The 2nd Trimester of Pregnancy Through Social Isolation
At this point, writing this at 27 weeks but will be 28 weeks when I post this, I am feeling very appreciative for this experience on the whole– it’s been beautiful, humbling, and overall a real practice of true surrender and trust. It’s important to find the little joys that are all around if your eyes are open enough to see them.
That is not to say that it has all been complete smooth sailing. Being quarantined from my family and friends has made moments in the day emotionally challenging. I miss 4-hour book club evenings with my friends talking about everything and nothing. I miss having my mom over to rub my feet and help me get the nursery ready. I miss hugging my dad with a tight squeeze and taking in his scent of Old Spice, the way he has smelled my whole life.
No one besides Sam has felt BIB kick and I am not sure if they will, which is a bummer, to say the least.
At least on Mother’s Day we got to have an outdoor social distance meal and take a few pictures together. My cousin, Steve DeVilbiss is a photographer.
I miss my extended family. I miss birthday, shower, and wedding celebrations that have been canceled. I miss being there for my loved ones through the tough times too. My cousins beloved dog of 12 years passed away and I couldn’t be with them through one of the hardest moments of their lives. That has been brutal. What I wouldn’t give to sit on the couch and hug both of them while whipping up a good meal.
Sometimes, I mourn the loss of experiencing a pregnancy with life being "normal" and business being conducted as usual.
However, in spite of all of this, I am having a healthy pregnancy, filled with the grace of God’s love and I am quarantined with the most wonderful person- my husband. As much as I love social outings, I am also a homebody at heart and I love my home. I try and focus on that.
This opportunity has really given Sam time to bond with BIB and I know that we will be better parents because of this experience. It has provided us the opportunity to communicate how we want to parent down the road in a way that I don’t think we would have been able to if life was going at full-speed per usual.
Just when I didn't think Sam and I could get any closer and just when I didn't think I could love Sam more than I already do, another day passes where I am proven dead wrong.
This isn't to say we never argue- WE DO.
He's a man for God's sake.
You don't think I want to pull my hair out of my head at times?! But never for long. It's impossible to be cross with Sam for long. Plus, he has been the best partner in this pregnancy journey every step of the way.
Up until I was 18 weeks pregnant, I was still reeeeallly illlllll. Like, nauseous everyday, all day. All of which was way past the first-trimester mark, which everyone kept telling me would be the end of the misery.
“Just wait for week 12, you’ll feel so much better and have so much more energy!”…….things I know now what NOT to say to a pregnant woman who is showing no signs of improvement as that date gets closer to the end of her first trimester.
The nausea has dissipated quite a bit. I was starting to eat way more normally from week 18-25. At that time, I was having more days of the week feeling pretty good, than not. PHEW. PRAISE THE LORD.
I am feeling grateful for little things like craving vegetables and eating normal portions.
These are things that have been good for me to eat:
Lentils: Lentil soup & French Lentil Salad both sounded great. I use the pre-made steamed lentils twice from TJ’s for the salad stuff and soak dry ones for the soup lentils.
Beans: mostly garbanzo beans and stuff made with it like hummus, falafel. White beans, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans have all been good too.
Soups (veggie, bean, broth or rice-based)
Romaine lettuce for salads
Greek salads
Green apples & organic cheddar cheese
Smoothies!
Lettuce, heirloom tomato & avocado mayo with sea salt on toast
Toast with butter or peanut butter
Scrambled eggs
Ice coffees and espresso
And of course… pizza and pasta on occasion :)
Am I still working out?
I try to get 8,000 steps a day if I do a workout video like pure barre or Isaac Boots. If I don’t get to do a video, my goal is to get 10,000 steps a day. The weather in April was rainy and pretty yucky, but Sam is an amazing support system. He makes sure we get out there and walk multiple times a day even when I protest. And I never regret it once it’s over.
He knows I feel like I’m a superhero in training: for labor, for birth, and for holding a newborn at all hours of the day. Mommas need strength and muscles! I think I would be doing a better job of this if we weren’t in quarantine because I would be going to pure barre five days a week probably. But, we are just dealing with the cards that we were dealt.
At this point, I figure if I can just keep moving daily, that maybe my body will just think it’s normal as I keep growing gradually instead of getting out of shape.
I have had a lot of aches and pains in my lower back and my feet. I think that it wouldn’t have been so bad if I could’ve gotten prenatal massages about once a month or so, but since we are still in quarantine, I think there’s a lot of treatment I could be having that I am not able to have access to during this time.
Sam finally started massaging my feet and doing a semi-decent job too. I actually start tearing up when he does it with lotion because it feels so good, I can’t even describe how amazing it feels. My feet are definitely my biggest issue right now. I experienced sharp pains and the agony is pretty severe.
I am planning to see a chiropractor and a podiatrist for these issues.
Am I sleeping well?
That’s a hard NO.
