20 weeks already?

Halftime

Wow, how did we get here so quickly?  Somehow we're already halfway through this pregnancy.  It has definitely gone much faster than the first time.  For one thing, we've got a toddler now, and he does a pretty good job of keeping us busy between school, potty training, and amusing antics.  Also, last time around we were busily getting up to speed researching birth plan options and baby gear and putting together a registry, so a lot of time was spent thinking about and planning for Daniel.  This time around, we aren't doing a registry and we already know the birth plan we want, having done this before.  So while we certainly think and talk about Honey Badger baby a lot, we aren't really focused on preparing for him/her.  So, after the queasiness and fatigue of the first trimester faded away it was easy to just get on autopilot and let the weeks pass.

 

Another reason the past month has gone by quickly on the pregnancy front is that my allergies have been doing such a good job of taking my attention   This past week they developed into sinusitis, which is even less fun than it sounds.  Fortunately it seems to be running its course but the ragweed season can't end soon enough for me.

 

Last week we had our 2nd trimester anatomy scan sonogram and got to see HB up close.  S/he is developing beautifully, measuring just a few days behind my due date (but right on track with the later due date I've got in my head), but no areas of concern.  The sonographer looked at the below-waist area to make sure all was in order there, but I looked away when she did.  Actually, I didn't trust Kevin not to peek so I looked back at him to make sure he wasn't looking ;)  We asked her not to tell us what she saw but she said she felt pretty confident she could tell the gender.

 

After the sonogram we met with an OB, per the practice's requirement that midwife patients see an OB at least once during the pregnancy.  At this point we learned that our trend of "everything looks good but" midway point sonograms continues.  With Daniel, the concern was "bright spots" on the heart and brain, which ultimately turned out to be normal variances.  With this pregnancy, the baby him/herself is fine, but the concern is that the placenta is a little low on the uterine wall.  It's not really a concern at this point but ultimately if it failed to move up it would block baby's exit thus requiring a C-section. 

We'll have another sonogram early in the 3rd trimester to check, but it almost certainly will resolve by then, as over 95% of cases do.  The good news of course is that the odds are overwhelmingly in our favor.  The bad news is that there's nothing to do but wait and hope.  It helps though to remember that last time we were in this situation the issue ended up resolving, and it almost certainly will this time.

 

Aside from the sonogram, we had another big pregnancy milestone this week.  I was sitting on the couch and could feel HB squirming around and kicking.  I could feel it so much I thought maybe Kevin would be able to feel it too, so he put his hand on my belly and sure enough, he could!  It was around 23 weeks before we could feel Daniel's kicks so it's fun to get to feel HB sooner.

 

Haven't really had much in the way of pregnancy symptoms lately, though I've noticed that coughing triggers heartburn for me (which means this last week has been extra fun).  I'm mostly, but not exclusively, wearing maternity tops at this point, but maternity pants are still too big.  My regular pants still fit so I'm in those and can still button them and wear a belt.  I'm surprised to still be in regular pants this far in, but I'll take it.  I'll credit a combination of higher carry position and lower pre-pregnancy weight...thanks running!

 

Here are a few 20 week pictures.  Ignore the cheesy expression.

 

The shirt says "Future Aggie" pointing to the belly. We were dressed to watch the game!

 

For comparison, here's a current shot alongside my 20 week picture with Daniel.  Comparing the two, I look smaller this time and am still in regular pants with belt, whereas at this point with Daniel I had just moved into maternity pants (but had had to use a Bella band with my regular pants for several weeks prior).