When I found out I was pregnant in the dead of winter, fall seemed so far away. But now that I’m half way through this pregnancy, time seems to be going by pretty fast! It helps that I am feeling a lot better–practically normal (minus how out of breath I get climbing the stairs!). I think the second half will go by even faster since it is summer, and there are a lot of things to do and keep me busy.
Yesterday we had our 20 week anatomy scan and ultrasound, and thankfully everything checked out just fine! We got confirmation that the baby is still a boy too. Ha! It’s interesting how the ultrasound technician can’t/won’t say much during the exam, but I got a call from the doctor’s office today, and they confirmed that everything is looking good for far. They did say that the baby is in the 89th percentile for size, so does that mean I’ll be having a huge baby?! I can’t remember what Cullen was at this point in time. The ultrasound technician also said the baby was very cooperative, so hopefully that’s indicative of this kid’s demeanor. (#fingerscrossed #prayerssaid)
Food cravings/aversions:
My food cravings and aversions are pretty nonexistent. If anything, I find myself craving salty foods and meat a bit more than usual, but otherwise I have been able to eat vegetables and healthy food as I did before. I have definitely let myself indulge a bit more compared to when I’m in serious training, but most of my diet has been about 80% healthy, 20% not-as-healthy.
How I’ve been feeling:
So much better! I practically feel like my old-self minus the bump that seems to be growing by the week. (Also, I forgot how much more pregnant you look at night before bed, but then everything shrinks back down by the morning.) I am sleeping great, and I can’t really complain about anything right now. I know eventually things will drastically change.
I have not felt any movement from the baby yet. I don’t think, at least. There have been a couple times I may have felt something, but I couldn’t tell if it was my stomach or the baby.
Items bought for the baby:
None! Absolutely none! While we won’t need a lot since I saved everything from when Cullen was born, there are a few things I want to buy: a couple more swaddles (Let me know your favorites in the comments!), a baby monitor and sound machine (We didn’t have either with Cullen.), a new diaper bag, and possibly a different sling/carrier for baby wearing.
Running:
I can’t complain about running thus far–although I know it is bound to get more difficult soon. I ran the Trent Waldron Half Marathon last Saturday and will be running the Twilight 6K tonight.
Here are my workouts for week 18 of my pregnancy. Since my due date is on a Friday, I don’t have all of my workouts completed for week 19 of my pregnancy yet, which rolls through this weekend. (Week 20 of workouts will start on Monday of next week.)
Week 18 pregnancy workouts – May 20 – 26
Monday – 5 miles | easy | 10:10 pace
I did 3 easy miles with Craig and Cullen, but I was not feeling it! I was really struggling and had to stop several times to walk. I also did 2 additional miles with my athletes during a track workout I held for them. My much-slower-than-usual-pace says it all.
Tuesday – off
Right now I like to have a break after about 4 days of running in a row. At my peak I would run 10-14 days in a row, so while a break occurs more often, it feels better for my body at this point in time. Plus, I have no reason to push anything right now.
Wednesday – 6 miles | 2 x 10 minutes @ tempo
I did this run based off effort and went based off “tempo-effort” rather than trying to hit a certain pace. I was pretty consistent with the first interval being at 7:13 pace and the second being at 7:12 pace.
Thursday – 5 miles | 8:27 average pace + 40 minutes of weights
I did this run while Cullen was at preschool. I ran from the gym, so that it kept me accountable to do my PT/body weight exercises and weights afterwards. Lifting has been so much harder recently! I can’t lift as much weight as I used to. I know it’s a pregnancy-thing, but I just don’t remember this with Cullen’s pregnancy.
Friday – off
I wanted to take the day off before the half marathon to rest up a bit. However, I ended up doing a lot of housework, so I was on my feet a lot. Oh well.
Saturday – Trent Waldron Half Marathon – 1:35:31 – 7:15 average pace
I was very happy to set a pregnancy PR this event. You can read a full recap in this blog post.
Sunday – 4 miles | easy | 8:55 average pace
The half marathon beat me up pretty badly. I was very sore and tired, so I took this nice and slow–and then took the following day off to rest!
Minus the first trimester, this pregnancy feels very similar to Cullen’s so far, but I know that things could easily change any week! I am enjoying the honeymoon trimester while most things are still easy (tying my shoes, bending down to pick things up, fitting in most of my clothes), and my energy is still good.
We loved the Halo swaddles and Halo sleep sacks with our son. Also, I loved the Baby Ktan for babywearing in the early months. But, if we have another baby I might try a Solly wrap because they are so pretty! I am definitely a baby products minimalist but those are my favorites. 🙂
I do have a couple of Halo swaddles, but I know I’ll want a couple other styles to find the one this baby likes. I have heard of the Baby Ktan and Solly wraps and was trying to research the difference. . . so basically the Solly wraps are just prettier?? And probably/maybe made from a different material?
The Ktan wrap is amazing for those newborn baby wearing days! I loved it and so did my little dude. He outgrew it around 3 months and I switched over to the Lille baby one (which is more heavy duty). Also, Halo sleepsack swaddle is where it’s at!
Also, I got a dockatot for my second baby and I LOVED it. . That was the one item that I bought “new” for my second.