**2nd Trimester - Week of July 4th** New leader needed next week

Piperella

This is a weekly check-in for those in their 2nd trimester: weeks 14 through the end of week 27.

Congrats to all the strong ladies who have made it this far! It's such a great feeling and we've all accomplished so much! We are now 1 week closer to the end of this especially long journey we call "infertility".

Please post below a little about yourself, how many beans you have growing inside, if you have found out the sex(es) and what your EDD is. Please also let us know how far you've made it on your journey and when your next appt is and what for.

Mommies to Be:

@piperella EDD 10/2/16 with 1 boy!

@ecb3588 EDD 10/16/16 with 1 bean!

@kennelchick EDD 10/18/16 with 1 girl!

@Morningstar80 EDD 10/18/16 with 1 boy!

@laur2444 EDD 10/19/16 with 1 boy!

@Jerseygirl856 EDD 10/20/16 with 1 girl!
@wenikilina EDD 10/28/16 with 1 girl and 1 boy!

@sassysd7 EDD 10/31/16 with 1 girl and 1 boy!

@tvh1982 EDD 11/11/16 with 1 girl!

@ZoeFer EDD 11/14/16 with 1 girl!

@Rachd110 EDD 11/19/16 with 1 bean!

@mskeenan EDD 11/20/16 with 1 boy!

@vmjones05 EDD 11/26/16 

@PrayingMom2Be EDD 12/3/16

@ssandberg EDD 12/4/16 with 1 girl and 1 boy!

@capps42613 EDD 12/5/16 with 1 boy!

@kuposa17 EDD 12/7/16

@erica0901 EDD 12/10/16 with 1 boy! 
@griffin5413 EDD 12/28/16 with 1 boy!
@Emma61210 EDD 1/1/17 (Our first 2017!!!)  with 1 girl!
@hskoien27 EDD ??/??/16

QOTW:  What food or drink do you associate with summertime?  If you have a recipe,  share it! 

Who wants to be the new leader of this thread next week?   I'm moving to 3rd trip next week! 

tvh1982

Happy 4th July all you lovely ladies!

Here all is well, besides having a fish swimming in my belly I finally got a kicker too! She actually kicked the cat away who just had found her spot! It was adorable.
Today the cat was prepared and ignored the little kicks.
It is amazing!
Heartburn is kicking my butt bigtime. Yay for a new symptom.
And I had my two hour glucose test today, so crossing my fingers all is well.

QOTW: I love love watermelon juice. I always drink it on holiday as they don't sell it anywhere in Norway (I make it, but it's not the same)
I eat lots of salads in summertime. Lost of fruit ones...just mix what I have with any flavour yoghurt.
And I got introduced to a broccoli salad..which was great: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/broccoli-salad-recipe.html I just leave out the bacon.

kennelchick

Hey everyone! Happy 4th of July and happy Monday for those outside the US. I took my dad to a sox game today for his birthday and by the 5th inning I needed to leave. It was way too hot for me, our seats, though great, we're directly in the sun and I just couldn't handle it. I spent most of the time in the concourse away from the sun, but it was too much. I feel bad making my dad leave early. 

My little Snowflake has been kicking up a storm! However she likes to stop just as my husband tries to feel. Little stinker. 

@Piperella congrats on moving on to the third trimester! I'd take over, but I'm only a couple weeks behind you. This is week 25 (crazy how that happened!) 

QOTW: I associate summer with slices of watermelon and my dad's recipe for potato salad. I'd post it, but he still won't tell me what makes it taste so good. 

Jerseygirl856

Hi everyone! Happy 4th of July! 
I had a busy weekend with my family and spent today relaxing with my feet up. I get tired really fast lately but I wouldn't trade this feeling at all. I can feel her movements getting stronger and she seems to very active daily and I love it! 

