We are PREGNANT!!! YAY! Since we found out, we cannot think about anything else. Pregnancy is such an exciting time. We have been praying for this little miracle. And when the test finally turned positive, we couldn’t believe it. We are going to be parents!!! 🙂

Before we could catch our breath, we had so many questions about our pregnancy. From doctors’ appointments to all the beautiful things happening so quickly to our bodies (#whospregnant #dadbod). By no means are we experts in this field, but we thought it would be fun to share everything you need to know about our pregnancy! Filled with all our UPS, all our DOWNS (yikes!), and everything in between!!! Here are the links to our blog:

• Our Gender Reveal
• Our First Trimester
• Our Second Trimester
• Our Third Trimester

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Our Second Trimester

Your Baby: There is a lot of growth happening in your second trimester. I remember being so ready to switch from my bloated bump to a really baby bump! Our baby girl started to really make her debut visually and let us feel her kicks in week ~17. While I still was unsure wether or not it was her kicking, I fell in love with all the little flutters & butterfly-like motions in my belly. And then, the day finally came, that Douglas and I both were able to feel her first kick together. On January 17th (yep, we marked this date on our calendar), which was week 21 for us, we were sitting on the couch together and our baby girl started to move around. I placed Douglas’ hand on my tummy and for the first time. He felt her kick. This was the best feeling in the world. And of course I broke out in HAPPY TEARS!!! While she was growing from the size of a pear to the size of an eggplant throughout the 2nd trimester, we continued to take our weekly progress photos. We are still using both, the “What to Expect” and “Pregnancy+” app to follow along her size and taking the matching fruit to capture a quick photo. Isn’t it crazy how much she grew in only a few weeks?
Not to forget that your little one may start responding to you. When you gently tap onto your belly or for us, when Douglas starts talking to our little princess, she will start moving around, kicking and punching against my abdominal wall and simply communicate back to us. Every morning I get to wake up to Douglas hand on my belly talking to our baby girl while she is joyfully kicking around. And every night, we will say a little prayer together, while she will get in position to get some good rest (or sometimes to start her evening exercises). Oh – the second trimester is just the BEST!

Your Body: Time to grow that baby bump! YAY! From the first day we found out we are pregnant, I was ready for a cute baby bump!!! And now it’s finally time. I am pretty tall (5’11 or 182cm), which is probably why it took a little longer for me to really show, but every time I put on a tight shirt and saw the bump grow another mm I just would tear up and get so excited!!! At the same time, all of the “nasty” first trimester symptoms that you may have experienced will mostly resolve and/or go away completely…
When people say that the second trimester is the best, it really is 100% true!!! I had so much energy all the sudden. No more bloating. No weird food aversions. You feel your little one kick & grow. You finally just feel pregnant and good!!! 🙂
A few typical symptoms you may experience during the 2nd trimester are the following:  

• Growing Belly & Breast: YAY! That baby bump is finally starting to show off. And I also did not mind that my breast continued to grow – and all without the extreme tenderness from the second trimester…
• Energy Levels: Remember that extreme exhaustion from your first trimester? It’s all gone!!! I remember barely hitting the second trimester and still feeling so very tired all day long. I was thinking to myself that I of course would be the only pregnant woman that was going to be tired throughout her entire pregnancy. Week 14 hit… And all my energy was back! And more! I almost did not know what to do with all my energy. We got back into the gym. We started taking more walks. Photoshoots and editing became way easier on me. And I could stay awake through an entire movie (or two)! 🙂
• “Stuffy Nose”: Due to hormonal changes and increased blood flow your nasal membranes may start swelling and even bleed easily. I usually talk a lot while asleep but never snore. Well, those days were over… I started snoring throughout the night. And would wake up with a stuffy nose. But honestly, it wasn’t really bad. At least for me. Douglas on the other hand would tell me how loud I’d snore during some nights… Ooops! 😉
• Dental Issues: For a similar reason as your stuffy nose, your gums become more sensitive throughout pregnancy. Brushing your teeth or flossing may cause easier bleeding than normal… But remember that especially now oral hygiene becomes more important than ever! So brush & floss and schedule appointments (1-2 throughout your pregnancy) with your dental hygienist.
• Round Ligament Pain: Your body is preparing for birth. A hormone, called Relaxin, will help stretch and widen all the part necessary for labor. With that you may experience some aches and pains of your round ligaments… I started experiencing mild to moderate pain during week 21-24 (ish). Getting up from a chair or couch, getting out of the car, and even walking became pretty painful. I started to do some prenatal yoga and it seemed to help me a lot. Luckily the round ligament pain did not last very long for me but you may want to consider chiropractic or acupuncture treatment if you do not feel any relief otherwise.
• Braxton Hicks Contractions: Your uterus is also preparing for labor… And like every muscle, even your uterus wants some practice to prepare for the big day. Some women will start experiencing mild to moderate, irregular cramping that typically resolves with walking, drinking water, or emptying your bladder. I am honestly not sure whether or not I have experienced a Braxton Hicks contraction up until this point. There are times that I feel like my uterus tightens up, but it’s not really painful and resolves within seconds… So either mine are super mild or I may be “lucky” and do not experience these practice contractions as severe as others may do.
• Emotions: Honestly, I LOVE being pregnant. I feel so blessed every day that God gifted us with a baby of our own. And even though there may be some natural aches and pains every once in a while… When I look down at my bump, or place my hand on our girl, feel her little kicks… I just feel complete. Happy. Overwhelmingly excited! And I do break out in tears. Haha. So yes, the emotions are definitely running high. But for me joy & happiness are definitely overpowering any worries or anxiety. And don’t get me wrong. I am usually the type of person that worries a lot. And I still do. But I have trust and faith in God. He knows we are capable of this new chapter in our lives. And we honestly could not be more ready!!!

