Pregnancy Update on Bavery: Month 4!
it’s time for another pregnancy update and i’m still trying to figure out the timing of these suckers. i think my month 5 post will happen as i near the end of my last week in that month. as i write this, i am actually 19 weeks today but month 4 occurs between week 14-17 so that’s what i shall fill you in on!
by the end of month 4, the baby is the size of my palm of my hand and weighs about 5oz!
i keep a weekly journal of the growth, weird things that happen and my inner thoughts that don’t always need to be blasted on the internets! here are the highlights from that journal:
HIGHLIGHTS
- announcing we were expecting our bavery (baby avery)!
- starting to look more pregnant and not just bloated
- booking our babymoon (more on that later)
LOWLIGHTS
- my husband traveling for two weeks but a hilarious story coming from it. check out his video about getting kicked out of a speaking gig because of wearing jeans! this is also why i took my own mirror selfie for weeks 15 & 16.
- my GI track was messed up before making a human and now it appears to be getting worse
STRANGE FACTS
- my lungs now at 30-40% more capacity, which allows my blood to carry large quantiles of oxygen to the baby and placenta
- despite increased capacity, shortness of breath is due to decrease carbon monoxide in my blood
- rib cage will enlarge 2-3 inches in circumference in pregnancy!
- abs and joints in pelvis are beginning to soften and loosen
SYMPTOMS
- still feeling quite dizzy and lightheaded, which makes working out difficult
- still feeling tired but no where near as exhausted as the first trimester
- towards the end of this month, sleep started becoming more elusive
AVERSIONS
muuuuch less than it was in the first trimester – thank goodness! i still don’t want any type of chinese, japanese, thai, vietnamese food or anything in that category. i also hate taking my omega-3 pills (even when frozen and taken before bedtime) because i immediately burp up fish. i have to tell myself i’d rather take a pill than eat fish so suck it up, chelsea!
CRAVINGS
i want sandwiches. they say you aren’t really supposed to eat deli meat because listeria can live there quite nicely on it but you can eat it if it’s steaming hot. a sesame bagel with egg and ham has been my most constant craving.
i am also craving cheeeeese, the real, dairy filled stuff but alas – i am still lactose intolerant.
MOVEMENT
during week 16, i’m pretty certain i felt a flutter on the upper right side of my belly! i was sitting across the table from my mom and my sister was in town visiting. the baby obviously wanted to say “haaaaay!”
i think i’ve felt a few more little flutters but since my GI system is a bit out of whack, my stomach is constantly gurgling and making noise so it’s hard to tell.
WORKOUTS
i have been managing at least 3 workouts a week. i miss working out hard and really sweating but due to my dizziness, i can’t safely do what i used to. i am focusing on the fact that at least i’m moving my body (and sometimes just putting on athletic wear makes you feel better).
MISSING ANYTHING
- wine.
- friends back in portland
- my pre-pregnancy energy
LOOKING FORWARD TO
- our babymoon at the beginning of may!
- finding out the sex of our baby!
- checking out our birth center!
Elyse
April 6, 2016 at 7:16 am
Glad you can still see some positives as your body changes(and probably feels like you aren’t in any control of it!) I am so excited to hear more about your babymoon and the sex of the baby!
Elyse recently posted…The Birthstone Book Tag
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 8:09 am
totally! i had a friend say to me “isn’t it nuts that no matter what – your body is just going to do what it’s going to do and you can’t stop it!” hah instead i’m focusing on the fact that it’s such a relief that i don’t have to do much and it takes care of eyelids, heart, brain, skin, etc! thanks elyse 🙂
Claire
April 6, 2016 at 7:16 am
Oh, so realistic. Great post Chelsea. Those egg and ham bagels sound so delicious…it makes me want one right now, ha!
I think my favourite section is the ‘Strange Facts’. So cool how the body adapts to adjust to a little human. Keep on trekking. Glad to also hear the aversions are reducing too *phew*.
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 8:13 am
glad you are liking the updates claire and seriouslllly let’s go get a bagel right NOW! oh yay glad you like the strange fact part – it’s super fascinating to learn what the heck is happening and why! 🙂
appreciate you reading and your comment!
Audrey
April 6, 2016 at 7:49 am
Ooh ooh ooh, you’re just the cutest pregnant person! I can’t wait to hear about the babymoon! Will you see sharing the sex of the baby with us? Because I’m totally living vicariously through you right now!! Haha! Keep those strange facts coming- they’re so interesting!
(Sidenote: I loved the orange+spatula snapchat! Haha!)
Audrey recently posted…The Best 90’s Movies
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 8:15 am
awww thanks for the boost of confidence audrey! yes, we just found out the sex (unexpectedly sooner than i thought) so i wanted to do a post about wives tales for predicting gender but yes i’ll share it here! i may hold onto the name until the baby is out (i totally just typed a gender pronoun – you almost got me!) but we’ll see!
hah glad you liked that snap – i had a way better one with ravery dancing and me secretly catching him but then i accidentally deleted it!
Lindsay
April 6, 2016 at 8:27 am
This is so exciting!!!! Do you have any suspicions as to whether BAvery is a girl or boy?
Lindsay recently posted…Take 10 Tuesday: Fort Worth Zoo Edition
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 12:15 pm
yay!!! it is exciting and so crazy that i’m almost halfway through the pregnancy WHAT?!?! (cue panic)
we actually had an earlier than expected ultra sound this week and found out – our suspicions were correct! more soon 😉
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes
April 6, 2016 at 9:01 am
Yay for babymoons! If you aren’t supposed to eat deli meat while you’re pregnant. . . shouldn’t you just not eat deli meat at all?
Nina @ Hugs and Lattes recently posted…10 Signs it is not yet Spring
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 12:18 pm
well there are actually a lot of ‘don’t do this at all” things you read but after meeting with medical professionals who don’t write articles on the internet – i’ve determined that they know more than the general articles on baby websites/apps! as long as the deli meat is steaming hot, it kills all the potential for listeria so it’s all good!
also – the thought of steaming hot deli meat also tends to gross me out so i don’t have it very often!
chelsea recently posted…Pregnancy Update on Bavery: Month 4!
Paula Howley
April 6, 2016 at 1:09 pm
Movement is so exciting! It was my favourite part of being pregnant. I loved feeling Meaghan moving inside of me- it was so wondrous. I also loved when she got the hiccups. Hilarious! So WEIRD to feel a human hiccupping inside of you.
Glad you’re able to eat more Chels- and sorry you’re missing your Portland friends That must be hard. I’d love to hear the story of how you found out you were preggers, how you told Ravery and your family!
Paula Howley recently posted…Where’ve you been?
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 6:14 pm
ahhh i can’t wait to start really feeling (and then i know in the third trimester i will be like – be still little one and let me sleep!) hiccups!?! so crazy!!!
you’re in luck – finally got all of our videos on my computer so details soon! thanks for inquiring paula!
Amberly
April 6, 2016 at 3:21 pm
Pregnancy is not so kind to your GI tract…. not kind at all. Also, I ate SO much deli meat because I was told that it just had to not be the lunch meat stuff… oops…..
Amberly recently posted…Date Night In The Kitchen: Jam & Butter Roasted Chicken with Carrots
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 6:12 pm
and out popped a healthy, beautiful baby amberly so you’re all good!!! 🙂
ps. this GI stuff UGGGGH
Courtney {Alkeks Abroad}
April 6, 2016 at 6:35 pm
Um you are not a “large pregnant woman” like you claim to be. You look great! I eat sandwiches all the time, I just heat the meat in skills first. But like Amberly I’m pretty sure as long as it’s fresh not Oscar Meyer stuff I’m fine. Have you read Expecting Better? It goes into all the stats of the pregnancy rules, its super interesting! Can’t wait to find out the gender!!
Courtney {Alkeks Abroad} recently posted…Weekly Wrap Up
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 9:54 pm
oh i’m out and about now for suuuure but it’s welcomed compared to the awkward in between 🙂 i have not read that one but would be super interested in those stats! i ran through a bunch with a midwife and she was like “yeah. don’t worry about most of those.”
Courtney {Alkeks Abroad}
April 6, 2016 at 6:36 pm
Skillet not skills… Oh and my dad got kicked off the driving range for wearing jorts
Courtney {Alkeks Abroad} recently posted…Weekly Wrap Up
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 9:54 pm
haha jeeez these golfing places need to take some chill pills!
Vivien
April 6, 2016 at 8:56 pm
Loving these updates! 🙂
I do agree with Paula, a post about that topic would be very cool (hint hint).
Vivien recently posted…Why I Almost Vowed to Never Enter a Tall Tales Contest
chelsea
April 6, 2016 at 9:55 pm
yay glad you like the updates, vivien! you are in luck…uploading my video (which took 3 hours for a 3 minute video) as i type this! stay tuned!
Hannah Haworth
April 7, 2016 at 12:20 am
Great update. It’s so cool to read this at the stage i am too. Definitely nice not to just be looking bloated!! Amazed that you are able to workout. I feel really guilty because I’m still too exhausted. Dragging myself to work is about as much as I can muster these days but I know I must get moving in one way or another soon. Looking forward to hearing what you have planned for your babymoon xxx
Hannah Haworth recently posted…A sleepy weekend in Stirling & Loch Lomond
chelsea
April 18, 2016 at 2:13 pm
i know what you mean about not just looking bloated, hannah! ha! don’t feel guilty about not being able to workout – apparently walking is supposed to be ‘the best exercise’ for us so maybe some walks can work (though that still sometimes feels daunting to me).
Edye
April 9, 2016 at 9:01 pm
It won’t be long until you find out the gender! How exciting? You look great <3
Blessings,
Edye // Gracefulcoffee
Edye recently posted…Pros and Cons of Being Homeschooled
chelsea
April 11, 2016 at 12:07 pm
thanks edye! yup we actually just found out! eeeeee!
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