QOTW: Food I associate with Summer is Watermelon. I have been eating it at least 3-4x a week! Recently I had my first taste of yellow watermelon..wasn't bad but I'll stick to red for now. 

laur2835

Happy 4th from Connecticut!!! All is well here! And yes @kennelchick it's crazy I'll be 25 weeks as well....time is flying by!!! My shower is coming up the end of July, so I'm gearing up for that! Also, we're starting to get ready to work on the little man's room....we're doing a nautical theme for that and the shower!
qotw: def watermelon for summer food as well! Also lobster! Can't wait to go down to the shore and get a lobster roll!!

tvh1982

Guess we can save say watermelon is a big hit

ZoeFer

Hello all, Happy to hear that everyone is doing well. Everything is quite on my side, at least physically I am all right. I think the hormones have started to make me too emotional all of a sudden. This week I am so confused with my emotions, happy but anxious then sad all of a sudden. I skyped with my grandmother and started to cry because i missed her. I can see that H is getting confused and not sure how to deal with my emotions
I had a very relaxing and nice long weekend though. We did lots of walking in the parks, yoga , eating and relaxing. I also did my first maternity shopping this weekend, maternity pants are very comfortable  
QOTW: I have to say watermelon as well Especially when i was a kid, we used to eat watermelon everyday after dinner, sometimes as dinner And ice cream of course.

Rachd110

Hi ladies, sorry I've been MIA for the last 3 weeks. I was taking a 3 week microeconomics course for my MBA. It usually is 7 weeks, but this was an accelerated course with everything jammed packed into only 3 weeks. It just so happened that the last 3 weeks of work was also very busy, so work and school really kicked my butt. I am glad the class is over and I can finally rest. I'm going to try to read the second trimester threads from the last three weeks to catch up with everyone. 

I have my 20 week anatomy scan today. I'm so excited to see my baby again! It's been 6 weeks since my last ultrasound. I started feeling quickening around 17 weeks, which felt like bubbles popping in my belly so DH and I started calling our baby Bubbles. 

I also associate watermelon with summer. My DH loves watermelon so it's been a regular buy at the grocery story the last few weeks. 

Griffin5413

ZoeFer  - I'm right there with you in the emotions department. I definitely have a much lower threshold with my patience!

QOTW: I'm right there with everyone else. I love cold watermelon on a hot day! 

erica0901

I had my check up today at 17w3d, everything looked good as far as BP and baby's heartbeat is concerned. I am concerned about my weight gain, I gained 6 lbs this past month and 5 lbs the previous month. The doctors aren't too concerned since I'm having a C-Section, but I just don't understand the weight gain. I am still exercising, but I guess my diet could be better? I know I can't stress about it, but it's still concerning to me. What do you ladies think?

Over the holiday we announced to close family and friends that we are having a boy. We also announced the name, Spencer Elliott

QOTW: I am originally from outside of Baltimore so I LOVE crabs and corn on the cob. That screams summer to me!

ZoeFer

@erica0901 happy to hear that your appointment went well . I am definitely not an expert in weight gain but I have read that you should gain around 1 lb per week during 2nd trimester , so 5-6 lbs per month does not seem too much to me? As long as I eat healthy and good , I try not to worry about my weight too much. 

Piperella

Hi all!  I'm of course excited to be in my last week of the 2nd trimester.  I've had a fairly uneventful 2nd tri, and haven't minded being pregnant all that much.  Earlier on in the 2nd trimester, I had issues with my blood pressure dipping too low, but was able to balance it out with small meals every two hours.  @erica0901, as @zoefer mentioned, women gain about .5-1lb per week on average.  Some weeks I went without gaining other times I gained two!  I think most months I gained about 2-4 lbs but that is also because I'm overweight to begin with. My Ob has been fine with my weight gain so far.  

Right now my butt hurts sitting in my office chair.  I'm about to buy one of those gel pads/cushions. I just cannot get comfortable in it.  I think that is my biggest complaint (other than always being tired).

