Baby 2 Second Trimester Update

Now that I am a few weeks past the halfway point of pregnancy I thought I’d give an update. I had my first in-person doctor’s visit in 2 months at the end of May—the big 20-week ultrasound—and thankfully everything looked good. My tiny boy is measuring on track for a September due date, just like his big brother. Does anyone have kids with the same birthday or very close dates?

For the past month or so, I have been in nesting mode, cleaning and organizing every space I can. I even sorted all of our newborn clothes. I have done deep cleans of our windows, basement, bathrooms, and the new baby’s room. I know I will have to do it all again before the baby comes, but it’s been calming for me to have a project.

Physical

I talked about this in my first trimester recap but the nausea during this pregnancy has been intense. I kept expecting it to let up around 13 weeks, like it did with James, but no such luck. It wasn’t until I hit the 20 week mark (the halfway point of pregnancy) that I noticed it coming less frequently. I still occasionally get nauseous, usually in the late afternoons/early evenings, but eating something helps. The new symptom I’m dealing with is acid reflux, which is terrible, but I’m hanging in there.

As for my appetite, well, I’m still feeling insatiable. Strong hunger and strong cravings. A similar thing happened during my pregnancy with James, which is why I gained most of my weight during the first half of the second trimester. And of course, quarantine doesn’t help, especially when food seems to be among the few fun things to plan for and look forward to lately. I’ve gained a significant amount of weight so far. I’m not sure the number exactly because I stopped weighing myself, but I’m not going to let it get me down. This seems to be what my body does during pregnancy—what I do during pregnancy—so I’m choosing not to fight myself or hate myself. I get the gift of a perfect, precious baby at the end of it, and in all honesty, I can say from experience that YES, that gift is worth all the weight and more.

Look at his crossed ankles. Could he be any more comfortable?

Mental

I am so thankful to be pregnant and can’t wait to meet this little guy. James is the greatest joy of my life—just the best thing in the world—and I know this sweet boy will be, too. But…pregnancy takes its toll on me in different ways. Aside from the underlying food issues that it brings up, I have also been struggling with this feeling of claustrophobia. I’m trying to be so cautious because of COVID-19 and potential complications, so I don’t go anywhere. I know that it’s for the best, and of course (of course!) this is such a small and petty issue to even complain about, but it feels like I’m stuck. I look ahead and don’t see my self-isolation ending anytime soon and once the baby arrives, I can’t imagine I’ll be out and about either. I’ll survive but it gets me down.

And last but certainly not least, I’m heartbroken and angry about the state of the world, the horrific injustice, and unbearable pain that the Black community faces every single day. I just can’t stop thinking about all the pain and suffering so I’m working on channeling that into something actionable and useful (no one needs to hear how sad I am about this). I’m trying to listen, learn, and share resources for deep learning, allyship, how to take action, and how to offer real support. I’m sharing all that I find on Instagram Stories, if you want to check in there.

Goals

My goals for the rest of the second trimester are to try to find greater peace with being at home. I’d like to get outside and walk around the neighborhood more. I’d like to find a remedy that works for my acid reflux. Otherwise I am just going to keep preparing the house for our new little guy and looking forward to the fall.

I love all of you, thank you for following along. I will keep the updates coming for those who are interested.

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26 thoughts on “Baby 2 Second Trimester Update

  1. Sarah Norwood

    My oldest was born on September 1st and was a week late. On his seventh birthday his little sister ( my third) was born and she was two weeks early. I love that neither of them were supposed to be born that day but we have celebrated them together every year since. They love combining their birthdays. We have had so many special trips, camping, or water park birthdays to make it memorable.
    Good luck to your family, you have so many memories to make with your boys.

    Reply
    1. Gillian

      This exact thing just happened to me. Their due dates were 20 days apart, but I just delivered my second son on his big brother’s birthday. Glad to hear they love sharing – hope mine do!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer H.

