it has been a couple of weeks since i posted a pregnancy update and i wanted to share the latest on where this journey has taken me. first, let me just shout a whoop!whoop! for making it to second trimester. first trimester is always such a long couple of months with morning sickness (ironic name considering sickness seems to last the entire 24 hours of the day, not just morning), extra exhaustion, hormones that seem to be riding a roller coaster and all of the other joys of pregnancy (gas, bloating, heartburn, frequent urination, etc.).
second trimester is like the honeymoon of pregnancy. it is the fun period where you are no longer feeling sick all of the time, all of the pregnancy side effects subside a bit and your energy actually seems to increase. your body is growing in size but it is that fun phase where people can tell there is actually a baby brewing in there and not just a big meal and yet you are not so large that you are uncomfortable or physically unable to do things due to your size. seriously, i look forward to second trimester with every pregnancy as a mini vacation from the difficulties that were there to start and will be back with a vengeance in third trimester.
i had my 15 week doctor appointment last week and i was able to hear the baby's heartbeat with the doppler for the first time. what a treat to heart that heart beating strong at 150 bpm. it was such a relief after falling sick with the stomach flu earlier that week and losing a lot of weight and water very rapidly. there is something really reassuring about hearing that heart beating and knowing your baby is working hard to develop their body even if your body might be struggling a little.
while at my doctor appointment i was able to take some time to chat with my OBGYN who is amazingly great at making you feel heard, not rushed and completely at ease. he answered all of my questions (will we induce at 39 weeks? yes) and we talked about some of the social issues i have experienced with this pregnancy. i have never experienced such a negative response to pregnancy such as when i tell people i am technically 'high risk' the most common response is to minimize that idea, a lot of head shaking, objecting, etc. while i am very low risk on the 'high risk' spectrum it is just a way for medicine to categorize care. there is a line drawn somewhere and i happen to fall on the other side of that line. because of that my OB will order extra blood tests, glucose tests and perhaps extra monitoring. i am okay with my OB being cautious and i would prefer that to a cavalier attitude however the response from friends and family and even readers of this blog have been surprising. i talk about it to discuss what i am going through and experiencing, not to garner sympathy. maybe there are things to this you can relate to and maybe there aren't but i am journaling this as a way to share, release and to later remember what i went through. this is my first time being put in that category and while i know i am not in huge danger it certainly makes pregnancy feel a little different. getting a chance to discuss all of these things with my OBGYN helped to put my mind at ease.
this week has been really fun because i have had all sorts of packages arrive from different maternity brands. i can't wait to style these cute new clothes and dress this sweet bump that grows bigger by the day. i enjoy the challenge of dressing a pregnant body because i still feel beautiful, strong, attractive no matter my size and i don't want to hide these changes but rather display them at their best. some of my favorite women to look to for maternity style inspiration are Chrissy Teigen, Jillian Harris and Blake Lively. they embrace the bump and make maternity style so beautiful.
i think dresses and skirts will be one of my best friends during pregnancy. both dresses above are Piper Street Shop dresses and i think wrap dresses and body conscious dresses are fun styles to wear with a baby bump.
please let me know what some of your favorite maternity brand/styles are. i would love the suggestions.
xo,
kristie
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