The last weeks of the second trimester of my second pregnancy! Not the easiest but luckily the past couple of weeks have been quieter at work, or at least I haven’t been travelling which has made life calmer. This is good because growing this baby is becoming harder work! Still, I’ve been incredibly lucky and everything seems to be going well with the baby boy so I should have nothing to complain about really. I might still complain a bit if that’s ok…😆
Today we are kicking off week 27 and as we do, I wanted to write a little update on the weeks 25-26.
Pregnancy week 25
My baby boy has reached an important viability milestone and he would now stand a (slim) chance of survival should he arrive early. I have had no reason to worry about a preterm labour but still it’s comforting to know he’d stand a chance. But it’s of course way too early so just stay in there little one!
I’ve stopped reading about pregnancy weeks and symptoms etc because what different websites say rarely correlate with what I’m going through. For example I haven’t had any swelling/water retention, skin problems, heart burn or stretch marks so far! I also haven’t had any appointments since my second midwife visit at 17-weeks and second scan at 20-weeks, so I’ll just be reporting on how I think my pregnancy is progressing. 😊
What I remember the best from week 25 is being tired. Feeling exhausted to the bone literally every hour of the day, regardless of when I went to bed at night. I was tired and emotional and cried a lot for random reasons. Ironically I slept poorly too and kept waking up struggling to find a good sleeping position despite my amazing U-shaped pregnancy pillow. Maybe it’s because of the physical discomfort but I was also having weird dreams which made me restless and I’d wake up feeling disoriented and confused. I’d been getting back pain around my lumbar region and I’d wake up with a throbbing pain. It wasn’t bad all the time but especially when I’d been really active or alternatively after sitting at my desk for 10-hours at work, it would get worse. I went to a pregnancy Pilates class and also got a pregnancy massage which both helped. It’s hard to say which is better, rest or movement, as it depends on where the pain is, but in my case rest has been the best. I have no idea how much weight I’ve gained but by the looks of it, most of it is directly in my front (pointy bump!) which of course shifts my body weight forward and gives my back a hard time.
Another very unexpected “symptom” this week was loss of appetite. And when I felt like eating, I noticed I couldn’t eat as much as I normally do (with my bottomless belly) but I’d start feeling uncomfortably full quite quickly. I’m not a picky eater and love food but now most foods feel a bit “meh” and I need to force it down. I haven’t gone off chocolate pastries though and like my first pregnancy, my second seems to be fuelled by pan au chocolat and croissants! Not good at all – I hope I’ll pass my glucose challenge test in a few weeks!
Pregnancy week 26
Yay I’m not as tired anymore!! Still tired though, haha. I’ve slept much better this week. I don’t know why but I’m very happy that I have. They say exercise should give energy (I’m still not sure if this really applies during pregnancy) so I walked home from work a few times and went to a pregnancy yoga class last Friday (and will go again tomorrow).
Naps are life! I’ve tried to make the most of the weekends by sleeping or at least lying down while Maia naps. That way I have more energy to give her when she’s up and we had a really nice family weekend again. I took her to the Sunday school and then we played outside until lunch time. After we both had had a nap, we went for a walk with her and her Daddy and had a lovely Sunday roast at a gastro pub nearby. I could only finish 2/3 of my meal but it was yummy!
My back pain has moved to my left glute and is quite acute… I wonder if it’s actually sciatica pain since massage doesn’t seem to help. So this week I’ve tried wearing a light, stretchy belly band and using a fitness ball instead of a desk chair at work. I don’t know if it actually helps but at least I won’t be able to slouch on the ball! I do get a sore bum from sitting on it all day so maybe I’ll keep swapping in between my normal chair and the ball… I can’t wear a dress nor do I look very ladylike sitting on the ball legs spread out but oh well! I dare anyone to comment on it, ha.
Lastly, the absolute worst pregnancy symptom so far – Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions. Man oh man do I hate them. I remember the BH from my first pregnancy and even though I was able to stay quite active, simple things like standing up and walking would trigger them. I can’t remember if I had them this early on last time and the idea of another 14-weeks with uncomfortable/painful belly tightening every time I get up to walk is not fun… Google says they don’t hurt and that they go away when you change position – wrong! They can hurt and mine don’t always go away unless I literally lie down for awhile. Yesterday was a particularly bad day on this front and I had a pathetic little cry on my way home because I couldn’t walk three steps without getting another one. I was asking for advice from my Instagram community (thank you ladies!!) and many mentioned proper hydration as a preventative measure and a relief so today I’ve been drinking water all day long! A few mums also suggested magnesium so I’ll ask about that from my midwife at my next appointment (at 28-weeks).
I know the practice contractions are normal and it’s common for mums who’ve given birth before to get them early on. Still I couldn’t help but to start worrying about preterm labour… In my last pregnancy I was so used to painful BH contractions I didn’t realise when I was actually in labour! Obviously I did eventually figure it out, but knowing these tightenings can be the first step in the birthing process make me feel uneasy. But as said, when I lie down the contractions have gone away so nothing to worry about!
For the sake of balance, let’s not forget the best pregnancy symptom – baby kicks! There’s still plenty of room in my belly for the little one to move around and I can sometimes feel him at both sides of my bump simultaneously! Maybe his stretching both his arms and legs?! I can also see the kicks to the surface of my bump and my husband has no trouble feeling them too, which is lovely. The kicks are getting a tiny bit uncomfortable but I still love them because they make me feel more connected to the baby.
On Tuesday I went to my GP clinic to get a free flu jab. The nurse also suggested giving me the Whooping cough vaccine and I took it. I don’t want to sound like a wimp but that’s a one nasty jab and makes your arm hurt for days! But it also gives my baby protection against the disease until he will get his first immunisations, so I didn’t think twice but went for it (“ouch”).
I wish I had more energy for Maia. Last night I was so tired and in pain from the BH that I let my hubby, who’d come home early, take care of Maia’s evening bath. I heard him explain to Maia that mummy needs to rest because the baby in her belly makes her tired. I don’t know why this made me cry but it did. When he was getting her dressed in PJs she got upset and was asking for mummy so I went in to finish her bedtime routine. Poor little soul, she gets confused when we deviate from her normal routine.
I have to say I feel so lucky that Maia is still sleeping so well (from 7pm until 6/7am every night). I honestly don’t know how I would cope if I didn’t get my sleep…
This weekend my husband and I are going away on a mini baby moon! We are leaving on Saturday morning and coming back on Sunday afternoon, so I shouldn’t miss Maia too much. She will be looked after by her grandma who will come to stay. Hubby and I will drive to the countryside to a spa hotel to enjoy some quiet time, good food, the spa and massages. I can’t wait!
xoxoxo,
Sini