20 week pregnancy update!

I can’t believe we are half way through this pregnancy! Everyone keeps telling me that once you hit 20 weeks, then it just flies by. And I’m not going to lie, I really need it to not fly by TOO quickly because I feel like we still have so much to do!

I haven’t done any pregnancy updates on TWK yet, and I’ve been getting questions on how I’ve been feeling, and what I’ve been doing differently during pregnancy. So I though it was about time for an update…

How I’m Feeling

The beginning of the pregnancy was pretty rough, I was extremely nauseous ALL the time, and got sick a handful of times during the first trimester. I pretty much lived on a diet that consisted of toast and crackers. I was extremely fatigued (as are most women in the first tri), and really had to practice giving myself a lot of grace for feeling like an unproductive human in society for two months straight.

But then when I hit about 14-15 weeks, things really took a turn. The nausea started to subside, which immediately made me feel so much better! It felt like a Christmas miracle when vegetables actually started to sound appealing to me again, ha!

At about week 18, I also started to see a huge difference in my energy levels. I mean, let’s be real, I still get tired way quicker than before I was pregnant, and still take a nap on most days. But overall, I’m not feeling the need to sleep all day every day. Hallelujah.

Food -> Cravings + Aversions

Because I felt so sick during those first couple of months, nothing really sounded good to me. Except for toast and oatmeal. Those two things were my lifeline. I had a strong aversion to chicken, and still kind of do most of the time. Vegetables did NOT sound good to me, every time I tried to make myself eat a salad, I would just want to gag. This is how I knew pregnancy hormones were a real thing, because not wanting vegetables was so not like me!

But once the nausea started to subside in the second trimester, all of those normal foods started to sound good again. I could handle vegetables, and I have been really craving fruit. Mostly apples, berries, citrus fruits, and watermelon. I’m pretty sure I’ve been eating my weight in watermelon.

Exercise

I am still going strong with teaching my CycleBar and barre classes! Starting this week though, I am lowering the number of classes I am teaching per week because I am trying to really listen to my body. And my body is telling me that it needs a little bit of a break. I am still definitely able to move pretty well on the bike, but I just know that I need to tone it down a bit.

This will give me the opportunity to actually do some of my own workouts at home, which I’m so excited about. Up until now, all of my classes have been taking up all of my energy, so I’m pumped to be able to start incorporating some more prenatal pilates/yoga/weights into my routine.

I really attribute staying active (even when I was feeling sick) to the fact that I really haven’t had too many aches and pains thus far. I’ve had a few moments of lower back or hip pain, but that hasn’t happened often and I think its because of exercise. I know the common pregnancy pains will definitely get worse as the baby gets bigger, but I am so grateful that I haven’t had too much of that during the first half of this pregnancy.

Self-Care

I’ve been trying to make sure that I really take care of myself throughout this pregnancy to ensure that I can feel my best. Other than regular exercise and incorporating lots of nutrient dense foods, I have been doing a few self care rituals that have been so beneficial.

Epsom salt baths have been my best friend. I’ve been better about doing them during the second trimester so far, and they have helped so much! I haven’t really had any swelling yet, and I think the baths have helped with that. Epsom salt provides magnesium, which can help with tension and sore muscles, so any time my muscles are a little sore, a bath is happening! This can also help a ton with back and hip pain, so I’m sure I’ll be using them for that in the future too.

I’ve also been taking the time to stretch, relax, and meditate every single day. Even if it is just 5 minutes, it does wonders for my mind and body.

Honestly, I think the biggest thing I’ve been allowing myself to do more of is SLEEP. I’ve had a lot of restless nights throughout this pregnancy, mostly due to the fact that I’m already getting a little uncomfortable when I lie down at night (and the belly isn’t even that big yet!), so I’ve been letting my self sleep in a little later, as well as take naps when I need them. I used to feel guilty and unproductive if I let myself nap too often, but now I’m embracing it and I feel so much better. The work will get done eventually, so I just keep reminding myself that I’m growing a human and that requires rest!

Highlights

I think the coolest thing that I’ve experienced so far is getting to feel the baby move around all the time. I think that is probably every mom’s favorite part of pregnancy. It is so bizarre to feel her jump around in there, and every time it happens, I can’t help but smile.

Kenny finally got to feel her kick from the outside the other day! I had just had some coffee, and she was doing gymnastics in there! I could tell she was kicking harder than normal, and luckily I was with him so he could feel her too! (I very rarely have had caffeine, so I guess when I drank that cold brew, she went a little nuts!)

Another highlight is that I’m finally starting to get a bump! It took a while, but she’s out there now! Trying to dress myself every day has been interesting all of a sudden. Nothing fits quite like it did, but I can still fit into a lot of my regular clothes. So I’m kind of in that in-between stage right now. I don’t mind though, I’m super grateful for this little bump, and I feel really lucky to be growing this little girl. That being said though, I’ll take any advice I can get on maternity clothes.

Sweet Gifts

Our friends are THE BEST, and baby girl has already received some of the cutest gifts. I am so grateful that she is going to have so many wonderful people in her life.