26 Week Update - Yoga Baby

Normally, I dread Mondays - however today had to be one of the best Mondays for our family. After our initial anatomy ultrasound, my OB let me know that Adela was measuring a little small (14th percentile) and wanted me to come back in my 26th week just to re-measure her and make sure she's still looking good. 

Well, thank you Lord because we've got ourselves a healthy & silly baby girl. She's still measuring in the 14th percentile, but she's growing steadily - which is great news. 

There was a lot of anxiety & fear after our first ultrasound - but I've been able to lift up most of that worry in God's hands and truly just enjoy this pregnancy journey. After today's visit, I see what an amazing human He is knitting together inside of me. We are so in love with her, words cannot even capture what we feel. 

When it comes to this mama, it has definitely been more difficult as baby girl takes up more space. I cannot count how many nights that I have mild anxiety attacks because I can't seem to find a comfortable enough position, breathing has now become such a task, leg cramps in the middle of the night have begun. Pelvic pressure is on a whole different level that I do not remember having with Rylan, which is also a culprit in the difficulty I sometimes have when turning in bed and walking around. My face is rounder, hips are getting wider & some days my feet & legs swell up. This past week, insomnia has crept in. I'm hungry all the time because she takes up all the space, so now I'm eating every hour or two. Yes, it's been an off and on whirlwind - but it's also been such a beautiful experience. Even during the days I feel at my worst, my heart is still full of so much joy & adoration for her - most especially when she's doing somersaults. Through the horrible days and great days I am reminded how intricately God created women to house, grow & deliver another living being. 

Expectations vs. Reality

I have reached my 24th week mark! Time has flown by quicker than I thought. It's really been crazy to think about how much Adela has grown looking at the pictures above. 

This is my second pregnancy, so I came into it knowing somewhat to expect - or so I thought. The basics about being pregnant seemed very similar to my experience with Rylan - however this pregnancy has also taken much more of a toll on me and my body than I imagined it would. 

I started off this pregnancy journey fairly active & motivated to stay that way - even set myself a goal to run a 5k in my second trimester. Well, baby girl definitely had her own plans separate from mine. Exhaustion, nausea and fatigue disabled me from working out during my first trimester and although I regained a lot of my energy back during my second trimester (& I have been lucky enough to work out here & there), the addition of lower back pain & pelvic pressure/pains put me at a disadvantage in "training" for the 5k. I was unfortunately not able to run as I was hoping I was going to be able to and to be honest, I was pretty disappointed and discouraged. 

Being so petite, every bit of weight I gain makes a bigger effect on my body than someone with a bigger frame. Eating meals has become difficult as baby girl is taking over the little space I already have and I struggle to breath at times, plus her kicks and punches are getting stronger and stronger every day. 

I feel guilty for complaining, for feeling insecure about my body, for being disappointed that I don't have half as much of energy to work out more effectively as other moms I see on social networking sites. I am happy about this pregnancy. I feel so blessed. No matter how I'm feeling about myself, I love every single cell of her being. I am beyond grateful for the miracle of life God is carefully piecing together inside me, but I also have my struggles. 

But I'm getting there, slowly. I'm almost at the point where I'm learning to accept that I can't always control what happens in the end much less the journey (no matter how much I wish I could). Yes, I had expectations & goals on how I thought this pregnancy would go, but the truth is, reality is almost always going to turn out differently. I really am thoroughly enjoying every minute of this journey despite the road bumps along the way. 

On a side note, we get to see baby girl in a week and a half for some more measurements to make sure she is growing big and strong. We can't wait! Prayer is much appreciated for baby girl.