like I did with baby boy Luca, 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 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, and 23. I’m currently 24 weeks pregnant.
the recap, weeks 18 – 23
I can’t believe how quickly six weeks have flown by! this trimester is basically all about getting that bump, and I definitely popped around week 21. while I started “showing” earlier than I did with Luca, that leveled out, and I don’t really feel much bigger than I did with Luca. also, since my first pregnancy wasn’t high-risk and I had a normal vaginal delivery, my doctor has told me I only need to come in for appointments every other month, which is convenient, but it makes the pregnancy fly by even more quickly!
at first, I wasn’t as excited about every little milestone, because I’ve been through it, but now, for some reason, it has hit me that I’m having a girl, and I’m really starting to bond with her. something clicked and now I can’t stop dreaming about raising a girl and wrapping her up in cozy pink blankets. I’m not a huge pink person myself, but there are some beautiful blush blankets (like this one by my favorite Saranoni) that I’m giggly over. I even bought her her first book for her mini nursery library: Princesses Wear Pants (we watch the Today show everyday and love Savannah Guthrie, so had to buy it!)
speaking of nursery items, we finally decided to stay put in our current apartment and build a mini nursery in our master bedroom. in my last recap post, I spoke about being so stressed about our living situation. we did all the measurements and it’s totally doable. I think I just wanted to have a feminine space for the girl so badly, that I was focusing more on a dedicated nursery rather than living space and what’s more important when you have children is living space – especially since Luca is only getting more mobile, more active, and requires more space to run around! so the past couple of weeks, I can’t stop dreaming of turning our bedroom into a mini nursery. AKA all my time is spent on Pinterest.
the highlight of the past 6 weeks was the anatomy scan, where the doctor makes sure everything from the heart to the spine is growing well. it’s such a breath of fresh air after that appointment, like you can FINALLY relax. my appointment for our gestational diabetes test was supposed to be earlier this week, but my OB had to reschedule, so it’s next week. it will be with another doctor in the practice – the one who actually delivered us!
other fun updates
- keeping it real with the vagina talk – no one ever talked about swollen vaginas with me when I was pregnant with Luca and it didn’t really kick in until later in my third trimester, when the baby started moving down lower. but I’ve felt a little more, ehem, puffy, lately than usual.
- kicks on the outside- around 21-22 weeks, I started feeling the kicks on the outside! it’s so exciting, but Lu says he hasn’t felt them yet – why is it always that when you put your partner’s hand on your tummy to feel a kick, the baby stops moving?
- sleep issues – still not sleeping well, I’m just so restless! however, once I figured out the living situation, I have to say, I’m sleeping much better. however, I’m having the craziest dreams!
- food cravings – raviolis. every time I see the word ravioli or pass them in the grocery store, I want them. I just made some with Rao’s Tomato Basil sauce and some roasted broccoli and it was exactly what I needed.
- baby sprinkle decision – we decided not to do one! my mom and sister said they rather spend the money on me and the baby, and I feel the same way.
- baby moon booked – we’re going to Miami for a long weekend! I’ve already started buying clothes for this trip, haha! we’re staying at a nice hotel, booking reservations at nice restaurants, and will enjoy the beach.
- Luca is totally weaned – just before Luca turned 16 months old and I was almost 20 weeks pregnant, he was weaned. I had to go away and tried pumping, but after 5 minutes with the pump, I asked myself, “what is the point if my goal is to stop nursing in a couple of weeks?” and just like that, he went from having milk once a day to not having it at all, and he was fine!
- getting sick – I didn’t get sick for years and then once Luca stopped nursing, he started getting runny noses and coughs and now I can’t keep off a cold! I know it’s the time of the year, but dang! my nose is like a faucet at least for 1 week each month!
- exercise – I’ve been doing mostly 30 minute Peloton rides and 45 minute sessions at the gym, combining strength training with uphill treadmill workouts. just listening to my body!
- discomfort at the end of the day – the belly gets super heavy and I’m starting to get some of that lower back pain
maternity favorites
I think because I didn’t get to wear cute sweaters and springy dresses with Luca (I was at my biggest at the peak of summer with him), I’m really taking advantage of it this time – and I’ve been enjoying building a bump wardrobe.
- all the maternity favorites from my last recap post still stand true! still in those lululemon align leggings!
- this nursing dress is coming with me to Miami, it’s so flattering and just sexy enough – and will be great postpartum
- these denim bib overalls I wore to a friend’s 40th the other weekend and got so many compliments on how cute I looked!
- since we won’t have a closet for the baby in our bedroom (ours are maxed out!), I got this clothing rack and can’t wait to style it – it’ll probably stay at the foot of our bed. I love that it has room underneath for storage, too!
- got this lush blanket from saranoni and it’s making me want to snuggle the baby girl in it so much, even though it’s going to be the summer when she’s born, ha!
- splurged on my first HATCH item after a couple right nights of sleep (ha!) and am obsessed with how comfy and soft it is, I can’t wait to wear it all spring long! got it in a size 1 in ‘voyage stripe.’
- got this jumpsuit (I’m acting like I have a bladder that’s bigger than the size of a pea, by the way) for our Miami trip/all summer long while I’m recovering postpartum for whenever I want to feel chic in the heat!
- my winter coat got just a smidge too tight around week 22 and I was sick of sucking in to zip it up and not being able to sit down when it’s zipped, so I got this coat extender, in an effort to save some money (so I could splurge on that HATCH jumpsuit, haha #balance) — it’s PERFECT and snaps into any type of coat.
for more favorites, check out my first trimester recap and follow me on @inspiralizedali on Instagram, and check out my Pregnancy Favs highlight icon!
and that’s it! see you in a month for a recap of weeks 24, 25, 26, and 27!