Baby Bumpdate Pregnancy Update – October

In case you missed it, last month Nate and I announced that we will be welcoming a sweet baby into our lives in March! We had to go through IVF to get to this point, and I’ll be sharing that whole journey in an IVF series starting in November, so be sure to come back and read all about it! Until then, though, I decided it was time for a little pregnancy update, or bumpdate, if you will. Get the lowdown on how my pregnancy has been so far, and of course a couple of bumpies 😉 And be sure to leave me some advice in the comments because I have no idea what I’m doing 😀

Here’s a pic from when I was right at 16 weeks when we were in Scotland! PS trekking around a very hilly city is no joke when you’re pregnant! *wheeze wheeze* So tiring! But so worth it! If any of you are Outlander fans, you’ll notice I’m very happily enjoying Lallybroch <3

And here’s a more recent quick timer selfie snapshot (sans makeup and doing my hair) I took of myself at 19 weeks 3 days. Bit of a difference, no? 😉

Due Date: March 23rd, 2018 <3

How Far Along: 19 weeks and 3 days

How I’m Feeling: Feeling much better for the most part! The 1st Trimester and first few weeks of the 2nd I was basically an invalid. No, really. I just laid in bed all day feeling like I was dying. Now I no longer feel like death, but I haven’t really had that magical burst of energy that everyone always talks about. I was promised energy!! I’m just always so tired. And now my new funnest symptoms are randomly feeling like I’m going to pass out and getting headaches. Suhweet.

Cravings: I haven’t really “craved” anything so far. It’s more like – what is the thing that sounds the least gross right now? Things that always sound good: soup of any kind, cereal, and sweet things like ice cream, brownies, cookies, you name it. And oddly, I also really like drinking plain milk now when before I thought that was so gross. Also I realllyyyyy miss sushi and deli meat. I want them so bad. *cries*

Aversions: What hasn’t grossed me out over the last few months? Surprisingly I don’t ever feeling like eating really dry things – i.e. crackers, toast, etc. which was really not helpful when I was in the throes of morning sickness. “Oh, just eat some crackers!” – I CAN’T.

Weight Gain: As of my last appointment at 16 weeks, I still hadn’t gained any weight. Even into my 2nd Trimester, eating has been pretty hard for me. Even though I’m past the nausea, I’m just never super hungry, and when I do eat, I can’t eat that much. Plus trekking around the UK a couple of weeks ago and not eating much probably caused me to lose even more weight. My OB said to me “eat as much cheesecake as you want” and since sweet things are easier for me, I’ve been taking her advice literally 😉

Gender: We don’t know yet! And it’s driving me crazy! We have our anatomy scan on Nov. 2nd where we will get to find out what this little babe is! I’ve been getting girl vibes because of old wives’ tales (i.e. sick longer, higher heartbeat, liking sweet things, etc.) but those aren’t reliable so it could totally be a boy, too!

How Big Is Baby: According to my 2 baby apps (yes, I have 2), baby is the size of a mango (or heirloom tomato?) and is almost 6 inches long (crown to rump) and roughly 8.5 oz. It’s crazy that something that size is floating around in there!

Started Showing Yet?: I think so! (Finally). I definitely noticed a change starting around week 12, but it hasn’t become obvious to others until the past week or so. Even then, my bump isn’t super super big yet and it’s only really visible if I wear tighter shirts and dresses. But hubby is noticing it more, which makes us both excited 🙂 I want a big ol’ bump so bad!

Baby’s Movement: I’ve been feeling baby move since like 15.5 weeks! At first it was just slight little taps and twitches, but now I’m getting lots of stronger movements, and even a couple of rolls, which are such a strange (but cool) sensation. Nate says he thinks he might even be able to feel baby now too! He or she is most active right as I’m waking up or going to bed and if I’m sitting still at my desk for an extended period of time. It’s so cool!

Fave Baby Purchase So Far: I haven’t allowed myself to buy basically anything until I know the gender, so I haven’t really got anything yet. I did allow myself ONE purchase when I was out with a friend who was also buying baby clothes. It’s a little aqua 3 piece set – a footed sleeper, a onesie, and a little bib that have fluffy clouds and stars on them. Can’t wait to find more adorable things!

What I’m Excited For: I’m so beyond excited to find out the gender! We haven’t talked about names at all, haven’t started planning the nursery, started a registry, any of it, because I wanted to wait until we knew what baby was. Picking names and a nursery theme for one gender is hard enough, but to have to do it twice before you even know what it is?! I couldn’t manage all the choices! So once we know on Nov. 2nd I’m likely going to go crazy with ALL the things. Just a warning.

What I’m Nervous About: While I’m super excited for the 20 week scan, I’m also nervous. Since IVF babies have a slightly higher risk of having heart defects, I have to have a more extensive scan and an additional heart echo performed in order to be sure that little baby is developing properly. In general I’m also always a paranoid person, so every little twinge (or lack of twinges} sends me into a nervous google-searching frenzy. I’m trying to be laid back and just let things be, but it’s hard!

Be sure to come back for our first IVF post coming in November, and oh, Happy Halloween! 🙂