagram. I mean honestly, I thought I would document this pregnancy more on there. Instead, I've been enjoying being private about it and just soaking in this last pregnancy instead of marketing it. We were just excited to finally know for ourselves and tell our children and family.
Our third and finally baby, is a sweet little..... GIRL! Yes, our baby is a girl! I had such a connection from the beginning saying it would be a girl. I was so beyond thrilled that it was girl! I think my husband had a little gender disappointment at first, but he is becoming ready to have another girl. He tries to connect more with baby in my belly now and try to feel her kicks.
Changing Baby's Name:
We've had names picked out early on, but my lovely husband decided he wanted to reconsider our new daughters first name. We had the name Alyce picked out for her. Which came about when we were picking names and I liked "Allison". Aaron asked if we could reconsider the name and go back to the name "Allison" and figure out the spelling of it. I was okay with this because I wanted her name to be Allison more than I wanted it to be Alyce. Although, I really like the way Alyce is spelled with a "Y" vs a "I".
We literally wrote out 10 different ways of spelling Allison and asked our immediate family to cast their votes because we couldn't decide. Ultimately, we ended up picking the way we liked it spelled. It just took us a while to agree on that. I liked the y vs I, but we also wanted her nickname to be Alli with an I. Our daughter, Aerianna, has the nickname Aeri with an I. So Aeri and Alli would be super cute. We also pronounce Allison more as "sin" vs "son", by habit. Therefore.... we came up with a spelling of the name I don't think I've ever seen but I like it and that's all that matters. haha.
Her name is going to be Allisyn Irma-Jean & I LOVE it.
Preparing for Baby:
I have been making sure we have all the things well in advance! I already ordered the car seat, stroller, and pack n play! I also made sure we have a couple newborn onesies and pjs incase no one buys that size at the shower. Somehow, we only had a couple outfits in newborn size when we had our daughter. We didn't realize the lack of clothing we had for her and on our way home from the hospital we stopped at Walmart to buy our daughter clothes. My husband has since made sure we have newborn size clothing for our kids.
We've also been grabbing any free samples of formula available at the doctor appointments. Theres a formula shortage going on and I have a stock pile I've created. I would hate to be in the situation that my sister is in currently. Her son has been diagnosed with a dairy and soy intolerance, so he can't have any of that in his formula. The formula she has to buy is like $60 a can! It's also only available for purchase at big chain stores like Walmart and Meijer. Which both these stores are having a difficult time stocking the shelves with it. She's been having to check stores that are 50 miles away, just to get her hands on it. Even if your baby doesn't have a special type of formula they need, it's pretty impossible to get your hands on any formula right now. Your options are limited.
We're also planning our baby shower, which I am having next weekend!!!!! That went by so fast! I decided to have it two months before my due date. I simply want to enjoy myself and not be a hippo. I'm already the size of a hippo, but as we get closer, I will just be even more uncomfortable. This will also give us plenty of time to order any last minute items we may not get from the shower and be able to receive said items. I'm pretty excited for it! I know multiple baby showers is not traditional, but we haven't had a baby in 5 years. We actually donated and sold all our baby items when we moved into our house 4 years ago. We thought that chapter was closed. I'm so appreciative that so much of our family is going to attend and celebrate with us! That just makes me feel so loved and I'm so thankful for the support.
Snuggling The Squish:
The most exciting thing that has happened during my second trimester is getting to meet my sisters first baby!!! She delivered her son on Feb. 10th. Since his delivery, I have tried to go see them once a week. Just to check in, visit, help if I can, and sneak in all the snuggles with Mr. Squish! Aaron has asked me if I am doing this so I am more prepared for when our baby gets here. haha. No... I am not. I just love his squishiness and it makes me excited for our baby to be here too.
My sister and I will have babies that are 4 months apart! She was so happy that her baby would get to grow up with a cousin close in age and just in general close by! Most of our cousins live 30 minutes away or out of state. We may get to see them a handful of times throughout the year. This will be such a different experience for me as well! It's going to be so much fun to see the babies interact and play with each other!
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