I sat on this post so long on week 13, I finally decided I’d just save it and post for weeks 13-14 together. It was a little confusing anyway because it depends on who you talk to whether the second trimester starts with week 13 or 14. But this way, I can without a doubt celebrate the beginning of the
SECOND TRIMESTER!!!!
Wooo hooooooo~! Such a very exciting milestone. When I started this post at the very beginning of week 13, I said I was entering the week feeling a little better. The previous couple of weeks were BRUTAL as far as sleep goes. Everything feels bad when you can’t sleep. And you can’t even nap. Somehow I endured.
Then I had a blissful few days of feeling basically normal again. That was nice. I thought YES I’m finally hitting this blissful part of the pregnancy where everything is gravy and I can just enjoy having a baby in there. That was short-lived though, and last few days (as of 13+4 when I’m typing this section) I had crap sleep + a miserable headache to go along with it. I’m not sure if the poor sleep caused the headaches, or I couldn’t sleep because I had a headache, or just hormones in general were making EVERYthing wacky (probably a combination). This is a large part of why the 13 week post didn’t happen, even though today I have felt much, much better. Fingers crossed it STAYS this way this time.
Headaches were a notable part of my pregnancy with S, but this time they have been different. With S, seems like they went about a couple of weeks straight at around the start of my second trimester. They’d come on maybe early afternoon (best I can remember), then I’d go home, take one extra strength Tylenol with a serving of caffeine, and then I was golden for the rest of the day. Tylenol never really did anything for me before, so I considered it nothing short of a miracle that just one actually worked, at least in combination with the caffeine.
This time, the headaches started sooner by a week or two, but they were more sporadic. And I can hardly get rid of them. Once it starts, it’s a good two days or so to get rid of it. There’s only so much caffeine I can take, and only so much Tylenol I’m WILLING to take. I feel guilty about what I’ve taken already. I hate taking meds when I’m pregnant, just in general. And I don’t really think Tylenol is as harmless as some would indicate. But where do I strike the balance between not feeding my unborn child an undue amount of medications and being able to sleep and function myself? I mean it’s best for baby if I can sleep, right? (If I can sleep anyway.)
It’s not like I’m taking loads of Tylenol anyway. But to take 3 pills a day for a couple of days in a row…to me, that is a lot. And I hate it. I’ve tried some things using peppermint oil, and it helps some. I actually think it helped me a lot one time recently when I successfully kicked the headache. But I can only diffuse it; I’m not willing to use it topically even though maybe (maybe) I could now that I’m getting into the second trimester. Maybe it’s still better than Tylenol, but I don’t know…the devil you know I guess. Some folks say essential oils are better and safe because they are “natural,” but still if they can be used like medications, I’m still going to be cautious and treat them like medications. Plus I know for a fact that certain EOs, while maybe not peppermint, are absolutely no bueno when pregnant. But I digress. Right now, I’m just hoping the headaches will disappear soon like they did when I was pregnant with S. Not that the headaches have followed that pattern up til now. If this is going to be a thing, I’m going to have to figure out something.
Okay now this post is going to take maybe a crankier turn because I’m now writing at 4:43 a.m. on 13+5. I’m glad last night was better because tonight is another crap night. I’m so tired I could literally cry. I slept 3 hours, woke up at 2, tried to get back to sleep (to no avail) until 3:40, then finally got up to get a snack and a drink and just stop tossing and turning for a little while. I guess it’s time to try to sleep again. For a little while before I have to get up for work. At the very last moment because I’ll be so tired, and then none of the things I usually need to accomplish will get done (aside from the mandatory get dressed and brush teeth kind of stuff). My day will start out rushed, then I’ll finally get my zombie self back home after work, I’ll collapse on the couch. Maybe I’ll cook the stuff in the fridge that needs to be cooked or tossed…also we’re so sick of take-out from all the times I’m too tired to cook (in Pete’s defense, I don’t want to sound like he’s no help around the house, because he is helpful…but not in the kitchen). It’s just a vicious cycle of being tired and miserable and not getting anything done, then miserable because nothing is getting done. And so on. I need more days like yesterday. And fewer days of 3 hours of sleep plus maybe another 2 hours before it’s time to get up. That’s horrible when NOT pregnant, not to mention all the extra energy it takes to grow another human. Anyway, putting this post on the back burner so I can go back to bed. Maybe when I can continue I’ll be a little less cranky. 😉
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Sooo same day, but it’s night time now. Somehow I got through the day okay, and I even killed my headache. YAY! Amazing what a couple of hours of sleep and a little caffeine (still below what I’m allowed! But more than I usually allow myself…) can do. I feel like this is the worst stream of consciousness post ever. I can’t even remember what else I meant to say. I guess that’s one aspect of being tired . . . but better than being miserable I suppose.
Oh oh oh. Body changes. Just in the past week, I’m getting into that awkward “nothing fits right” phase. It seems like with S, I outgrew the pants (or had to rig them) before I outgrew the shirts. Now, I can still button my normal pants, but my shirts are weird. Like a whole band around my middle is bigger. And some tummy that is sometimes obvious but still hide-able if I choose to (or just happen to pick a shirt that disguises it more). But more and more shirts are just looking strange. Especially the cardigans which I’m realizing I wore quite a lot. Still, maternity shirts would look totally weird right now. So I just have to deal for a little while longer until at least maternity clothes look normal.
Also, on Mother’s Day (13+6), when we were at my parents’ house, my mom noticed that I was getting some tummy. 🙂 My grandma and my brother seemed less impressed. But that’s okay, I’ll get there.
Alright so usually weekly update stuff.
Week 13 Fruit: Baby is the size of a peach! This is deceiving because baby may be about 3 inches CRL, but still weighs less than an ounce.
Week 13 Cartoon Baby:
Week 14 – New Fruit Day TODAY! Baby is the size of a lemon–or rather, about 3.5 inches long and weighs 1 oz. (I wouldn’t have thought of a lemon being bigger than a peach??) It still totally blows my mind that I have something 3.5 inches long in my belly. Can’t wait to actually be able to feel him/her.
Week 14 Cartoon Baby:
