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Baby: Weeks 14-16

^^Sportin’ a nice curve but not too much of a bump at 15 weeks, 1 day

Here are some thoughts on weeks 14-16 of pregnancy #2!

Mood

I’ve been in this really odd stage of forgetting I am pregnant! During the first trimester I felt so fragile, nauseous, anxious, and secretive that I was thinking about pregnancy quite a bit. Now that I’m well into the second trimester, I’m finding myself without too much of a bump, feeling much more energetic, eating very much like I normally would, and without many symptoms. The weeks are going by faster than before, too. I have these little moments where I remember what’s actually happening in my body and I get REALLY excited.

Symptoms

I am still taking Unisom at night. Twice I have forgotten it and woke up feeling quite hungover/nauseous again. Although it’s a different kind nausea than weeks 6-10. So I’m continuing to take it just at night for the time being, mostly in hopes that it helps me sleep too.

My only other real physical symptom is having lots of SI joint pain in my lower back already. I don’t remember getting it so soon, but I did have a lot of SI joint pain with Mazen. I think a big part of it is my posture, which has dramatically worsened. I find myself standing with my abs pushed out a lot of the time. I swear my body remembers how it felt to be 40 weeks pregnant and just wants to go straight there. In the evenings especially, I can push my stomach out to basically where it was when I was full term with Mazen. The only explanation has to be some kind of muscle memory. It’s kind of like once you stretch something out, even if it goes back to its original size, it’s easier to stretch the second time.

This was 15 weeks in the morning so imagine at night!

Speaking of the bump, I feel like it changes day by day. One day I can feel the top of my uterus just under my belly button and I can also feel baby movements! I just started to feel some during week 14. But then the next day it’s almost like my uterus retroverts back in and the bump and movements disappear. Is it possible for my uterus to be flip-flopping back and forth like that? It doesn’t seem like that moveable of an organ, but maybe it does!? Some days my stomach looks almost flat and other days I look six months pregnant and people comment on it. I have no idea why all the fluctuations! I suppose it could have to do with eating/food/water weight too.

15 weeks, 5 days. Compare that to photo #1!

Feeling those first few movements was SO exciting. It’s by far my favorite part of pregnancy, and I can’t wait until Thomas and Mazen can feel them too. I’m actually quite shocked that I have a tiny baby the size of a naval orange inside of me who is constantly moving and I can’t feel him most of the time. That’s mind boggling! Wouldn’t you think you can feel everything moving in your body? I felt my first real movement at about 14.5 weeks and then nothing for a week. At 16 weeks, right on cue with what my doctor said, I’m starting to feel them a bit more. I think I even felt a kick! My placenta is in the front, so I have to lie down or get in bridge pose to feel movements on the top.

Sleep

I have been having some crazy vivid dreams lately. Almost every morning I wake up with a very real memory of a dream. Most of them involve people in my life and things we’ve been doing rather than more fantastical imagery. I’ve been going to bed around 9 every night and sleeping until 6:30 or 7, so I’m getting a good night’s rest and not needing too many naps. I’m joking that I’m saving it all up for October! I was obsessed with sleep once Mazen started sleeping through the night at six months. Lack of sleep is one of the things I am most nervous about having a newborn again. I do remember having some kind of mom adrenaline that helped pull me through.

I’m still sleeping on my stomach which has been so nice. I feel like I switched to side much sooner with Mazen? I most often prop a knee out so my torso is slightly tilted to the side, which means I’m not lying flat on my stomach. I’m hoping to sleep like this as long as possible because sleeping on my side was one of the hardest parts of pregnancy last time.

New Things

These maternity jeans from Target are awesome. The two pairs of skinny jeans I bought at Motherhood are great for about 2 minutes and then they start to sag like a rapper from 1999. Constantly pulling them up drives me nuts! I bought these green jeans at Target and the criss-cross back panel is great and they actually stay up! The top of the panel seam is tighter too, so I bet that helps. And they are generally more structured jeans to begin with. I actually bought a second pair in regular denim. I can see how the panel might not fit someone late in the third trimester, and since I’ll be tucking my pants away for the summer, I hope I can still wear these in Sept/Oct. I think at worst I’ll have to fold the panel over.

