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22 weeks pregnant
January 27, 2021

23 Week Pregnancy Update (Baby #2)

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I’m 23 weeks pregnant today! Time is flying and also crawling, you know? 

I haven’t posted any pregnancy updates at all recently (the only one so far was my pregnancy announcement/first trimester recap post at 15 weeks, so check that out if you missed it), so I thought it was time! 

It’s funny looking back at pics from last time, when I was 22 weeks pregnant with Riese (and apparently way better about posting consistent pregnancy updates – every 2 weeks!), and wow am I showing way more this time! Friends told me after your first pregnancy you show much more quickly and they were definitely right.

22 weeks pregnant

Our baby is currently the size of a large mango or an eggplant. Here’s an action shot of him from our 20 week ultrasound!

He was basically doing leg presses on my bladder (see the bottom photo), oof. Makes a lot of sense considering how often I have to pee!

How I’ve Been Feeling Lately

I’ve been feeling relatively good since about 16 weeks, when my nausea and extreme fatigue finally ended. What a game changer it is to not feel ready for bed by 4 every day and super nauseous/hating food all the time! 

I mean, I’m still a lot more tired than I am when I’m not pregnant, of course. But things have majorly looked up compared to earlier on and I’m super grateful for that.

Last time when pregnant with Riese I remember feeling better around 12/13 weeks, so it’s interesting that the really rough phase went on longer this time! I’m sure part of that has to do with the fact that this time I’m chasing a toddler around… being pregnant when you already have a child is a totally different ball game.

Let’s just say any screen-time reservations we used to have have basically gone out the window thanks to the pandemic + pregnancy combo… Riese is definitely not upset to get to watch more of her favorite show, Doc McStuffins!

Anyway! I’m starting to feel more awkward physically, tying my shoes is getting tougher, and I’m definitely still lower energy than normal, but overall I feel a thousand times better than I did in the first trimester and through about the 16 week point, not just physically but mentally, too. I just feel more like myself, which is nice. 

Every once in awhile I’ll still feel a little nauseated or put off by food in the evenings, but for the most part I’ve been able to eat pretty normally in the past month, which is very helpful especially because then I don’t wake up in the middle of the night nauseous hungry from not eating enough dinner.

I definitely need to stay on top of my hunger, especially earlier in the day (hi, two full breakfasts) or else I feel rough, though!

Cravings

I haven’t had any super extreme cravings except for one day when all I wanted was chicken fingers and ketchup. I could not stop thinking about it.

It was like 3 p.m. but I knew I wouldn’t stop thinking about it until I had it so I went and picked some up. Luckily Junction Bakery in Del Ray had some yummy ones… this hit the spot! And yes I still had a normal dinner a few hours later. 🙂 

Mmm, looking at that photo makes me want that again…

For the most part, though, I haven’t had a ton of strong cravings. I still like juicy/watery type stuff (like fruit, yogurt, raw peppers and other raw veggies, coconut water, etc.) because I’m so thirsty all the time, though!

Fitness

I’m feeling pretty good fitness-wise lately! I am definitely not crushing it like I was during my last pregnancy with lots of in-person workout classes (sigh, I miss them and my workout buddies), but that’s okay. 

Running isn’t feeling good for me anymore as of a few weeks ago (bummer), but baby and I have been taking lots of walks and doing some hikes with Matt and Riese instead. 

22 week bump

I’m also continuing to do a (virtual) once per week training session with my brother-in-law Drew, who is a personal trainer, and it has been great to have something so tailored to me/where I am in pregnancy. 

Matt and I were doing Drew’s virtual group fitness classes together twice a week as well, but I’ve switched to my sister-in-law Morgana’s virtual group classes instead, which also focus on strength but don’t have any high impact moves, so they feel much more pregnancy friendly and I don’t have to modify a whole lot which is nice. I’m planning to do those twice per week as long as it feels good.

I find that I usually don’t want to work out, but once I do I feel better, so signing up for virtual classes/paying in advance is helpful for that accountability!

