First Trimester, Month Three, Week 12

This week felt pretty uneventful, or rather unchanged from the previous week! I’m still kindof take it or leave it when it comes to foods or if anything sounds appetizing and not really having any cravings. At nighttime it’s hard for me to stay up much longer after putting the girls to bed, but I’m still missing out on some of the deeper rest with the typical pregnancy symptoms of frequent pee breaks overnight and strangely vivid dreams! A lot of these dreams are along the lines of situational preparedness like “what would I do if someone broke into the house/the house was on fire/etc. and we had the babies?” “okay now what if Jon wasn’t here and it was just you?” but in most of my dreams I don’t think I’m pregnant (or far along) and/or the baby isn’t here yet…so I’m sure that’s coming too at some point in an intrusive thought kindof way!

I’m sure Jon thinks I’m a crazy lady hitting him at 7am with a “QUICK! SOMEONE BROKE INTO THE HOUSE AT NIGHT AND WE’RE ALL ASLEEP, WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU DO?” The only symptom that is truly bothering me though is some of the typical digestive disruptions that come along with pregnancy. While I feel like initially these disruptions were erring more on the diarrhea side of things, lately I haven’t been able to go and it just makes you feel like s**t…literally! But to be fair I also haven’t been as consistent this past week with my prenatals and other daily vitamins (which include an evening magnesium) so hopefully getting back on track there will help. I’m also throwing in 1-2 apples a day to up the fiber intake!

This week we had our 12 week appointment which also included a blood draw for NIPT testing! We’ve done it both ways – with Layla we did do the NIPT testing and with Sophia we didn’t, but as someone who loves to collect data points I do enjoy having the information (and the added bonus of finding out the gender of course). With our first pregnancy Jon and I also did the carrier testing, but since our medical background and family history hasn’t changed, that was a one and done test. With Layla, our insurance did NOT cover the NIPT testing so we were initially billed about $600 for the test, but Natera has their own system where if you give them a call and tell them you’re paying out of pocked they have a sliding scale that maxes out around $200. Which is still a lot, but a lot less than the original bill. Fast forward with this pregnancy and while we are on a different insurance, I know several insurance companies are starting to move toward NIPT being considered a part of standard prenatal care and covering the test vs. only being covered if you’re considered high risk or it’s deemed medically necessary.

• Baby Size: The size of an oreo *drool*
• Weight Gain: +1.5 lb total (start weight: 151, current weight: 152.5)
• Symptoms: Evening fatigue, lower appetite with some nausea, digestive/bathroom struggles
• Nutrition (Cravings? Aversions?): Remaining neutral, definitely still getting plenty to eat, but not feeling snacky by any means. Preferring salty/savory over sweet
• Exercise: kept it lowkey this week with a few outdoor walks and a little pool time
• Overall Mood: Happy, low stress and enjoying the fall
• Movement: None yet!
• Best Moment This Week: Getting to hear a sweet little baby heartbeat!
• Looking Forward to: Thanksgiving and family time!