Monday, September 6, 2021

Second Trimester (aka Summer 2021) Recap

I taught my Newborn Care class this weekend and realized that for the past year that I've been teaching it, I've either not been pregnant, or (for the last 3 classes) been far less pregnant than the other mamas. Next time I teach, I'll be 36+ weeks and likely the most pregnant one in the room!

As I have been anticipating since 20 weeks or so, I am hitting a bit of a panic point as I transition into the third trimester with this third baby. It's temping to think, "I haven't done anything I wanted to do!" because I didn't really nest or clean or organize the house like I've been itching to, and I know my energy levels will likely start dropping quickly.

However, I've done so much in just getting through a hot hot summer with two kids during a pandemic. We've done swim lessons and Wild + Free and 3 different camps and a trip to Kansas City and a family vacation. If it hadn't been totally disgusting weather-wise, I honestly would've forgotten I was pregnant for large chunks of time this summer. 

Random tension headaches seemed to sneak up every week or two and knock me down and out for a day. I would also have random weeks of crazy hip pain, and I feel like weeks 22-26 baby was consistently transverse which was putting a lot of pressure on my symphysis pubis, my SI joints, and my poor umbilical diastasis recti. While I feel healthier overall this pregnancy by far, it's pretty clear that my connective tissues are kind of over the stretching. Thankfully, after lots of chiro adjustments, PT, and an osteopathic adjustment with the DO I'm seeing for my prenatal care, I feel like baby is kind of getting the idea that he needs to commit to being head down now.

The past 3 months, some days I would feel GINORMOUS and be waddling from discomfort and look in the mirror and barely look pregnant. Other days, I'd catch a glimpse of a belly that seemed to grow huge overnight, and regret that I have been completely horrible about taking weekly or even remotely consistent belly shots this pregnancy and... it's all happening anyway!

But really, I mostly feel like myself except with a constant little sidekick, and I'm wildly grateful to have reached milestones like viability and now the third trimester. Second trimester has been pretty great and I'm hoping that sticks around for quite a while longer. This season is so special and so fleeting and I'm looking forward to starting to slow down and nest and draw inward and savor it.

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