This trimester has seriously been amazing! I was extremely lucky not to have had a rough first trimester so the second was really just an even better continuation of the first for me. I've felt really good the whole way through. This trimester was big for us! Here are the highlights:
- We found out baby's gender on September 20th (15w4d)
- Jacob deployed on September 28th (16w5d)
- I felt Camden wiggle for the first time on September 29th (16w6d)
- We got Camden's new due date of March 10th on October 10th (18w3d)
- We had our anatomical ultrasound on October 16th (19w2d)
- I felt Camden's first strong, definite kick on October 25th (20w4d)
- I felt Camden kick from the outside around 21 weeks (I don't remember the exact date)
- We had our possible preterm labor scare on November 27th (25w2d)
- The countdown to CJ's due date got down to double-digits on December 1st (25w6d)
- I felt Camden's hiccups for the first time on December 3rd (26w1d)
It's been really tough having Jacob away during this time. It's sad that he's missing out on so much. I wish he could feel Camden's kicks and watch my tummy grow in person. It's just difficult that he's so separated from this whole experience. But at the same time, having Camden makes me feel less alone; like a part of Jake is still here with me. Because, well, CJ is a little piece of Jake here with me! That's comforting. But at the same time it isn't the same... We won't get this time back. I miss Jacob so much. And now that labor is getting closer, I'm starting to wonder how I'm going to make it through delivery without him! I know I'll do it because I'm strong but the fact that Jacob won't be here is becoming more and more real to me. I hate that he's going to miss such a major experience in both of our lives! It's a difficult reality to cope with. He has now been gone for 10 weeks of my pregnancy. I'm glad he was here for all the initial stuff- finding out I was pregnant, having our first few appointments and a couple ultrasounds, finding out the gender. He's just going to miss so much more exciting stuff! I just need to keep reminding myself that Jake should be home shortly after Camden's birth and we'll make up for all this time we lost. We'll have a lot of quality family time and all will be right in the world! Haha.
Speaking of labor, I've been spending a lot more time thinking and reading about it this trimester. It helps to know what to expect. Honestly, labor scares me but I'm feeling more comfortable about it the more I learn and the closer I get to Camden's due date. It's funny but it's like my motherly instincts have been kicking in and I'm not as worried about myself (like how I'll handle the pain) but I'm more concerned about Camden being healthy. I can handle whatever this pregnancy throws at me as long as my baby is okay. That being said, I feel responsible to do whatever I can to assure that Camden is as healthy as possible! Of course I've been eating healthy and staying active. I know that both of these things are good for me and for CJ. Plus, from what I've read, staying active can help with labor and delivery, too! I'm leaning towards having an all-natural birth at this point. I know it will be difficult and painful and I might have a difficult labor and decide to get an epidural. But at this point I really want to try to do everything naturally. I was in the best shape of my life when I got pregnant (thank you BeachBody products, haha) and I know my body extremely well. I think I could handle it. Also, I've never had any sort of major medical procedure so I don't know how I would react to any of the drugs and I really want to be fully present for the entire birthing experience. I don't want to feel disconnected because of medical interventions. I know it's a personal decision... and that's just what I'm leaning towards right now. I know that anything can happen and I need to be open and flexible and I am. If I labor badly I will take some sort of pain relief. But I can't imagine myself being that woman who's laying flat on her back in bed, IV in the hand, waiting to push. I want to be up and walk around, do what I feel my body wants me to do. I mean, my body was built to do this! Obviously God designed my body to make it through child birth. Women have been doing it forever! If others have done it, so can I :]
Okay, now on to some of my insights. Earlier in my pregnancy I shared some of the healthy tips I've been following. I'd like to share a few more that have helped me this trimester:
- Sneak veggies into EVERYTHING. I already shared my tip of blending raw baby spinach into smoothies for extra iron, folate and vitamins. Spinach is really one of the easiest veggies to hide in food, haha. Having some pasta and red sauce for dinner? Throw a few handfuls of roughly chopped spinach into the sauce as it simmers! Scrambling eggs for breakfast? Add some shredded spinach during cooking! One of my other favorite ways to sneak veggies into my meals is in mac 'n cheese. I buy organic whole wheat mac 'n cheese box mixes (for convenient lunches). When I add the pasta to the boiling water I add finely chopped broccoli as well. Once the noodles are done cooking so is the broccoli. Strain, mix the cheese with skim milk in the warm pan, add the pasta and broccoli back to the pan and you're ready to eat! I know mac 'n cheese isn't the healthiest lunch but this option really is full of nutrients. The whole wheat adds fiber, the cheese and milk add protein, and the broccoli adds a bunch of vitamins! Paired with some more veggies or a piece of fruit on the side, this is a really good lunch. I also always keep V8 Fusions Light in my fridge. Each 8oz serving counts as half a serving of fruit and half a serving of veggies so it is a great go-to at night if I realize that I haven't had quite enough fruits and veggies throughout the day! Or I drink it in the morning for a healthy jump-start to my day.
