How are you feeling?: Pretty good. Been a little tired but not too bad, and I'm dealing with occasional aches/pains from little growth spurts I think. Nothing that's been too overwhelming, unmanageable, or persistent though.
Rants/Raves:
Rave: Bought a pump! I got the Elvie double since it was on sale. I'm still planning to get the Spectra S2 through insurance as well.
We also went rocker/glider shopping and placed an order for a really nice glider at a local furniture store. We were both really disappointed in all of the target/amazon glider options so I'm happy with what we picked even though it was much more expensive. And I'm also happy we did this early, because we got a custom fabric so it won't arrive for about 8wks, but I'm so excited to be able to use it through the 3rd trimester. And I honestly had such a great time testing out all the gliders in person It was such a relief on my back, and I'm only 20wks!
Rant: I really hate how much clothes-buying I've needed to do. I really try to not buy clothes very often, and when I do I like to get stuff that's higher quality and more sustainably made, but that's felt like almost an impossible task for maternity clothes.
I also had to break down and buy a swimsuit. We went to a resort for the weekend to hang out with some family, and my bikinis really did not fit or look very flattering. I was able to get one to work for me for the weekend, but I was definitely busting out of the top, and the bottom was giving muffin-top vibes and kept rolling down on my every time I moved So embarrassing. I saw a girl who was much more heavily pregnant than me, and she had such a cute bathing suit, I was dying to know where she got it. It had kind of a ruffly peplum type top, and it was really flattering and covered her bump nicely. I tried to scour the internet for it and couldn't find it!
Questions: None today
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any! 2 pets! 1 cat and 1 dog. My cat has a very large frame and a lot of people tell us he's the biggest cat they've ever seen. We think he might be a maine coon mix. And he's just sooo cute and fluffy!
My dog is a border collie/aussie mix, and he's super loving and fun, but very high energy. I want to make sure he doesn't get neglected once the baby comes, and that he's still getting all the attention and exercise he needs. Both my husband and I have been giving him extra exercise and play lately just to kind of reinforce the habit, plus it's good for me to get out and get daily walks in with him as well anyway. My plan after the baby comes is to go on daily walks with both of them, and bring her along in a carrier. I hope it won't be too difficult to do.
My husband's family has also expressed concern that he's going to be too rough with the baby and we're going to have to keep them separated, and it honestly makes me so sad that they even think that. He's been around babies before and he's super gentle, so we literally have zero concerns with him. But I think they think that because he usually gets really excited and jumps when they come over, but that's really just because he loves having guests over, and he usually calms down after that. He's not gonna see this baby as a "guest" in his home so we're not worried he's not going to jump all over her. He's gentle with us, he's gentle with our cat, and he's gentle with our nieces, so I don't understand why they'd think he would be gentle with our own baby... My only concern is that he's going to bark loudly and wake her.
Rants/Raves: I’m making a German chocolate cake for my housemate’s birthday tomorrow, and while I forgot how complex the batter is, I’m excited to try it!
Questions: none
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any! We have one dog, a lab/great Dane mix. She’s a sweetheart with people but terrible with other dogs. She’s getting old - she’ll be ten this fall - and that’s sad to see, although she’s still in good shape.
Baby is the size of a (an): puffin/banana/stack of pancakes lol
Team blue/pink/green: blue! We just found out this week
Upcoming Appointments: regular baby check with my gp and glucose tolerance at the end of June
How are you feeling?: pretty good, I have some back/hip issues from before pregnancy that are getting worse so I’m seeing a chiropractor.
Rants/Raves: we were so surprised we’re having a boy every pregnancy or baby dream I’ve had has been about girls so I just assumed that my babies would be girls. I’ve already gotten the question “is that what you were hoping for?” Such an irritating question, it doesn’t matter, baby is healthy that’s all I need, he’s going to be so loved.
still dealing with managing MILs excitement, she’s telling everyone that we’re having a “mini [husband’s name]”. I don’t know why that is so annoying to me but I feel forgotten in a way. Not sure how to describe it. Just annoying and I’ll correct it next time I hear it.
Questions: those of you with an anterior placenta, when did you start feeling baby more consistently? Just gauging if I’m on the same track. Thanks!
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any!
We have a golden retriever, she’s just over a year and a psycho! But she looooooooooves kids so it will be fun seeing these 2 grow up together.
