Second Trimester

Today we're 28 weeks! HELLOOOOOOOOO, third trimester! So happy to see you! :)

Now we start the every-other-week appointments, which is fine. I like getting updates. At this week's check-up, Dr. Moses said the baby was perfectly healthy, but mama needs a little work. I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. While it's not the end of the world, it's definitely going to change my life for the next few months.

In summary, she reassured me that there was nothing I could have been doing any differently, and it has nothing to do with the crazy amount of sweets I've been eating because I can't get rid of these crazy cravings. It's genetic and it's just how my body processes sugar when pregnant. Apparently my pancreas can't quite keep up with the overtime work. I will have to follow a pretty strict low-carb, low-sugar diet the rest of the pregnancy and prick my finger four times a day to test my sugar levels. Eek, that's the part I really dread. :(

I've actually only gained 6 pounds total since the start of this pregnancy, so it has nothing to do with the amount of weight gained (which I always assumed it did). The main concern with gestational diabetes is that  if the baby continues to get this streamlined, unprocessed sugar, she'll grow too big too fast, which could make delivery difficult. In my crazy hormonal state, I cried when she was telling me all this. It was just a lot to process! But, Dr. Moses again reassured me that the baby is perfectly fine and LOVES all this sugar. She's thriving. We just need to slow down the sugar consumption now that she's in the home stretch and growing by leaps and bounds each week.

We have another sonogram scheduled in two weeks to see how big she is right now. I'm looking soooo forward to seeing her again! It's been 10 week since we've seen her sweet face, and now I know she should have a little more fat on those chunky little cheeks!

So, following the standard I set with the first trimester post, we'll call the second trimester the Trimester of Growth and Productivity. Everything seemed to change when I hit 20 weeks. That was the magical number. My belly popped and I started to feel her moving, which was amazing. Here are some highlights of the past few months:

• We're about 80% done with the nursery. It looks so good! We're still waiting on the bedding to be made, but the walls are painted, the crib is put together, our changing table/dresser has been repainted, the rug is on the floor, curtains are up... and most of all, the CLOSET IS CLEANED OUT and ready for all her stuff! If you knew how big of an undertaking this was, you'd be very impressed. :)
• We have all of our showers scheduled, and we've finished registering for everything we need. I did plenty of research on the big items, so I feel like we're prepared (as much as we can be, I guess). We're excited for the showers coming up!
• We've been bonding with the baby. I love when she kicks me. I talk to her every day on my way to work about our day ahead and how much I can't wait to meet her. Derek reads to her at night. She is so very loved already.
• With those six extra pounds and expanding belly, I've already gotten some pretty good stretch marks. Booo... :( Oh well, I'll just take that as a sign that she's growing as she should. I'm not too worried about it. They're just not too pretty right now. No bare belly maternity pics for this girl.
• I've felt pretty good this trimester. I've battled heartburn, but that's about it. I'm a little more restless at night than I used to be, but I can still get a good night's sleep.

That's my summary of Trimester #2. We're really in the home stretch now. I have officially begun the countdown whether it's too early or not. We can't wait to meet our daughter in just a few short months!