20 Week Update
The baby is the size of a small cantaloupe right now! Cuhrazy.
It blows my mind that I’m halfway through the pregnancy!
That little lady is growing quickly, and I hope she continues to grow strong and healthy.
I’m pretty sure there’s no denying the belly now, too.
[I think I say that every time I post an update. haha]
17 weeks
20 weeks
Tom said from the front, you can still kind of see my abs
(I kissed him)
but not quite from the side.
Having a sizeable, obvious baby belly has been good for many things:
1) Scratching. It itches!! I also like to rub it… all the time. Before I was pregnant, I wondered why pregnant women always had to be rubbing and touching their bellies. Now, I 100% understand. At any time of the day, you can find me scratching, rubbing, talking or singing to my belly 😉 I love that my amazing husband loves talking to the belly and rubbing it, too. I woke up in the middle of the night the other night, and he was rubbing my belly, half asleep. <3
2) Getting me busted for dipping into the almond butter jar.
“What’s on your shirt?”
Oops.
3) Sweet words of kindness and horror stories from random strangers. I’ve gotten to the point where I only listen to the good things and kind of block out the rest. Positive thinking leads to positive results, right?
One lady, whom I admire greatly (and is a rockstar mom), told me last night “Don’t listen to all of the negative things people will tell you. I always had this feeling that I was destined to be a mom, and I love it more than anything in the world.” These are the kinds of things I love to hear <3
4) Little kicks and bubbles that make my heart go into swoon overload. After I eat, I love to go lay on my side (the only time I like to lay on my side) and feel her move around. There isn’t a ton of movement yet, but enough to make me extremely excited.
Notes from this week:
-My hips have never hurt like this in my life. Yesterday, they were miserable. The Snoogle has helped, but I’m way overdue for an acupuncture appointment.
-Other than the hip thing, all in all, I feel pretty fantastic. My energy levels are pretty normal until the end of the day, and around 9pm, I’m DONE. I’ll disappear shortly after dinner to go upstairs and get ready for bed.. that is, if I don’t fall asleep with Bella on the couch.
-My workouts have still been pretty “pregnancy normal” (normal with some modifications)- cardio almost every day, weights 2-3x a week, slacking on yoga but am committed to get back into it when we get back from Philly. If you guys would like, I can post some of the changes I’ve made, especially since back and stomach exercises are discouraged after the first trimester.
-I broke a bra last week.. while I was wearing it. Thank goodness I was in the mall when it happened, about 50 ft from Victoria’s Secret. I bought one new one, in my new size, but am not sure how many I want to invest in, because it seems like things are always changing over here. How does pregnancy bra shopping work??
-Weight gained thus far: 12 lbs
Cravings:
-Fruit, smoothies, gluten-free pizza, beastly salads, fruit/veggie juice, shrimp, blocks of goat cheese and kind of random.. I’ve been wondering for about 3 days if they make gluten-free strawberry poptarts. I’ve had poptarts on the brain!
Fun baby purchases:
-Besides the goodies I showed ya last week when we announced it’s a girl, we’ve also ordered the nursery bedding.
Thanks for sticking with me over here on the Family page for the past 20 or so weeks 🙂 I’ve loved being able to blog about and share this adventure…about 20 more weeks and we’ll get to meet the little lady <3
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From the front, you can’t even tell you’re pregnant! You look fantastic!
Gina I love love love your family posts! I’d love to hear how you’ve modified your exercises! You look aaaaaamazing!
Looking great, Gina! Glad to hear you’re feeling well too 🙂
You may have less than 20 weeks til you meet her. Everyone always says 1st babies are never early. Wrong! Mine was early 🙂 She was rearin’ to go and couldn’t wait to come out. I thought I had more time that I did. Whoops! 🙂
You look adorable. Love your belly and mine itched like crazy too. And my hips and lower back ached like nothing I had ever felt. I can relate. All the bones are moving around in there.
And listening to only the good stuff…good for you! Random strangers will come up to you and tell you their birth and nursing nightmare stories and it’s like WHY are you telling me this??! I dont know you, I dont care, and I dont want to hear it. Thanks.
Good for you for TUNING it OUT!! 🙂
My guy was early too. I thought I had AT LEAST 4, maybe even 6 weeks… but he had other plans at 36 weeks.
Aaww, love the nursery bedding!! Too cute!! Congrats on finding out it’s a girl, btw! I bet you two are so excited!!!
That bedding is super adorable!
And I think your abs look better than mine… and I’m not preggo! LOL
You look fantastic! And don’t worry about the hips, the MOMENT she is born into this world, your hip pain will be over! I had a lot of discomforts (more towards the end) with my little guy, and I didn’t realize until a few days after the fact that I hadn’t had any of the discomforts since he was born! Hang in there! So worth it!
good to know, it’s driving me ccrrraaazzzyyyy
you look so adorable!
