Baby 3: Second Trimester Recap

My due date is literally one month away, which means we will most likely have a baby in 2-6 weeks! I cannot believe how fast this pregnancy has flown by, even in the midst of a *historically* hot summer. In just a couple of weeks I will start my postpartum freezer prep and will hopefully be able to update here before Brother makes his big debut, but for now I will recap the second trimester AKA the “honeymoon” trimester.

Easter at our church

Celebrations and Eating Healthy

We had plenty of celebrations in the second trimester: Easter, our second daughter’s birthday, pre-K graduation for our oldest, Mother’s Day, and the start of summer fun. I never want my daughters to feel like mom doesn’t enjoy fun times with them because I sit out from “fun” foods (although all foods are fun and have a purpose) so I always join them with a piece of cake or a couple of cookies if these are present. And I tell you what, I craved all sorts of sweet treats during the second trimester, and treat myself almost nightly with dark chocolate or nice cream.

Aside from celebrations, our everyday eating remained much the same. I always try and include a fruit and a vegetable in every dinner, sometimes lunches or breakfasts, too, as well as a fat, protein, and carb. Other than sweets, there are no specific cravings that really stick out to me from the second trimester. I was (and still am) just always trying to feed our family as cost effectively, healthily, and simply as possible. Some favorite meals we always enjoy are “bowl” meals: taco bowls, sushi bowls, and Mediterranean bowls to name a few.

Exercise

As I’ve mentioned in my last few posts, my exercise routine has remained the same for well over a year now: a ten minute home workout every weekday + walking whenever I can (usually 2-4 times per week). However, with summer starting in my second trimester, I started adding in the occasional lap swimming. It is a little tough to swim laps with two small children in the pool with you, but I get in what I can when I can. I also did some prenatal yoga with Spinning Babies exercises occasionally. I find that as long as I am doing something enjoyable and achievable, I will make it happen, and I love getting exercise!

Goodbye Honeymoon Trimester, Hello Heat

I think that is all for the second trimester; it was easy and over too quickly! During the second trimester, we moved the girls into the other bedroom and put them in bunk beds, started on the baby’s room, got his clothes put away, and did some small home projects. Now I’m currently baking the last bit of this baby and literally baking in the Texas summer. I’ll be back soon with a freezer stash! As always… enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

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Third Trimester Recap + Postpartum Freezer Stash

Spring has sprung – flowers blooming, I saw some bluebonnets this week, allergies flaring up, all the butterflies flitting about, and our second baby girl is about to make her entrance! I will be 38 weeks pregnant tomorrow, so for my last blog before Baby I wanted to do a third trimester recap (you can read my First Trimester Recap here, and my Second Trimester Recap here) plus give a run down of what I’ve stocked away in our freezer for those early weeks after birth.

Third trimester. Wow. I’d like to say it was rainbows and unicorns, but let’s face it, the end is uncomfortable for everyone! However, I’ve maintained a healthy diet, listening to my body’s cravings, and remained active. The difference in my third trimester this time and last time was incredible, though! When pregnant with Zemirah, I struggled with higher blood pressure, had pitting edema – I’d press my swollen ankle and the indention would stay there – terrible acid reflux, excruciating low back pain, and of course my weight was way too high. This time, however, my blood pressure has been perfect (lower than average), I’ve had minimal swelling here at the very end – I’m still wearing my wedding ring! My back pain has been non-existent until just this past week (it is always on the side Baby’s on), and my heartburn/acid reflux has been exponentially less! All in all, this pregnancy has been very easy, I’m so thankful, and praying the same for birth and the postpartum time.

So, what made the difference in these pregnancies?

34 weeks pregnant with both girls – both photos taken by my talented friend Melissa Conklin

Food

Eating real, whole foods has made a world of difference in my life these past two years (you can read our food journey here), and an immeasurable difference in pregnancy. During my third trimester I ate:

• Dark chocolate – and lots of it! The sweets cravings are real but only dark (60%-72%) chocolate will cut it for me. Add in some almonds or coconut and salt and I’m in my own personal heaven!  One of my favorite packaged dark chocolate snacks is Bark Thins, but I also made a few homemade versions which I will blog after Baby.
• Beef – it’s what’s for dinner. My midwives told me after my glucose screening that I was also anemic, which explained my meat cravings. So we started eating beef about once a week, whereas we usually go a couple weeks without red meat. Steaks are my favorite, but we would also have ground beef in pasta sauce, taco meat, or beef sausage.
• Kale – sauteed in butter, topped with salt and a hefty squeeze of lemon juice has been a staple this whole pregnancy. Leafy greens also happen to be high in iron so that helped my anemia, too, in conjunction with upping my prenatal vitamin to twice a day.
• Citrus fruit – tangerines, navel oranges, blood oranges, grapefruit, you name it! Not to mention, squeezing lemon and/or lime juice on everything. Fun fact, having adequate Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron (it’s almost like my body knew what it needed based on my cravings…hmmmm)
• Fats – butter, olive oil, avocado, oh my! Seriously. Almost everything is cooked in butter and/or olive oil and we have avocado/guacamole nearly every day.
• Dairy – this has been a theme throughout my pregnancy. I seem to digest dairy better when pregnant, and have been taking advantage of that! Soft, fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, and plain, tart Greek yogurt have been my go-to choices.
• Water – how boring, huh? But seriously, lately I’ve been drinking around a gallon a day give or take a few ounces. I am so thankful for easily accessible, clean drinking water.

