Second Trimester

Out with the old, and in with the new! Symptoms that is. Gone are the first trimester symptoms of nausea, gagging, and extreme fatigue and in its place are some fun new pregnancy challenges.

First up, rashes! Yep, I have a lovely rash along my neckline that looks like a constellation of small red bumps. They don’t itch, but since I hate to wear anything that covers my neck I feel like it’s on display. The Dr. said it’s related to hormones and probably won’t really go away until after birth! Awesome.

Next, headaches and sinus problems. I’ve always had bad sinuses and allergies, but this is on a whole other level. Part of it is probably just the season and cold weather, but I get a headache daily (severity and length vary). My nose is very stuffy (not drippy) and it bleeds. I feel like I am breathing through cocktail straws! I don’t like to take medicine even when I’m not pregnant, so I’ve mostly just been suffering through it and using some saline nasal spray (sparingly) and cold compresses. Sometimes a warm cup of tea helps too :)

Then there’s the random middle of the night insomnia. I’m still more tired than before pregnancy, but not nearly as tired as the first trimester. In recent weeks, I’ve been waking up around 2-3am and am not able to fall back to sleep for about 2 hours. It’s not every night, but at least 2 times a weeks. I tried staying up later hoping that it would cause me to stay asleep, but no dice. I just ended up twice as tired the next day. I think it has to do with the extra blood flowing through my body. I get hot and my mind races and I just can’t fall back to sleep right away when I get up for a middle of the night trip to the bathroom.

Last, but certainly not least, squished organs! As Ward Jr grows, my stomach and lungs are being squished to make room for all his “stuff.” I get full really fast only to be hungry shortly thereafter and I get short of breath from walking up one flight of stairs at work.

Between the headaches, feeling overheated, and shortness of breath I got a little concerned about preeclampsia. The day before Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve Eve if you will) I made Ward take me to RiteAid to check my blood pressure for peace of mind. Luckily all is well so I can relax and focus on our next big project – The Nursery!

Hope everyone had a good holiday. I’ll try to get up belly pics and Christmas pics this weekend.