Welcome to week twenty one!
Since you know the sex of your baby, you may have already chosen a color or theme for the nursery, and you are thinking about or have already started your baby registry.
Many women have registries at more than one place. Your family and friends may enjoy shopping at one place more than another. You may even be planning a gender reveal party! This part of the second trimester is exciting and hopefully you are done with all the first trimester symptoms!
This part of the second trimester is exciting and hopefully you are done with all the first trimester symptoms!
How my Baby Grows
- Your baby is about the size of a pomegranate and approximately 10 and ½ inches long
- He/she weighs about 12 and ½ oz and intestines are developed enough to begin absorbing nutrients that come from your blood flow through the placenta
- Your baby’s head is still larger than the rest of the body but now the arms and legs are in better proportion
- Movements have gone from soft flutters to real kicks that can sometimes even be felt by others
- An ultrasound at this stage may find your baby sucking his/her thumb
Symptoms Mama may Feel or Experience
- The bump is definitely there now
- You may be leaking a small amount of clear to milky white liquid from your nipples as your body prepares to feed your newborn, if you don’t, that is also normal and does not mean that you won’t have nutrition for your baby at birth
- You may want to start taking monthly pictures of your profile just to watch that bump grow
- The second trimester is usually the easiest, enjoy the thoughts of becoming a new mom and caring for your infant
- Connect with other new or expecting moms, they can be a wealth of information and support during the rest of your pregnancy and beyond
- Pregnancy is a state of health, embrace all the changes that your body is making to grow this tiny human being that will soon call you mom
- If you are feeling sad or not yourself, talk with your partner, a family member or your health care provider
- This can happen even if everything is going well-baby is growing well and you have a great support system
- Depression is fairly common in pregnancy and help is available
- Many things can be contributing to these emotions-hormonal changes, a deepening sense of responsibility, the changing relationship that you have with your partner, being away from family/friends or making a move
Thoughts to Consider
- Let’s talk about baby registries, this may be the first time in your life that you get to pick out things that you want, and other people are excited to buy it for you- so have fun
- Form your registries a little bit at a time or it can be overwhelming
- For larger items like strollers, travel cribs and backpacks you may want to go to the store and check them out before you put them on the list as they may look or feel differently than their pictures
- Many people will shop online for you, but others want to go into a store to look at what they want to buy
- So, include at least one large department store registry that is available nationwide even if it is just for the essentials like lotions, diapers and wipes
- There are many online registries that you can set up
- You may want to print off a list of what you are putting on your registries, so you remember what is on each one
- Remember not to put the same thing on multiple registries unless you want multiple items that are the same-like diapers
- If you want your partner to carry things like diaper bags or backpacks, consider the design or color you are choosing or take him with you to pick it out
- Remember to look at safety information on items like car seats and cribs
- Ask other new moms about their favorite baby gifts and why
- Check out the product reviews on StorkAdvisor for great information on things that you might not have thought about
- And don’t purchase anything yourself no matter how cute the item is if you put it on your registry
Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy
- Due to the increase of progesterone during pregnancy which causes smooth muscle relaxation, you may be having trouble with constipation
- Make sure that you are getting between 64 and 80 ounces of water each day
- Keep a diet high in fiber
- Grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans
- These are not easily digested so they pass through the digestive system keeping it healthy
- Exercise regularly, this can be as easy as working a walk into every day
- Stool softeners can be really helpful but stay away from laxatives unless really needed as they cause abdominal cramping, and you can become dependent on them meaning that your body becomes lazy and stops working on its own
- Say yes to offers for help!
- You may be used to getting things done all on your own and politely refusing when others ask if there is any way that they could help you
- We are a very independent society however there is a place for your family and/or friends to be supportive
- Consider the little things that you wouldn’t mind someone else doing
- It is important to remember that they may not do it exactly like you do but it can still be helpful
- Take that extra time to rest, take a walk, a nice hot bath or write in your journal
