To document my journey through my second pregnancy, I started journaling as soon as my husband and I decided to try for another baby. I have shared the first trimester of my second pregnancy, and here I share the second trimester.
Week 14
May 1, 2014
Today I am thirteen weeks into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 14 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a lemon, measuring about three and a half inches from crown to rump and weighing approximately one and a half ounces. My early pregnancy symptoms have definitely decreased. I am less nauseated than previously. The only time that I really feel sick is when I brush my teeth because of an overactive gag reflex. I have been experiencing some minor backaches at night, but, for the most part, I am feeling peachy. Thus, with the negative early symptoms out of the way (fingers crossed), I have really started thinking about the little person growing inside me. Specifically, I have been thinking about the sex of my baby and gender disappointment.
Gender disappointment describes the phenomenon in which a parent feels negatively about the sex of a baby. The negative emotions range from slight sadness to overwhelming anger. Getting pregnant means a 50-50 chance of having a boy and a 50-50 chance of having a girl. Feeling disappointment is part of the human condition. Feelings are not right or wrong — just feelings. However, the way in which parents deal with gender disappointment is key.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, I was convinced that she was a boy. I had no reason for my belief, just the crazy hunch of a hormone-crazed pregnant lady. When she was born, I clearly remember holding her in my arms for a few minutes. After gazing in wonder at the small bundle in my arms, I checked between my legs and discovered that she was a girl. Not for a minute did I experience any gender disappointment. I absolutely adore and love my daughter. Never do I wish she were a boy.
Now that I am expecting my second baby, I can admit that I am kind of hoping for another girl. However, my desire for another daughter has nothing to do with wanting a girl over a boy. Because the new baby will be born roughly around the same time as my daughter, my hope for another girl is purely practical. If my second baby is also a girl, I already have an entire wardrobe of baby girl clothes. I would of course buy my second daughter a few new pieces here and there, but I would love not to have to buy a whole new wardrobe. Having another girl would simply be more economical.
With that said, if my second baby is a boy, I would be just as happy. I already have quite a collection of gender neutral newborn clothes. I even have some “boy” clothes that my daughter wore or that I picked up at garage sales. If my second baby is a son, I would not be disappointed. I would not wish he were a girl. I would love my son. I would simply leave my daughter’s old baby clothes packed up in boxes in the basement and head out to buy a baby boy wardrobe. I am sure that my daughter would love to help me pick out clothing for her new baby brother. And I would not be disappointed that my second baby was a boy.
A baby is a gift. Although I can understand wanting a baby of a certain sex, parents must also realize that having a baby is a 50-50 gamble. Disappointment is a legitimate feeling. However, parents who experience gender disappointment should acknowledge the disappointment and then move on, never revealing the disappointment to the child. Love the child you are given. I love my daughter, and I will love a son or another daughter.
What do you think about gender disappointment?
Week 15
May 9, 2014
Today I am fourteen weeks and one day pregnant with my second child, meaning I am in week 15 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of an apple, measuring about four inches in length from crown to rump and weighing about two and a half ounces. I have not yet begun to feel any recognizable fetal movement yet, but I did not feel my daughter until week 22 of pregnancy. For the most part, my early pregnancy symptoms have completely eased up. I no longer feel nauseated most of the time, and my appetite is a bit better. However, I am feeling more tired than usual — largely because of my insufferable seasonal allergies during pregnancy.
Because of the colder and snowier than usual winter this past year, pollen levels are expected to be higher than usual. As a suffered of moderate to severe seasonal allergies, I have to agree. My allergy symptoms, my nasal allergy symptoms in particular, have been worse than usual over the past few weeks. My nose is always congested and/or runny. I have been sneezing a lot more than usual, and I find myself using up box after box of tissues as I attempt to remove the mucus from my nasal passageways. To say that I have been uncomfortable because of my seasonal allergies during pregnancy is far from even a small exaggeration.
My favorite allergy medication is Flonase, which effectively prevents all but the worst of my nasal allergy symptoms. Unfortunately, Flonase is a category C drug, and I am unwilling to take the risk of using the medication during pregnancy. I recently tried switching to cromolyn sodium, or Nasalcrom, which is a category B drug, but the allergy medication offers me little relief. The only medicine that helps my allergy symptoms at all is regular old Benadryl, another category B drug. Unfortunately, I can take the systemic medication only at bedtime because Benadryl knocks me out.
In addition to taking Benadryl at night on my worst days, I have also been using a salt water solution and a xylitol nasal spray to clean out my sinuses. The xylitol nasal spray helps clean out my nose without the drying effects of regular saline solution. Again unfortunately, cleaning out my sinuses does not prevent my seasonal allergy symptoms during pregnancy and provides me only with temporary relief. Using a salt water solution also helps clear out excess mucus. Of course, my gag reflex is still heightened, so rinsing with even a mild salt water solution often results in some serious gagging on my part.
Because of my seriously annoying seasonal allergies during pregnancy, I find myself not sleeping very well. In addition to waking up at least twice a night to visit the bathroom, I also find myself waking because of my stuffy and runny nose. Sometimes my symptoms are so bad that I have to stuff some tissue up each nostril to keep from drowning in a pool of boogers. The thought is not pretty, but neither I am after a long night of not sleeping because of my runny nose. Unfortunately, my symptoms will get better only when all the plants in world go dormant again or when my baby is born come October or November and I can resume using my Flonase again. Despite the annoyances from my seasonal allergies during pregnancy, I will admit that dealing with my nasal allergy symptoms will be well worth the battle.
If you suffer from allergies, did your symptoms worsen during pregnancy?
Week 16
May 16, 2014
Today I am fifteen weeks and one day into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 16 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of an avocado, measuring four and a half inches from crown to rump and weighing about three and a half ounces. I am still waiting to feel some recognizable fetal movement, but I did not feel even the slightest kick from my daughter until week 22 of pregnancy. My only major symptom still remaining is my heightened gag reflex, which still hits when I am attempting to brush my teeth. Up until the past few days, I have felt pretty good. However, now I find myself battling both sickness and some stress.
In addition to my increased allergy symptoms for which I cannot take any medication except the occasional Benadryl, I now find myself fighting a late spring cold. My nose is congested and runny at the same time, and I have an annoying cough. Overall I feel absolutely blah. I am achy and often have a headache. The worst part is that I am so congested that even using warm salt water to clear away the nasal mucus does not work. My head is so stuffed up that I cannot get even a few drops of salt water into my nasal passages. The sinus pressures is absolutely irritating. To make me feel even worse, my daughter also has a little cough and a stuffy nose. Fortunately, her symptoms are a lot milder than mine.
Being sick while pregnant is no picnic. With a cold, I would usually take some antihistamines, decongestants, and Tylenol. However, because I am pregnant, I have taken only a Benadryl every so often, usually right before bed so that I can get a little bit of sleep. But I am not getting much sleep. Between the congestion and the coughing (plus my usual pregnancy bathroom visits), I have been up every few hours for the past couple of days. I am also awaken occasionally by loud little snores from my congested daughter. Hopefully I will begin to feel better soon. Battling an illness during pregnancy is not any fun. But, hey, at least I am getting some practice for those sleepless nights with a newborn!
In addition to being sick the last couple of days, I have also been attempting not to feel stress during pregnancy. On Wednesday, my husband was let go from his job. He immediately started looking for more work. And we fortunately had planned for just a situation. We used all the money in our savings accounts to pay off our credit card bills and pay our mortgage a few months in advance. I also wrote a check to pay our midwife off in full at our next prenatal appointment on Thursday. My husband even received a few interview offers today, which is great news. We may not have much money in our bank accounts, and we may not be able to go on any trips or eat out as much this summer, but so far I am not stressing too much about our current financial situation. I am confident that my husband will find work soon, which is helping me avoid too much stress during pregnancy at the moment. My husband even praised me for not stressing, which, for a chronic stressor, is a huge compliment.
Despite experiencing an illness and dealing with a changing financial situation, I am still feeling pretty good this time around during week 16 of pregnancy. I am anxious to hear the heartbeat again on Thursday, and I am anxiously awaiting the moment that I feel the baby move for the first time. But, all in all, I am feeling pretty good. Plus, my toddler daughter loves talking about the “baby mommy tummy.” I am excited that she is excited about her upcoming promotion from only child to big sister. Thus, in spite of the minor setbacks my family and I have experienced this week, the fourth month of pregnancy is looking pretty good.
Did you experience any stressors during pregnancy?
Week 17
May 24, 2014
Today I am sixteen weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 17 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a potato, measuring five inches from crown to rump and weighing about five ounces. I had my second prenatal appointment with my midwife on Thursday. I weighed 113 pounds, so I have gained less than a pound during the last four weeks. My uterus measured 13 centimeters. And, to my great pleasure and relief, the fetal heartbeat measured 144 beats per minute, which is almost exactly the same heartbeat at the same time during my pregnancy with my daughter.
Most of my early pregnancy symptoms have finally disappeared. I am no longer nauseated most of the time. The only time that I really have problem with my overactive gag reflex is while brushing my teeth. Brushing, flossing, and rinsing is sometimes quite the battle in the evenings. I feel like my dental hygiene has been lacking a little lately, but I am brushing the best that I can. Fighting the urge to throw up while brushing my teeth is no fun. However, dental health is so important for my overall health and the health of my pregnancy, so I persist despite the sincere discomfort.
I am also feeling much better overall despite my bout with a late spring cold last week. My congestion is much better, so I am finally sleeping better again. My allergies are still bothering me a bit, but I am used to constant nasal allergy symptoms. I still have an annoying cough that sometimes triggers my overactive gag reflex, but hopefully the cough will disappear within a few more days — especially with constant warmer weather on the horizon.
As for my stress levels, I am also feeling a little less stressed this week. My husband is still looking for a job after losing him a little over a week ago. He has applied for and will start receiving unemployment during the first week of June, which will help tremendously with our day-to-day living expenses. He has also had two job interviews already. My family and I will also start receiving Medicaid on June 1, which is a huge relief. I was rather worried about our lack of medical insurance. Because I am pregnant, my family and I also qualified for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), which will help keep food on our table. Because of her age and also because of my pregnancy, my daughter and I also have an appointment with WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) next Thursday. I have always supported public services for Americans in need, and now I am so grateful that our country still does take care of its citizens.
Overall I am feeling pretty good as I enter week 17 of pregnancy. I have no major complaints, and our financial situation appears on the rise. Now time to look forward to my ever-changing body as the second trimester continues on!
How did you feel during week 17 of pregnancy? When did you have your second prenatal checkup?
Week 18
May 31, 2014
Today I am seventeen weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 18 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a bell pepper in length, measuring five and a half inches from crown to rump and weighing about seven ounces. The only major pregnancy symptom that I am still fighting is my heightened gag reflex, which still usually hits while I am brushing my teeth. I have also had a little lower back pain — but nothing that compares to the early back pain that I experienced during the pregnancy with my daughter.
With the majority of my early pregnancy symptoms over, I am feeling pretty good as I head into week 18 of pregnancy. I am also happy to report that my stress levels are significantly lower. Although my husband is still searching for a new job after losing his a little over two weeks ago, he has already had a couple interviews including a promising one. His unemployment benefits will also start next week, so we do not have to worry as much about our lack of income at the moment. I will say that not having a steady cash flow has helped us trim down our bills a bit. My husband has saved us a couple thousand dollars a year by getting back on our cell phone plans, switching our server, and cutting out other unnecessary expenses. Losing a job is no picnic, but being forced to look for ways to save money is a perk.
My daughter and I also applied for our WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) benefits on Thursday. Because of her age and because I am pregnant, she and I both qualify for the food assistance program. I am happy to report that the application process was extremely easy. The appointment took a little more than an hour and basically involved filling out a lot of paperwork. Our case worker also measured me and my daughter and provided us with information about nutrition. I walked out of the appointment with some coupons for basic foods such as milk, peanut butter, fruits and veggies, and cheese. If you are a pregnant or breastfeeding mother with young children who finds herself in need of a little help, I highly recommend applying for WIC. Any little bit of assistance helps — especially when you are worrying about putting enough food on the table.
All in all, I am quite optimistic at the moment during week 18 of pregnancy. I am finally feeling physically well again and am anxiously awaiting the moment that I feel the baby move for certain for the first time. My husband is also hopeful that he will find a new job shortly. Even if he ends up searching for work longer than hoped, I am so thankful for all the amazing public assistance programs available to American citizens. Stress during pregnancy is not healthy for mama or baby. Luckily for me, my stress levels are pretty low again at the moment.
How did you deal with stress during pregnancy?
Week 19
June 6, 2014
Today I am eighteen weeks and one day into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 19 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a large heirloom tomato, measuring six inches from crown to rump and weighing about eight and a half ounces. I am feeling pretty good, the majority of my early pregnancy symptoms having faded. My only major complaint is my heightened gag reflex, which still strikes when I brush my teeth. But I can totally deal with some gagging and spitting up the few times a day that I brush my teeth.
Most excitingly, week 19 brings me my first definitive feelings of fetal movement. For the past couple of days, I have been feeling baby kick! At first I told myself that I was just feeling gas pains, as increased gas is another common symptom during pregnancy. However, I am now certain that the little butterfly feelings that I occasionally feel are actually my second child moving around in my belly.
Most often, I feel the little butterfly movements when I am sitting or lying around resting. When I am watching television with my family in the evenings, I frequently feel the little fluttering movements in my belly. Sometimes when I lay down to sleep at night, I also feel the movement. The baby also seems to like hearing my daughter (his or her big sister) talk. I quite often feel the baby move when my daughter talks to me as I sit or lay on the couch. I keep telling her that the baby likes her already!
With my first pregnancy, I did not feel my daughter move for the first time until a few weeks later into the pregnancy. As with my previous experience, feeling baby move for the first time brings a huge sense of relief and comfort. Experiencing fetal movement is just plain awesome! I love knowing for sure that my baby is still safe, healthy, and alive inside me. I now look forward to the many, many more weeks of feeling my baby move.
When did you first feel your baby move during pregnancy?
Week 20
June 13, 2014
Today I am nineteen weeks and one day into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 20 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a banana in length, measuring six and a half inches from crown to rump and weighing about ten and a half ounces. Now that I am about half way through my pregnancy, I have started thinking about the birth and the changes to come as my family welcomes a second child. My daughter loves talking about the baby and is eagerly awaiting the day that she becomes a big sister. She will also admit that she is eager for mommy to make more milk.
Before the birth of my daughter, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed for as long as possible. Upon her arrival, my daughter ate only my milk. She exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. She then continued breastfeeding until around the middle of May this year. However, if not for my current pregnancy, she would probably still be breastfeeding. She is my little booby baby who loves her “mama milk.”
Although she is no longer breastfeeding, my daughter still nurses occasionally. A few weeks ago, she said to me, “No more milky.” Because of the combination of my pregnancy and her dwindling need to nurse, my breast milk dried up. I am no longer producing milk at the moment. However, breastfeeding is about more than milk. Breastfeeding is also about comfort. Sometimes my daughter still nurses in the middle of the night when she wakes up crying and sometimes in the morning when she wakes up cranky. Even without milk, nursing still brings her comfort — and I am happy to oblige.
Nursing a toddler during pregnancy is not exactly comfortable. My nipples are quite sensitive, so sometimes I have to ask my daughter to stop. She is quite bright, though, and understand that mommy no longer has milk in her breasts at the moment. However, I have assured my daughter that I will make more milk once the baby comes.
Another reason that I continue to allow my daughter to continue to nurse when she wants is that I want her to maintain her latch. I have a feeling that she will want to continue breastfeeding once the new baby comes. She has already expressed her interest in drinking more milk from mommy. As long as she continues nursing now, she will maintain her latch and will be able to nurse again once my milk comes back in. I would love for my daughter to continue breastfeeding once the baby arrives. Not only is breast milk still good for her, but having a toddler around to nurse once in a while could help me when I am feeling extremely full. Instead of needing to pump, my daughter can help with the excess milk.
However, should my daughter not want to breastfeed any more once the baby comes, I plan on pumping some extra milk for her anyway. I have told her that she can either nurse or I can pump some milk for her once the new baby arrives. Depending on her mood at the moment, she either tells me that she will want to drink from mommy or that she wants mommy to pump the milk out. Either way, I plan on giving my toddler daughter some more of my nutritious breast milk once my second child arrives.
Did you breastfeed during pregnancy? Have you ever nursed two children of different ages at once?
June 16, 2014
With my pregnancy with my daughter, I found myself suffering from extremely dry and itchy skin. My skin is extremely sensitive, so I must put on lotion after each shower to keep from drying out too much, but pregnancy made the condition worse. With my current pregnancy, I find myself dealing more with dry lips than dry skin. In fact, compared to my pregnancy with my daughter, the skin on my body is doing better than ever at the moment. My lips, however, are driving me absolutely crazy!
I generally describe myself as a lip balm addict. I have various tubes and containers of lip balm stashed throughout my house and in my purse. Sitting at my computer at this moment, I can see four different lip balms within reach. My daughter has even picked up the habit. I now leave a ball of my EOS “lip stuff” on the corner of my bathroom counter for her to use as she pleases. However, now as a result of my pregnancy, I find myself needing to reapply lip balm all the time to keep my lips from drying out and cracking.
Even with frequent application of lip balm, my lips still bother me. I have tried all different types of lip balms too in an attempt to combat the problem. I have tried EOS, Naked Bee, Diva Stuff, Double Dipped, various other brands, and even straight-up petroleum jelly. Nothing seems to help the dry, uncomfortable feeling on my lips. The only solution that I have found is to constantly reapply my lip balm. Reapplication is a temporary solution. As soon as the lip balm starts to wear off, my lips feel terrible again. And, even with a thick layer of balm, my lips still feel off.
Dry skin is a frequent complaint for a lot of women during pregnancy. Between changing hormones and an expanding body, pregnant skin takes a beating. I am assuming that the extreme dryness in my lips is just a form of dry skin during pregnancy. I will ask my midwife on Thursday at my next prenatal appointment just to make sure and then hope that the issue resolves soon or at least once I give birth.
Did you experience dryer lips than usual during pregnancy? How did you cope?
June 21, 2014
Today I am twenty weeks and three days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 21 of pregnancy and at the halfway mark as an expecting mother. My baby is now the size of a carrot in length, measuring seven inches from crown to rump and weighing about three-fourths of a pound. I am now at the comfortable place in my pregnancy — over the morning sickness but not quite to the back pain and overall discomfort. With almost all of my early pregnancy symptoms gone (aside from the occasional overactive gag reflex while brushing my teeth), I am feeling pretty good.
My family and I went to my third prenatal checkup on Thursday. I have gained a respectable five pounds over the past four weeks. I was a little worried that I had not gained enough weight, but an additional five pounds puts me right in the healthy range. My uterus now measures 18.5 centimeters, up 5.5 centimeters from four weeks ago. The fetal heartbeat measured 160 beats per minute. Baby Whomp Whomp, which is the nickname bestowed upon the baby by my daughter because the heartbeat sounds like “whomp whomp,” was quite active at the appointment. In fact, my midwife commented that such an active baby is unusual so early on in a pregnancy.
Although my due date is November 6, I have already started planning for an October baby. When my daughter arrived at thirty-six weeks two days, I was surprised to say the least. She was full term and absolutely healthy at twenty inches long and seven pounds five ounces, but I was definitely not expecting her to arrive so early. Hearing that my second baby is already quite active for such an early age makes me think that he or she will arrive prior to week 40 of pregnancy as well. Of course, he or she will probably wait to come until the end of week 42 of pregnancy now that I have stated that he or she will come early. But, as long as my second child waits until week 37 of pregnancy, then I will be happy.
In the meanwhile, I look forward to enjoying the easiest time in my pregnancy (fingers crossed). As my baby bump grows, I am sure that I will start to feel some discomfort, although I have not had the early back pain that I had with my daughter. I am kind of hoping that, due to my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, my body is still stretched out from my first pregnancy and that I will not experience as many aches and pains as the first time around. In any case, I look forward to my continued pregnancy with Baby Whomp Whomp.
How many prenatal checkups did you have?
Week 22
June 28, 2014
Today I am twenty-one weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 22 of pregnancy. My baby is the size of a spaghetti squash, measuring between seven and a half and eight inches from crown to rump and weighing about one pound. Amazingly, I am in my sixth month of pregnancy already! Baby Whomp Whomp is quite active a lot of the time already. For example, last night, I was having trouble sleeping — both because of my horrendous allergy symptoms and because Whomp Whomp kept poking me.
Right now, my biggest concerns during pregnancy are vaginal irritation and healthy weight gain. For the past couple of days, I have been experiencing some mild to moderate irritation around my lady parts. Vaginal irritation is quite common during pregnancy. Between hormonal changes and increased discharge (leukorrhea), the delicate tissue in and around the vagina and vulva can experience irritation. Yeast infections and urinary tract infections are also common during pregnancy, both of which can cause vaginal irritation.
I have been treating my current vaginal irritation with some zinc diaper cream. My lady parts are a big swollen but not red. I also do not have any unusual discharge, which would most likely indicate a yeast infection. I have been swimming a lot with daughter for the past three weeks for her swim lessons. I have sensitive skin to begin with, and chlorinated water irritates me a bit. Add in the summer humidity plus the leukorrhea of pregnancy, and no wonder I am experiencing some vaginal irritation. The zinc diaper cream seems to be helping, but I will definitely keep an eye on my lady parts for worsening symptoms that indicate a bigger problem.
In addition to worrying about vaginal irritation, I have also been thinking about healthy weight gain during pregnancy. Over the past week, I have not gained any weight. I have gained between five and six pounds overall so far, but my lack of weight gain over the past week concerns me a little. I have always had trouble gaining weight, but I am more concerned about Whomp Whomp. Is he or she growing right?
To alleviate some of my concerns about healthy weight gain during pregnancy, I plan to attempt to consume even more healthy calories each day. My family and I have been eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables this summer, all of which are extremely nutritionally but are not necessarily high in calories. The easiest way for me to get enough calories each day is for me to simply drink an additional big glass of milk. With about 300 calories each, big glasses of milk can provide me with the extra calories that my baby and I need while providing protein, dairy fat, vitamins, and minerals. Hopefully I will gain at a least a pound over the coming week. My goal is to add one to two pounds per week until the birth of my baby. And now Baby Whomp Whomp will be here sooner than later!
Did you experience vaginal irritation during pregnancy? Did you have concerns about healthy weight gain during pregnancy?
July 1, 2014
In my last post about my current pregnancy, I shared that I had been experiencing some vaginal irritation. I chalked the discomfort up to an increased amount of leukorrhea and my recent time in pool during swim lessons with my daughter. To try to clear up the irritation, I started using some zinc diaper cream. When I then started to suspect a yeast infection, I tried a little garlic and then some plain yogurt externally. Both claim to help kill fungus including yeast. (I did not want to use any home remedies internally, however, because I am pregnant.) However, now a few days later, my symptoms have gotten increasingly worse.
Today I decided to call my midwife to ask about using an over-the-counter yeast infection medication. According to both the Mayo Clinic and the American Pregnancy Association, yeast infections are extremely common during pregnancy, especially during the second trimester, largely due to hormonal changes. Add in the summer heat and humidity, swimming more than usual, and my increased leukorrhea, and I was basically a recipe for a yeast infection during pregnancy.
When I first called my midwife, she was unavailable, so I left her a message about using an over-the-counter yeast infection medication. The Mayo Clinic states that various over-the-counter antifungal creams or suppositories including miconazole (Monistat) and clotrimazole (Gyne-Lotrimin) are safe to use during pregnancy. The American Pregnancy Association also recommends using vaginal creams and suppositories only to treat a yeast infection during pregnancy. While I waited for confirmation from my midwife, my daughter and I walked up to the local drug store to pick up some yeast infection medication.
With a coupon in hand, I decided on the store-brand seven-day miconazole cream. The Mayo Clinic recommends using a seven-day treatment over other treatment options. The seven-day version of the store-brand was also the least expensive option. With my coupon, I ended up paying on a couple of dollars for the miconazole cream. When my midwife called back a little while later, she confirmed that I could use an over-the-counter medication to treat my yeast infection during pregnancy and that the seven-day treatment is the preferred option.
After my shower this evening, I used my hair dryer on a cool setting to dry my vaginal area completely. I then applied the miconazole cream as directed. Let me tell you: Using a yeast infection cream while pregnant is a bit more awkward than usual due to a rounder than usual belly! Hopefully I will begin to feel better by tomorrow. Yeast infections are irritating enough. Yeast infections during the hot summer months are even more irritating. A yeast infection during pregnancy during the hot and humid summer weather is the most irritating combination that I have ever experienced. With due diligence and continued application of the miconazole cream, hopefully my yeast infection will clear up in the next couple of days without any further problems.
Have you ever experienced a yeast infection during pregnancy?
Week 23
July 5, 2014
Today I am twenty-two weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 23 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a large mango in weight, measuring about eight inches from crown to and weighing about one (1) pound. Amazingly, I am in my sixth month of pregnancy! I am extremely pleased to report that my yeast infection appears on the mend. I still have a few days of medication yet, but the seven-day miconazole cream has stopped my itching and irritation. I just wish that I had called my midwife a few days sooner!
Aside from the yeast infection, my only other complaint at the moment is fatigue during pregnancy. Growing a little person takes a lot of energy, which explains the extra tiredness that many expectant moms feel. Add in chasing after an exuberant toddler each day, and no wonder I am feeling more tired than usual! However, I have also been having trouble sleeping lately for a number of reasons, so I am feeling more fatigued than ever before.
As I have previously written, I have some significant allergies, which largely manifest as nasal allergy symptoms. Throughout the day, I find myself blowing my nose quite often. I also sneeze a lot, have fluid on my ears, and sometimes have watery eyes. If I bump into any foliage outside, I find my skin feeling quite itchy. However, the allergy symptoms that bother me the most are my runny nose and nasal congestion.
When I am not pregnant or trying to conceive, I use Flonase to keep my nasal allergy symptoms under control. Unfortunately, Flonase is a category C drug, meaning the medication has not been deemed safe (or unsafe) during pregnancy. I err on the side of caution and do not use the drug before or during pregnancy. I tried a few other nasal allergy treatments that are safe during pregnancy, but none worked. The only option that provides any relief is Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Unfortunately, Benadryl makes me sleepy, so I can take the medication only at night. On the other hand, feeling drowsy helps put me to sleep. Plus the antihistamine helps me breath so I can sleep easier.
For the most part, I have been taking a Benadryl every night before bed. Without the medication, my nasal passages immediately fill up with mucus as soon as I lay down. I feel so stuffy, and I am unable to breathe through my nose, which makes sleeping difficult. The excess mucus then starts to drip out of my nose, which makes sleeping even more uncomfortable. Part of my congestion is also due to nasal inflammation, so simply blowing my nose does not offer much relief. Benadryl, fortunately, alleviates my symptoms enough to help me sleep through most of the night. The drug does wear off before morning, so sometimes I find myself waking up in the wee hours of the morning with raging nasal allergy symptoms, but I at least got a few hours of sleep. But, missing even a few hours of precious sleep each night does leave me feeling more tired than usual during the day.
Between growing a little person inside me, chasing my toddler daughter around all day, and not sleeping as well as usual at night because of my allergies, I am definitely feeling a bit more tired than usual. Fortunately, most days I do have the option of taking an afternoon nap with my daughter. Therefore, although I am feeling more tired than usual lately, my fatigue during pregnancy could be a lot worse. I just need to keep making sure that I get enough good sleep during pregnancy — both for my sake and for the sake of my developing baby.
Did you experience fatigue or problems getting enough sleep during pregnancy? Why? How did you cope?
Week 24
July 12, 2014
Today I am twenty-three weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 24 of pregnancy. My is now the size of an ear of corn in length, measuring about eight and a half inches from crown to rump and weighing one and one-fourth pounds. Amazingly, I am in my sixth month of pregnancy. I am extremely happy to say that my yeast infection from last week has cleared up completely! My only two remaining signs of pregnancy are now quite a lot of fetal movement and some slight lower back pain.
With my pregnancy with my daughter, I remember a fair amount of fetal movement. In fact, as my pregnancy progressed, I vividly remember waking up to kicks and punches from my unborn baby. My second baby is even more active than my first. I feel him or her moving around all day. My daughter loves talking to the baby through my tummy, and especially loves playing with the baby, which involves her gently poking my belly. As soon as I lay down at night, Baby Whomp Whomp really starts whomping me. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep because of the all movement. I have even been woken up in the middle of the night from all the movement! However, I will say that I prefer a super active baby over a baby who worries me from lack of movement.
I have also started experiencing some slight lower back pain. With my daughter, I had significant back pain starting early in my pregnancy. I have been lucky to have not yet experienced the same pain with my current pregnancy. Because of my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, I am chalking my lack of aches and pains to an already stretched out body. I have had some slight lower back pain after being extremely active with my daughter. For example, after a long walk around town, I feel a little achy, but I have definitely not had any significant pain yet. Knock on wood!
All in all, I am feeling pretty good as I enter week 24 of pregnancy. With pretty much all of my previous early pregnancy symptoms gone, I am in that nice time of pregnancy between the first and second trimesters. Now I am looking forward to my next prenatal checkup with my midwife on Thursday.
How did you feel during the second trimester of your pregnancy?
Week 25
July 19, 2014
Today I am twenty-four weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 25 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a rutabaga in weight, measuring between eight and a half and nine inches from crown to rump and weighing one and a half pounds. My family and I attended my fourth prenatal checkup on Thursday. The super quick appointment, which took only 15 minutes, revealed that I had gained a respectable four pounds over the past four weeks. My uterus measured 22 centimeters, an increase of four centimeters from four weeks ago. Baby Whomp Whomp’s heartbeat measured a wonderful 140 beats per minutes. My pregnancy is therefore progressing quite nicely without any complications.
With my yeast infection behind me, I have very few symptoms to mention as I continue into week 25 of pregnancy. Last Saturday night, I experienced a raging headache for most of the night. I do not like to take medication such as Tylenol except when absolutely necessary, so I asked my hubby to rub my neck and shoulders for a bit. He found some bad knots in the top of my neck that he gently massaged out. The headache, however, continued to keep me up for a few more hours into the night. By morning, fortunately, the headache had passed, and I have not experienced another since.
