Well we are officially 22 weeks along in my pregnancy journey and if you watched our podcast/follow my Instagram, you already know WE’RE HAVING A GIRL!!!

My OBGYN appointment was on Tuesday, August 11th, 2020, leaving us with 5 days of not knowing before our reveal party! And honestly, it was the LONGEST week ever! I asked my doctor to put the gender in an envelope and then once I had it, I gave it to the doctor I work for. He kept the envelope and called my sister later that day to let her know so she could make preparations.

My sister refused to talk to me all week because she was afraid it would slip and as for the doctor I work with, he had THE MOST fun teasing and playing games with me all week. He’d wear pink shirts under his blue scrubs, bring blue water bottles, bring candy wrapped in blue and pink wrappers, it was honestly hilarious. As we went throughout the week, we’d ask patients what they thought I was having, and almost EVERYONE said boy!

It was such a strange thing for me because I’d had a few dreams where I saw myself holding a baby girl and I thought that was some sort of sign, but with everyone saying boy I was starting to really think I was having a boy. Intuition is such a funny thing, isn’t it?

Now that the day as come and gone, I can honestly say it was so much fun and worth the wait for sure! I am over the moon excited to be having a baby girl and cannot wait to continue this journey to motherhood! Thank you all for sticking around!

That being said, it’s almost hard to believe that I’m already halfway done. It has seriously gone by SO fast. It honestly feels like just yesterday I was spending every day for nearly 3 months curled up on the couch unable to move.  Why do our memories seem to hang on to the most painful parts of anything so vividly?

I’m so happy that my second trimester has been SO much better than my first. That being said, there are a few new symptoms that have popped up, read below!

New Second Trimester Symptoms

+ Swollen knees : for whatever reason, my knees have been swelling up after being on my feet for too long. It’s also been hotter out here in California, which isn’t necessarily helping with all the inflammation.

+ Melasma : I’m definitely noticing dark spots on my cheeks and forehead. Yay for hormonal changes messing with my skin!

+ Breakouts : Speaking of skin issues, I’m breaking out like CRAZY. Seriously, almost as if I’m back in high school. This was actually one of the wive’s tales that predicted having a girl. I guess if my skin has to suffer so that baby girl can get everything she needs, I’ll deal with it! 

+ Leg Cramps : I’m definitely feeling more leg cramps and little abdominal cramps here and there. I notice it more after working out or sitting/standing for too long. I know this is normal and is just due to my body changing, growing, and expanding. When it happens, I try to breath through it and get some water, which always helps!

+ Higher Energy : Yay for actually wanting to go out and do things! My energy is definitely back, although walking up a flight of stairs leaves me much more out of breath now than it did before. 

+ Increased Appetite : It feels good to eat foods and snacks knowing that not only am I nourishing my own body, but also the body of baby! Before, it was so difficult to eat anything at all so being able to eat is definitely something I will never take for granted again.

+ Backaches : I can definitely tell that the extra weight around my midsection is taking a toll on my back. It’s getting pretty uncomfortable to sit in certain positions or stand for extended periods of time. I’m mentally prepared for this to get worse as baby grows! 

Well, that’s where we’re at right now! I can with 1000000% certainty tell you that I would take all of these symptoms any day over all the nausea, dizziness, exhaustion, etc that I felt during the first trimester, without a doubt.