Halfway Through Pregnancy

Hello wonderful readers,

This is the start of my 20th week during my pregnancy journey. It’s hard to believe this is the “half-way” mark. Where has the time gone? From Trevor and I finding out we were pregnant, telling our families, going public with our exciting news, my growing baby bump and so much more.

We are so honored and blessed to be on this journey, but there has been a lot more going on behind the scenes than what one might see or think.

I am no baby expert, and I never will claim to be. Becoming a mom has been a dream of mine for some time now. Trevor and I have talked about starting a family long before seeing the positive sign on the pregnancy test, but I didn’t know what to fully expect during this time leading up to baby Tanck’s arrival.

The last twenty week’s have been amazing, I have been able to learn so much, grow more into my role as a mom-to-be, strengthen my marriage, and get ready for baby Tanck to make his/her appearance in February.

Now that we are halfway – if we go the full term – there has been some things I have been taught about pregnancy and life. I have been asked several additional questions about my pregnancy and I would love to share the responses with all of you along with the lessons I have been taught.

Pregnancy questions:

Are you still working out? You betcha! I am still working out daily, but my workouts have shifted. Some days doing cardio is what my body is craving, while other days I hardly have enough energy to walk on a treadmill or work out at all. I am doing a lot of stationary movement (riding an indoor bike, stride-right/elliptical), weights (low weight with high reps), and, of course, yoga (prenatal or my at home practice). Working out while pregnant is like having a brand new body every day. While the body grows, changes, and creates this new life, one exercise that felt great one day might feel horrible the next day. I have heard from other mothers this is a common feeling during and after pregnancy. I used to work out for physical gains (seeing a lower number on the scale, being stronger, or leaner) but now I am exercising for vastly different reasons – to give baby Tanck the health benefits of working out and to move my body, even as I am pregnant and changing. My goal is to work out as long as my body and baby will allow me.

When do you find out the gender of baby Tanck? Friday, September 28th. Trevor and I have our 20 week ultrasound coming up very shortly and we are very excited to be able to see baby Tanck again. We have chosen to find out the gender together and are hoping to hear our baby is happy and healthy, regardless of the gender. We will share the exciting news with everyone once we tell our families, so be on the lookout for another update soon.

Have you felt baby Tanck move? Yes, I have! I started feeling movement around seventeen and a half weeks. I have heard every mom and baby are different. Some mothers report feeling movement early and others say they don’t feel much movement at all. When I first started feeling movement I wasn’t sure if it was real, until it started happening more frequently. This past week, Trevor was able to feel movement on the outside of my belly. This was an extremely special moment as Trevor and I were talking, Trevor’s hand was on my belly and all of the sudden baby Tanck decided to chime in with a punch/kick and Trevor instantly stopped and asked very excitedly “Was that a kick?!?!” He had the largest grin on his face and it just warmed my heart having him included in the sensations of baby Tanck.

Have you started buying all of the baby things? Not really. We have been doing research and a lot of looking at baby related items, but haven’t gone baby buying crazy. Sure, I have bought some cute baby onsies, but nothing too extreme. We haven’t gotten anything specific for the nursery as we are taking our time. Does this mean we are not prepared? I don’t believe so. I don’t think there is a perfect time to have the nursery set up – I mean by week thirty-nine (if we go that far), there should be all of the baby things in the nursery space, but we have time. My minimalist self is still wanting to keep things simple and intentional, so we are being patient with what we purchase for baby Tanck.

Do you feel ready to be a mom? Some days yes, some days no. I know in my heart and soul that I will be the best mother I possibly can be, but I will never be perfect. I will never do everything right, I will make mistakes, and I will learn along the way. I am learning to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and embrace life and all of the ebbs and flows.

How are you feeling now you are farther along in your pregnancy? I am still feeling well. I was very fortunate and didn’t suffer from much morning sickness. I am noticing a change in my ability to sleep, my feet swell just from being on them, and my low back has some discomfort every now and then, but overall I am feeling good. This might change right after I hit “publish” on this post, but I will appreciate the good feelings for the time being.

Do you notice any symptoms in relation to your Multiple Sclerosis with your pregnancy? My fatigue has not gotten any better. Some women report having high energy at different points in their pregnancy and I haven’t been able to kick the fatigue. I am trying to stay away from any and all caffeine (again, this could change), but I still suffer from extreme tiredness. I wish I could articulate the fatigue aspect of MS, but it’s hard to explain. When my body is tired, it’s like I hit a physical wall. My brain starts to get jumbled and foggy, my eye lids feel as though they weigh one hundred pounds, and picking up my feet becomes a chore. Even now that I am pregnant, and ladies with MS report staying at their baseline or even feeling better, my fatigue has stuck with me. No one knows why fatigue is a symptom of MS, but it is one symptom that can be debilitating. This is an obstacle my husband and I have had to learn to live with and we will continue to live with – during pregnancy and especially afterwards.

What are you currently looking forward to most in your pregnancy? I know I am only halfway through my pregnancy journey, and I do not want to wish away this time, but I am looking forward to holding my baby for the first time – looking at the perfect little being Trevor and I have created and God has blessed us with. I look forward to passing our baby to Trevor for the first time and seeing his whole world change and be filled with love and awe. I look forward to every little moment, every little milestone that our family has coming it’s way.

Additional life lessons: -You cannot plan how your life will go. Things will arise that are within and outside of your control. The more you go against the current and fight it, the more tired and anxious you will be. -Being nervous or scared for the big changes in your life is a normal and an expected feeling. Every day will be different and learning to honor and respect yourself will make this processes more tolerable. -When you feel like you are prepared, you will be shown there is no way to prepare or know everything. This doesn’t mean stop learning or preparing, just enjoy the process. Life is stressful, but dwelling on the negative doesn’t allow time to see the light. -Learn to laugh – learn to cry – learn to let go – learn to move on. -Find joy in the simplest of things, like feeling your baby kick. -Appreciate the process – in all of it’s glory, in all of it’s ugly aspects, in all of it’s beauty – embrace it all. -Ask for help and advise from those who have gone through something similar. No one has all of the answers and everyone will have a different experience, but be a gatherer of information and use what works for you and your life. People will share their opinion, feel free to take it or leave it and don’t get offended if someone doesn’t take your advice when you return the favor. -Lean on your support system. Don’t be afraid to tell others how you are truly feeling, not this surface level garbage we all share, say how you are really feeling. -Close your eyes and feel the appreciation expanding in your heart.

Thank you so much for reading this week’s post. Stay tuned to find out the gender of baby Tanck!

Have a beautiful week everyone. TANCKS for reading!