The planner in me is surprised that I haven’t wanted to think about buying anything new for the baby or unpacking all the baby stuff stored away yet. It just feels too soon. I kept most of my baby stuff, including bouncy seats, boppy and My Breast Friend, a changing table, cloth diapers (TBD if we use them), carriers and wraps, strollers, etc. I still have my old breast pump, but I think I will get a new one since they have probably made a lot of improvements over the last five years and it’s free through insurance. I gave away a lot of the baby stuff that I couldn’t see myself using again, including our swing and a few other things, so I might need to look into finding some of those hand-me-down or buying new.

We will need a new infant car seat, since my old one expired. Would love some recommendations! I think I’d also like a new stroller since my Bob is showing its age. (It was my MVP baby item with Mazen and got SO much use). I’ll still use the Bob for running/workouts, but I would like a new everyday stroller that’s a lot easier to get in and out of a car. Maybe one with a snap n go feature for the car seat too? A travel system set? My sister swears by her Uppababy Cruz, but I’m also open to recommendations.

Other than those big ticket items, I think we probably still have most of what we need, minus things that you’d buy new anyways like pacifiers, bottles, diapers, and consumables. Luckily I still have all of Mazen’s 0-1 year old clothes and YAY for having another boy! I did give away a lot of my 1-5 year old boy clothes, but Sarah has a lot of them that she plans to give back when Sawyer out grows them, and I am sure we’ll get some hand-me-downs too. That is one pro to having a second later than a lot of my friends who are now done having kids. I’ll gladly pass all of mine along when we’re done too.

We intend to convert our home office into a nursery and move the office back downstairs to the basement (which we are sad to do because we love the main floor office, but it makes the most sense.) I imagine the baby will sleep in our room for the first few months. Since our master is so much bigger than the bedroom I had when Mazen was born, I think I’ll probably just do a make-shift nursery in a section of the room with a bassinet, changing station, and clothing in the dresser (which I have emptied of my off-season clothes!) and won’t move him to his room on the main floor until he’s consistently sleeping through the night (and maybe even later than that if our setup is going well). So I doubt I will put that much effort into the nursery until much later, and we might try to keep the office there as long as we can.

Ok I’m starting to ramble. The short story of these weeks: I’m feeling halfway on a lot of topics! Except for gratitude. That I am 100% feeling.

OH, and we think we have a name!!!

Links of interest!

Oh Boy!

Oh Joy!

The First Trimester

On Healthy Living While Pregnant

and

Mazen at 14, 15, 16 weeks

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Cruz along w the uppababy Mesa car seat! Amazing to have one brand for both with no adapters needed. The crus is amazing, really! All of my friends recommended and I’m so glad I listened. We still use w our 15 month old ( some days a lighter umbrella stroller, but this is perfect for longer walks)

    Reply

    • I second the Cruz! Love LOVE ours. It’s the perfect stroller – lightweight and small, I never even use my umbrella stroller. I love that the seat can be facing either towards or away from the pusher. It also is perfect for Grandmas – easy to set up, lightweight, and not complicated. I debated between that and the Uppababy Vista, but decided the Vista was too big (especially since we didn’t want a second kid too soon after the first), and I’m REALLY glad we went with the Cruz instead. Whatever stroller you get, get the matching carseat if you can. We got the Cybex Aton2 carseat, which we loved because it was tiny and fit well in our small car and had an adapter for the Cruz, but I wished we’d been able to get the matching Uppababy Mesa!

      Reply

  5. Did you have a system of splitting up late night feedings or were you consistently waking up every 2-3 hours? Also, will you both stay in the same bed or will one of you stay with the baby so the other can sleep well? I don’t know how people deal with lack of sleep!! That seems like the hardest part!

    Reply

    • I think it definitely is the hardest part. With Mazen we did shifts of sleeping separately with him and that worked really well because we alternated getting great rest. I have no idea what we’ll do this time, but we have a king size bed and a much bigger master, so I think maybe we’ll try sleeping together unless we are just too exhausted to hear every peep.

      Reply

      • I tried to reply on my phone but it said my email was spam! I was just wondering if you had any different plans to get your new baby sleeping through the night sooner than 6 months this time? Also, how long was it until it was more manageable feedings in the night, like just 1 a night?

        Reply

        • I never let Mazen make a peep at night and I think that came back to bite me in the bum. We also use a paci at night and that was a major mistake. So my hope is to allow a few peeps (which is hard for all moms I think!) and to not use a paci at night – daytime only. But we shall see what happens!