Baby is the size of a (an): pomegranate/endive/very specifically “the size of a Tervis water bottle with lid” 😂
Team blue/pink/green: girl
Upcoming Appointments: Anatomy scan today!! (5/30), next appointment 6/5
How are you feeling?: Great! Feeling baby kick! 🥰🥰
SI joint issues returning, but trying to manage it
Rants/Raves: Rant: moved on Tuesday: oof! Glad that’s over!
Rave: Looking forward to finishing unpacking and settling in! Our dog is SO happy in our new neighborhood and absolutely loves the backyard!! ❤️❤️
Questions: anyone else’s belly feel really heavy in the mornings?
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any! we have one dog, Hippie! She’s a pittie mix we adopted almost a year and a half ago. She’s adorable, hilarious, and very cuddly, especially with me being pregnant. She had a tough life before we got her, so we are still working on socializing her with people and dogs, but she’s a quick learner and does great once she’s more comfortable. ❤️
@knottie just wanted to say that I would also be super annoyed by that comment from your MIL. My mother spent like two years of my son’s life telling me and everyone else that he looks “just like” my dad or my brother. It made me feel so invisible! He actually looks like me and after telling her that a few times she finally cut it out.
Upcoming Appointments: next prenatal visit is sometime in June, can’t remember exactly what date
How are you feeling?: Good! I finally am feeling some fluttering movements that I can confidently say are from the baby. I kept denying them because they were so subtle. It makes it feel more real! Also we are leaving for England tomorrow for two weeks and I still have so much packing to do. I’m nervous to fly internationally with a toddler in my lap but looking forward to the trip and the cooler weather.
- I had an anterior placenta last time and I didn’t feel movement until closer to 22 weeks. But once it started it never stopped!
Rants/Raves: I got to see baby boy at our anatomy scan yesterday and he looks great! I was so relieved that everything looks healthy and is growing on track. But bittersweet because now I likely won’t see him again until he’s born!
Questions: Any good travel tips for flying/driving with toddlers? My daughter is 20 months old
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any! We have a 2 year old corgi named Wilbur. He is such a loving goofy guy and really great with our daughter. He has some funny quirks and he loves to eat more than anything
@puzzlehead11, thanks for the response, I feel baby moving a bit but it’s inconsistent, I’m probably just super impatient!
@blueberrylemonade12, thank you for sharing your experience. Sucks that we need to manage other people so much. It also made me realize I said that garbage to my SIL which I have apologized for. You’re right, it makes you feel invisible, kind of just the carrier/incubator.
Upcoming Appointments: Just finished anatomy scan and regular visit so I won't be going back for 4 weeks.
How are you feeling?: Honestly I'm a little stressed out. Though I'm super excited about the baby, I feel like she's constantly moving.
Rants/Raves: I don't know if it's a rant or not and I'm not sure if it's a common problem or not but I'm not gaining much weight. The doctor says he wants me to gain atleast 5 pounds by our next appointment but to be honest I don't think I've ever gained that much in 4 weeks. For reference I'm not unhealthy all of my blood work and check ups are good, I've just always been petite with an overactive metabolism. I've been hearing about it all my life, how small I am, how I must not be eating enough, I eat all the time pretty healthy meals throughout the entire day but I've never gained much and it's been a point of frustration for all of my life and Iwas honestly hoping it wouldn't be a problem for my pregnancy. The anatomy scan showed a healthy baby, the exact size she should be. But now I'm feeling kind of stressed out about it. Everyone in my family is talking about how small I still am and now the doctor seems worried about my weight. I don't know maybe I'm just being overly emotional and I'm not really sure what to do. For now I guess all I can do is try to gain the weight. Sorry for the long rant I don't really have anyone to talk to about it, all the women in my family just tell me to eat more, or comments about how lucky it must be to not gain weight. It doesn't feel lucky right now not maybe I'm just complaining for nothing. My husband tries to help bless his heart but since the baby is healthy he just says I should relax and not worry so much because that's bad for the baby and he isn't wrong he even suggested maybe just add some protien shakes to my everyday food lolz but it doesn't make me feel better haha.
Questions: Is anyone else having similar issues? Any advice they could share?
GTKY: Tell us about your pets if you have any! Well we actually have two cats, a boy cat named Chester who is an absolute baby and a girl cat named vex who I think just figured out I'm expecting by how often she's been in my lap and purring lolz
@tuvarri - I have not gained much weight either, only about 3-5lb total so far I think. My doctor was not concerned at the last appointment but she did tell me I should expected to gain about 25-30lb total by the end my pregnancy, so I guess I've got about 20lb to go still. You're probably in a similar boat, which would mean we need to gain about 1lb a week until the end.
