19 Week Updates: Baby 2.0

How far along? 19 weeks today!

How big is baby? The apps say that baby should be around 6 inches long crown to rump and a 1/2 pound in weight- about the size of a mango. It notes that babies usually have gone through a big growth spurt in the past week, which accounts for some of my symptoms listed below! Baby is also developing a protective layer over her skin called "vernix" that protects her from the affects of the amniotic fluid.

Weight gain? I am up to 125 now- for a 1 pound gain from last week and a 15 pound total gain so far. With Iyla I'd only gained 3.5 pounds at this point! I am still so curious if my overall weight gain will balance out toward the end, or if this is just going to be a bigger pregnancy overall.

I still can't believe how BIG this belly is… and I'm not even halfway through the pregnancy 

19 weeks with Iyla- ha! 

And this is 29 weeks with Iyla, at which point I'd gained 15.4 pounds- about the same belly & gain as now. Still following my trend of looking and gaining (and feeling!) 10 pounds ahead of my first pregnancy. 

Sleep? It was bad enough for most of last week that I dusted off my Unisom, and that has been a miracle worker the last few nights.

Food cravings/aversions? No real cravings this week, but one strange aversion. Several weeks ago I went through a phase of wanting bean burritos every day for lunch. Yesterday I decided to re-stock burrito supplies in an effort to have more quick, healthy, filling options on hand at home. Well, I took one bite of that bean burrito and absolutely could not stomach any more. Sooo- seems beans are out for now.

Symptoms? This week has been marked by extreme daytime drowsiness/fatigue along with an increased appetite, likely due to a growth spurt with baby. I have also had a doozy of a week with my hips & inner thighs- I'm in pain almost every time I rise from sitting. From my expert googling (haha), I suspect I may have what is termed "Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction." Since this started as a twin pregnancy with double the hormones, I think my body started really cranking out the relaxin, loosening things up a bit early & intensely. Sadly the only real cure for these ails is giving birth. Stretching and yoga help alleviate some of the symptoms, but I am usually in pain again with restricted movement shortly thereafter.

Big sister? BC was out of town for business last week, and Iyla seems to have an uncanny knack for sleep regressions & acting out when he is away. I am guessing it has to do with his absence- sensing it and needing extra reassurance & attention. But HOLY HELL. Being pregnant (and in pain) while having your 3 year old toddler up her anty through fighting sleep and also fighting anything else you ask her to do is not for the faint of heart. I was absolutely exhausted and DONE by the time BC got home. It was a trying week for sure, but I am happy to report that within a few days of BC's return Iyla's temperament is evening out again.

Weekly Mama/Iyla date night

Hamming it up before school. These faces!

School photo of friend Socrates carting my little wizard around

She's in this outfit almost every time I arrive for school pick-up!

Driskill happy hour with Mama & Papa

Morning park time with Papa

Most looking forward to? We have our big Anatomy scan ultrasound later this week, and I'm excited to see the baby again! So hoping everything looks good and healthy with her measurements.

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 weeks

How big is baby? The baby is now about the size of a peach- about 3.42 inches, and weighing close to 1.52 ounces. A fine layer of hair called "lanugo" is starting to form and protect the baby's skin. He/she is now relying upon the placenta and umbilical cord to nourish it, and is practicing inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid.

Total weight gain: This morning's weigh in showed a .8 increase from my base, so down a little from last week. I think this is entirely based on what I am eating + what is/isn't (ahem) coming out of me. I've actually had an amazing week of being a bit more "regular!" 

 BC asked me this morning how I could possibly only have gained .8 of a pound when my belly is getting so big? He surmised maybe it was due to losing some muscle weight. To which I replied "so you think I'm getting FLABBY?" He stopped surmising right there and then, which was definitely a smart choice.

I thought it would be fun to start recording how far along I am on notes (and yes, the sticky pad note is a tad dorky). Didn't anticipate the challenges of a mirror reflection! May have to corral BC for future shoots.

Sleep: Still good- trying to get in a 20-30 minute catnap each day when able.

Food cravings: I continue to love mango. It is like Christmas if I can find it already cut up and packaged at the store- otherwise I roll my sleeves up and do my best to hack into fresh ones (those suckers are slippery and HARD to prepare).

I also salivate every time I hear the word pancakes. Mmmmmm pancakes.

Food aversions: Nothing notable

Symptoms? I've had a few 'exciting' new things develop this past week. One was headaches. There have been several days where I get an achy headache that starts in my shoulders, emanates up my neck, and finally rests in my temples. It will taunt me until at last fall asleep at night, often with one hand nudged in a fist beneath my neck. I also awoke in the middle of the night this week to flashing migraine lights- the first I've had in awhile (and sadly there wasn't even any hanky panky preceding said migraine).

Another really strange thing that has happened is what feels like a pulled butt muscle on my left side. I really haven't been doing any strenuous exercise- mostly brisk walks, yoga, and some leg/glute strengthening. There also wasn't a moment or a discrete event that "pulled" this muscle- it just seemed to start hurting out of nowhere. My curiosity had me googling "pulled butt muscle in pregnancy" (seriously) and that led me to discover "pelvic girdle pain." During pregnancy a woman's body releases a chemical called relaxin that softens the ligaments around the pelvic area in preparation for birth. Because of this softening the pelvis is no longer in a locked position and more prone to injury resulting in swelling or pain. Sweet. Why oh why is NOW the time my beloved chiropractor decides to go to Hawaii for 2 weeks to get married?


I've forgot to mention another strange thing that has plagued me since early on in pregnancy- my right armpit itches all.the.time. I have no idea what that is about, and why it is concentrated to one side? I have also been more sensitive to earrings- they bother me & itch much more quickly than they did pre-pregnancy.

My nausea is still mostly reserved for the mornings, and pounces on me suddenly about 30 minutes after I wake up. It is a 'must eat something NOW' kind of feeling. One of my pregnancy phone apps said of 14 weeks: "If you are still feeling nausea from time to time, you may be one of the few women who experience it throughout pregnancy." Super sweet.

Most looking forward to: Planning a "Babymoon" trip with BC hopefully in August. My desire for a Mexican beach vacation got vetoed, so now we are thinking about a week in New Mexico (hey, it's still a version of 'Mexico!'). August is a fantastic time to get out of Austin's raging heat- and going to either water or the mountains sounds lovely to me.


***I also think I might have felt some 'flutterings' last night for the first time! After I laid down in bed, I felt some gentle gurgling like movement on my lower right side. I don't really ever feel food related energy down there, so paid extra attention. With this gentle fluttery gurgling feeling were a couple little 'pops'- which I imagined might be tiny feet or hands poking as the baby moved? Who knows if it was really anything, but it was super fun to imagine it might be the little one dancing around in there.***