Pregnancy Bliss: 2nd Trimester Recap

Hello friends,

I can’t believe I am already 29 weeks pregnant!!! Incase you haven’t noticed, this excites me greatly. So what has the second trimester been like for me? Busy, and eventful. Wholly Donuts! We vacationed at Disney World, ran a 5k race, went to Punta Cana, traveled to London, England, tried to relax, felt like I could eat as much as an elephant at times and had a pregnancy-related scare …. yup eventful.

Disney World was amazing, as usual. I had signed Chris and I up for the Dark Side 5km back in September, so when I became pregnant, I spoke to my doctor and she okayed the whole thing. It was definitely interesting. Up here in the great north, we had a pretty mild winter until the third week of February. I had started running last year, then the holidays happened, I dislocated my finger falling down our brand new stairs, and then became pregnant and suffered a little bit of morning sickness. All this reduced the amount of time I put into running, then I started up again before February because we had spring-like weather here and it was amazing….until we got hit by a few snow storms and ice pellets….I was not going to run on the ice, while pregnant. Then I became sick with a cold that took 2.5 months to go away. 2.5 month!!! What the actual heck! In March, I ended up at the nearby walk-in clinic because there was so much pressure on the right side of my sinus that I ended up with dark blurred vision (which was uber scary) in my right eye. I ended up on antibiotics and that cleared the sinus infection in a week. Then I really had to refocus on running again. By the time race time came, I’m not going to lie I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to complete the race within the required time. I was wrong of course. I couldn’t run the whole thing, I ended up walk/running but I finished under the time requirement! If you are thinking about running while pregnant, just remember that your uterus may put the pressure of a ton of bricks on your bladder. That was one of the most uncomfortable feelings I have had in a long time. Kinda funny though.

The rest of our trip was short, for a Disney trip, but relaxing and amazing! Yes, I used relaxing and Disney in the same sentence. *shocking* We had a split-stay at Coronado Springs Resort (for one night) and The Grand Floridan Resort & Spa (for 3 nights). We felt so spoiled. Chris and I absolutely LOVED Coronado Springs! The atmosphere was relaxed and fun, our room was nice and big (King bed, business class room) and we had access to the business lounge. Chris really enjoyed the food court options there. When we checked into the Grand Floridan we felt a little out of place. It’s definitely grand, maybe too grand looking and feeling for Chris and I. Chris didn’t enjoy the victorian era decor or the room, but he did enjoy the bar lounge and some of the signature dining options. I would sided with him on that. The Grand Floridan was really lovely, but didn’t quite feel like our Disney home away from home, but that’s just us. We did LOVE that the monorail was just a few steps away. That made mornings at the Magic Kingdom so easy for me as Chris slept for a few more hours. Just Magical.

Anyways, so we completed the 5km, had one of the best trips we have ever taken to Walt Disney World and then traveled home for a week to hang out with Lady. Then it was off to Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa for a friends wedding. In hindsight, I probably should have stayed home due to the Zika virus that has been spreading all over Central and South America. Chris and I had researched Zika, almost obsessively before going and decided that the risk of contracting Zika was very low/nonexistent at our resort but after being bitten alive on our third night there, my paranoid side started to show and I felt like a horrible mom-to-be. I completed all the testing once we came back to Canada, no Zika virus *YAY*. I can say with confidence I will not be doing that again. We had a good time with friends, water, and sunshine.

Then it was back to the grind…for a week…then off to London, England for me.

Yes I did a lot of traveling in less than two months. It was amazing and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. On my way to London, I had “business-class” seats with Westjet. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty awesome. I’ll post a review of my Westjet experience within the next few weeks. I walked a hell of a lot, ate way too much, and spent more than I should have, but it was all worth it to spend time with some amazing friends. I stayed at a really beautiful hotel called The Kensington Close Hotel  and it was not insanely priced! Plus it was just a few minutes away from Kensington Gardens, beautiful site.  I had never been to London, England before but now seemed like a good time to go, seeing that baby girl will most likely change how I travel in the future. If it’s you first time to London, I would definitely recommend using Fodor’sTravel book, London 2016 edition.  I carried it in my purse and pulled out the map a few times, since I was not going to pay for internet access in Europe. Besides, I needed to save some of my cash for shopping, London Disney store and M&M’s!

Who doesn’t love personalized M&M’s?!?!?!

Although I loved all the traveling, and I’m sure baby girl did too, I am so happy it’s over. It’s nice to be home and relax. Plus I believe I have started nesting. I’ve been clearing out stuff that we don’t use or need, cleaning the house a whole heck of a lot more, and daydreaming about the nursery. I have to be honest, my pregnancy experience hasn’t been the easiest or stress free, but I love every minute of it. I feel so unbelievably grateful to be pregnant and to grow and carry this little baby.