I think the main concern is that you don't want to gain too much weight too quickly, since that can cause issues, so they probably want you to get started on the weight gain now so you can do it as gradually as possible.
I like the recommendation of getting an extra protein shake in a day. I'd also recommend trying something like Boost or Ensure, which are complete nutrition shakes. They're a little expensive, so they're not considered necessary in typical healthy adults, but they're excellent for people who are struggling to gain weight to maintain health (cancer patients, elderly, and in our case, pregnant people).
I don't think you need to be too stressed out about it now though, I mostly think they're trying to emphasize the importance of the weight gain now so you can get started on it sooner, just to preempt any issues down the line if you don't gain enough weight in this period. Right now you're okay, but if you don't start gaining more it could become a larger concern to your doctors.
I also don't like that the people in your family are commenting on it and making you feel bad. They're probably just concerned and are trying to help, but it feels super inappropriate to me.
Just for reference, I've seen this breakdown of the total 30 pound weight gain by the end of pregnancy:
Baby: 7.5 lb
Placenta: 1.5 lb
Amniotic fluid: 2 lb
Uterine enlargement: 2 lb
Maternal breast tissue: 2 lb
Maternal blood volume: 4 lb
Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 lb
Maternal fat stores: 7 lb
I'm petite as well, so I expect all these numbers to be higher than what I will actually be able to gain. And I'm honestly not expecting at 7.5lb baby either. I was closer to 6.5lb, my husband was maybe 7.5lb, so I'd guess around 7lb for mine. Also, I don't know if I'm completely off base, but the "maternal fat stores" recommendation feels so entirely optional lol. Sooo, for me, I've personally been targeting closer to a 20lb weight gain (don't tell my dr ).
Right now, at 20wks, baby weighs less than 1 pound still, and you've probably gained about 1lb each of blood volume and amniotic fluid. For the rest, I have no idea, but I think if you've only gained a few pounds so far it's probably close enough to on track with these estimates.
And honestly, I also have no idea how accurate these numbers actually are. My SIL only gained about 10lb total during her pregnancy, and was totally healthy with no issues, but she was a little overweight to begin with so I think that affected how much weight she expected to gain. Her baby was about 7.5lb, so basically almost all of her weight gain was the baby. So I have no idea how the rest of the weight gain worked for her. I'm certain she did gain blood volume, amniotic fluid, etc, but somehow that's not reflected in her total weight gain, so that's super confusing to me.
@lizzzy217 Thank you so much for your reply!! I can't tell you how much better I feel after reading it. I'll be sure to look into ensure or something similar just in case but it's nice to know I'm not on my own here. Thank you..
Re: Weekly Check-In (5/27 - 6/2) 🍭
still dealing with managing MILs excitement, she’s telling everyone that we’re having a “mini [husband’s name]”. I don’t know why that is so annoying to me but I feel forgotten in a way. Not sure how to describe it. Just annoying and I’ll correct it next time I hear it.
We have a golden retriever, she’s just over a year and a psycho! But she looooooooooves kids so it will be fun seeing these 2 grow up together.
we have one dog, Hippie! She’s a pittie mix we adopted almost a year and a half ago. She’s adorable, hilarious, and very cuddly, especially with me being pregnant. She had a tough life before we got her, so we are still working on socializing her with people and dogs, but she’s a quick learner and does great once she’s more comfortable. ❤️
@knottie3d1020a70b8db805
- I had an anterior placenta last time and I didn’t feel movement until closer to 22 weeks. But once it started it never stopped!
Rants/Raves: I got to see baby boy at our anatomy scan yesterday and he looks great! I was so relieved that everything looks healthy and is growing on track. But bittersweet because now I likely won’t see him again until he’s born!
Questions: Any good travel tips for flying/driving with toddlers? My daughter is 20 months old
We have a 2 year old corgi named Wilbur. He is such a loving goofy guy and really great with our daughter. He has some funny quirks and he loves to eat more than anything
@blueberrylemonade12, thank you for sharing your experience. Sucks that we need to manage other people so much. It also made me realize I said that garbage to my SIL which I have apologized for. You’re right, it makes you feel invisible, kind of just the carrier/incubator.
Well we actually have two cats, a boy cat named Chester who is an absolute baby and a girl cat named vex who I think just figured out I'm expecting by how often she's been in my lap and purring lolz