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          • Hi! Long time reader but rare commenter! I have a 9 month old, and my husband and I watched takingcarababies (that’s her insta handle)’s newborn sleep class videos, and they were life changing. Our daughter is an amazing sleeper. Just wanted to pass that little mom tip along 🙂

            Reply

  6. Don’t bother with a new pump! The only ones that are possible improvements aren’t covered by insurance (e.g., Willow). Sadly pumping technology hasn’t really improved.

    Reply

      • I’d HIGHLY recommend the Spectra S2! I pumped exclusively for 7 months for my twins and it held up amazingly. It’s quiet and highly recommended by mamas.

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        • Spectra pumps are soooooo much better than medela PISA’s. I got a spectra s1 (so it’s portable and doesn’t need to be plugged into a wall to work), and it was covered by my insurance. I just called my insurance company, and they gave me a list of things I could buy (pump, extra pump parts, storage bags, etc.) and said I could spend $450 total.

          Reply

      • Nursing never worked for us after hours and hours of trying (this was my first baby so I’m hoping it goes better with our second). I have been exclusively pumping for 6 months now. While pumps may not have changed much, having a brand new pump was a lifesaver for me because they aren’t really supposed to be used as frequently as I’ve needed to use it! I know some people have trouble with the Medela PISA but mine has worked just fine.

        Reply

      • It’s not that pumping technology hasn’t improved, it’s that pumps wear out over time. My Spectra S2 broke (my fault, I dropped it, oops) after 9 months and they sent me a new one and the difference in suction was amazing!

        Reply

  7. You look so adorable! Even without pregnancy, I’ve found it fascinating how much food can change my stomach throughout the course of a day. 😉 I have IBS, but I think you and I perhaps have had some similar symptoms. I’ve come to realize how much more common it is to have a rounded belly at night. Love these updates! Wishing you well, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply

  8. Awwwwww! I’m gonna try that bridge position and see if I can feel some kicks! I don’t feel a thing yet! And I’m still rocking the unisom at night, tooooooo scared to take it otherwise!

    Reply

  9. We have a used uppababy Vista, because we want kids with a small age gap. The uppababy brand has awesome customer service and stands behind their products so I would definitely recommend them. Plus, their stuff is so pretty along with being functional.

    Reply

  11. My son is 5 and my daughter is almost 4 years younger. Our Chicco seat and chicco snap n go had over a year left on them. I was bummed that I couldn’t rationalize a new car seat/stroller purchase! We made it through with that, our old Bob, and a nice umbrella stroller, but yeah – haaaated lugging the Bob in and out of the back of my car. The one thing we did get for our 2nd that I absolutely loved was the Halo bassinet. We used the pack and play with our first and it was just so huge. You can pull the halo right up over your bed like a cosleeper, such a huge difference.

    Reply

  12. Congrats! You’re looking great 🙂 We had our second boy last year – boys are the best 🙂
    I encourage you to get a second pump. Highly recommend the Spectra if your insurance covers it! It’s amazing. Far better than the Medela I had the first time through insurance. I bought the Spectra S2 at 9 months with my first, and it helped me make it to the year mark of working full-time and pumping – it’s much comfier and my output improved with it. I continued using it with baby #2 and just made it to the year mark of working and pumping with him too! I bought it ($150-ish on Amazon) because I had already gotten the Medela through insurance the first time, and my insurance didn’t cover the Spectra. But I know some insurances are covering it now.
    Anyway, that’s my two cents 🙂 And if you do get a second pump through insurance but can’t/don’t use it, there are organizations that will accept donated pumps for moms in need!

    Reply

  13. The baby weighs 1.5 oz or so at 14 weeks, Im always curious when I hear people say that they can feel something that minuscule moving. Are you sure?

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  14. I’m so glad you’re still taking Unisom too! I’m due the same time as you and feel like taking it helps me get great sleep and makes me feel better in the AM (you’re totally right, the nausea is different 2nd trimester than first). I wasn’t sure if I should try tapering off, but whenever I do, I just don’t feel as great.

    Keep the suggestions for what to purchase coming. It’s so overwhelming to me what to register/buy. I’m clueless!

    Happy Mother’s day weekend!

    Reply

    • So I just went to Target to look at the registry checklist and I only need like 5 things – haha. I COULD buy a lot more like new diaper bags, new crib, etc. But I don’t really need anything but diapers and the things I mentioned in my post.

      Reply

  15. So much fun reading through these posts for me! I’m currently 29 weeks pregnant with my 2nd and i’ve loved looking at babykerf throughout both of my pregnancies. So excited for you and your growing family! You look positively glowing and radiant in all of your pictures!