I have been a little all over the place with yoga, though. I was taking outdoor in-person classes once per week when the weather was warmer, but those are all virtual now and I haven’t been great about making full 60 minutes yoga classes happen virtually because the time when my favorite teacher teaches doesn’t work for us right now. Boo.

I did find Harlow’s Earth prenatal yoga thanks to a blog reader, though, and they offer short (15-20 minutes) YouTube videos tailored to each week of pregnancy, which is super cool. So I’ve been enjoying those when I make them happen, which is usually once or maybe twice a week.

I always feel good when I do them it’s just tough to make the time when there’s not a set time for me to do them! But the fact that they are so short really helps. 

Recent Fave Pregnancy Products

I have a couple favorite pregnancy-related products at the moment. First is this cool adjustable floor chair with back support, which my in-laws gave me. 

Normally sitting on the floor to play with Riese is fine for me, but nowadays having some back support and a little cushion under my bum is very helpful. Game changer! I expect I’ll use it long after pregnancy now that we have it, unless Riese breaks it first, that is, because she thinks it’s a super fun jungle gym to play on…

Second is this Old Navy active tank (<- a super similar one with good reviews, I didn’t see this exact one online anymore) that a friend handed down to me in a couple colors!

Last time I was pregnant I wore mostly loose workout tanks or stretchy regular (not maternity) tanks, but it feels better to wear actual maternity ones this time.

Old Navy has tons of great and affordable maternity clothing, by the way, if you are pregnant! Not just activewear but lots of cute regular clothes, too. 

20 weeks pregnant

For workout tights, I have some from Old Navy and Target from last pregnancy, and I’ve still been really loving the Lululemon Align Leggings (not maternity, but apparently they stretch right back to normal afterwards) as well. 

Birth Plans

I laugh at the word “plans” because of course there’s only so much one can plan when pregnant (and with parenthood, too – these kids keep us on our toes)!

Last time, with Riese, we had a doula and everything and then I found out at 36 weeks that she was breech and I’d have to do a scheduled C section. Womp, womp. Plans out the window.

(Here’s Riese’s C section birth story, if you’d like to read it!)

I’ve had some of you ask if I’m hoping to have a VBAC this time, and yes, that is my #1 how I hope things go scenario, and my doctor has said they will support a VBAC (if things are looking safe for it, of course).

We aren’t planning to hire a doula again, though, because especially with the covid situation we don’t want to worry about whether another person will be allowed in, etc. 

A VBAC would be great, but if this baby is breech too or if things go south and a C section is required again, that’s okay too. A healthy, safe baby (and me being healthy and safe!) is of course the biggest goal and nothing else really matters. 

That said, of course I’d really like to not have to deal with recovering from major abdominal surgery while taking care of a newborn again (plus a toddler this time), not gonna lie. I’m sure vaginal birth isn’t a cakewalk in terms of recovery, but C section recovery is… not my favorite thing ever, especially since it took so long before I was able to run without pain at my incision area (many many months after I was laughably “cleared” for running by my doc). 

If a second C section is how things go, so be it. But I’m hopeful! Only time will tell, we will just wait and see and embrace whatever comes. 

Baby’s Room Progress

We are making progress slowly on the baby’s room! We are turning our guest room into the baby’s room, and slowly getting rid of the furniture in that room.

I sold the dresser that was in there on Craigslist last weekend, and soon we will get rid of the bed, too. We bought a pull-out couch to put in our playroom so that way guests still have somewhere to stay when they come now that we won’t have a guest room anymore! 

We bought Riese a “big girl” bed (we got her this one from Pottery Barn Kids in twin size – I like that it’s nice and low to the ground, and basic/simple) that should arrive in a week or two, so once that comes we will move the crib over to the baby’s room.

We wanted to do this swap well in advance of baby’s arrival so Riese didn’t see it as a direct “baby is here and stealing my bed” type situation… she’s already sleeping in the crib with the toddler rail on so she can get out on her own, so hopefully the transition to a big bed won’t be too big of a change.

Instead of rails, I bought one of these cushion bumpers that will go under her bottom sheet. Seemed cozier than a rail but still effective hopefully.