Exercise

My weight gain has been average thus far (30 lbs), but I’ve remained active throughout this pregnancy not for weight, but for wellness for my mind and body! Some things I’ve done to exercise are:

• Yoga – I love Yoga with Adriene on YouTube and completed my fourth round of “30 Days of Yoga” in January. I had to modify to accommodate my growing belly, but it felt so good to stretch and move daily, taking that all important time to myself. I would also do my own little stretchy yoga flows combined with some suggested activities from Spinning Babies to help get my body prepared for labor and delivery.
• Walking – I love walking, and I make sure to get a long walk in once a week, but now that the weather is warming up and my due date is getting closer, I’m trying to walk almost every day.
• Fit4Mom – I love this company and what they stand for – helping moms find their fit. I am a Stroller Strides instructor, and was teaching two classes a week until last week (taking a break until a few months after Baby) and would also go to the occasional Stroller Barre class to get my legs strong for birth.

Freezer Stash

In preparation for those first few months postpartum, AKA the “fourth trimester”, I began stocking my freezer with some meals a couple months ago. Here’s what I have:

• Lasagna – I have used this lasagna recipe for years. I just subbed in gluten free noodles, used cottage cheese in place of ricotta, and added mushrooms to the sauce
• Chicken/broccoli/rice casserole – this one speaks for itself; it’s all held together with my creamy dairy free “cheese” sauce
• Beef taco meat – like the taco meat in this recipe
• Shredded chicken
• Cooked brown rice
• Meatloaf – just like this meatloaf but with ketchup and kale
• Two Bean Turkey Chili
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Veggies (not technically in the freezer yet, making it this weekend!)
• Homemade biscuits
• Gluten free sausage balls
• Sausage and veggie breakfast casserole – similar to this recipe, but with a crust
• Flax and Oat Pancakes
• Frozen vegetables that can steam in the microwave
• Frozen fruits for quick smoothies
• Frozen chicken bones for Chicken Stock

I think that’s everything! I plan to make a big batch of overnight oats and bake some russet and sweet potatoes for the fridge when it’s almost time for the baby. Who knows, maybe that’s how I’ll keep busy during early labor hehe! I am praying all these healthy, whole foods will nourish me and Baby well during those early weeks.

To read more about baby stuff, check out Zemirah’s Birth Story and My Postpartum Journey. Can’t wait to introduce our newest girl to the blog world; thank you for following along on this pregnancy with me! Stay safe, stay healthy, hug your family…and enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

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First Trimester Recap

If you hadn’t heard, now you know! Baby Mills #2 is coming in April 2020! I briefly spoke about my pregnancy in my most recent post, and have also shared on my social media, but I wanted to give a more in-depth recap of our journey to Baby 2, how my first trimester went, and what I ate – this is a food blog after all 😛

Journey to Baby

On June 25th, 2019 I took a pregnancy test which, much to my shock, came back positive; I didn’t have any symptoms other than being late. We had talked about wanting to start trying soon, but weren’t quite there yet. However, we were so excited and planned to tell our families on July 4th festivities. Sadly, this little one never made it that far – we lost our darling babe on July 2nd. Due to our recent move, a surprise pregnancy, and the holiday, it took what seemed like forever to finally get in to see a doctor and make sure everything had passed and was okay. But I eventually found a team of midwives that we (all 3 of us!) adore! They tested my hormone levels to make sure I didn’t have any pregnancy hormones left, and said we could start trying again at any time.

We weren’t exactly “trying”, but also weren’t preventing, and when I had three consecutive days of slight, annoying nausea, and still no cycle after the miscarriage, I decided to take a pregnancy test on July 30th. Again, positive! We were simultaneously nervous and over the moon. Almost immediately we visited the midwives to test my hormone levels and make sure they were rising appropriately – they were! We even did a very early ultrasound at 6 weeks to make sure everything was in the right place, and got to see our teeny tiny grain of rice baby flicker ever so slightly with a heartbeat.

Now I am 18 weeks pregnant (almost halfway!), Baby is the size of a cucumber, and while I still think about, and feel sad about, the sweet baby we won’t meet on this earth, I am so thankful to feel these precious baby jabs in my womb. It is frightening that there are so many variables that can cause a pregnancy to fail, but all I can focus on is that for now I have this little, wriggling life inside of me, and he/she has a rambunctious big sister who loves to kiss them already and even put lotion on them! Rather than fretting about what could be, I will choose to cherish these moments.