    My sister and I celebrate our birthdays 4 days apart. I was born July 4 and she was born the following June 30! Then our daughters were born the same distance. The fun part is that our grandma’s bday was in the middle and my dad’s bday is in the middle of our daughters. Made for some fun parties!

    Reply
  3. Emily

    Thank you for sharing <3 I'm almost 28-weeks pregnant and share many of your feelings about feeling stuck at home. Daily walks have been really helpful. But it is hard.

    Reply
  4. Valerie

    You’re beautiful! My brother and I were both born on September 7 – two years apart! I always liked sharing a birthday and thought it was special that we have the same one.

    Reply
  5. LB

    I’m one of 5 girls. All our birthdays are in the -same 3 months September 12 & 30, October 6 & 27 and November 29.
    Always had our own party!

    Reply
  6. Laura

    I don’t know Andy, you’re looking pretty good to me! Glad you are doing well with your second pregnancy.

    Reply
  7. Anita Humphries

    Our last two girls are Sept 21 and 28….one week shy of exactly 2 years apart. The last two weeks of Sept were always non-stop birthday party mode!! Enjoy those Sept babies!!

    Reply
  8. Lacee

    Sorry to hear about your heartburn, Andie! I am 37wks & have been suffering with it throughout a good chunk of my pregnancy as well. I could eat a bowl of Cheerios and have heartburn the rest of the day from it. My doctor had started me on 20mg Pepcid once a day for a month which didn’t help, I then switched to 40mg for a month which also didn’t help. Then she switched me to 20mg Protonix and my heartburn is completely gone! I seriously feel like a new woman not having to worry and suffer through that anymore. It took me being diligent about trying something different to get relief- I really hope you find something that works for you so that this discomfort can be eliminated from your pregnancy!

    Reply
  9. Denise

    Getting out for a walk helps me tremendously! Even though my neighborhood is older and not too “pretty”, I find little bits of beauty and nature to sustain me.

    Reply
  10. Judy

    You always look so beautiful even when your hair is on top of your head and you just wear regular around the house sweats or whatever. If you think all of us are just being kind, no we’re not. We would all like to be half as beautiful as you are. I have a lot of acid reflux too and I’ve heard that taking Prilosec can be really bad in That it tends towards Alzheimer’s in later age. My sister‘s doctor shared that information with her. I find if I take a teaspoon of baking soda and then drink a glass of water it helps quite a bit. Anyway I know how ugly that is and I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. I love the picture of James in the bathtub behind you. With a big smile on his face. Yes we all have a lot to be grateful for in the midst of all this. If you’re a social person thenI believe it’s even harder right now. I’m glad that we have technology and have so many options for staying in touch that we would not of had 50 years ago. Take care. Bless you and your family. Judy

    Reply
    1. Courtney

      I second this! I don’t know anything about whether pregnant women can take baking soda, but this is a complete game changer. We buy a big bag of baking soda, and the measurement is on the package. I think it’s mix 1 tsp. of baking soda with a glass (8oz.) of water, but this helps me so much! It’s fast acting, and even though it’s not the best tasting—-it’s worth it. It has never failed me and it makes you start burping glorious relief. :)

      P.S. I second what everyone is saying! You look gorgeous and don’t look like you’ve gained hardly any!! :)

      Reply
  11. Mandy

    I was born on my brother’s birthday! I spoiled his birthday party so he was a bit resentful for awhile!! My parents made a big deal of us each getting our “own” special meal and cake on different days so we ate well the week of our birthdays! …I’m an Ob/Gyn NP and I see what you are describing, a lot right now. Covid, isolation is no fun for anyone, and add pregnancy concerns, adds to overeating and comfort food. There is also a big increase of mental health concerns right now-increased anxiety, and depression is on the rise for everyone! I’m not pregnant and still feel the same regarding covid concerns and have “gained a few” as a life time weight watcher! HA! We are only human! Best to do as you are doing and enjoy your lil buddy, lots of snuggles in a safe place and take care of yourself and your little one inside. You are doing just fine!!!