    Been totally trying to figure out what to get this 2nd time around…my first is only 2.5 so we can re-use a lot of the same things. Except for clothes since she’s a girl and this one is a boy 🙂 I plan on getting a new monitor system since the current one we have is discontinued and we need a 2nd camera (i dont feel comfortable dropping the camera for our toddler’s room just yet!)…and seeing a comment on here has made me think about the halo bassinet. We used our pack n play last time too in lieu of a bassinet and it worked really well but I agree it does take up a decent amount of space in our room. Decisions Decisions!

    Reply

    • Thank you!

      I was considering a pack n play too, but I think having a swivel basket that is literally right over the bed would be SO NICE! Especially since my side of the bed doesn’t have much room and so a pack n play would have to be at the foot of the bed. (We could also switch sides, but not sure how that would feel!) I’ve also considered getting one of those nests with walls that goes between the parents so you don’t roll over on the baby but they are in bed with you. Since we have a king size bed that might work, but I think I would sleep better with something beside my bed instead of IN it which might get crowded!

      Reply

  16. I have loved the Chicco Keyfit 30 car seat with the Keyfit Caddy stroller. I hesitated on buying a stroller that ONLY worked with the car seat (it doesn’t have a regular seat, it’s just a car seat snap in kind of thing) but it was only about $100, it weighs almost nothing, and it’s a breeze to get around. I used it with both my kids daily until they were too big to want to ride around in the car seat all the time. Then I switched to mostly using the Bob. All of the Uppababy strollers are great too, though pretty pricey. If you do go with an Uppababy stroller I recommend getting their car seat too because I got an Uppababy Vista for my double stroller and find that putting the Chicco car seat in it is kind of clunky.

    Reply

    • I had the KeyFit and a caddy last time and it worked well. I also switched to the BOB. That’s good advice about getting the UppaBaby stroller and car seat together – I’m leaning that way.

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      • Oops, didn’t realize that’s what you had last time! 🙂 The Uppababy strollers really are super nice. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who regretted the steep price tag! And as long as you still have a Bob for all-terrain/outdoor activities, you’d be all set. The 4-wheel strollers are nearly impossible to steer with one hand, so I find myself still using the Bob a lot for things like walking my dog. Mazen might still be young enough to use the “skateboard” attachment on the Uppababy Vista too. It’s nice to have for older kids.

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        • No worries! Just mentioning it. My KeyFit has expired, so I have to start new anyways. I’ve only heard good things about Uppa too – including their customer service.

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  17. The lack of sleep is so darn awful. My kid was a horrendous sleeper until eight months and the memories of how awful it was are a huge reason I don’t want another kid!! I might try for a second when my daughter is around Mazens age. She’s 2.5 right now and all the post partum memories are STILL too fresh/traumatizing. Dramatic but true.

    Reply

    • Haha I feel ya!!! Months 4-6 were awful for us – he was waking up every 20 minutes at times! I have loved our age gap, and it’s really given me a few years to recharge so that I’m really excited to do it all again.

      Reply

  19. We love the Uppababy Vista system, but would NEVER have had one without it being second hand. They are SO EXPENSIVE. My biggest advice is to join baby groups and closet sharing groups on facebook for Charlottesville. There have to be a few. My town outside of Boston has SO MANY closed mom groups, basically whenever we need ANYTHING (a specific book, a type of sippy cup, a snowsuit, pump parts WHATEVER, we just post that we are ISO it, and then nearly immediately another Mom posts that she just wants it out of her house! its AMAZING. Congrats again- you look so lovely!

    Reply

  20. I’m due in 11 days andstill don’t have a name! Love these updates and would love to hear about how your food changes throughout the next few months. Best of luck to you!

    Reply

  21. I had my second baby in January of 2016 and my pregnancy #2 sounds a lot like yours! I got rib and joint pain SO much sooner. I completely understand the straight-to-40 weeks feeling. But the flip side is that second births tend to be quicker and easier – here’s hoping for you!

    Reply

  22. Highly recommend the Britax B-Safe 35 travel system. The stroller releases/folds with one hand, and the carrier was super easy to use. We got a steal of a deal on a previous year’s model at Kohl’s when we bought ours two years ago.

    Reply

  23. You should check out the trainer/blogger Jessie Mundell. She specializes in pregnancy/postpartum (and is pregnant herself). She just posted on Instagram about core muscles and sucking in vs actually engaging your core and pelvic floor. I think you’d find it interesting!

    Reply

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