If you haven’t started yet, we highly recommend to now pick up your iPhone or camera and taking weekly progress pictures of your cute little baby bump. Because it will finally show and it’s so great to look through your progress!!!

We chose to use the same dress for our weekly bump pics. Here is the link to shop it directly from Lulu’s website: Lulus White Long Sleeve Lace Dress.

Your Doctor Visits: Your doctors visits are typically every 4 weeks during your second trimester. I was the most excited about our ~20 week appointment because that was the time for the “big scan”!!! The anatomy ultrasound, during which they measure all major organs, bones and calculate your babies size and possibly adjust your due date. Our baby girl was measuring overall 19 weeks at our 20 week appointment, which is totally normal and common. She apparently had a round tummy (must be all the Nutella I have been craving recently or maybe daddy’s genes LOL), and BIG feet. 😀

• Urine samples: Just like your first trimester… Be ready for a urine sample at every visit!
• Ultrasound: The 20 week anatomy ultrasound is due in your second trimester. We loved getting to see her cute little hands & feet, to get a glimpse of her face (even though she likes to sleep like mommy with her arms & hands crossed above her head, so it was quite difficult to see her head/face), and to see her little heart beat. Ultrasounds are my absolute favorite part of any doctors visit. Which is also why we decided to schedule one additional, private ultrasound in week 27 with Stork Vision. While we weren’t going to add the 3D package when we scheduled our ultrasound… We then changed our mind during our appointment and were able to see her cute little face. A feeling we both will never forget. Our little princess was super tired and kept yawning during the entire ultrasound. It was so cute so see her moving her hands around her face, yawning, stretching out her tongue… And just adoring her from head to toe!!!!

• Weight: Oh the weight gain. I stopped looking at the scale. Of course every woman and pregnancy is different. But I have added A LOT of weight… So instead of freaking out about a number on the scale, I stopped looking at it. As long as our baby girl is healthy… I am fine with anything that’s happening to my body!
• Blood Pressure: At every visit you will have your blood pressure taken to make sure you and the baby are doing good.
• Baby’s heart rate: With a clinical grade doppler your ob/gyn or nurse will measure your baby’s heart rate at every visit. I will never get tired of that cute little sound!!!
• Glucose Screening: Between week 24-28 you will get a (very) sugary drink that you need to drink at home prior to your next appointment. Then during your visit your doc will take a blood sample to check for your glucose levels and to make sure that you are not developing any gestational diabetes. Luckily our results came back “negative” and everything was good!!! Despite all my Nutella cravings… Haha.

Shopping: If you haven’t started shopping for maternity clothes during your first trimester, it’s definitely time to get some 1) comfy and 2) adorable maternity clothes!!! We have a few must-have items linked on our first trimester post, but will also put together maternity clothes shopping list for you (coming soon).

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If you want to read more just follow along our pregnancy story here:

• Our First Trimester
• Our Second Trimester
• Our Third Trimester