20 weeks

I’ve never done one of these pregnancy weekly recaps that I see many of the bloggers do. I’ve thought of it, but honestly, I don’t notice that many changes from week to week regarding food, cravings, weight change, etc so it always felt pointless for me to do it.

However, I know a lot of people enjoy seeing it. I’m halfway as well, so I figured it’s a good time to do some documentation of what has been going on with my pregnancy.

This was taken at 19 weeks. I need to use an actual camera, but most of the time it’s just me and awkward/douchey iPhone pics into mirrors have to work. Sometime in May in June I am having Cailtin take my maternity shots and I can’t wait. I loved working with her last year and know she’ll do a great job again.

And this was taken today—at 20 weeks. I debated on whether to show these shots since I am wearing shorts that are from the 70s and about to disintegrate into thin air and I’m just in a sports bra—but oh well, it’s all I’ve got.

Today was spent doing a lot of spring cleaning. My mom make over to help out and we turned up Randy Rogers and cleaned our little hearts out for the better part of 2-3 hours or so.

Chad is coming to Oklahoma next weekend…and I know life is going to get chaotic, so I wanted things to be shiny and as clean as possible for him when he gets here.

The rest of the day was spent eating an amazing omelet with a friend for lunch (eggs stuffed with bacon & avocado) and then Barnes & Nobles for 4 hours of studying. It was my most productive study day (in terms of depth & focus) so I will take it.

Alright, on to this pregnancy update.

We aren’t finding out the sex of the baby, so for now, it will just be called baby. Nothing fancy here.

Baby

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He’s also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel —the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby’s legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the “crown to rump” measurement. After 20 weeks, he’s measured from head to toe.)

He’s swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He’s also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you’ll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery). —-from babycenter

How I’m feeling

Fantastic. I have much more energy then previously. It’s comforting to have a little bit of a bump (makes you feel like you actually are, indeed, pregnant) but the bump is not nearly big enough to be uncomfortable or get in the way.

Nursing rotations have become a little more difficult. 8 hours on your feet gets tiring and your back starts aching around around hour 4.

I see one of these belly supports in my future for rotations.

Thankfully, lifting and turning patients has still been ok and hasn’t provided me with any uncomfortable pains or uncomfortable moments.

Sleep

My stepmom and dad were nice enough to get me the Snoogle when they heard I was a back sleeper.

I highly recommend this awkward looking thing. I look forward every night at around 8pm for bedtime so I can wrap myself up in this thing.

Sleep wasn’t uncomfortable before the pillow, but it’s even better with the pillow. I wake up most mornings around 3-4 am to pee, but that’s the only “difficulty” I’ve had.

Exercise

I’ve mentioned it before on the blog, but I like to get in about 2 Crossfit workouts a week—anything on top of that is icing on the cake. I plan on doing a post on how Crossfit WODs have changed for me in the second trimester because it’s become more and more difficult to do the movements that crossfit asks of you. It’s still a blast though.

Monday: Walked the dog.
Tuesday: Moving around the hospital for rotations—was in the ICU this week and a dog walk.
Wednesday: Crossfit…”Karen” which is 150 wall ball shots for time. I used a 14 lb wall ball and finished in around 12 minutes. I took it easy and had a rest every 10-15 wall ball shots. Also, I spent all day moving around the hospital.
Thursday: 45 minute walk with Eddie.
Friday: Crossfit WOD—dont’ remember the exact workout.
Saturday: Rest.
Sunday: Does cleaning count?

As you can see, it’s pretty basic. What I’m doing leaves me feeling good and challenged just enough.

Highlight of the Week

My stepmother giving me a full body massage. Amazing. Especially after the squats and being in the hospital for 16 hours.

Total Weight Gain: 10 lbs

Baby Items Purchased: Some Burt’s Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter. No maternity clothes yet. I am trying to hold out as long as possible. I do have a used stroller and car seat that a friend was nice enough to give me. I’m sure baby purchases will pick up over the next 10 weeks.

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I don’t crave sweets and sugar actually turns me off a little. I can’t handle a lot of it. Bacon, burgers, eggs, pizza though—all of those things sound good. However, I’ve been eating a lot of soup because I can make a big batch—and it’s inexpensive, get some veggies in, and it makes for good leftovers for the week.

Things I’m Looking Forward to: Chad will be in Oklahoma very soon and I’m looking forward to experiencing this pregnant with him. He’s been an amazing support and I can feel his excitement/pride from 1,000 miles away—but it’s been hard. Very hard. It’ll be nice to have him near me as we both go through a lot of changes in the coming months. I’m also looking forward to a Cloth Diapering class as well as deciding which birthing classes we’d like to attend.