Week 17: No man’s land

I apologize in advance if this post isn’t super inspiring or thought provoking … I’m just trying to keep it real! As I began thinking about what to write this week, I realized life has been uneventful. While I’m past the first trimester, my morning sickness still hasn’t gotten the memo that it’s supposed to subside by now, and I’m still totally nauseous …every. single. day.  While I mentioned a slight energy boost in last week’s post, the exhaustion is still very real. I’ve been in bed the last few nights by 8:00 p.m., curled up watching Netflix.
In other fun news, it seems like each day there is a new symptom to note, and unfortunately it’s not increased libido or glowing skin, it’s more along the lines of aches and pains in my lower abdomen, (especially if I stand up too quickly) and round ligament pain.
I’m anxiously waiting to feel the baby move—I’ve read that I should be able to feel movement by 20 weeks at the latest. The anatomy scan is just around the corner, and I’m so hoping that our little one cooperates so we can find out if we are having a boy or a girl! Once we find out the sex, I can start thinking about a nursery theme- I’m dying to shop for crib bedding!- and finally buy little teeny-tiny baby CLOTHES! My family members are starting to talk about hosting a baby shower, but it’s still three or four months away. I’ve started pricing maternity photos, but that’s still a ways away, too.
Everything seems to be “coming up”… in a few months. For this reason, I’ve dubbed this time period that I’m in “No Man’s Land,” because it’s a part of the journey where it’s easy to feel like nothing is really happening. Many things are still yet to come, but nothing’s happening now. Each time I feel like this, I try to remind myself that amazing things are happening now, even if I can’t see them! Each day, I’m growing a person inside my body. Each day, a tiny human that started out the size of a sesame seed is now growing into a full-size baby. According to Baby Center, baby’s heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day, and his or her little tiny skeleton is turning from cartilage to bone. It’s pretty amazing when you think that all of that is happening on the inside, while on the outside, time is slowly creeping by.
The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago posted this incredible graphic that shows how your body adjusts to the growing baby inside, and I had to share. Click here to watch this short graphic, “Make Room for Baby.” It’s amazing to think about all that’s going on in there, isn’t it?
Where are you in your pregnancy? Do you feel like it’s a busy time or your just waiting for time to pass? No matter where you are, it is significant!