On the road to parenthood: notes from the second trimester
December 26, 2014
FYI: Not all of these LB-related posts will be in real time.
Every day in the first trimester felt like a week, not least because I couldn’t eat… we also couldn’t say anything to anyone about why I was even sicker than usual or what was going on because it still wasn’t “safe” yet. It was only made a bit easier when socializing because I’d stopped drinking a couple years ago, so it wasn’t the immediately obvious red flag.
But we survived the first trimester, huzzah!
On the first day of the 13th week, it was as if the heavens opened up and bestowed upon me the ability to eat without nausea. I can’t emphasize how much I ate for the sheer joy of being able to eat.
Now, each day just whizzes by remarkable only in whether or not we have an appointment this or next week.
Going into the 20th week, our apprehension came back. We have questionable genetics in some respects and are braced to find out that we’re going to be dealing with a repeat of history when Little Bean is here and becoming a person, but there were dozens of serious medical problems that could be detected at that so-important ultrasound. I won’t list them here but the suffice to say, the tech wanted to know if I was *sure* I wanted to hear what they were looking for.
I’m tracking specific things like the baby’s probable size and shape and development much less these months. (Almost not at all.) It seems this isn’t normal, everyone seems to feel I desperately need this or the other app to track Little Bean’s progress. But once we established that all the parts were there, my attention has really been on more practical matters: eating and drinking the right amounts, getting exercise, dealing with all the details that we’ll wish we’d taken care of before the baby arrives. I’m not uninterested by the changes, it’s just that there’s only so much grey matter to go around. All the changes are actually happening Right Here; so my attention is on doing everything I can to influence the outcome.
Occasionally I’m a touch overwhelmed by the need to be done with everything. Occasionally I’m a touch overwhelmed by the fact that I can’t quite bend over to tie my shoes or pick things up and don’t recognize myself in the mirror because WHOA. NELLY.
But it’s also pretty funny, as is the new feeling of a vaulting, spinning, gymnastic Little Bean spiralling from one side of my belly to the other. Enjoy that freedom while it lasts, kiddo, you’re going to run out of room soon.
We’ve got our last bit of travel in under the wire and I have no intentions of stirring more than a few miles from our home base until we actually do something about the new human in the house. Minimal though we may be, Little Bean is likely going to need more than one fun geeky onesie and one nerdtastic toy. I like to pretend that with the right few tools, we will maintain a certain level of order in our lives despite all the changes to come. (Cue hysterical laughter)
Glad to hear that 2nd trimester calmed down. Hooray for eating!
I’m of a similar mindset to you. Lots of people obsess about the current size/development of the fetus (it’s the size of a pea/raspberry/apple, it’s growing its such and such organ). But I also worry more about the “am I eating right” thing. I think the apps people download should just be reminder apps: Drink a glass of water! Go eat some beans! Go for a walk around the block! I’d download that to-do list app š
Yes I would have used that app too! It was occasionally interesting to know which organs developed when but that wasn’t really something I checked on often.
Sounds like things are …uhm…settling in. Hope you’re feeling better overall!
Ignore all the things you could worry about…what can you do? It will all work out as it will. š
Ups and downs, that’s this whole experience!