QOTW:  I love all the watermelon responses!  I've been enjoying my fair share of watermelon as well. I remember always making "sunshine" tea on our back stairs when I was little in the summer, but now that I'm super lazy, I'm enjoying my fair share of unsweet tea from Chick-fil-a.  haha.  It's been my go-to.  I only drink tea, skim milk, and water.. OH.. and the occasional apple juice.. that is summer to me as well. 

erica0901

@ZoeFer and @Piperella Thanks for the reassurance ladies!

capps42613

18 weeks OB appt today went well. No issues/concerns with my BP or baby's HR (150bpm). Next week we will have the official anatomy scan. DH and I finished our baby registry the other day. We settled on a "Finding Nemo" nursery theme. Super excited to finally be feeling some movement in there! Hope everyone is feeling well!

QOTW: watermelon & crabs definitely!!

Jerseygirl856

@erica0901I too love crabs! Just had some blues over the holiday weekend! Also, I agree with piperella and zoefer..5-6lbs over a month doesn't sound too bad. If your doctor isn't worried, I wouldn't stress over it too much. 

mskeenan

Hello beautiful mamas !! 

@zoefer I'm with you on being hormonal ! I cried earlier today about my kitchen not being organized and then I cried later tears of joy holding a newborn onesie my mother in law gave me . 

@rachd110 I'm glad your class is over ! My husband recently finished his MBA so I've seen how stressful it can be ! Hope your scan today went well !!

@erica0901 I'm with you on the weight gain ! It is hard but like others mentioned I wouldn't worry about it if your doc doesn't say anything . 

@capps42613 decorating that nursery will be soooo fun !! I love finding nemo . I saw finding dory recently and cried my eyes out . It was too cute 

As for me - I had my 20 week anatomy scan today . My little man is healthy and measuring right on track . I was so excited I just can't believe it . I am amazed at his development . Seeing all his little parts was just a miracle . I am finally feeling his little flutters and kicks despite having an anterior placenta . I am finally at the point where I am loving being pregnant . Not that I didn't before but I just feel like this is really the good part of pregnancy - at least for me . 1st tri was rough and I was so anxious about bleeding . I'm happy to report still no bleeds and my scan today didn't show any concerns . 

Im with everyone on the watermelon . Mm and crabs . Now I'm hungry !! My favorite thing to make over the summer is a blueberry cobbler/crisp . Here is the recipe . It's made with oatmeal and is soooo good ! I love berries 


https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/blueberry-oatmeal-crisp.html

Griffin5413

With all of this talk about watermelon yesterday, I had a dream about watermelon last night. LOL

Piperella

Speaking of crabs... I found the perfect crab dip at the Hippodrome Cafe in Baltimore, Maryland.  I am seriously salivating just thinking of how yummy it was.  I called there and spoke to the chef who gave me the "loose" recipe, but it had no measurements.  I'm a horrible cook, so I never could get it right.  

I also learned on FB how to pick out the perfect watermelon.  You go for one with a white spot (from sitting on the ground in one spot.. you know it's been there long enough) and with the brown scarring (that comes from pollination, which means it is sweet).  I haven't tried it out yet, but it gives me hope of not getting a dud watermelon.

mskeenan

All of this talk about food is making me even more hungry ! Anyone else just starving ? I'm waking up in the middle of the night starving . Lol 

Jerseygirl856

Hi ladies, I had my monthly OB appt today and all is well. My BP and my little ones HR is great. I have to go back in a few weeks for my glucose tolerance test and I'm already dreading the hour long wait. Any nutritional tips are welcome because I really want to avoid the 3 hour one. After all this talk of watermelon, as soon as I left my appt I went bought one. I wish I would I read @Piperella tips before hand. Hopefully I got a good one.

riveridgional

**lurking**

@Jerseygirl856 My OB recommended fasting before my 1 hour glucose test even though it's not required. She said she sees a much higher false positive rate with women who ate before their tests. If yours is early enough, you may want to consider fasting. For what it's worth, I found the GD test to be very "hyped up" and not bad at all. Best of luck to you!

tvh1982

Hi @jerseygirl856, I had my glucose test on monday morning.
We are not allowed to eat 8-12 hours before the test, only drink 1/2 glass water if you really have to.

