Baby: Weeks 17-18

I’m back with another pregnancy update! I am never sure how often or when I’m going to post, but I keep a running list of things to mention, and when it starts to get long I write a post. Plus, looking at my blog analytics, you guys clearly love the baby posts, so I suppose I will keep them coming!

Mood

I’m feeling really good! Good energy. Good appetite. Not too many cravings. I’m eating normally. I’m feeling normal. No food aversions; no nausea. I’m totally off all medicines. (Although I still take prenatal and probiotics.) I’m still sleeping well – 9-10 hours a night! No real need for naps. I think I’m just hanging out in this sweet spot. I’ve definitely got the cravings to start Nesting, as you saw. My only real issue is SI joint pain – see below!

Symptoms

SI joint pain is my #1 symptom. I went to see Cindy Janechild, body work extraordinaire, to help balance out my fascia and alignment and that helped. She showed me how to lie on the floor with my feet on a chair to neutralize the pelvis. And I’m wearing K-tape and/or a belly band when I exercise. I have a feeling I’m going to be dealing with this SI pain for a very long time.

MY OTHER RECIPES

I read some of my old Mazen posts from 17 & 18 weeks and I wrote that I had clogged pores on my chest and a stuffy nose. I have those same symptoms this time and laughed out loud when I read them. I’ve always heard “every pregnancy is so different” but so far this one and that one have been identical. I feel like I’m so much bigger this time because this time I can do this:

It’s like my body has some kind of muscle memory of where it stretched before and I can push it all out to that! I couldn’t do that with Mazen.

But normal posture bump-wise, it’s all about the same growth.

Mazen 18 weeks:

Baby Brother at the end of 17 weeks:

I’m finally (at 18 weeks) feeling a bit more like I’m walking through life bump first aka feeling pregnant. Most people notice that I am pregnant now. My “turn days” are on Mondays, meaning I turn from 17 weeks to 18 weeks on Mondays. I feel like every Monday I leap forward in progress (more movements, bigger bump) and then it just stalls out for the rest of the week. Babies do seem to grow right on cue!

Look at 15 weeks:

Compared to 18 (sorry I’m never facing the same way!)

I’ve been getting in some great workouts (with the belly band): lots of cycle classes, strength challenge, Afterburn, some running (but I’m taking walking breaks). I asked my doctor at my 18 week appointment if I had any restrictions other than contact sports and she said no, so long as I felt good I could continue. Listening to your body is the name of the game. I hope I can keep up the hard workouts – they do make me feel so good!

I gained 4 pounds between 10 and 14 weeks despite my nausea getting so much better during that time. I was kind of scared to see what would happen at 18 weeks, but I actually lost a pound! I’m guessing that’s my body balancing out a bit after the yucky first trimester and it’s a sign that the activity and eating well has paid off. I don’t mean to celebrate pregnancy weight loss since this season is about the baby growing, but I was very happy it wasn’t another large gain in a month. I think my body packs on the most pounds at the very beginning and the very end, which is what happened with Mazen too. I’m going to try not to have the “what the hell” attitude about eating in the last month and eat all the ice cream later this summer!

Movements

I’m feeling more movements, although they are still quite hard to feel. I think I’ve felt a kick or two, and sometimes I can feel my uterus get hard in a spot and assume he’s rubbing up against that part. I wrote in my 18 week post with Mazen that I felt a good strong few kicks that week, so I’m hoping I start to feel more of those soon! Baby B is the size of a soda can this week, which seems so big to me, and I’m just so in awe that he’s in there moving and growing and sucking his thumb already in there! I have tried to get Thomas feel my uterus and listen with his hands for movements, but he doesn’t like it when I bother the baby too much. It’s kind of like how kids are tempted to bang on an animal’s cage to get it to move – I am like an itchy kid trying to feel this baby move! Thomas is the parent saying “leave him alone!” Apparently the baby’s bones are hardening right around this time and movements will really pick up in the next few weeks.

That’s all I got!