It's week 27. The last week of second trimester 😢. Baby is now 37cm (OMG)!
👶🏽 Baby Status: This week baby is 37cm (around the same size as a cabbage) and 0.91kg. The uterus is now the size of an actual basketball and bae is starting to run out of room. He loves to curl up into a tight little ball and sit really low in the belly most days. Baby's eyes are now open, though he can't see much from the womb. He is busy practising blinking his beautiful eyelashes for the outside world. This skill along with coughing, more intense sucking, hiccupping, kicking and of course breathing are what's up!
The biggest change I can notice in the last few weeks in his development is his Startle Reflex. I can absolutely feel him startled at the sound of the noisy smoothie blender, hairdryer and thunderstorms during the night. He will be very still and sleeping and then all of a sudden start kicking and moving in a really erratic way. His auditory development (hearing) has become so acute and he is very sensitive to sound. It's said that his hearing is around 50% of our hearing and is still muffled due to the vernix coating.
In light of this, I've started music therapy with him - every night I pop on the same song and create a relaxing environment. The song is a song I use is the same one I use for meditation and helps slow the brain waves for sleep. So I pop the speaker near my belly, diffuse lavender oil, and massage my belly with natural oils and practice breathing techniques for 10-15 mins to calm the nervous system. During this time I still feel like moving but his movements are more gentle, slow as he rolls around. It's a beautiful little routine for me to do before I fall asleep, but also conditions baby to associate a sense of calm with this particular song. Great for sleep training.
🤰🏽 Mama's Status: The last few weeks have been beautiful and intense. I've been turning inwards a lot. I really loved the second trimester (though this is the last week of second trimester) - I had lots of energy and was back to regular sleeping patterns of 7-9 hours per night. I was waking up in my usual morning routine at 4am without an alarm. This is my favourite part of the day and I have a little ritual to take time with baby, sip on my coffee and enjoy some creative work without the distraction or emails.
Everything is mildly uncomfortable at the moment. I've been experiencing a range of pregnancy symptoms like Round Ligament Pain, Symphysis Public Dysfunction (SPD), Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP), Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Basically a whole lot of discomfort in the pelvic region. I've been waking up most nights every hour to readjust or because the pain can get intense. Throughout second trimester, I've experienced rapid growth in the belly and have definitely been feeling these effects. The hormone relaxin is the culprit here which has been making my ligaments in my pelvis stretchy, unstable and possibly misaligned.
This week was the first week my sleep requirements started to change. As I ease into third trimester (starting next week), I'm beginning to feel more and more fatigued.
Weight: +14kg
Diet and Cravings: Cofee! I have taken up coffee again. I really love the ritual of coffee, oat milk and a dash of maple syrup in the mornings. It's been my little treat. I chose to have 4 months away from it because I was mindful of so many changes in the body and the possibility that coffee may aid stress by altering the nervous system (it is a stimulant after all). Though 200mg of coffee a day is said to be safe for baby. I've happily welcomed coffee back into some of my mornings during the week. I just make sure I take it in the morning as early as possible, have it on alternating days, sip on a big glass of water in between coffee sips to help the adrenals, and drink half-strength coffee too.
Pregnancy Exercises and Yoga: Walking is no longer a thing. I was doing a big 4km-5km walk by the ocean every morning and found myself getting halfway and unable to walk home because the pain was quite intense. I find the elliptical trainer at the gym is much smoother on the joints so I've been doing this with a mix of prenatal yoga and pilates.
Products I'm Loving: This week Guillaume and I worked with Legoe Heritage for some content creation so I've been trying out a bunch of their outfits. I've been living in them they're so comfortable!. I no longer fit any of my pre-pregnancy dresses and have found it really hard to find cute maternity clothing - so I'm stoked to have these outfits.
Self Care Ritual This Week: Baby belly massage and music therapy before bed is my little self-care at the moment. Good for baby; good for me.
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✌🏽 Thanks for taking the time to read and connect. I'm sharing my pregnancy journey online for friends, family and other mamas out there. If you have any questions, tips or anything you'd like to share, please comment below.
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