- Invest in a water bottle or tumbler. I don't remember if I shared this in my last post, but I would highly recommend getting a cute water bottle or tumbler! It sounds silly, but sipping water out of a bottle/tumbler that you really like makes it easier to drink more water each day! I've always been a big water drinker so I don't have any problems drinking enough each day. I aim for 70-90oz/day of straight water (I don't count any juice or decaf coffee into this, although they're still fluids and do technically count). I have a cute purple Camelbak water bottle that my husband bought me over the summer. It's 25oz and goes everywhere with me. It's super easy for me to drink 3-4 full bottles of water a day thanks to this bottle! I know it doesn't sound like it would make a difference, but it really does. It's just more fun to drink out of something cute instead of a plain old plastic water bottle. Other than that, if you have an iPhone, try the iDrated app. It helps you keep track of how much water you drink, how hydrated you are and when you need to drink more. It will even remind you to drink your water! Super handy. I don't use it a lot since I drink so much that I usually forget to log it, haha. But it's a great idea and could be very helpful for anyone who has a hard time remembering to drink enough water!
- Never leave home without a snack. Ever. Now that I'm into my second trimester and need about 200 extra calories a day, I never leave home without a snack in my purse. It doesn't matter if I plan to be gone for 30 minutes or 3 hours. I always keep a Luna protein bar and an unsweetened cinnamon applesauce pouch (the applesauce to go stuff) in my purse. This way, if anything happens and I end up somewhere hungry I have something healthy to eat! I absolutely despise fast food and I refuse to eat it (besides veggie subs from Subway). By keeping a healthy snack on hand at all times I'm never stranded without something good to eat. I know some people would discourage eating nutritional bars but I believe that Luna protein bars are a very good option for on the go. It's a super easy way to get a boost of protein. And I just think that applesauce pouches are awesome! The kind I buy are natural- just apples and cinnamon- and they taste great. And they're much more portable than a regular apple that could get all bruised up and nasty in my purse, haha. In my opinion, applesauce pouches are the easiest way to always have fruit on hand, aside from dried fruit (which usually has a lot of added sugar!)
- Keep healthy snacks on hand at home, too. Even more important than taking healthy snacks with you on the go is keeping healthy snacks on hand at home. If it's readily accessible, you'll be more likely to make smart choices and eat healthy. This is a "duh" tip and isn't pregnancy-specific but it's still worth mentioning. Everyone has their own tastes and preferences but there are a few things I always keep stocked. (1) Hard boiled eggs. At the beginning of the week, I'll hard boil 6-8 eggs and store them in the fridge. They're perfect for breakfast or for a snack during the day. I don't like the yolks so I throw those out and just eat the whites. That's where most of the (good lean) protein is anyways. (2) Raw baby carrots and/or snap peas. These don't really need any explanation- since they're ready to eat they're easy to snack on. Easy = more likely to be eaten, right? (3) Greek yogurt. I know it's an acquired taste and I already shared my tips on incorporating plain Greek yogurt into different things. But Greek yogurt is very good for you! Most Greek yogurt cups contain about 14 grams of protein! Yes, the sugar content can be high, but keep in mind that around 10-12 grams of that sugar are coming naturally from the milk! There usually isn't a whole lot of added sugar, depending on what brand you buy. I always opt for brands that use regular sugar as opposed to artificial sweeteners. I'm very leery of artificial sweeteners and I try to avoid them as much as I can. I'd rather eat regular sugar. I also usually buy fat free Greek yogurt but I will eat a full-fat version from time to time (only because my favorite flavor- Oikos Key Lime) is only carried in the full-fat version about here. I don't eat it all the time and it's totally worth it when I do, haha. That ends up being my "dessert" after dinner or my post-workout snack. (4) Fruit leather. While applesauce pouches are my favorite alternative to regular fruit, I do enjoy fruit leather as well. I buy Stretch Island Fruit brand that are all-natural. Read, no added icky stuff. They're 1/2 a serving of fruit and a great way to fill a sweet tooth! Strawberry is my favorite. These are also portable and easy to take on the go (if you're weird and don't like applesauce from a pouch, haha). And as a side note here, be careful about eating dried fruit. It sounds good in theory but most of the time it's thoroughly coated in sugar. Not exactly the healthiest alternative. Not to mention dried fruit is dense in calories so it's easy to eat a lot of extra calories and sugar in one serving all while thinking you're eating healthy because it's fruit. When possible, opt to dehydrate your own fruit, with no sugar added. This is a delicious and much healthier alternative! Fruit has enough natural sugar, it doesn't need extra! (5) Light string cheese sticks. Easy to eat and a good source of calcium and protein. Need I say more? (6) Almonds. Nuts in general are a great source of fatty acids (good fats) and protein. My personal favorite is almonds just because I like the flavor. I buy them all different ways- raw, smoked, cinnamon coated. I might have mentioned this in my other post, but it's worth saying again. A small handful of almonds is a great nutritious snack. Aside from these favorites, I always keep fruits and veggies around, along with skim and unsweetened almond milk (yes, both). With winter here, it's easier (and cheaper) to buy some of my favorite fruits and veggies frozen. I use the fruit in smoothies and I just steam up the veggies and eat them however (usually with a bit of garlic). Admittedly, frozen isn't the best but it's a good way to not miss out on fruits and veggies because of the change of season. This is all I can really think of right now. Eating healthy is basically second-nature to me so I don't always think of my eating habits as good tips, if that makes sense. It's just normal to me. If I think of any other tips I'll share them in the future!
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