My Second Trimester
SECOND TRIMESTER
Ah, the second trimester. The promised “better days”. Not to sound ungrateful, but my first trimester symptoms (nausea and vertigo mainly) carried over until weeks 16-17. But as soon as those symptoms dissipated, I was able to feel Leo’s movement day to day. Feeling his kicks are without a doubt my favorite part of pregnancy.
By week 20 I had unrelenting, all-consuming heartburn, which I later got relief from with prescription meds. I was also diagnosed with hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) and placenta previa. It’s been a trip, but I always try to find the silver lining.
I knew my life would change drastically once we welcomed Leo earthside, but I had no idea how much my life would change during pregnancy. I’ve been thrown a curveball or two this pregnancy and have quickly learned to accept some things are out of my control. I suppose it’s just the warmup for the next 18+ years with unpredictable rugrats. In addition to letting go of control, I find I’ve slowed down so much more, which isn’t a bad thing by any means. It’s just been an adjustment to my usual fast-paced day-to-day.
Despite the little hardships during the second trimester, I really enjoyed it. By week 20 I had an undeniable baby bump, much more energy than the first trimester (but nothing compared to pre-pregnancy), and time seemed to pass by quickly.
BABY KICKS
So, before I go on to share my experience, let me say that everyone’s body and baby are different. Just because I felt this way, doesn’t mean you will too. Everyone’s timeline is different
I felt Leo as early as 14 weeks. Crazy, I know. I attribute this to my low-lying placenta. At first, the movements didn’t feel like kicks . . . it felt more like swooshing sand low in my belly. Considering I never felt anything like this before, I took it as a sign that it was fetal movement. This sensation was few and far in between, happening every other day, once or twice, or if I was lucky, three times a day. But it wasn’t until 18 weeks where I could feel distinguishable kicks. By then John could feel them too! But even then, the movements were never predictable like I anticipated them to be. Some days he was super active and other days not. But more often than not, he was kicking up a storm by 2 am. Go figure.
I look forward to this connection with our baby every. single. day. By 20 weeks, he was strong enough to feel and see from the outside. I think this spooked John out a bit. I mean it does look rather alienesque.
I soon realized that he hits a growth spurt every 10 days or so. I knew this because I was exhausted, unable to feel rested no matter how many hours I slept or the number of naps I took. And because he was less active than the previous days. But after 2 quiet days of few kicks and many naps, he always came back stronger, jostling around my belly, bouncing around it like it was a trampoline park. Now that I’m in my third trimester, I notice these growth spurts happen every 6-7 days or so. I have absolutely no complaints! I love these moments with just Leo and me, wondering if he’ll have similar movements or patterns to the ones he has in my belly.
LET’S TALK ABOUT GRUB
I feel like we fantasize about pregnancy like it’s some beautiful, poised phase of life. At least, I viewed pregnant women that way until I was pregnant myself. Again, not to sound ungrateful, but most of the time it’s wildly uncomfortable and a little scary at times. As someone who is very in touch with their body, I often have a hard time grasping the changes. Most notably, my appetite has nearly diminished this entire pregnancy. Don’t get me wrong, I eat. But I’m not curious about food anymore and I eat because I know it’s necessary for his growth and development. The desire to try new things, play with ingredients while blaring music throughout my kitchen just isn’t there. Most of the time, I want someone to cook for me, rather than do the work myself. Which, if you know me, is bizarre.
I have a few meals on rotation – half an everything bagel cream cheese, lox, and gardina, eggs (scrambled, omelets, over easy) with potatoes, brown rice bowls with chicken or shrimp and vegetables, loaded chili bowls, baked sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and alllllll the yogurt. Thrilling, I know.
Pre-pregnancy I liked to try new things throughout the week and cooked a hot meal at least once a day, but usually two to three times a day, sometimes more. Now, I’m all about ease and reheat leftovers more times than not. And honestly, that’s okay. It was hard for me to accept for a while. It felt like writer’s block or burnout but for a chef. But I quickly realized this was just a phase of life. And my body serves a bigger purpose, fueling and growing my boy!
Grublisher hasn’t taken the backseat. I’m still teaching classes and working with clients behind the scenes, but I’m promoting it less because honestly, it’s started to take care of itself. I’m beyond grateful for that especially during this less creative phase of my life. God is tooooooo good. If you would have told me two years ago that this is where I’d be, I wouldn’t believe you!
BIRTH PLAN
Sooooo, about that. At my 16-week appointment I found out I had a low-lying placenta but by my 20-week, 24-week, and 28-week appointments it was confirmed as complete placenta previa. That simply means my placenta is blocking my cervix . . . which means a c-section is medically necessary. And our little dude is also consistently measuring in the 97th percentile. So, yeah . . . my dreams of an unmedicated birth plan were quickly thrown out the window.
And let’s just chat about that for a second. “Birth plans”. Even though I haven’t had a baby yet, I’ve been around enough women to know that most plans are more like wishlists and that babies have their own agenda. However, I see no harm in anticipating the undertaking of birthing a literal human from your who-ha, and planning, or training if you will, for it the best way you see fit for your baby, comfort level, etc.
I have wanted to have an unmedicated birth for probably 5 years now. Why? If I’m being honest, because I’m a control freak and want to be able to feel my baby and body at work. I welcome discomfort with open arms because I know so much growth happens from it. Talk about extra. However, I stopped telling people that a while ago. Because for some reason I felt like I got more shame for desiring an unmedicated birth than I do telling people I now need a c-section. As if anyone has any say in the matter of my body.
“You’re crazy.” “You just wait, you’ll be begging for the meds.” “Why would you ever want to do that?”
These responses drove me mad. No matter a woman’s birth plan or experience, I am always in awe that she literally brought life into this world. I think we often forget the birth of a child is also the birth of a mother and I say we applaud her the same way we applaud new, little life, no matter the birth experience. I don’t say that to sound virtuous. I say that to hopefully paint a perspective, that no matter how it’s done, it’s f*ing incredible. And let’s encourage each other, rather than presume your notions are superior.
SO, WHEN’S HE DUE?
My due date is 11/10 but due to my placenta previa, we have a scheduled c-section for 10/29! This meaaaaaans we’ll be checking out of the hospital on Halloween. And you better believe John, Leo, and I will be rolling out of that hospital in costume.
All costume suggestions are welcome! So far, I don’t think my spooky-ish ideas (Beetlejuice, Addams Family, etc.) are ideal for welcoming our little dude into this very odd family.