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16 Weeks Pregnant Update
Baby is a: Avocado
Weight gained: 1 lb
Total Weight gained: 5 lbs
16 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms: I seriously have to pee ALL the time. I’m also always hungry about every two hours. I am definitely starting to grow a belly now, so I am investing in my favorite belly lotion that kept me stretch mark free for my first pregnancy, which is Burt’s Bee Mama Bee Belly Butter with Shea Butter and Vitamin E.
Cravings: With no real cravings, I have started trying to really eat nutritious and filling snacks, such as ones that always contain some protein to try to avoid getting super hungry. I am also working on drinking more water. I am so bad at remembering to have a water bottle with me. Staying hydrated is very important especially in the 3rd trimester where it reduces the risk of swollen ankles and feet, and helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids and bladder infections.
Aversions: Same: No meat. No fish. And still not super excited about cooked veggies.
Sleep: I am still tired all day. While my energy levels have improved since the first trimester, my schedule has just become so much busier that it’s exhausting. I really should start setting a bedtime for myself and sticking with it. L has also moved her morning wake up time from 7 am to 6 or 6:30 am, which doesn’t help the situation.
Excited for: Valentine’s Day. With a toddler, we usually eat dinner at 5 pm, soon after that it is bedtime. L is usually asleep by 7-7:30pm. We are usually both tired that even watching Netflix sounds like work. Valentine’s Day is traditionally centered around going out to dinner to a fancy place. That is definitely not happening so we plan to join Dad during lunch either at work or meet up at a restaurant. I’m also really looking forward to doing Valentine’s Day arts and crafts with L and after the work day, we are absolutely going to Frozen Yogurt because I LOVE frozen yogurt.
If this is your first pregnancy, make it a special Valentine’s Day. Do the fancy restaurant. Get couples massages. The next time you do something like that might not be for a long time. Two years ago for Valentine’s Day, Cole and I were still living in Germany and traveled to a nearby town for the weekend which is known for their spas. Their spas are places that have a series of pools all at different temperatures and always an indoor/outdoor pool at a warm enough temperature for you to enjoy the outdoors. If you are ever in Germany, I highly recommend the Black Forest Area, they have tons of hiking, beautiful scenery, great food, and tons of spas and pools.
Missing: A functional bladder…
Movement: Still nothing but hopefully soon! Can’t wait 😊
Dr. Update: No appointments this week.
Exercise: Nope
Stretch Marks: No
Swelling: No
Maternity Clothing: My (all-time favorite) maternity jeans from Stitch Fix and still comfortable “larger” shirts. I think my fitted button up shirts are going next, they are so tight. I’m hoping to not need too much until the weather turns as winter clothing is so much more expensive.
Labor Signs: No
Wedding Rings On: Yes
Belly Button In or Out: In
How I’m Preparing: As this is my second pregnancy, I do not plan on having a shower but with L, 16 weeks pregnant was about the time I started to think about the shower, who would plan it, who would I invite, co-ed or not, the best time, and what games would be fun. Once you start to determine all the when, where and who questions, your next big task is making the baby registry as you will want to have done before shower invites go out. I wrote a registry checklist along with some reviews on what I loved and also what I learned from everything I got for baby #1.
For fun, we browsed the Baby section of Target. I forget how adorable and cute newborn items are! L saw the nursery set-up and was very insistent that the nursing chair was set up for her. The store was very empty, so I indulged her.
This time around I think it would be fun to just do a get together with a few friends. I believe this is called a sprinkle shower. The idea behind a sprinkle is that you really don’t need the gifts but instead just have a party to celebrate the arrival of your next little one. They are a great way to make the arrival of baby two feel just as special.
Best Moment of the Week: We told friends and more family that the baby is going to be a girl. They were all excited, so it was fun to share our news with everyone. I feel the more people I share the news with the more real it all feels. The more real it feels, the more excited I get about the big day.
We also took L swimming this week and she absolutely loved it. She is seriously hilarious in the water, she loves to splash but when she splashes her face, she looks around all mad like “who did that!” Now that I am starting to have a belly, it was nice being in the water feeling weightless. While I am not excited about being very pregnant in the summer, at least I will be able to go swimming a lot. There is a town beach on a lake close to our house so I’m looking forward to going there a lot this summer.
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Dr. Trina Fitzpatrick is a wife, mom, blogger, and a breastfeeding advocate. She is the co-author of the Week-by-Week Bump Smart Course, the Nesting Planner and the Breastfeeding Handbook. She attributes her success at breastfeeding her own children into toddlerhood with working with lactation consultants in the hospital in the early stages and on a weekly basis afterwards. By writing at MomSmartNotHard, she educates mamas-to-be on all things pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Read more about Trina.
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