    Reply
  12. Susan

    Thank you for this post. So great to read about the wonder of a new child, rather than all the turmoil that we are bombarded with during this time. God bless you and your family.

    Reply
  13. Daisy

    Have you tried apple cider vinegar for the acid reflux?
    Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda powder to 2-3 tablespoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar to make a solution
    Add the solution to a glass of lukewarm water with gentle stirring
    Drink the solution of baking soda and apple cider vinegar for acid reflux cure on an empty stomach every morning Essential oils can also help, including peppermint and ginger oils

    Reply
  14. Carmela M Gersbeck

    You are carrying beautifully. I also had terrible heartburn with my pregnancy and found that eating apples helped. I’m not sure why, but at least it was healthy!

    Reply
  15. Alison

    My boys are two years and six days apart – Feb 11 and Feb 17. I thought I was going into labor with #2 at my son’s 2nd birthday party. It was so crazy!! Glad he decided to stay in for a few more days. :)

    Reply
  16. Betsy Castorena

    Maybe try apple cider vinegar for the acid reflux? It helped me at one time (although I wasn’t pregnant). Best wishes to you and your happy, growing family!

    Reply
  17. Kirsten Juenke

    You’re doing awesome! Yep, mine are 9 years apart and nothing was more surprising than having the second one due on my sons birthday, A few weeks before she was due, though…I started having labor symptoms. Several false starts, then nothing…I was sure she’d come early, but nope… the day before my due date, I had a checkup and the dr said I was 3 cm and we could have her the next morning if we wanted. But that was my son’s birthday, and we had a party planned. And I just couldn’t do that to him. So we waited through the weekend.

    Reply
  18. Erika

    Zantac helped me a lot with my pregnancy heartburn. Was a huge upgrade from Tums. Hope you can ease up your claustrophobia a bit with the beautiful summer weather. Thanks for sharing your experience – I always love reading your posts.

    Reply
  19. Colleen

    My sons are five years apart but their November birthdays are two weeks apart with the latter one often falling near Thanksgiving. It felt like too much to pull off two parties and Thanksgiving in one month, and then also get more gifts the next month. So we instituted a policy that each boy got to have a party on years when he celebrated an even number birthday, and on odd number birthdays they could have a special dinner and invite one friend. This worked well for us and saved me from feeling overwhelmed in November. It also I think reinforced with the boys that they were loved and special but not the center of the universe. :) They are 17 and 22 now and none the worse for wear for only having a party every other year, lol.

    Reply
  20. Maggie

    Andie, I used to take two Zantac daily for my awful acid reflux but even before they pulled it off the shelves (certain tests showed it could cause cancer) I had read a book by the Medical Medium about the benefits of drinking celery juice and among them was relief from acid reflux. I’ve juiced a bunch of celery daily for almost two years now and my acid reflux is a thing of the past. I highly recommend it! So happy your pregnancy is going well otherwise. September is right around the corner!

    Reply
  21. Christine

    I have a friend who’s wedding anniversary and two children’s birthdays are all on the same date!

    Reply
  22. Jennifer T

    My girls birthdays are 8 days apart! My oldest just turned 4 in April, 8 days after I had my second. So, we’ll probably have a few joint birthday parties until my oldest is old enough to care lol

    Reply
  23. Lynne

    I think we’re all feeling a whole lot of sadness this year and also for me angry… finding out that people you know and care about are either ignorant, racist or both… and I’m working on staying positive, engaged and open. As for the babies – I miss my girls being little ALOT lately (I’m feeling jealous of where you’re at…) The days may seem 48 hours long, but the years fly by in a blink. My girls have birthdays 3 days apart; and you will like them close together, b/c kids birthday expectations are BIG and piggybacking off the two is a collective WIN for your mental health! They are now 17 and 20; beautiful, opinionated, kind women; and yeah…

    Reply

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