*Originally posted June 28, 2017 on Fab . Fit . Me*
26 Weeks
What is up with Baby P #2 this week?
She now weighs about 2 lbs and measures 14 inches - about the length of a scallion or as big as a head of kale - and she continues to put on baby fat.
Her eyes are beginning to open! They've been closed up until now. And she can see what's going on now! Kind of. She can see light coming from outside of the womb!
Her ears are better developed and more sensitive than before. She could very well be able to hear both my voice and her daddy's as we converse.
Her brain-wave activity is gearing up at this stage of development which means she can not only hear noises. She can now respond to them.
She's also inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid which is essential for the development of her lungs.
What's been happening with ME this week?
Weight Gained: At this point, I feel like I weigh as much as a blue whale. And people's reactions to my growing belly every single day reaffirms my pregnancy weight gain.
Workouts: I walk and walk and walk all day at work. 5 days a week. Occasional long walks when Hubby takes the dog out in the evenings. Key word: Occasional. SoCal temperatures make me want to stay indoors as much as possible.
Symptoms:
Braxton Hicks contractions. I never felt them before with my first pregnancy. But totally felt something going on in my belly this week. At work, after running around and moving stuff, I sat down at my computer for a bit. And I just felt my lower abs contract. It was the strangest feeling ever. It wasn't painful. But they were "flexing" without me making them flex.
Mild swelling in the feet/ankles. Not quite Flintstone feet yet but getting there!
Bloating. And gas. Yup I said it! Baby is taking up so much room now that there's not enough room for food. And I still eat like I'm starving so my uterus pressing up against a full stomach doesn't help. The gas just happens. 🤷♀️
Mild leg cramps. Maybe because I need to drink more fluids. We have officially entered the summer season and it is hot here in SoCal. So yeah, I need to drink more during the days because at night, I barely roll over and I can feel my calf muscles tighten.
Trouble sleeping at night... mainly because I can't get comfortable enough laying on my side. It's starting to hurt. My pregnancy pillow just isn't doing the job. I've added more pillows to the mix.
Lower back ache.
Food Aversions: nope
Food Cravings:
Grapefruit sprinkled with salt
Anything coconut flavored - I had a Mocha Frappuccino from Starbucks with coconut milk. Totally worth the extra $0.60. Soooo yum.
And all things sweet. Nothing in particular. Just anything sweet. I maybe had 3 servings of something ice cream this week. Maybe.
Sleep: Just okay considering the uncomfortable-ness that's starting to happen. Frequent trips to the bathroom doesn't help. And now that the weather is heating up... it gets pretty stuffy. I don't like to sleep with the AC on... but maybe I'll go buy a 2nd fan just so this pregnant lady doesn't get too hot.
Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases? Finally made a pregnancy related purchase!!! And this first purchase was for ME!!! Yup, just purchased 2 wrap dresses from an online boutique. I've never bought anything from them before, so I'm hoping the dresses fit and and actually look nice on me. If they do, I'll try my best to "model" them and take some pics to post on here. But still no purchases for Baby P just yet. I'm still in the process of "nesting" here... but maybe after the baby shower, I'll have some stuff to show off on my blog.
Stretch Marks: None yet... but at the rate the belly is growing, I think it's just a matter of time before some new ones appear.
Miss Anything?: Being able to eat (pig out) without feeling like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
Belly Button In or Out? Out!
Wedding Rings On or Off? Still on! But mild swelling is happening because of this heat so maybe it'll be coming off in the coming weeks. Eeek.
Happy or Moody Most Of The Time? Moody in the beginning of my gestational week - I realize that people at work easily annoy me now. I'm usually pretty good at not letting things get to me, but this pregnancy has definitely made it difficult to tolerate that stuff. But happy towards the end for sure!
Any Movement? She's just as active as her sister was, if not more! I'm talking non-stop ninja warrior action.
Fun and/or Interesting Things from the Week? Not fun but definitely interesting. As mentioned in my last post, I said I'd keep you updated on my whole thyroid nodule situation. Well, results came back Stage 3 Undetermined. It means they can't conclude if it's benign nor malignant. I have to go back in 3 months after the Baby is born for another biopsy. This is what happened the very first time I had a biopsy. I went in 3 different times before they could conclude that it was benign. Anyway, trying to remain positive! For now, I'm just going to focus on continuing to grow this Baby. No time for negative thoughts right now.
And!!! I also went in for my 3-hour glucose test on Saturday. The lab at my clinic is open on Saturdays so that's where I spent my morning. I had to fast - couldn't eat anything past 10pm the night before - and tried to get to the lab at 8. Yeah I couldn't get myself to get out of bed. But I got there about 8:45. Got my first blood draw right away and then drank the glucola. Flavor this time? Lime. They didn't have the orange flavored. It wasn't so bad. Tasted like a very syrupy Sierra Mist. But thank God they chill these drinks because I don't know if I could drink it warm. 😖
My 2nd blood draw happened at 9:52, the 3rd around 10:52, and the 4th and final at 11:52. By the end of it I was sleepy and hungry! Came home and just started shoving food into my mouth. I probably exceeded the recommended calorie count for the day but whatever. I was starving and shaky. Anyway, got the results same day and guess what? No gestational diabetes for this chick! Woooohoooo!
Looking Forward To? This coming up 4th of July weekend!!! Friday, after my prenatal doctor visit, Hubby and I are taking a road trip up to my mother-in-law's to pick Ella up from her 2-week vacation away from us! We also plan to spend the weekend up there and then drive back Monday, in time to celebrate the 4th back home before we go back to work the next day. Probably the only "vacation" I'll have this summer and before Baby P #2 comes.
