I would like to start by airing a grievance of mine. Why is the first trimester 14 weeks, the second trimester 14 weeks, and the third trimester is only 12 weeks? I was so excited when I was 26 weeks and 6 days pregnant that I would be starting my third trimester the next day, only to find out (upon searching the internet), that the third trimester starts at 28 weeks and I still had to wait 1 more week. I confirmed this by talking to my husband, Dr. Keith. He said he believed the reason for it only being 12 weeks was that it was originally based on age of viability (with our advancing medical technologies the age of viability is about 24 weeks now, but there is still a much better chance of survival without major long-term medical problems at 28 weeks). All that being said, I think it is unfair to call them trimesters, since trimesters suggests some sort of even division. I suppose if I go 2 weeks past my due date, however, that I will have 3 14-week trimesters.
The second trimester went much better than my first trimester. Here are some examples of how that was so:
Cravings: I started craving more real foods. While in my first trimester I was craving Twizzlers, Poptarts, McDonald's McFlurry's and french fries, Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft...with the powdered cheese), and Hot Pockets, by the end of my second trimester I was craving cereal (All Bran), Salad and Soup. I was also able to increase my water intake from 4-6 glasses a day up to about 12 or 13. All in all, a much healthier diet and one that makes this future dietitian feel much more at ease.
I started showing: I have been wanting to "show" since I was about 6 weeks pregnant. I told myself that if I would wait patiently for about 10 more weeks that my wish would come true and I would start to develop a baby bump. This, however, did not happen. When I was 22 weeks pregnant, I spent a half hour talking to someone, offhandedly mentioned that the baby is due in December, and got the response "You're pregnant!" At 23 weeks I started to look a little bit pregnant if I was wearing something form fitting. I even said to Keith at one point, "It's too bad that I don't have anyone to hide my pregnancy from because it would be a piece of cake. Like an unsupportive boss." Finally at 25 weeks I had one person venture to ask if I was pregnant (a risky move that I would not have made, but props to her for getting it right), and at 26 weeks I looked measurably bigger than the week before. However, my bump grows and shrinks from day to day, likely based on the position of the baby and how big of a lunch I eat. Here is a picture of me starting my 3rd trimester!
My weight loss finally stopped: At the end of my first trimester I had lost 11 pounds. As of a few weeks ago I had lost 20 pounds (I was so sick I hadn't eaten the day before and I was dehydrated, so I think this may have been a false low weight). I am now down about 18 pounds. Over the course of my second trimester I only lost 7 pounds and have been weight stable for a few weeks. This is good news, and I can rub it into Nurse OB's face if I run into her again. I have been able to eat more calories and eat more regularly now than I could even a month ago. I still have a really rough day about once or twice a week where I sit on the couch and rock back and forth because my nausea is so bad, but once a week is much better than all the time.
The nursery is almost done: I finished several of my art projects and hung them up in the nursery. I think it is really starting to come together. Now the only things that I need to finish for the nursery are a painting, a punch-needle project, and putting the baby's name on the wall (something I can't do until I know whether we are having a boy or a girl). I also need to organize baby clothes and baby gear, but we don't have any of those things yet, so I can feel guilt free that I haven't started on that.
Reading: I've gotten some reading done. Edit: I've gottensome TONS of reading done. While the insomnia is really annoying, it has given me time to pursue reading in the wee dark hours of the night. Early in pregnancy I read a couple of books about being pregnant. During my second trimester I began to read books about giving birth. Next on my reading list are books about raising babies and keeping marriage strong when having babies. Mixed in there are some books that I have read just for fun. I got 7 books for my birthday (1 month ago) and have already read them all. I enjoy reading so it has been nice to get through a large portion of my pile of books. Also, while reading can only prepare you so much, it does help me to feel more in control in situations that are largely out of my control.
