Second Trimester Update: Weeks 21-28



I just read my Second Trimester Update: Weeks 13-20 to remind myself of where I left off. I kind of feel bad for myself, not knowing what was to come haha. When it comes to pregnancy you do really need to take it a few weeks at a time, since so much changes throughout the 9 (almost 10) months.

In week 23 I started having feelings of carpal tunnel in my right hand. Luckily I had a doctor's appointment that week. He said it was common for pregnant women to experience carpal tunnel, as there is a lot of inflammation and that could push against a nerve in your wrist/hand. That only lasted a few days and hasn't returned.

In week 24 is when the real pain began. I started getting intense chest pain. The pain would get so bad that I couldn't even continue a conversation. It almost felt like a heart attack, but I didn't have any of the accompanying symptoms of a heart attack so I wasn't concerned. Sometimes it felt like the pain would start in the middle of my chest, and other times it felt like it would start in my back (near my bra line). But wow, was it painful. I called my doctor and he said my symptoms sounded skeletal and suggested that I see a chiropractor.

I went to see Dr. Berlin in LA (probably the most well-known chiropractor to treat pregnant women). He thought that I had costochondritis (inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage) and that the baby was growing and squishing my ribs, which was hitting a nerve in my back causing extreme pain. He worked on my costochondritis and after a few sessions, it pretty much disappeared.  The rib pain/nerve pain in my back, however, is still very much present. And it's pretty terrible. Sometimes it's just annoying, but most of the time it nearly brings me to tears. I'm hoping the more she drops, the less she will squish my ribs and therefore the less nerve pain I will experience.

Besides the rib pain/nerve pain, I feel pretty good. My energy is pretty high and my appetite is normal. I just started experiencing some heartburn this week and some difficulty sleeping (before this week I had 0 trouble sleeping through the night).

For exercise, I'm power walking (power, not so much lol) every morning and doing prenatal pilates 3 days a week.

As for weight gain, I've gained a total of 15 pounds so far. Some weeks I gain a couple and other weeks it stays consistent. My doctor is very happy with my progress so far. I'm assuming I will gain another 10-15 by my due date.

I still have very low blood pressure but luckily haven't experienced any negative side effects from it lately. I make sure to stay very hydrated and eat every 2 hours or so.

Her movements are very strong now and I'm just getting more and more excited for the day we finally get to meet her. I'm starting to buy all of the baby stuff (amazon items, clothing etc) and finishing up her nursery. I'm definitely an anti-procrastinator, but to me this is the fun part. Only 11 weeks to go! xox

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