Pregnancy Round 2 {21-26 Weeks}

I love this trimester.  I really do.  I'm more than halfway done and hardly feel pregnant {except for the sweet kicks}.  I don't feel heavy or tired.  I don't feel sick or achy.  I don't have to wake up and pee in the middle of the night... yet.

21 weeks went great.  We opted not to do an ultrasound for this pregnancy.  Last time we only did the first, 8 week, one; just to see baby implanted and get advice from an O.B. on finding a midwife {see also: most wasted hour of my life}.  So, although the baby does have a gender, we have no idea what it is!  It's weird because I'm the most impatient person I've ever met and yet when it comes to my babies I want to wait.  I want to meet them for the first time, when they look into my eyes.  I don't want to bond with a photograph or video.  I also think that because ultrasonic waves affect all oceanic creatures and it sort of freaks me out to think of blasting my baby with similar wavelengths while they're in the amniotic fluid.  I know everyone claims they're safe, but they also advice against unnecessary ultrasounds {and there has to be a reason for that}.

Week 22-24 all sort of blur together.  I'd been meaning to sit down and type something each week, but for one reason or another life just kept going and I didn't.  I can say that you didn't miss anything except some kicks here and there.  Everything is going really smoothly.  I have had some minor heartburn at night, when I lay down.  If I lay on my left, I can't stop burping, so it's been a right side of the body kind of month for me.  I also added papaya to my bedtime routine to help with the heartburn.  I'm trying to decide what else I can add because that seems to be less and less effective.

I was super sick most of week 25.  I caught a cold and a stomach bug.  So, I've been coughing {and threw up a few times} which caused some serious back pain.  Like the worst.  I couldn't move, breathe or relax and I kept having muscle spasms, I kept getting in and out of the warm shower and using an ice pack to control the pain.  After a day of agony I called my midwife to make sure it wasn't something more serious, and she suggested, a warm bath with 1/2 cup Epsom salt {I did a full cup just to be safe}.  Magnesium powder dissolved in water {thankfully I already had this} to drink and Tylenol for the pain.  Within 20 minutes I was comfortable.

I also stayed hydrated with a liquid diet {soups, coconut water, water, and yogurt for my tummy but not too much for my sinuses}.  Husband made me tea all day long and I rested in bed for about 4 days.  Whenever I get sinus symptoms I dry it out by not eating dairy, wheat {gluten} nor refined sugar.  By avoiding those foods, my body has time to focus on healing instead of mucus production.  So, if you're dealing with sinus or congestion during pregnancy you might want to consider cutting out those items.

In order to breathe through the congestion, I showered with eucalyptus and peppermint essential oils and added them to my baths.

By week 26, I was feeling good enough to run errands, clean the house and actually blog again.  Now, I'm just focusing on catching up on housework, projects and last minute holiday prep.

Thanks for being patient while I document this pregnancy, I'll be back with another update in a few weeks, so check back!

-Jenn

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