These seem more like pastries but I’m sure they’d do the trick 🙂
http://deliciouslyorganic.net/pop-tarts-two-ways-whole-wheat-or-gluten-free/
you are my hero. i have all the ingredients on hand, too!!!
You’re getting a booty with that belly! And I mean that in the nicest, most flattering way possible. 🙂
Love taking this journey with ya. You look fantastic and incredibly inspirational.
i think it’s to counter the front weight. hahaha
This is a great time, isn’t it? I remember by 20 weeks I had pretty sweet “pyramid” abs going. ( do your abs turn into a pyramid too when you try to get up from laying down?) I always laughed about that. I’m glad you blog about your pregnancy. It gives me hope that my second pregnancy will be more healthy and active. I’ve loved being a mom, it is as wonderful as people say it is–but the thought of doing the pregnancy over again (we’re trying to have a second child) is a little depressing–I was mega sick, and now I have a super active toddler. I’m glad I’ll have a spot to turn to for some good healthy prego eats when I might be loosing my lunch 🙂
uh, losing. typo..sorry.
Hey there momma!!! I got to check in and see that you’re expecting a GIRL and not a BOY! What a surprise, I’m sure!
With both of my girls, I itched so bad on my belly. What did help a TON was Burt’s Bees Momma Bee Belly Balm and Belly Butter. LOVED it. It helped a ton. When your legs get tired later when you’re near the end, their lotion really helps to feel relaxed.
You look fantastic, Gina, you really do. Your belly’s adorable!
Bras…Target has GREAT bras. I’d actually start grabbing nursing bras now if you can. The ones I really liked were the all-lace unpadded bras. They allow a lot more room for growth when you need it…and trust me…nursing pads will be needed when baby arrives. So not having padding doesn’t matter. 😉 Nipply issues won’t be a problem.
Here’s another positive comment, so please don’t block it out (!): You look soooooo fab! You are totally all belly and look amazing (and you hide the hip pain very well in the photos). I totally would be all over my baby belly too. I bet it is such an amazing feeling! AH, half way! So awesome!
Fan request: I LOVE when I find out women are expecting and get so excited for them. Do mom’s to be get sick of everyone asking about sex, due date, etc? Are they annoyed when strangers touch their belly? At what point do we (as non family/friends) need to give moms space? Any etiquette recommendations for the rest of us?
nope- i love answering questions about due date and sex, and as long as you’re not a creepy dude, belly touch away 🙂
everyone is different, though!
You can totally still see your abs! I was gonna compliment ya even before reading what Tom had said! Look at you, you fit mama!!
haha. agreed! Tom is awesome for reminding you how beautiful and awesome you are through everything. That makes him pretty awesome, too.
Sexy mama! You look great, Gina. So excited for you to meet your baby girl 🙂
you should totally make a recipe for gluten-free strawberry ‘pop tarts’!
Woohoo, what a hot mama! You look absolutely gorgeous and glowing Gina, love your joyful family posts. I’m finding it hard to get back into exercise, even though I did so much before getting pregnant, but looking at your fit pregnant bod I’m going to the gym tonight! Thanks for all your inspiration 🙂
the nursery bedding… oh.my.goodness. I’m so excited to have kids just because it means I’ll finally get to buy stuff like that. Oh, and the Pilot’s right – your abs are still pretty rockin’ from the front, not gonna lie 🙂
I love love the family posts. It feels like your pregnancy is flying by! Thank you for sharing so much with us 🙂
I’d love to see a family post before/after of baby girl’s bedroom to see what you put together!
Your pregnancy abs are better than my non-preggo abs! No fair! 😉
I adore that bedding, absolutely beautiful! Ha ha, I’ve never had abs so I guess I won’t have to worry about that when my time comes 😉 Thanks for sharing the family posts with us, it’s been fun to follow along.
Hey Gina! I don’t comment often, but read ALWAYS! Just wanted to say that you look amazing and so happy! If your belly is itchy start creaming it up. That happened to me with Sarah and I didn’t think to moisturize. I ended up literally scratching parts of my belly raw (esp around the *waist* line). I learned my lesson by the time Noah came around! 😉 I remember achy hips, too. Yuck! But SO worth it in the end….as I’m sure you know. 🙂 Take care, hun!!
For a pregnancy workout video, you can check out PregoFit, there are 3 workouts, once for each trimester http://www.pregofit.com/
You looks so cute =) and I can def see the abs! Love the nursery bedding!
I smiled through this whole post. Brings back memories; I was the same way. I love the colors for the nursery. You are looking great as usual!!
Hi Gina! You look super fantastic pregnant…and oh so happy 🙂
I would LOVE it if you could post modifications made to your workouts during pregnancy. I’m just behind you (@ 15 wks) and get frustrated @ the gym lately b/c my doctor said no ab exercises & to not get my heart rate up, so it feels like I’m doing hardly anything a lot of the time when I’m @ the gym…but I’ve been told, every little bit helps & not to worry. So I’ve changed my running to mild jogging & walking and really toned down the amount of my weights. Still doing them, but not nearly as much. I would love to hear any tips/tricks you have to share with us fellow moms-to-be!