I’ve been taking my nighttime routine to an even more serious level by getting in bed to meditate most nights and putting my phone on airplane mode. We stopped watching TV in the bedroom to improve my quality of sleep. We are willing to try anything to get me to sleep better.
I am also trying to make my bedroom feel more like a spa. I’m rubbing beautiful lotion all over my belly and face before bedtime. I use the Calm app to meditate before bed most nights.
I can feel her kicking a lot late night and A LOT early in the morning (4 am), so that’s been sweet… but also wakes me up. Just training for what’s to come I’m sure!
Relationship to food, weight gain, body & mentality:
So, I’ve always had a normal relationship with food, but I’ve wondered if going through pregnancy was going to be tough for me since I have put on a lot of weight and I’m usually pretty conscious about eating a healthy and balanced diet. I’m also conscious about living a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
I’ve been really just trying to tune in and eat when I need to, vs using pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything and anything. But it has not been easy.
I made myself a chocolate croissant last Saturday.
I’ve been talking about making it for the past eight weeks, so I’ve been able to put it off for a long time. I finally caved, especially because I can have one and be done instead of eating one after the next.
I am just so grateful I’m not only able to eat exclusively white food anymore like I was for the first 18 weeks. I don’t need bagels three times a week and pizza to be satisfied anymore. And even though I ate the chocolate croissant that morning, which by the way was totally worth it, I ate a lentil and beet salad with fresh spinach for lunch. It’s about balance.
I’m just trying to be as normal as possible with my daily habits (workouts, food and walks) so that it’s not such a huge swing AFTER this little gal is here. It is my preference to ease in and out of things rather than deal with drastic changes. I’m not perfect by any stretch. My in-laws bought me an ice cream machine and I made the most incredible mint ice cream that has ever existed. But I’m careful about portions.
I’m craving way more fruit than I do usually and white bread has not been off the table. I love a sourdough loaf. I just make sure that I have something like a nut butter or yogurt with my fruit to fill me up.
At 27 weeks, I can’t even tell you how much weight I’ve gained because I haven’t looked at the scale in a while. It’s a lot. But I honestly don’t even look anymore. I don’t think I want to know. I’m not flabby or anything. I’m incredibly dense. My muscles feel super strong from my exercising, so I’m focusing on that instead of a number on the scale for now.
My body feels really different. My behind feels larger and almost a little droopier which I’ve never felt in my life. Same for my boobs.
My feet have never felt more disproportionate with my body as I am 5 foot 8 with a size 7.5 foot. These pups are carrying a lot of weight.
My feelings about it? I can’t say I feel great about it, but I’m not losing my mind over it. I know I’ll get back in shape, that’s not my issue. I just wish I was in a lot less pain.
The bottom line is I just want a healthy little babe and I know that my body is meant for this. I trust in my body and my intuition always– and will afterwards as well to tell me what I need to eat and do to recover and get back to feeling normal again.
Any cravings?
Not like in the beginning. I still love carbs more than usual, but I’m craving proteins now more than I was the first half of pregnancy. When a craving does come on though, it is SO POWERFUL. Like nothing I have ever experienced.
What am I wearing?
I just started wearing compression clothing from Blanqi since reading about all the benefits. I haven’t gotten super into maternity wear since we’ve been quarantined for the past 8 weeks. Why spend the money on clothes when I have nowhere to go? I’ve been buying BIB clothes instead.
If you are looking for some reccos for workout gear, I shopped Nordstrom Maternity online and got some great stuff from here. Target has some affordable maternity options and it comes really fast. I am also loving a lot of what amazon has to offer.
What have been necessities?
Using all my creams and lotions consistently. These are some that I use everyday:
Taking unisom 1x per week. I took this every night during my first trimester because I was so ill.
Sleeping with two rolled-up towels, one between my legs and one behind my back.
I just got spandex from target and they are incredible. Best $8 spent (on sale from $12).
I’m slowly getting into using some essential oils.
Books?
I read bringing up bébé. Then I had my mom read it and Sam is in the process. We plan on having a book club soon. My dad needs to read it too because he is the worst disciplinarian out of all of us! He will be on board with all the healthy eating portion of the book, but it is a great read. My favorite so far.
I’m reading all about Hypnobirthing now and moving into books about sleep training.
Expecting Better was a great read. The Mama’s Natural Guide to Pregnancy has been a good resource as well.
Classes?
We are taking Childbirth Education classes with our doula and very good friend, Shalini Shah. I can’t begin to describe to you what a game-changer these classes have been. They are fun and informative. They are also great because we can take them virtually and during this time of quarantining- it has been a must!
This dress was under $30 from Target.
What’s up next?
The third trimester. The good news is that I feel like we are ahead of the game a bit! The nursery is basically done and we have a pediatrician lined up. The registry is done too, but who even knows if we’re having a shower since things might still be in lockdown. Our birth plan is coming together and BIB pretty much has a real name that will not be shared until she is born (much to Donna Momma’s shagrin).
Stay tuned for more as the weeks progress 😊