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On Monday I had my 20 week ultrasound for this baby #3. Half way through seems like the right time to give a little pregnancy update. First off, how did I get halfway through this pregnancy so fast already? It’s crazy. Just so crazy how quickly time is passing. Other than the baby movements I get to enjoy in the evening when I go to bed, I really don’t think too much about being pregnant throughout the day. I just don’t have to time to really sit and think about it, so it was super special to see this little babe on Monday. Getting to focus our attention on all the little finger and toes was just wonderful.
Everything is looking and measuring normal, which is always great news! We are keeping the sex a surprise until the little one is born. There was an itty bitty part of me that wanted to find out, but I know that waiting will be so much more thrilling. Adding even more to the emotional rush of birth. 🙂 Jacob had much more of an urge to find out but we stuck to the plan of waiting and I know we’re be really glad we did.
I love growing babies. At 20 weeks I’d say that most of the time I feel like my normal energized self, assuming I get enough sleep. I’m still teaching all of my classes – a mix of body pump, body combat, fitness yoga and bootcamp with many double class days throughout the week. I do feel pretty great while teaching, I just make sure to listen to my body and use a little less weight when I feel like I need to give my body more rest to keep the challenge at a moderate level instead of too intense. More push ups are going from my toes to my knees and I jump a bit less in combat, but for the most part, I do everything I did before. Every class leaves me so much more energized and less of a cranky pants, so I’m really thankful to continue teaching this pregnancy too.
My one annoyance that I’ve been still dealing with is lower back/glute pain I experienced my last pregnancy too. It’s definitely worse after an active day, and if I lay on my back for any amount of time. Since it hasn’t passed yet (I think it had left by this time when I was pregnant with Zoe) I’m just being more careful about sitting up straight more instead of relaxing back or laying back, stretching out my glute muscle a ton more whenever I feel the tightness, and then complaining to Jacob all the time, just like a pregnant wife should. 😉
I’ve totally let my sweet tooth/carb love take over, and it’s getting a bit out of control. It’s more the fact that I have been snacking on lots of carby or chocolatey things in the evening (like brownies or sour dough bread) and then waking up not feeling great in the morning. Hormones definitely make it tough to fight the sweet tooth monster, but I’m working on fighting back just so my insides feel a bit better. I also know it’s not the best for me, whether I’m pregnant or not.
Here’s how I’ve started to take charge of it. I made these sweetener free peanut butter cups (recipe here – no maple syrup and I used peanut butter instead of almond butter) and I completely love them. I am a big fan of super dark chocolate so I really don’t mind the bitter chocolate taste and lack of sweetness. It let me munch in the evening and feel like I was eating a treat, but then wake up feeling better in the morning. It’s a step in the right direction of getting my evening blood sugar back in control. And they’re delicious! Everyone should try them, seriously.
I’m feeling so blessed to be on this journey to add another little babe into our lives. These two bring so much life and joy into every single day. Challenges of course, but the happiness they add is overwhelming. I’m just so in love with this life and everything it brings.
I hope you all have an amazing weekend!
Do you have a go-to strategy to fight sweet tooth cravings? Please share!
Heather
I love seeing a pregnancy update! You look great.
Are you all settled in your new home?
Thanks Lisa. We are pretty settled now. I can’t believe we’ve almost been here for 2 months, but love it so much!
Hi Heather, congrats! I’m not your doula and you haven’t given me permission to advise you about your pregnant body.. but you seem pretty open to the universe handing you ideas. Have you tried any of the Spinning babies techniques for your lower back/glute pain? The psoas can become very tight in pregnancy, and there are few ways to release it. Try out the sidelying release. I promise, you’ll love it! The downside it that it takes a partner to do.. 3 minutes each side before bed and you should feel great, absolutely relaxed in our lower back. http://spinningbabies.com/learn-more/techniques/the-fantastic-four/sidelying-release/