Names: We picked out names!!! We have spent several months going through thousands of names, and last night we finally decided on a boy's name (we finalized the girl's name a couple of months ago). But no, we're still not telling. I am having two baby showers: one in Keith's hometown and one where we live. Since my mom and mother-in-law are both going to be at the second shower, we are going to reveal the sex of the baby at that shower. Keith and I don't know the sex of the baby - it is in a sealed envelope on our refrigerator (no, we haven't peeked). We are going to give it to our baker, he is going to fill the cake with either pink or blue buttercream, and we will find out with our party guests if we are having a boy or a girl when we cut the cake open. We decided that we wanted to give a little something to the guests at the first shower, however, since they don't get to find out the sex of the baby, so we are going to announce our boy and girl names at that shower (2 Sundays from now).
So, as you can see, the second trimester was much more productive and successful than my first trimester. And I'm hoping for an even more successful third trimester!
The second trimester went much better than my first trimester. Here are some examples of how that was so:
Cravings: I started craving more real foods. While in my first trimester I was craving Twizzlers, Poptarts, McDonald's McFlurry's and french fries, Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft...with the powdered cheese), and Hot Pockets, by the end of my second trimester I was craving cereal (All Bran), Salad and Soup. I was also able to increase my water intake from 4-6 glasses a day up to about 12 or 13. All in all, a much healthier diet and one that makes this future dietitian feel much more at ease.
I started showing: I have been wanting to "show" since I was about 6 weeks pregnant. I told myself that if I would wait patiently for about 10 more weeks that my wish would come true and I would start to develop a baby bump. This, however, did not happen. When I was 22 weeks pregnant, I spent a half hour talking to someone, offhandedly mentioned that the baby is due in December, and got the response "You're pregnant!" At 23 weeks I started to look a little bit pregnant if I was wearing something form fitting. I even said to Keith at one point, "It's too bad that I don't have anyone to hide my pregnancy from because it would be a piece of cake. Like an unsupportive boss." Finally at 25 weeks I had one person venture to ask if I was pregnant (a risky move that I would not have made, but props to her for getting it right), and at 26 weeks I looked measurably bigger than the week before. However, my bump grows and shrinks from day to day, likely based on the position of the baby and how big of a lunch I eat. Here is a picture of me starting my 3rd trimester!
My weight loss finally stopped: At the end of my first trimester I had lost 11 pounds. As of a few weeks ago I had lost 20 pounds (I was so sick I hadn't eaten the day before and I was dehydrated, so I think this may have been a false low weight). I am now down about 18 pounds. Over the course of my second trimester I only lost 7 pounds and have been weight stable for a few weeks. This is good news, and I can rub it into Nurse OB's face if I run into her again. I have been able to eat more calories and eat more regularly now than I could even a month ago. I still have a really rough day about once or twice a week where I sit on the couch and rock back and forth because my nausea is so bad, but once a week is much better than all the time.
The nursery is almost done: I finished several of my art projects and hung them up in the nursery. I think it is really starting to come together. Now the only things that I need to finish for the nursery are a painting, a punch-needle project, and putting the baby's name on the wall (something I can't do until I know whether we are having a boy or a girl). I also need to organize baby clothes and baby gear, but we don't have any of those things yet, so I can feel guilt free that I haven't started on that.
Reading: I've gotten some reading done. Edit: I've gotten
Names: We picked out names!!! We have spent several months going through thousands of names, and last night we finally decided on a boy's name (we finalized the girl's name a couple of months ago). But no, we're still not telling. I am having two baby showers: one in Keith's hometown and one where we live. Since my mom and mother-in-law are both going to be at the second shower, we are going to reveal the sex of the baby at that shower. Keith and I don't know the sex of the baby - it is in a sealed envelope on our refrigerator (no, we haven't peeked). We are going to give it to our baker, he is going to fill the cake with either pink or blue buttercream, and we will find out with our party guests if we are having a boy or a girl when we cut the cake open. We decided that we wanted to give a little something to the guests at the first shower, however, since they don't get to find out the sex of the baby, so we are going to announce our boy and girl names at that shower (2 Sundays from now).
So, as you can see, the second trimester was much more productive and successful than my first trimester. And I'm hoping for an even more successful third trimester!
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