Second Trimester

Posted by Liz Hodes on March 9, 2012

Our Perfectly Uneventful Ultrasound

This week, we had our anatomy ultrasound.  My husband and I both pretended as if we were most concerned about whether we’d be able to find out the baby’s sex, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. As the day of the ultrasound approached, we were both thinking more and more about the 20 week scan with our now three-year-old son — our beautiful, smart, perfectly healthy son — when we left with more questions than answers, appointments for follow-up testing and the terrifying fear that our baby boy’s brain was not developing properly.  We were thinking about all the ultrasounds that followed, when we held our breath and hoped for confirmation that our boy was healthy, confirmation that we finally, thankfully received when he was born and in the months that followed, when he hit all of his developmental milestones on time or ahead of schedule.  (more…)

Posted by Jane Highley on February 4, 2012

Prenatal Fitness: Not An Oxymoron

There are new comforts and luxuries that I discover when I am pregnant, and they only seem to satisfy when I am with child.  Simple things like herbal teas and sleep-inducing bubble baths may be part of your regular end-of-the-day ritual, but when I am not growing a baby-belly, I usually drink coffee as my preferred hot beverage and consider baths a waste of time (and water).  Constant changes to my body, both physiologically and anatomically, demand different solutions every few weeks.  However, one solution to most of my pregnancy woes has remained constant in all of my pregnancies, especially this one.  That solution is working out.  Whether on the trail for an easy-paced 5-mile run or working up a mean sweat in my living room with a DVD, I have discovered that maintaining my physical fitness through my pregnancy is critical.  If I am more fit, I am less uncomfortable in the third trimester, I rebound sooner and with no complications after the delivery, and most importantly, I feel good inside and out. (more…)

Posted by Jane Highley on January 3, 2012

Maternity Wear: What Works for Me

Whenever I see an article, either in print or on a blog, about “maternity fashion,” I laugh and wonder if the editors took the day off on the day of final review because the phrase seems like such an obvious oxymoron.  Women who live from one red-carpet moment to the next look stunning with or without a bump, but they have an entourage of designers, stylists, make-up artists, and personal assistants who practically throw themselves upon these celebrities to make them look like a goddess.  And when illustrious goddesses like Beyonce or Natalie Portman show off their growing bellies, they seem to glide across the floor in their dangerously high heels with perfect lady-like poise.

That’s not me.  At 17 weeks, I’m already showing a small belly, but it feels more like the result of too many holiday treats in one day and not enough Turkey Trot 5-Ks.  I don’t have a team of stylists fluttering about me, pulling outfits together for a play date or for a trip to Trader Joe’s.  That would be nice, I guess.  But with two little girls (ages 3 and 21 months) bouncing around me all day, I hardly have time to eat breakfast in one sitting, let alone stop to think about fashion.  And maternity fashion?  Forget it!  It can’t be done in my everyday (mis)adventures as a full-time mommy. (more…)

Posted by Meagan Church on November 22, 2011

Preparing Our Nursery

I was listening to the recent PregTASTIC episode on decorating the baby’s nursery. Suddenly I realized just how different this pregnancy is from my first. With #1, we took time to set-up the nursery, acquire the desired furniture, paint and decorate, and get all the clothes and diapers in order well before Jonas joined us. I’m not sure a nursery will even exist when #3 joins us. Sure, it will at some point, but in those early days, weeks and perhaps even months, there might not be a designated nursery.

Nursery #1

After #1, we joked about the how the crib didn’t even get used. Jonas preferred to sleep in our arms, our bed or in the bassinet right beside us. Anytime we attempted to put him into the crib, he woke up and started crying. It wasn’t until he was about three months old that we transitioned him into his crib and finally his own room. Until that point, the nursery served as the changing room and little else. Our second worked pretty much the same way and we plan for #3 to be likewise. But with #3, it’s not just about co-sleeping and late-night nursing sessions. There is one other component in the equation: the fact that I will lose my office. (more…)

Posted by Meagan Church on November 9, 2011

The Baby Name Game

Over the weekend, good friends of ours asked, “Have you been thinking about baby names? Or is it too early to do that?” My husband laughed and said, “We talked about baby names years before we even had kids. No, it’s not too early.” In fact, we have spent the last few months racking our brains over finding the perfect baby name. And the result? We’re still searching.

We explained to our friends that we have certain criteria, such as:

• The name must go with the last name Church, in a non-cheesy way. Grace Church is out of the question.
• The meaning should have a certain amount of richness to it and hopefully a Biblical background.
• It can’t be too popular, but not too off-the-wall either. Hence, no Emily or Apple.

Then add to those general criteria the fact that we’ve unintentionally fallen into a pattern when it comes to names. We started with a 5-letter, 2-syllable J-name and then had a 5-letter, 2-syllable K-name. Plus, all of our names have an “A” in them somewhere. So, ideally #3 would:

•  start with an L.
•  have 5 letters.
•  be 2 syllables long.
•  have an “A” somewhere in the name.

(more…)

Posted by Sunny Gault on November 4, 2011

Fat or Pregnant?

Well, the big day has finally arrived. No, it’s not “D” Day… it’s the first day of my second trimester. Which is simply amazing to me because it feels like just yesterday I was surprising my husband with a positive pregnancy test. It’s crazy how time flies when you’re already chasing after a little one.

In my opinion, there are pros and cons to the second trimester. Of course, the odds of miscarriage are now drastically reduced. Whew! This also typically begins the “honeymoon” phase of pregnancy. Your early pregnancy symptoms, like nausea, start to subside. Unfortunately, my body is a little tardy on this one. I still have to stuff my face every two hours to avoid seeing my lunch for a second time. Hubbys generally like this second phase of pregnancy as well. One word: Sex. Suddenly, pregnant women start to embrace their womanly figures and what better way to show it off then grabbing your partner for a little horizontal mambo? For me, pregnancy makes me horny in general. I could be five pounds heavier or fifty pounds heavier. My husband is a lucky guy. (more…)

Posted by Meagan Church on October 4, 2011

The Ultrasound

During my first two pregnancies, I viewed the ultrasound primarily as a way of finding out the baby’s gender. Sure, we also got to see the fuzzy little person growing inside. Plus we got to make sure he/she was growing and developing on schedule. But, that was all routine stuff, right? Just tell me if it’s a boy or girl! Then I had a cousin who during her second pregnancy last year got news she wasn’t anticipating during her “routine” ultrasound. She learned that her baby had multiple birth defects. Suddenly the simple scan was anything but routine.

That ultrasound led to a variety of tests and further scans. The baby was diagnosed with different birth defects, including a congenital heart defect. She was born a few months later at Riley Children’s Hospital, a few hours away from home. She came out fighting and made it through some surgeries, but a few short weeks into her life, she took her last breath. Before she ever got to go home. Before her mom got to spend hours holding her, rocking her, nursing her to sleep, smelling her little baby skin. (more…)

Posted by Jane Park on February 14, 2011

The Babymoon: Romance and Pregnancy

With this final pregnancy, my husband and I have one last shot at several things, one of which is going on a babymoon. We had tried with our previous pregnancies when we were still living in Europe: I remember canceling hotel reservations in Dijon, France and putting a stop to my research for hotels in Padova, Italy. In other words, my previous attempts were all squelched. I have blocked out the explicit reasons, but I recall that my husband ‘s work schedule was the main reason.  It was much to my regret, and I think my husband was sick of getting grief about never going on a babymoon that we both got quite serious about this time around.

Hubby picked the destination: Palm Springs, CA. Just a two-hour drive from our new home of San Diego, we were happy to explore this former Rat Pack getaway. All week, in great anticipation, I was belting out, “fly me to the moon and let me sing among the stars.” With some research on my part, we identified the Viceroy Palm Springs as the resort where we wanted to stay and take advantage of a 25% off of everything (accommodation, food, drink, treatments) offer.

(more…)