Thanks! I <3 your blog. Been a long-time reader via google reader – yours is the first blog I check when I log on daily 🙂
I love the bedding. This is mine for my little girl http://www.cocalo.com/item.asp?id=717
Also, you can still see your abs. You go girl! Keep them strong for a easier delivery 🙂
Bras, I always went up at least one cup size and one waist size. tho with this one i went up one cup size and two waist sizes. Here’s a tip that saved me and my wallet…get a “bra extender” (Can be found in your local Target/Walmart/etc in the Sewing section). For about $2.00 you get to still wear your current bras for a little bit longer … maybe the entire pregnancy (if you dont go up two sizes like I did). BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT FOR THIS! =)
oh and it gives you an extra two inches but i figure you probably already know that. LOL
20 weeks alreadY! holy smokes it feels like time is flying!!!!! I LOVE the bedding set it is absolutely gorgeous!!
I love these updates. It’s so fun to follow along!
You look great. I can totally see the abs! 🙂
I would love to see a pregnancy modifications workout post.
Did your bra break the strap in the back? If so http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_12?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=bra+extender&x=0&y=0&sprefix=bra+extender these will be your life saver. Then you don’t have to fork over the cash for hugely expensive bras.
Sorry, I’m confused – do people say negative things to pregnant women? If so, that’s really awful! Also, you look really cute with a baby belly 🙂
Hi Gina! You look great! As far as the bra goes, I’m currently 29 weeks, and some of the bras I own (full coverage) work with bra extenders—its less than $2 and available at most maternity stores, it just adds a few inches without having to buy all new bras. I don’t use my cute lil’ demi bras anymore because there isn’t enough coverage for the girls. I see myself buying nursing bras soon-but I kinda just want to wait to see if I get any bigger later on. Maybe it’ll work for you– good luck!
so funny! I have totally been craving strawberry poptarts too 🙂 which I haven’t even thought about since about middle school – pregnancy is such a funny thing! I can still see my abs a little too from the front (I’m almost 16 weeks), so that’s fun 🙂
I know nature’s path makes organic ones, but I haven’t been able to find any GF ones yet… let me know if you find them!
Gina-you look so great!!!! I hope I look this good when I start to have little ones 🙂 Also, thanks for recommending TCOYF…I’ve learned so much! And I recommended it to a friend who’s been trying to have a baby for a while now.
This post is ADORABLE. Love the baby’s little round belly – and your’s too! 🙂
I looooved poptarts–especially the brown sugar cinnamon ones. I haven’t had them in years and am now gf too, boo. I googled “gluten free toaster pastry” and it looks like there is one: http://www.ecoheavenllc.com/Eco-Planet/Gluten_Free_Toaster_Pastries.html
Whether they are findable or not is another question, but there is a “where to buy” link. I’m on the hunt…
You look absolutley amazing!!!!!! I am inspired to keep up my workouts (at 29 weeks now, EEKS), and i LOVE the swap outs, so needed as i find i am doing the same exercises just to be ‘safe’, but i think i can step it up a little bit more, thanks girl!
Sounds like the pregnancy is going well! You are an adorable pregnant woman!
LOOOOVE that bedding, soo cute!
I love the bedding!!
You look fab and so does the bedding!!
Bras – don’t go too crazy on buying bras for the next 20 weeks because size will be hard to predict. I have gone up one size in some pregnancies and two in others. I have friends who got really big – one girl went from a DD cup to something like an F. It was crazy! Bra extenders are a great plan. Good nursing bras are a MUST and buy at least a couple that are “sleep” bras. Your size will vary so much depending upon a lot of things – even while nursing, as you lose weight your bra size will change. What size you are while nursing an 11 month old (if you plan to go that long) will be very different than nursing a 6 week old. BTW – nursing tank tops are the bomb! They provide that little bit of tummy coverage while allowing the girls out to feed baby. Target used to make some that were reasonably priced.
You and Tom are going to make such good parents.
thank you- i hope so!
i wish they made cup extenders, haha. my band size hasn’t changed but the cup size keeps going up. i think looking into nursing bras now is a great idea, thank you!
I have no idea if they make a gluten-free poptart, but I literally just came across this recipe for gluten-free poptarts – you could make your own! http://deliciouslyorganic.net/pop-tarts-two-ways-whole-wheat-or-gluten-free/
whoo hoo!!! now i’ll just give the recipe to someone and beg.. haha
I’m going back and reading your updates as I hit those bench marks now to see if I’m experiencing the same things. 🙂 I feel huge, but I’m right on track with what you were, so that makes me feel a little more *normal*. Still waiting for that first PUNCH too!