So after all the traveling, Chris and I decided to take it easy but at the beginning of June, the universe had a different plan for that week. We had quite the scare. TMI alert!! Earlier in the the month, I thought that maybe I had leaked a little amniotic fluid or peed myself (pregnancy problem, oie). I had a feeling it was just pee because it had stopped but better safe than sorry in these cases, especially because I was only 23 weeks pregnant at the time. I headed over to my local hospital Labour and Triage department,  I stated my reason for being there and the nurse was rude and made a statement that I should have got to the Labour & Triage Hospital I was going to give birth at, which would have been an hour or so away.  When I didn’t respond she smiled and said ‘oh well’ and neglected to take the paperwork I was trying to hand to her about my pregnancy. She later came out to the waiting room to take the paperwork.

After 2 hours in the waiting room, I was given a bed in the triage area and waited close to 5 hours to see the OB. Apparently there was only 1 OB for the whole hospital, a hospital that essentially services three cities. The nurses in the triage room repeated the same sentiment that the intake nurse did and made me feel guilty for being there. When I started to apology for being there that is when they began to show some compassion towards me. In that time, I overheard the two triage nurses discussing that they needed another OB as they only had 4 or 5 triage beds, which were occupied for at least 3 hours. At one point one of the nurses kept telling a person on the phone that 2 women were in active labour, one of which didn’t have a bed and would probably give birth on the waiting room floor. (scary stuff).

Finally the OB came into the Triage area, initially he was only going to see one patient but the nurses persuaded him to check everyone in order to clear the bed space. He did not introduce himself to me, then proceeded to do the required test, after telling me that I should have gone to another hospital and that I probably peed myself. He performed the test, later I found out he performed it incorrectly, told me that my water had broken and that my cervix was low and that he needed to admit me into the hospital.

I immediately stated no, as this wasn’t my first negative experience with this hospital, I decided that I needed a second opinion and a hospital that wasn’t bursting at the seams. I stated that I would drive to the hospital I’m going to give labour at and refused to be admitted. He asked if I had any contractions, I stated no and that I did not have a fever. He stated ‘good because I wouldn’t be able to see you until probably midnight.’ Then he thanked me for deciding to leave. When Chris and I arrived at the other hospital, I was a mess, we explained what the OB had stated and they took it from there.

Immediately  the OB at that Labour & Triage began calling my doctor and discussing options with me. Mount Sinai was notified as well. When I told her how the other OB had performed the test, she decided that she would redo the test again to confirmed as I showed no signs of labour. The way they conducted the test was entirely different and much more thorough. Two ultrasounds by two different OBs were performed as well. The test results came back negative multiple times. My water had not broken and my cervix was still high. The baby was 100% healthy. These test results were also confirmed by 3 different OBs. After a whole day of high stress, I almost cried when they said everything looked great. The OB stated that I needed to be on bedrest for a few days, just in case but that it appeared that there was nothing to worry about.

Since that week I’ve had a number of doctor’s appointments, just in case, but I actually prefer that. Makes me feel better and more relaxed to know that baby girl is well looked after.  It’s been busy but thankfully quiet after that stressful week. Now it’s time to focus on the Nursery and get everything ready for baby girl’s arrival.

In usual fashion here are my Second Trimester stats!

Cravings:  Ben & Jerry’s The Tonight Dough Ice Cream. It is amazing!!!!

Aversions: Pickled eggs, most disgusting smell in the world right now….

Belly Button: In

Best Moment:  When Baby Girl finally kicked hard enough for Chris to feel. I’m not going to lie, it brought a tear to my eye to see the look of pure love on his face.

Stretch Marks: none so far

Sleep: I get about 5 hours of sleep….but it’s starting to become very restless sleep…..

Baby Bump: FINALLY LOOKING PREGNANT!!!!!! A lot of people have commented that I am carrying very well. I feel huge but I actually don’t mind that feeling right now. It definitely worth it!

What I miss: Wine, caesars, hot baths, hot yoga classes, bathing suits that fit…..

Second Trimester Symptoms: The first week of my second trimester I actually starting puking….I thought what the heck?!?! Then after a week that stopped and I had a ton of energy and motivation. Other symptoms include  nesting, burping a hell of a lot, and a growing belly

Surprising Symptoms: Still loving that I can eat dairy without consequences!!!

Looking Forward to: September and getting to meet this little angel! We love looking at her ultrasounds. Can’t wait for our 3-D ultrasound. Also looking forward to photographing my own maternity photos.

So there you have it, a short but not-so-short recap of my 2nd trimester. We are so close now!!!!!!