Anyway, as for baby #2’s furniture, the room is quite small so I wanted to get a combined dresser + toy/book storage type situation vs. having two separate pieces of furniture like we have in Riese’s room (which is also small, but a tiny bit bigger). I spent some time online shopping over the weekend and settled on this dresser, which I liked because it has the two open spots where we can put books or a little basket/bin for toys. It’s also nice because Riese’s dresser is the same depth (and from the same store), so we know the removable changing table topper from her dresser can easily be swapped. So that saves us buying a new changing table topper, at least!

I also bought this white nightstand and this reclining gray glider for the baby’s room. I’m especially excited for the glider! For Riese’s room we have a cheap glider that was never super comfortable, so I wanted to upgrade and splurge a bit this time. I also like that the foot rest is built in so it doesn’t take up space in the room when it’s not in use – the foot rest in Riese’s room is always in the way it feels like!

Matt’s parents are giving us an old swivel rocking chair of theirs that we are going to get reupholstered and put in Riese’s room to replace the old glider, so it will be nice to have cozy chairs in both rooms! That one won’t have a foot rest but that’s fine since it will just be for reading books before bed, and it will be nice to open up the room a bit more, especially since her new bed will of course be bigger than the crib was. 

The only thing we still need to get for the baby’s room now is some artwork/fun stuff to hang on the walls, and a rug! The room is painted a nice medium teal blue color from the previous owners that we like and will keep, so we need to work with that for what to get rug-wise. I want one that’s cozy but also made from natural materials that will be healthy for baby to crawl/roll around on. Any recs?

Here is what the walls look like – that’s our old guest bed (excuse how wrinkled it is…) that we are getting rid of soon, and we will move the pictures too to have something more kid-focused. 

Alrighty, I think that’s just about enough rambling for one post, don’t you?

Thank you for reading and for sharing in this journey with us! I’ll probably share another pregnancy update in a month, or whenever I feel like I have a lot more to say again. 🙂 Stay tuned!

—

Please note there are affiliate links in this post.

