I’ll be doing monthly pregnancy recaps to document the progress of this pregnancy and hopefully relate to some of you who are pregnant as well or interested in becoming pregnant! in this week’s recap, I’ll be recapping week 17, 18, 19, and 20.
overall
these past few weeks have been most exciting, because now, I’m not just ambiguously bloated – I look pregnant! my belly has definitely taken a more rounder shape, and I’ve enjoyed taking lots of bumpies (I’m sharing some of them today – but you should see how many I have on my phone!)
one of the best parts about the growing bump is how ‘sacred’ people treat pregnant women! it’s pretty amazing. I didn’t expect to be treated any differently (except my dear Lu, of course), but from my door men not letting me carry packages myself or people on the NYC Subway offering me their seats, I’ve felt like sort of a princess – or as my mother always said, ‘precious cargo.’
I definitely feel great – still no nausea, the headaches went away, and my energy levels have been totally normal. the only bummer is the back pain (see symptoms below) and having to modify my exercise routine. as you may know, I’m big into spinning (did you see my post on Peloton Cycle?), but I’ve started to get some cramping from all the hunching over and I don’t push myself as hard as I used to in those classes. luckily, I’m still able to do them, but I’m just being careful about bending over too much – it stresses out my back and seems to make me more crampy.
running is tougher – I’m used to feeling light on my feet, but having an extra 10-15 pounds around your stomach doesn’t help. I feel like I’m running holding a bowl of jelly (well, hard jelly) or something! not fun. I’m going to focus on building my stamina slowly back up on the treadmill, a mile at a time at a slow pace so that I can enjoy the warmer temps and running outdoors.
otherwise, I’m starting to create a nursery inspiration board and I’ve already received some sweet goodies from some brands, which is exciting. baby clothes are much more fun to receive that food, let me tell you! I posted this adorable baby outfit on IG, for example. can’t wait to star the nursery!
symptoms
- lower back pain. this has been the most difficult part for me over the past couple of weeks – it really flared up around week 18 and has been tough. when I’m on my feet all day cooking or I do a 45 minute spin class, my lower back throbs and I have to sit or lay down for a bit.
- side cramping. I’ve been getting cramping in my lower abdomen a lot and some sharp pains on the sides. my doctor told me these are from my uterus growing and everything moving around in there. the side pains are called ’round ligament pain’ and everything is totally normal and expected. I mean, this baby is over 10″ long now! isn’t that crazy?!
- itchy boobs and tummy. nothing too crazy, but I’ve noticed myself scratching my belly and boobs a lot more lately. apparently as your skin stretches, itchiness is a symptom!
- my hair is growing like crazy! I had to go back to the salon after 4 weeks because I swear, my hair grew over an inch in a month!
- more fluttering. the fluttering in my tummy has gotten more consistent – now, I can kind of predict when it’s going to happen. the baby’s most active at night, and I’m told that in the next few weeks, Lu will be able to feel the kick from the outside! I can’t wait 🙂
- weigh gain. I’ve gained about 9-12 pounds so far in this pregnancy. at first, I was worried I was gaining too much too quickly, but then people assured me in the beginning you tend to overcompensate for your bodily changes and gain a bit upfront, but it all evens out. I’m hoping to gain 25-30 pounds.
highlight of the month
the 20 week anatomy scan. of course, I was nervous, because it’s the last big ‘scan’/test you do that tells you if the baby is developing properly. but thankfully (and I did a big post on feeling grateful after that appointment), the baby is 100% healthy! we even got a cute little side profile picture and a creepy 4D image which I’ll spare you, haha.
we took a big sigh of relief (Lu was literally/physically on the edge of his seat as the technician ran the ultrasound that day) and can now relax a bit and enjoy the rest of this crazy ride!
favorites, etc
- I did a post on all my maternity favorites last week, check those out.
- I just bought a TON of basics from GAP maternity and loved them ALL. Just their t-shirts are wonderful – and they’re not low-cut at all, so no cleavage, just perfectly flattering crew neck shirts with ruching on the side. here is the t-shirt I bought (in 3 colors, haha.)
- just got this dress last night (I’m wearing it in the intro image to this post) and it’s SO flattering – I am going to totally buy it in the other colors now – it’s so cheap and Old Navy is having so many great sales.
bumpie progression:
