pregnancy update: 10 weeks

baby #2 due march 2017

Hey ya'll! So if you don't know already, I am pregnant with my second little one due March 2017, and we couldn't be happier!! A big reason that Cate & I started this blog was to share all of the many things we learned and experienced during our first pregnancies - along with our unique stories. Now that I am pregnant with my second, I cannot wait to share and rehash all of that information once again.

Thinking back to my first pregnancy, I absolutely loved being preggo. I mean, yah, at times it was tough - you are growing a human inside of you that you will have to successfully nurture and raise - and with that comes fears, anxiety, and even self-consciousness with a new body in check. But for the most part, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and was SUPER excited to become a mommy. The biggest challenge during my pregnancy with Lincoln was weight gain - and throughout this blog and especially throughout my second pregnancy, I will be sharing a ton of information on nutrition, fitness and healthy weight gain during pregnancy. This time around, I hope to stay within the recommended weight gain range of 25 lbs to 35 lbs, if I can healthily achieve it. With Lincoln, I gained more than 55 lbs - ah... or at least that is when I stopped looking at the scale at 9 months. I did lose all of the baby weight, but it did take me a little over a year.

Weight gain during pregnancy should not be and is not the most important thing that pregnant women should be focusing on when they are bringing a new life into this world. However, I do think that healthy eating and what you put into your body (the majority of the time) is what you are feeding your baby. Not to mention, it is tough on your body to over-gain weight, even during pregnancy. Lastly, bringing a baby into this world changes your identity in the greatest and biggest way possible, so why have to lose your body along with such other major changes? Anyways, more on healthy weight gain later - or check out one of my healthy meal plan posts here that shows what I am eating on a regular basis during my second pregnancy.

Throughout my weekly updates, I will be posting my thoughts, feelings, cravings, weight (ah) and belly photos (yay)!

Doctors Appointments: so I had my first doctor appointment - the 8-week appointment in which the doctor confirmed my pregnancy. Ryan, Rhett and I were able to see the baby on the ultrasound through an (interior) ultrasound (if you know what I mean). Baby had a heart beat (Good is good!) - however, doctor did inform me that I was measuring about 6 days smaller than what my cycle was telling us. But because there was a heartbeat, doctor said not to be alarmed and that all was healthy and good.

Another alarming situation was the fact that our family has recently traveled to Mexico prior to conception (2 weeks prior). We told doctor and she said that we needed to get tested for Zika immediately. Please see my Zika post here if you are interested in hearing more about my story. Great news - I did get tested and both the DNA and Antibody test were negative - which means that I am Zika free!

Cravings: Not craving anything different than normal. I am just thirsty all.of.the.time. Trying to keep my diet as healthy as I normally am when not pregnant. I remind myself to eat when I am hungry and to stop when I am full; fill up FIRST on nutrient dense foods - like fruits and veggies. Be sure to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. And at night, when my day has been successful in eating healthy, I can reward myself with a treat - like a small bowl of ice cream... gotta stay sane ;)

Workouts: Prior to conception, I was running about 3 miles 4x a week. I am trying to stick with this so long as I feel healthy and good about it. My runs are feeling great so far, even though energy is down.

Weight: 130 lbs. - hooray for this guys. I went in for my 8-week appointment and weighed 130 lbs, which means I have finally gotten back to my pre-pregnancy weight (what I weighed prior to having my first - Lincoln). This made me even happier because at my 8-week appointment when pregnant with Lincoln I weight 135 lbs. I know, I shouldn't obsess about weight - but I am proud that I am keeping my body in check and am feeling great about where I'm at. Now that I am 10 weeks pregnant, I weigh around 131 lbs. Diet is still very similar to what it was before getting pregnant. FYI, women should gain between 3 to 6 lbs during there first trimester. And some, even lose weight because of morning sickness. We are not shooting for weight loss whatsoever, but we also need to remind ourselves that our baby is the size of a strawberry right now!!! So, he/she doesn't need that extra sandwich that you are trying to justify :) Baby just needs a solid, nutrient dense diet with plenty of fluids.

Baby Measurement: Baby is the size of a strawberry! Will update when I go to my 12-week appointment. Kind of praying that I'm not measuring small (fingers crossed).

Thoughts/Feelings: So honestly, with baby #2 I am not as emotional as I was with baby #1. I know what to expect and I am A LOT more relaxed this time around. I will say that I do get some anxiety/depression when I let my blood sugar level drop. I noticed this last night when I was so nauseous and couldn't stomach lunch (after having a huge breakfast of huevos rancheros). BAD IDEA. My blood sugar levels dropped off a cliff. I felt like a zombie and not right in the head. As soon as I had a healthy dinner of couscous and veggies with feta, I felt immediately better. Reminder: Eat small meals frequently throughout the day!

Belly Photo: see above :)


xx,
ILA