- anne
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38 comments
  • Andrea January 27, 2021 · 9:37AM:
    Oh my gosh I hear you on the screen time front ... I’m 11 wks and really struggling with fatigue (hope it lifts soon as the second tri nears)... and with the pandemic + dark at 5 pm + no siblings situation ... it feels like the hours with my 5 year old are soooo hard to fill.... I feel awful about the amount of screen time she’s getting ... sometimes hours and hours a day. good to know I’m not alone in this!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 10:15AM:
      So hard to fill! I feel you so much. I hope you feel better ASAP, that phase is so so tough. I was feeling really guilty at first about the screen time too but I feel like now I've reached a point where it's like "We're all doing the best we can. She will be just fine." Remind yourself that, too!
      Reply
  • Lisa of Lisa’s Yarns
    January 27, 2021 · 10:34AM:
    I am glad you are feeling better! The 2nd pregnancy goes so much faster when you have a toddler to chase around so that is one upside! I hope it works out to have a VBAC! I had a c section with our first and went the planned c section route this time since I am on blood thinners for a genetic condition. So a c section made sense since delivery gets complicated with those blood thinners and my OB thinks I have a narrow birth canal as I got to 9cm with our first and he would not descend but there was no reason he shouldn’t have since there wasn’t a cord around his neck or anything. I found recovery from a scheduled c section so much better but it’s definitely not ideal! But I could not bear to go through laboring again and then needing a c section in the end like last time. But our boys both have huge heads so that is part of the problem in my situation. Odd that their heads are so huge because my husband and I don’t have big heads!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 10:47AM:
      Sounds like that was definitely the right call! I can't imagine having gone through tons of labor and THEN had a C section... worst of both worlds, oof!
      Reply
  • L
    January 27, 2021 · 10:39AM:
    You and your bump look great! And that ultrasound of him kicking you is so awesome, perfect moment to take the photo haha I have 2 questions: are you doing anything to prepare for a vaginal birth this time? And I mentioned last week I got diagnosed with GD, so I was looking through the blog for diabetes / low carb meal ideas... just mentioning it in case you feel like doing a recap post, or a GD-specific post, it'd be highly appreciated and helpful :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 10:46AM:
      I'm not doing anything to prepare for a vaginal birth until we go at 36 weeks for the ultrasound and confirm baby is in position. I honestly don't want to get my hopes up before then! If it seems like it may be an actual reality, then I'll probably do some reading or something... we took a labor + delivery 3 hour class last time but I don't really remember a lot of it! It was kind of a fail because we found out that morning of the class that Riese was breech so we were pretty distracted/mostly paying attention to C section info. And thanks for the request for diabetes/low carb specific meals! I'll keep it in mind as I'm planning content.
      Reply
      • L
        January 31, 2021 · 11:52AM:
        I'm only seeing your reply now! I'm only starting to prep for birth now and was a bit freaking out thinking I'm so late, but you've reassured this first time mom! In any case, it's not like I had time until now, with work...
        Reply
        • Anne
          February 1, 2021 · 9:16AM:
          You've got this! <3
          Reply
  • The Many Thoughts of a Reader
    January 27, 2021 · 10:49AM:
    Oh man, the chicken fingers/fries makes me want them now too! I really miss hot fresh fries. I would so go out and grab some today but my window doesn't work for the drive thru and I don't want to take my 1 year old inside to pick up food any place with good fries! Womp womp. I felt like crap a lot longer with the second pregnancy than the first. First one was easy peasy, second one I hated most food for months. Lame.
    Reply
  • Allison January 27, 2021 · 10:50AM:
    Pregnancy with a toddler is all about survival! Don't feel bad about the extra TV, same for me, but then when the baby comes, TV is a nice treat for the toddler while you are nursing the baby. Fingers crossed for a VBAC for you! I had one with my 2nd and recovery is 1,000x easier than a C section. I felt the same as you though, and at least you know what to expect if you have a c- section again!
    Reply
  • Sara @ mareish
    January 27, 2021 · 11:20AM:
    Yes I hear you on the 2nd pregnancy being so much harder!! My first was 13 months old when I found out I was pregnant again, and it's so rough with a toddler! Also how cool is that ultrasound picture?! The leg presses!! So funny.
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 11:25AM:
      Haha his form is on point! And wow, that's a quick turnaround - two under two seems like it would be so tough! I'm hopeful with Riese being 3.5 once baby comes she'll be into "helping" with the baby, although I'm sure we will still have lots of tantrums too.
      Reply
  • Brittany C January 27, 2021 · 11:35AM:
    We have, and love, and have spent many, many hours in that glider. Well worth it! :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 1:52PM:
      Awesome, I'm excited to hear a good review! The reviews online were good but always hard to tell if it is really worth it or not just looking online, especially since there are so many options!
      Reply
  • Kris S January 27, 2021 · 12:29PM:
    Exciting stuff! Devastated you are remodeling the guest room which I enjoyed so comfortably ;) but stoked to see the update (and happy to sleep on the pullout couch if visiting is ever a thing that happens again!). Hopefully I'll see you in Morgana's classes if I finally manage to make a return after a loooong absence.. Hope Riese loves her new big girl bed when it comes! :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 1:53PM:
      I'm hoping visiting is a thing that happens again!! Miss you... I'm doing Morgana's 8 a.m. virtual class every Mon + Weds if you ever want to join! :)
      Reply
  • Kris S January 27, 2021 · 12:30PM:
    PS- hilarious chicken fingers craving! Throwback to Dickinson days! haha!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 1:54PM:
      Haha chicken fingers for life!! These didn't taste as good as Deli C's at 2 a.m., but they were quite tasty nonetheless. ;)
      Reply
  • Leslie January 27, 2021 · 2:52PM:
    Omg, so glad you started this by saying time is flying and also crawling. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and feel the exact same way. It's such a weird feeling to describe to people... I can't believe I've been pregnant for this long, it feels like forever but also how is time going so fast?! so weird. Hoping you continue to feel well :-)
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 2:56PM:
      Exactly!!
      Reply
  • SHANNON A January 27, 2021 · 3:33PM:
    Hi! I wish you luck for the VBAC. I was able to with my second son and it was as much better as you can imagine. Recovery is so much better! I was the same way with running after Csection, it took a long time to feel ok again. Best of luck either way you will be great! My epidural didn't work through most of the laboring, they did a second one again just in time for the big push and I still say way better overall!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 27, 2021 · 3:48PM:
      Fingers crossed big time! And thanks!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner January 27, 2021 · 3:57PM:
    Wonderful update, Anne, thanks. Very good to hear that everything is on track and that you are dealing well with the various challenges, etc! Good luck in the months ahead!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 28, 2021 · 10:16AM:
      Thank you!
      Reply
  • Heidi January 28, 2021 · 10:51PM:
    Hoping for vbac for you! I had a c section with my first because he was breech, and then 3 successful vbacs with my next three boys. Recovery is so much easier with vbacs, especially with regards to getting back to running and working out. Fingers crossed this baby goes head down!
    Reply
    • Anne
      January 29, 2021 · 9:53AM:
      Fingers crossed big time! You are giving me hope :)
      Reply
  • Mandy January 29, 2021 · 11:28PM:
    Good luck with the vbac. I labored to 9.5cm with my first and ended up with an emergency csection. I planned a csection with my second and labor moved so quickly I got the spine block in the operating room and they checked me one last time and I was 10cm so they asked if I wanted to push instead. Recovery was so much easier with a vaginal birth.
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 1, 2021 · 9:29AM:
      Oh wow! I bet, I hear emergency C sections are even worse recovery than scheduled!
      Reply
  • ET February 1, 2021 · 3:10PM:
    I struggled with finding a rug too. We got the Big Rug from Under the Nile (https://underthenile.com/collections/rugs) and love it. It's very soft, plus organic (and lots of cute colors!). You need to put a rug pad under it to keep it from sliding around - I have found this one to be very good: https://www.rugpadusa.com/collections/eco-friendly/products/super-lock-natural
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 2, 2021 · 9:01AM:
      Awesome, will check those out - thanks for the recs!
      Reply
  • Abigail February 4, 2021 · 6:52AM:
    Hi there! I’m a lurker: been reading for years but never comment. Just wanted to say that I hope you are able to have a vbac! I had a c section and then 2 vbacs. The vbac recoveries were so much better and faster! I felt totally like myself within about 3 weeks this time. Amazingly helpful when you have three kids 5 and under! Just make sure that your hospital and dr/doula both support vbacs—it’s pretty common for them to not want to take the liability. Also, at our hospital, the Ob has to be at the hospital for the entire labor just in case of complications. They also have to be careful about how much medicine to administer and when because they don’t want contractions to get too strong too quickly and potentially break open your scar. Anyways, I hope things go well for you! Congrats!!
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 4, 2021 · 11:16AM:
      This is helpful to know! Thank you!
      Reply
  • Emily February 22, 2021 · 5:12PM:
    Hi Anne, I am recently pregnant and have a question--do you avoid canned foods during a pregnancy? I've seen it crop up on several lists of things not to eat when pregnant but my doctor's never mentioned it. So was hoping to get advice from you before I go to my doctor with a potentially too-paranoid question?
    Reply
    • Anne
      February 23, 2021 · 9:50AM:
      I don't, I hadn't heard of this! What's the reasoning behind it?
      Reply
      • Emily March 2, 2021 · 10:53AM:
        Apparently the lining of cans contains BPA which leaches into the foods. It might be a bit alarmist though.
        Reply
        • Anne
          March 3, 2021 · 10:36AM:
          Yeah, I feel like that's a bit alarmist... although lots of cans do now say "BPA free lining" so you could always look for those specifically if you are nervous about it!
          Reply
          • Emily March 5, 2021 · 9:29AM:
            Thank you for being a voice of reason! It's easy to get too anxious/paranoid because it's my first time and it's so early on and so much feels like it could go wrong.
            Reply
            • Anne
              March 5, 2021 · 10:03AM:
              Absolutely, I totally understand! Happy to have helped a bit <3
              Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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