My only other complaint during month six of pregnancy is not always getting enough sleep at night. Between an incredibly active baby who likes to swim laps in my uterus while I try to rest and my horrible nasal allergy symptoms, I am not always sleeping well at night. One Benadryl at bedtime helps alleviate some of my allergy symptoms, but I still often find myself tossing and turning. I have also been experiencing a little lower back pain, so finding a comfortable position in which to sleep is not always easy. Fortunately, I can and do sometimes take a little afternoon nap with my daughter when I get particularly sleepy during the day.
All in all, my pregnancy is progressing quite uneventfully. I am still in that nice sweet spot of pregnancy between the nausea of the first trimester and the body aches of the third. The summer has also been cooperating, with the nicer than usual weather improving my mood considerably. I imagine that hot, humid August weather will keep me inside more as the summer continues, but I really cannot complain about the cooler than usual weather at the moment. Here is hoping for another three uneventful months of pregnancy!
When did you have your fourth prenatal appointment? How did you feel in general during the first six months of your pregnancy?
Week 26
July 26, 2014
Today I am twenty-five weeks and two days into my pregnancy with my second child, meaning I am in week 26 of pregnancy. My baby is now the size of a zucchini in length, measuring a little over nine inches from crown to rump and weighing between one and two-thirds and two pounds. I am in your sixth month of pregnancy.
I must admit that I have been feeling especially grumpy the past couple of days. In addition to not sleeping well at night because of my allergies and an extremely active night owl baby, my toddler daughter has also been waking me up and keeping me up at night. Although she had been going to sleep quite well, she recently has reverted into a ball of neediness at bedtime. She needs me to cuddle her. She needs me to sleep up on her bed. She needs to sing made-up songs loudly into the night. She has become quite the little stinker at bedtime.
My daughter has also started waking me up more and more in the middle of the night for no discernible reason. As with most toddlers, sometimes she wakes up from a bad dream or for some other reason. However, lately she has just been waking up. She then refuses to go back to sleep on her own, making me even grumpier in the process. I am almost at the end of my rope. If she does not start falling sleep quietly like previously, I am thinking that I will need to start putting her to bed in her own room and then going to bed in my own. She may throw a tantrum the first couple of nights, but I need my sleep. Being grumpy all the time is not good for either of us. And being woken up multiple times a night by a toddler is also not helping my mood. Hopefully she starts sleeping better soon, or else I must move back into my room for the sake of my sanity.
Financial stress is also contributing to my grumpiness. Despite filling out numerous applications each day and despite having a few interviews, my husband has not yet found a job yet. The available jobs are either too low paying, or my husband is told that he is overqualified. Additionally, unemployment keeps screwing up and not sending my husband his money, the money that he paid in while he was working full time. His previous employer also screwed up his taxes big time, so we keep finding out that we owe more and more money to the state and federal governments. How can we pay taxes when we have no income?! My daughter and I do have our second WIC appointment on Monday, which helps relieve some of the financial stress that my family is experiencing at the moment. However, I just really want a company to offer my husband a job already!
I have also recently started experiencing some more lower back pain and some hip pain. Last night before bed, I found myself doubled over with some shooting pains down my right hip. During and after my pregnancy with my daughter, I experienced some rather intense hip pain. Because of my Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, my joints are already overly flexible. Pregnancy makes the problem worse. The problem was worse in my right hip than in my left. Last night I could hardly walk because of my right hip. Today I am feeling better, but I expect that I will continue to feel more and more achiness and pain in my hips as my pregnancy progresses.
Overall, however, I am feeling pretty good now that I am in the second trimester. All my early pregnancy symptoms have long passed. The rest of my symptoms are pretty typical of any pregnancy. And, honestly, I have had a pretty easy time so far with my pregnancy with my second child. Other than the financial stress, I am handling my pregnancy with flying colors.
Did you ever find yourself feeling grumpy during pregnancy? Why? Did you ever experience hip pain during pregnancy?
How did you feel during your second trimester?
Image Credits
The Second Trimester of My Second Pregnancy © 2014 James and Heather Johnson
The Second Trimester of My Second Pregnancy © 2014 James and Heather Johnson
Lip Balms for Dry Lips During Pregnancy © 2014 Heather Johnson
Miconazole 7 © 2014 Heather Johnson
The post The Second Trimester of My Second Pregnancy appeared first at The Second Trimester of My Second Pregnancy
