Second Trimester Update

As of last Tuesday, I am officially in my second trimester! Now almost 28 weeks of loving you sweet girl! I haven’t posted specifically about my pregnancy since announcing our sweet babe is a girl and our announcement before then, so I thought I would do a little second trimester update. I’m including my only two true bump pictures plus a new outfit (shop my cute blue dress here and everything else below)!

Symptoms & Similarities

Overall I have been feeling really well! I feel so fortunate. In the first trimester I had some mild nausea, but my main symptom was fatigue. It lasted into the start of the second trimester, but I have more energy now which I am so grateful for! This is pretty much exactly how my pregnancy with Ivy Jean went except I think the fatigue was worse this time. Might have something to do with already being a mom to a 3 year old during quarantine. 😉

Differences

During my last pregnancy, I tested positive for gestational diabetes. Having it during your first pregnancy increases the chance you will have it during your second. I was tested earlier this time, and I am happy to report I have passed two times! I really believe it is because of my plant based diet changes (post one of three about that here). I’ve also gained more weight at this time than I had in my first pregnancy. I’d be lying if I did not admit that watching my body change has been difficult. My belly also showed much faster the second time.

Getting Prepared

So far we have gone through all of Ivy Jean’s old clothing, toys, and baby things which has been really fun to do with her. We try to include her in the preparations and conversations as much as possible, and I think she really feels like this is “our” baby. So far a lot of what we have gotten out has become baby doll toys. 🙂 We will use her old nursery since she is in her big girl room, so it is all ready too. A sweet friend is letting us borrow their Halo bassinet for the early stages as well. I’m really grateful for that! Besides needing some new bibs and diapers, we are mostly ready which feels really good.

Delivery

Since Ivy Jean did come via emergency c-section at 34 weeks last time, I think we are approaching delivery with caution and realistic expectations that this baby may come early as well. We are still not exactly sure why, but Ivy Jean’s heart rate was plummeting. There is a chance if it was something wrong with my body that it could happen again.

Though I would love to try a VBAC, after extensive conversations with my doctor who we really respect and trust, we have decided I will have a scheduled c-section sometime around 39 weeks. I feel more prepared for the recovery this time and overall all just a little more prepared for the reality of having a baby in general. We’ve also been able to talk to Ivy Jean about how I will have surgery and have to recover.

In many ways, with so much being up in the air about the virus, it feels reassuring to have some type of delivery plan. It’s been strange to be pregnant during a pandemic, but we are so grateful for this life and the honor and privilege of being parents to two precious little girls.