Bumpdate – Weeks 18, 19 and 20

WE’RE HALFWAY THERE! Wow! Seriously time has flown by. In the beginning of my pregnancy the weeks draaaaaged. Probably because we weren’t telling many people and I was sick as a dog. But now, the weeks keep ticking on and I barely have time to update the chalk board and take another bump photo!

I can’t say that Weeks 18-20 were a walk in the park. First, I came down with a terrible cold which lasted 2 full weeks. After I was feeling mostly better, I went back to my normal workout routine. I think I overestimated my energy levels because by the end of last week after 3 days of Xtend Barre at 6 am and 4 runs (including a long run 8.5 miles) and a few long walks/hikes, I was pooped. I used Monday as a rest day and literally did 0 activity (this is rare for me – usually on off days I at least take a walk) and didn’t even feel like making dinner despite getting home plenty early enough to cook.

Also this week I started to feel a bit nauseous again (part of the reason I didn’t want to cook on Monday because nothing we had sounded good) – like the morning sickness was returning. Luckily it hasn’t been as severe, but I’m definitely not feeling my best. I’m guessing the baby is going through a big growth spurt (my belly has certainly grown a lot in the last week or so – although in the 20 week photo it’s hard to tell – the belly always seems to be way smaller in the morning) and it’s wearing me down. I was feeling lethargic, weak and unmotivated in my 6 a.m. Wednesday barre class so I canceled my Friday 6 a.m. class reservation in favor of another rest day.

How Far Along: Currently 20 weeks!

Baby Size of a: Banana (apparently starting at 20 weeks the fruits are based on head to toe length, rather than head to rump length, hence the fact that she grew from an orange to a banana in one week).

Movement: So far, I think I’ve felt some “flutters” from the baby, mostly at night when I’m lying still in bed and not every night. I felt some strong and more distinct kicks at my desk on Thursday afternoon. From what I’ve read, we won’t be able to feel movement from the outside til anywhere between 22-30 weeks but Mike has definitely been trying to feel it!

Maternity Clothes/Preferred Attire:  I’m still rocking a lot of pre-maternity tops (besides my Running for Two Tank!) but there aren’t many left that I can actually wear. I’m in 100% maternity pants/bottoms (I bought 1 pair of work pants, 1 pair of nice designer skinny jeans (AG brand from Pea in the Pod), 1 pair of black skinny jeans (H&M), and 2 skirts (GAP) on top of the 2 pair of jeans and 1 work pants that Allison let me borrow) which require long shirts to cover up the stretchy tummy portion and I don’t have a ton left that cover it. But….my belly is also not quite big enough to rock stretchy/tight tops so I’m doing my best to just rotate my flowy, long tops in until I can truly shop for/borrow some more maternity tops to add into the rotation. I also purchased a few comfy and casual maternity dresses from Old Navy which are pretty amazingly comfortable and are flowy enough to work now and also when my belly is huge (I hope).

Sleep: Having really detailed, weird dreams. Sleep is still pretty solid but a bit more fitful than before. I’ve been still sleeping on my back and am getting worried about the fact that I should be transitioning to my side now. I’m going to talk to my doctor about this at my doctor appointment on Monday – online research is mixed on this topic.

Cravings and Favorite Foods: Cold fruit, smoothies and I’m still loving soda although I feel like it hasn’t actually been tasting as good when I drink it as I imagine in my head! Maybe that means I can wean myself off of it soon…  I also crave cheese and eggs and have been eating more dessert. I’m trying to balance indulgences out with a lot of home cooked, healthy and vegan/vegetarian meals. I’ve also been drinking vegan protein shakes (either SunWarrior or VegaOne’s new Protein & Greens) a few times a week to help with protein intake.

Food Aversions: I still won’t eat a KIND bar or any snack/protein bar of any type. Raw almonds are also a no and nuts just don’t taste as good as they used to. I also really, really don’t like anything jalepeno flavored – just the sound of any kind of bar, chips, cream cheese or dressing with this word in it makes me want to gag still. However, fresh chopped jalepeno is totally fine.

Exercise: As I wrote in my April goal recap post, I’m still able to work out about 6 days a week, a mix of Xtend barre, yoga and running. I’m training for the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon, so am trying to get in 4 runs a week now.

Mood: Super excited for this baby girl! Occasionally crazy.

Purchasing: As mentioned before, maternity pants and dresses along with a Snoogle maternity pillow. I also purchased Mambino Organics Belly Butter which I’ve been applying morning and night (recommended by Kristen). I’ve been experiencing some itching from the skin stretching and this is helping! I also purchased a book about raising a vegetarian baby. I don’t plan to raise the baby 100% vegetarian – she will eat similar to us which is a diet with very limited meat consumption (at least that’s what I think now, I really need to research/think it all over and things could definitely change).

Symptoms: Sleepiness, tiredness, some round ligament pain, growing belly, a little nausea.

Missing: Tempo runs and track workouts. Running in the 8 min/mile range and it feeling easy (now even 11 min/miles don’t feel easy – no miles feel truly easy, ever).

Best Moment of the Last Few Weeks: Learning the sex of our baby girl. It was a moment I’ll never forget. Also, telling my mom and other friends, family and co-workers that she’s a girl were also special moments!

Dreaming About: What our little girl will look and act like! Will she be shy like I was as a baby? Picky? Curious? Interested in sports? Will she take after me and have blue eyes or Mike’s green/brown color-changing eyes? One thing is for sure – she’ll be tall! The ultrasound tech said she has very long legs and is already “tall” for her age. I guess we can’t be surprised given that she has tall, long-legged parents!