I officially hit the third trimester as of Sunday! I’m blown away at how quickly the second trimester flew by because the first trimester was very slow. Only 2.5 months to go!
If you recall, my first trimester was breezy but towards the second half and end of the second trimester, I started to feel many pregnancy symptoms. This trimester, Dan and I really sat down to look at our new future and made some family goals.
Week 14: I purchased a pregnancy pillow in the first trimester and it didn’t affect my sleep but since my belly started to grow, I feel like it supported me in getting the best sleep! For those interested, I purchased this pregnancy pillow from Amazon. I also started to feel slight pressure when using the bathroom… and don’t get me started on my pregnancy rhinitis! My midwife cleared me to use Benadryl to help (I later stopped using it and adjusted my AC settings at home which helped a lot).
Also, if you’re ever on Instagram and see you see ads for bub-style pregnancy pillows (they look like two little bubs that you can extend in the middle)… skip it! It’s just an insanely marked-up product that you can get from AliExpress for $8-10 if you prefer these bub-type pillows.
Week 15: Finally started to work out again! The last time I did sculpt in the first trimester, I was lightheaded and out of breath. This week, we went for more blood and urine test, testing for STIs, blood type, Hep B, iron level, blood profile, etc.
Week 16: We announced to our friends and the rest of our families! I also experienced massive diaphragm jabs… like a punch that takes your breath away every time you move. We also had our first midwife appointment. Since we partnered with our current midwives later than expected, we had a lot of catching up to do.
Tip: If you’re in Vancouver, there’s an insane waitlist for midwives… get your name on all of them early if you can! We were under the impression that we just had to put our names in a registry and someone would reach out but that was not the case.
Week 17: Not much happened this week!
Week 18: I thought that this was the start of the emotional rollercoaster but I haven’t experienced anything like this since. I started crying over how cute and precious Fry (my cat) was sleeping, and then waking up from a dream with tears in my eyes.
Week 19: Felt the baby kick for the first time! it was around 12:15 am. Since I didn’t know how it would feel, I first felt a weird moving sensation in my stomach and after a few seconds, I felt a kick against my hand! I also had blood in my urine again on Friday but it could be from sex.
Week 20: Officially half-baked! We went in for a detailed ultrasound and everything is great! I had blood in my urine again but it’s confirmed… hemorrhoids!!! Ugh. It’s embarrassing but very natural during pregnancy. I also started to experience VERY STIFF KNUCKLES – if I’m not typing or doing something with my hands, they stiffen up very easily. It sucks in the morning. I also received my referral to get a T-dap vaccine for whooping cough and booked a gestational diabetes test. During the detailed ultrasound, it was found that my placenta was at the front of the stomach so my midwives warned that it could be difficult to feel the baby kick (which has since been very, very active kicking me in the sides instead).
Tip: Have a “half-baked” photo shoot at home with Ben and Jerry’s half-baked pint of ice cream!
Week 21: I’m eating so much these days… no joke when they say increased in appetite! Also started looking at Facebook marketplace for baby stuff!
Week 22: I have an anterior placenta but feel many, many baby kicks. I’m still just sleeping away because I’ve been so tired. Officially approved to go on maternity leave from work!
Week 23: Kicks are stronger! We had homemade pesto pasta and the baby went insane kicking and punching… so intense it made me flinch.
Week 24: I did the gestational diabetes test and was true to what everyone said…it’s gross! It’s manageable but very gross because I was essentially drinking a 50mL thick sugary drink within 5 minutes and couldn’t rinse my mouth afterwards. Also, did my feet go up in sizing or maybe widen a bit from being swollen? Been told by some colleagues that their feet went up one whole size!
Unfortunately, in the same week… I found out that I failed my gestational diabetes test so I had to book the full one.
Week 25: Gestational diabetes test again… the full one! 75g of the nasty sugary drink… welp. I received the test results the next day and… technically I am positive for GB but my blood level before the GD test was great so my midwife did more research and based on my test results from both GD tests and the guidelines set by Diabetes Canada and the Midwife Association, I do not have GD. My midwife wanted to consult different opinions before taking the test results at face value… however, Dan started to put me on a diabetes-friendly diet since I am technically at high risk.
For those who developed GD… whilst diet and exercise can help reduce your chances of developing GD, GD is primarily caused by the placenta when it produces a hormone that prevents your body from using insulin effectively.
Week 26: Really bad congestion! I ended up changing our AC fan speed and lowering the temperature which helped a lot. We also started nesting and grabbing some final items from the Facebook marketplace. We decided to do cloth diapers!
Tip: Honestly – buying baby things second-hand was the best thing we did. It took the financial stress out tremendously and everything we got second-hand was in great condition. The only items we purchased new were a stroller set and the crib since our in-laws are gifting them to us, and we will be buying bottles, utensils, pumps, etc. new.
Week 27: A lot of tailbone pain and chest discomfort. I think my placenta may have moved because I’m starting to feel CRAZY KICKS towards the front of my belly.
Right: End of second trimester!
Thoughts:
At the start of the second trimester, we were prepping for our mortgage renewal and all the baby’s expenses. I started to cut back on spending and we even changed our phone providers to save some cash every month.
Now that we’re nearly done nesting and planning our next steps, it doesn’t seem daunting anymore. Our mortgage renewal was finalized and while it did increase, the mortgage payments will be manageable until we move and rent our condo out. After 3 months when the child is born, we’re moving to my mom’s 3-bedroom basement suite so we’ll be saving a lot of money right there (goodbye childcare expenses!). I also put effort into looking at Facebook Marketplace which helped with our nesting expenses – I got an Angelcare bathtub for $10 in excellent condition whereas that bathtub would’ve cost us $40 on Amazon or almost $60 at Walmart.
The switch to cloth diapers would also benefit us greatly and the environment. We did a lot of research and decided this was best for us because we hated the idea of contributing thousands of diapers to the landfill (did you know it takes more than 400 years for diapers to decompose?) but moreso, the savings are undeniable. Combined, Dan and I make a decent income which has afforded us a comfortable living in Vancouver but we both want to give this child (and any future children) a head start in life financially and be able to do family trips so the early savings will help us a lot.
Also – do any other mamas feel the urge to do a full wardrobe makeover for some reason?! I won’t be returning to work until September 2024 but I’ve already got a list of clothes, shoes, and accessories I would like to grab!
