If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that it’s easier for me in the day-to-day to log my thoughts and experiences through my stories, but I’ve definitely meant to update the blog as this pregnancy has progressed. Making blog posts not only gives others a place to refer back to, but it’s also a special thing for me to look back on. Better late than never!

I’m currently 34 weeks and 2 days and would love to quickly summarize my pregnancy up until now and then do more posts where I highlight tips or turning points for me throughout my experience.

Finding Out

So, we decided for sure in early March of this year that we wanted to start trying for baby number two with my next ovulation cycle (which would be mid March), assuming that it would take several months to be successful. My period had returned in November 2018 when Phoenix turned one, and my cycle was very regular since that time, so I was able to keep up with my fertility through charting (this is also how we avoided pregnancy throughout my fertile window previously). Anyway, I got pregnant the first cycle (in March) we tried and though I was so grateful, I was shocked! We both were. I tested positive on April 4th, 2019 and told Collin as soon as I found out.

First Trimester (Conception - 12 weeks)

Symptomatically, my first trimester was really bad. I became very sick with “morning sickness” (definitely not just in the morning) and heartburn all day, right away — around 5 weeks. I was beginning to lose a good amount of weight and was still breastfeeding Phoenix. I basically lived on the couch and played a lot of TV for him, which I felt very guilty about. I barely left the house except to go view some properties, as we were in the process of house hunting. It was a very miserable time for me and I just remember crying almost daily because I felt SO insanely sick and tired and I felt so helpless. I also felt so so guilty for feeling so disappointed in how sick i was. It was way worse than with Phoenix, and I swear I didn’t eat any vegetables for months.

Toward the end of my second tri, my sister-in-law Christie was getting married and I was so happy to have something to distract me. I swear that was the only thing that helped with the nausea. Once the wedding was over, it stuck around and didn’t dissipate until around 15 weeks.

Second Trimester (12 weeks - 28 weeks)

So, with Phoenix, I didn’t really show until the very end and frequently had people comment on how I didn’t look pregnant when I told them I was. With this baby, I swear I was showing before 12 weeks! It was crazy because I had actually lost a lot of weight not being able to eat my normal diet, but my stomach was getting so round and big. My second trimester really brought the bump, and I would have strangers in the store literally say “Oh, any day now, right?!”

We bought and moved into our new house around 16 weeks and it was so stressful, but a happy stress. I was feeling better, but still taking it easy for the most part. We did an early ultrasound around this time and found out the sex of the baby was a boy, so I started thinking of names. I also started feeling much better physically, and began to exercise around 20 weeks — this is also when I started eating so much more and putting on that good pregnancy weight!

I also began rereading some books and listening to all my favorite birth podcasts from the very beginning (well, I never actually stopped since being pregnant with P! I’ll share those resources at the end.

Mentally, the second trimester is always hard for me because I can’t help but just wanting to be further along. I feel like this pregnancy has been very very slow and everyone else seems to think the opposite — classic! I definitely feel like the second trimester felt the longest in my personal experience.

Third Trimester (28 weeks - 40+weeks)

Since I’m 34 weeks right now, I obviously have quite a bit of time ahead of me (I went to 42 weeks with Phoenix), but I’ll share more info on how this trimester has been for me so far and the things that have happened during this chapter.

This has definitely been the most challenging chapter of the pregnancy, but also the most rewarding. There are definitely a variety of life things that have happened combined with physical symptoms that I for sure want to share.

At about 28 weeks, I found out that my insurance which had previously agreed to cover a certain amount of my prenatal, birth, and postnatal care had changed their policy on homebirth. I honestly should have been prepared, seeing as homebirth fees are not covered by most insurances (even though homebirth is roughly $5000 vs hospital birth which is easily $10,000+) and even with Phoenix’s birth we paid everything in full before I was 37 weeks. Without going too much into it, there was a few weeks of me scrambling around, calling all of the covered hospitals, midwives, and birth centers — and crying a lot. Eventually, I decided we’ll just have to budget really hard, I’ll have to buckle down and find work, and get this payment made before baby comes for our dream homebirth that we’ve been planning for all this time. Obviously, you can’t control birth, but I’ve treated every part of this pregnancy as though it is my last pregnancy and thus, want to have my ideal birth if possible! It’s worth the money.

Physically, I’ve definitely struggled with an array of issues this trimester. Firstly, I had a tooth nerve die out of nowhere (in an otherwise healthy tooth) and had to go to the ER for swelling, antibiotics, and eventually visit an endodontist for a root canal. I still need to get the permanent crown on, but I have been waiting for the endodontist’s “all clear” from the residual swelling. That whole experience almost made me lose my mind, honestly. It was so expensive and stressful, and the antibiotics definitely have jacked up the healthy bacteria in my body despite my probiotic efforts (cough, yeast, cough). BUT! I’m so grateful that I was able to get the tooth taken care of, though it’s not quite over yet.

Pregnancy symptom-wise, I’ve struggled with sleep issues, general aches and pains, and vulvar varicosities. The varicosities are probably the most random thing but they have been so painful and such a bummer to deal with on a daily basis. I’ve also struggled a LOT with anxiety during this crazy time and the physical sensations of panic that I used to really deal with as a teen. Anxiety manifests so differently for everyone, but a big symptom for me is an ice water, or rushing water sensation over my hands, wrists, and arms. I also deal with stomach aches and overall teariness when I have anxiety, so that’s been fun.

Overall, it should go without saying, but I’m SO grateful for this entire experience and I feel so extremely connected to Sage — this little baby we’ve created. I worry about him a lot, because he’s a bit more chill in the womb than Phoenix was, but he’s always doing good at check-ups.

I’ll share a list of resources that I’ve enjoyed this time around, but be sure to check out my Top Ten Pregnancy Essentials post from my pregnancy with Phoenix as well. (some affiliate links below)

34-Week Pregnancy Update