Today marks the 27th week of my pregnancy. For all of you who have no idea what weeks mean, that’s almost 7 months. Pregnancy is broken up into 3 trimesters of 3 months each. This is now the final trimester and the last 3ish months of pregnancy.
It’s gone by super fast so far. Probably some of that is due to the fact that I have a toddler to keep me distracted. The first three months were a struggle because I felt sick and I was fatigued beyond anything I had ever known before. The second trimester, months 3-6, is really the best and easiest. It’s understandable that those months would fly by. In the second trimester you don’t feel sick anymore, your energy and libido come back from the grave, and your bump is growing, but it’s not seriously handicapping you yet. Then you begin the third trimester. Major body changes begin now and I’ve started to notice a few of them.
For starters, my bump is bumping into things. I underestimate how big I am almost daily. I’m bumping into doors and corners. I can’t squeeze around people the way I used to. It’s all those little things that your brain doesn’t account for because your size has changed so quickly. In my pregnancy with Olivia I remember that I felt pretty great until the final month. Before then I was just peachy. Then when the last month hit I had sciatica pain, I couldn’t sleep at night, and everything was just generally uncomfortable.
Right now, I feel great. People will ask me, “How’s the pregnancy going?” and I realize I struggle to answer. There’s this weird unspoken vibe that you can’t say you feel great during pregnancy. It’s feels strange and somehow wrong to say, “I feel wonderful! Everything is really amazing.” I can’t really explain it. It just seems like you’re supposed to complain about how difficult and miserable everything is. The truth is that pregnancy isn’t easy, as I’ve stated before. However, it can be miraculous and wonderful. I feel like maybe we miss out on that because we’re so focused on the unpleasant things. Let’s be honest, they do have a way of getting our attention.
Pregnancy is nothing short of miraculous. There are so many things now that just amaze me. Right now my baby girl can suck her thumb, she is “breathing” and swallowing fluid, she can taste now, she recognizes Luka’s voice, she’s able to live outside the womb with medical care, and she’s about 14 inches long and weighs almost 2 pounds! She already has personality and characteristics that are noticeably different from Olivia when I was pregnant with her.
So far, I believe I’ve enjoyed this pregnancy more. It hasn’t been easier. In many ways it’s been more difficult. However, knowing how special this process is, that out of it comes a person whom I love uncontrollably and unfathomably, makes it so much better the second time around. I’ve determined not to let the discomfort get in the way of appreciating each moment with this baby girl. We have such a short time of our lives together in this way that I don’t want to spend that time wishing it were over.