Weeks 14-18 Bumpdate (+gender reveal)

I feel like I just shared my first trimester bumpdate and was so surprised it was already time to post this! One thing that is so different about this second pregnancy is that it is just flying by!

How far along: 18 weeks 

Baby is the size of: a bell pepper according to the Babycenter app and weighs 9 ounces according to my anatomy scan this week.

Weight gain: 8 pounds. I am at the point where I am supposed to be gaining a pound a week but was a little nervous about this because I knew I had indulged in lots of splurges during our trips to Maine/New Hampshire and San Francisco but am still feeling healthy.

Symptoms: I am still having nausea especially if I go too long without a meal or snack and am SO tired! I also have started having heart burn sometimes and baby is sitting right on my bladder right now according to our anatomy ultrasound so I’m having to pee much more than usual. 

Cravings: Still craving watermelon, water with lime, and all the fresh veggies. I’m also loving BLT’s right now (with nitrate free bacon of course) and farmer’s market tomatoes. We aren’t doing a garden this year but I am a firm believer that grocery store tomatoes are just not made for BLT’s so I’ve been hunting down the really good ones. 

Eating lately: I’m still eating five small meals and snacks most of the time, which is my usual anyway but my appetite really increased for about a week and a half and I was starving all the time. I broke down and had Chick-fil-A on three separate occasions, which I normally try to save as a once a month indulgence since they use MSG and I really try my best to avoid that. But I guess this baby likes Chick-fil-A because it’s the only chicken I can stomach aside from the kabob wrap at the my favorite Mediterranean restaurant. 

Exercise: Still exercising 5-6 days a week. I shared my first trimester routine here and I will say my routine has changed a little bit. I’ve cut high intensity cardio that requires jumping and replaced it with walking and some low-impact dance programs from Beachbody on Demand. I’ve also been going to barre more frequently since they offer childcare and Madeline is currently out of preschool for the summer. Otherwise I’m still modifying very little, including core, although I will probably start modifying my floor core work in the next couple weeks.

Baby’s Movement: I’ve started feeling tiny little kicks just in the last week or two. I felt a few flutters with Madeline around 19-20 weeks but couldn’t feel her regularly until much later due to placenta placement so this has been a real treat for me to feel baby almost daily. 

Wearing lately: In the summer I spend a lot more time in workout clothes or my swimsuit than real clothes which is very convenient right now since those still fit! I really didn’t want to have to buy any new maternity clothes because I hate them (they just seem like a poor investment I guess) and my pregnancies are close enough to the same season. I did break down and pickup a couple pairs of shorts and a pair of white jeans (similar) as a hand me down from another mama. I also have a couple pairs of these shorts that are not maternity but work wonderfully for that early second trimester bump. I have a couple belly bands that I am using to make some of my favorites work but it just feels like such a hassle so I am really only using these when I have my heart set on making a pair of pants that I love work. So far I’m still able to wear most of my regular tops and am just pulling the more flowy ones from my closet. I am really happy to have crossed that “is she pregnant or has she just been eating a ton of donuts” phase.

Sleep: I’ve not been sleeping very well recently. I unpacked and washed my Snoogle and it’s helped a little bit I am having a lot of back pain at night. I have this on my list to speak with my doctor and physical therapist about but know that it is also kind of par for the course. I also am having a hard time putting my mind at ease because I have a lot of projects I’m working on right now. Putting my phone away 45 minutes before bed has helped a little with that and I am currently reading this book at bedtime. 

Stretch Marks: Not yet! I am using this belly butter that I also used when I was pregnant with Madeline twice a day. I used BioOil during my first pregnancy as well but have learned some things about the ingredients that make me uncomfortable now so I just ordered this oil and this one (bonus that it has a natural bug repellent) to try instead. I was super lucky not to get stretch marks last time and was very diligent about applying the belly butter and oil two and three times a day. I know that sometimes you either get them or not and there are far worse things – I’m just trying to do my best to avoid them. 

Belly Button In/Out: Still in. When I was pregnant with Madeline someone compared my belly button to a turkey timer and sure enough it popped out just two weeks before she was born. Haha! 

Highs/Lows: The high was for sure our gender ultrasound, which we scheduled the day before Father’s Day. I didn’t really care going into the appointment but when we got there I all of a sudden got SO nervous. I knew Corey really wanted the baby to be a boy and when I looked over and him and Madeline – he was holding her hand for moral support! Then I just wanted to get up and go home and not find out until the baby was born even though we had already started and I had wanted to know so desperately an hour before. I just didn’t want him to be upset the day before Father’s Day when we had booked the appointment for a day he could go just so he wouldn’t have to miss it!

Well, Baby BOY is arriving in December! I would have been thrilled either way as long as the baby was healthy but it was so, so special to see Corey’s reaction when he found out he was going to have a son! 

No lows to report this month except for just being tired.

Looking forward to: working on the nursery. I have gotten started with a few things and am hoping to really get moving with it in August and September so I can work on Madeline’s big girl room in October and November. 

Madeline was born a couple weeks early so if this baby was born at the same time then we are halfway there! Here’s a little side by side of me at 17/18 weeks with Madeline and Baby Boy. My shirt this time definitely gives the illusion that I’m bigger than I am but I would still say without a doubt that the second baby has made his presence known much faster and more prominently!

You can catch my first trimester bump date here, my 14-17 week bump date with Madeline here, or all posts about pregnancy here.