I took blood at 08:45 in the morning, then drank the sugary water...which tasted like I drank cake frosting. It didn't taste good, but it wasn't horrible. And then I had to sit an wait for 2 hours. I brought my crocheting and crochet away. I had slightly diffuculties with staying focus, and as I still do the morning sickness my body wasn't too fond of the sugary water. Two hours later I did a new blood test and went home. Had some snack with me on my way home. Got sick once I was home (again, it is probably related to my morning sickness that I still have) and wasn't much worth after so went and found a blanket and stayed on the sofa. Once I managed to eat a little again, all was forgotten. So I didn't think it was too bad, and probably wouldn't have been scik if I was a little bit better with handling food.

tvh1982

@zoefer: completely understand about the hormones..I think I scared the sh*t out of my neighbour kids as they keep using my apartment as a goal for football, and kicking the ball against my windows..this mamma had enough..and I tell you she had enough!

@Piperella: what is sunshine tea? And thx for the watermelon tip, I'll try it later today!

@erica0901: I can't relate to the weitght gain, but believe if the doctor isn't worried, neither should you. I lost 20LBS and only gained back 2 so far. I was worried I was/am gaining to little, but my doctor isn't worried, so I try not to either!

@griffin5413...a watermelon dream? Was it a big scary watermelon chaise or a 'eat all you can'watermelon dream?

Piperella

@tvh1982 - Sunshine tea is what I call it when you put water and tea bags in a pitcher and then would leave it out on my back steps in the sun for a few hours.  I think it made the tea taste better than when we would just make it in the kitchen.

Griffin5413

@tvh1982 - It was more of an all you can eat watermelon dream. I already had strange dreams before I got pregnant so it's not surprising that I get them more often now

Jerseygirl856

Thanks ladies for the tips! i was told I could eat my regular breakfast but I think I will skip it and maybe go with hard-boiled egg just to have something on my stomach. 

Emma61210

Finally made it to 2nd Tri (just checking in a little late! lol!!!)

EDD 1/1/17 and ITS A GIRL!!! We just found out

Our next appt is next Thursday. 

QOTD: Summertime always makes me think of watermelon and homemade ice cream... and lots of grilling out! (Also summertime drinks by the pool but that isn't happening this summer!)

Rachd110

@mskeenan surprisingly, I'm not that hungee. In the first trimester I was starving every 2 hours, now I can go 4-5 hours without eating. 

@Griffin5413 I've also been having weird dreams. A week ago I had a dream that I didn't know who my baby's dad was. It was between two men that I have never seen in my life. 

I'm 20 weeks and have only gained 6-7 lbs. should I be gaining more? I'll ask my midwife during my appointment next week. My 20 weeks scan went well. Baby cooperated and doc didn't see anything unusual. 

I've been doing a lot of research on natural childbirth vs epidural. I'm 50/50 and don't know how to make the decision. Natural childbirth is so very painful, but very rewarding and recovery is faster. I'm worried about interventions because one intervention always seems to lead to another. I've already put my body through so much I feel like I can handle natural childbirth. Do any of you know your plans yet? 

tvh1982

I will have a natural child birth @rachd110. 
as it is common in the Netherlands to have home delivery. So not much choice there. 
I don't like to talk about it too much here in Norway as people freak out when I mention it...guess what one doesn't know is scary. Yet back home people are suprised if I would mention giving birth in a hospital. 

Piperella

@rachd110 See if your hospital of choice has the option of using nitrous oxide.  There was a thread somewhere in the PAIF forum (this group) about it.  It's about 50% of the dosage of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) they use in dentistry.  There are no long-lasting effects with it like an epidural, and definitely not as invasive.  We are definitely going to go the nitrous oxide route to hopefully avoid or prolong the "naturalness" I suppose.  If an epidural is needed, so be it, but I'd like to be as noninvasive as possible.  Supposedly you feel the pain, you just don't care about it..haha!