10 weeks, 12 weeks, 15 weeks

Symptoms and Cravings

Nausea: the dreaded symptom of all pregnant mamas, yet, this time around, it was an odd comfort to know that my hormones were high and Baby was well! Miraculously, I never vomited due to morning sickness *praise hands* but had plenty of food aversions, uncomfortable nausea, sensitive gag reflex, and was sensitive to smells.

One of the first foods I quickly had to give up was eggs of all kinds. I thought my first pregnancy barf was coming one morning when I was 8 weeks pregnant and peeling a hard boiled egg for Zemirah. Gag! So then instead of our standard boiled eggs and oatmeal (which was also hard for me to stomach), we would usually have toast and a big glass of my Berries and Greens Smoothie; something nice and cold, sweet, and with hidden veggies – which were another food aversion.

I started craving dairy, which we hardly have in the house. I made a big lasagna with gluten free noodles, spinach, and lots of cottage cheese, I also ate cheese-sticks for snacks, bowls of cottage cheese, and made my Spaghetti Bake with Balsamic Glaze with ooey gooey mozzarella! The dairy craving has passed now, but I have found with this pregnancy that my stomach can handle dairy much better than my non-pregnant stomach can.

I have been craving all things tart and sour since the beginning of pregnancy, and still am! Green olives and/or kalamata olives are a standard snack for me, along with pickles or banana peppers, and at the beginning of pregnancy I couldn’t get enough ice cold lemonade! Instead of drinking the overly sugary, overly dyed kind, I chose to get Simply Lemonade, made with water, lemon juice, and cane sugar. A deliciously sweet/tart treat I’ve enjoyed this pregnancy is Annie’s Sour Bunnies – an organic, real sugar chewy treat!

Sandwiches! Oh my word, I could not get enough sandwiches at the beginning of pregnancy. They were light, refreshing, cold, and I could put lots of tart condiments like mustard, pickles, banana peppers, and put extra veggies in there like greens, tomatoes, or cucumbers. Not to mention, I could pile them high with meats! The sandwich craving has passed for now, and I’ve lowered my bread intake, but I was just letting myself eat as much whole grain bread as I needed to to stave off the nausea while filling my belly.

Speaking of meat…yes I craved meat at the beginning of pregnancy. Which was weird for me because I wasn’t like that with Zemirah. Maybe it’s a boy??? But I was all about big, juicy lettuce wrapped burgers or tacos, Slow Cooker Pork Roast with Veggies with pork or beef, and have made a lot of Roasted Chicken with Carrots to satisfy my cravings while getting some vegetables in, too.

My eating habits have pretty much returned to normal now; I still have more carbs than usual due to my growing appetite, but I am eating more vegetables and little to no dairy again. However, I felt perfectly comfortable letting my body dictate how I needed to eat those first few months and just steering it healthier. Because while I might have been craving deep fried mozzarella sticks (yep, I was) I knew I could satisfy that craving and feel better in my body by eating a cheese stick and some crackers with hummus…probably with a handful of olives, too. Yum!

Activity

While pregnant with my first, Zemirah, I struggled to be active and exercise. With this baby, though, I am fortunate to be a Stroller Strides instructor so I have to get outside and exercise at least twice a week! And on those mornings where I thought I wouldn’t even be able to hold down a piece of dry toast, I found that movement and fresh air really helped cure my nausea. My goal for each day is to move my body, whether that’s instructing Stroller Strides, going to one of the other classes offered with Fit4Mom, going for a long walk, and some days when it’s hard to get out of the house, that may just look like some stretchy yoga. One of my midwives told me, “any movement is better than no movement” so if all I can manage one day is a few downward dogs, I’m counting it!

I’ve also given myself more grace to rest and nap this time around. I can usually find a hundred other things to do rather than lay down, but I know I need to get rest for this little baby. Oftentimes, I nap when Zemirah does, but on days where I have to work, I make sure to have time to sit and quiet my brain. Nearly every night, I go to bed early…usually on the couch and then my husband cruelly wakes me up to go to the bed haha! And if I’m feeling extra sleepy when my alarm goes off, I snooze until Zemirah comes and wakes me.

Basically what I’ve learned in this Crazy season of having a toddler, multiple part time jobs, and being pregnant is that it’s all about grace. Grace to not post a new recipe here every week, grace to not have a spotless house, grace to sleep in, grace to eat toast or cheese. And whatever season you’re in, you deserve some grace, too. Eat that dessert, take that power nap, leave your dishes overnight, whatever you need to do for a little breathing room…and enjoy your Pinch of Crazy!

This post contains affiliate links; if you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!