20 Weeks Pregnant | Half Way There

I am sorry this post is a week late, I was extremely sick last week and decided to mentally and physically take it easy. I am currently 21+ weeks but I wanted to give you a "half way there" pregnancy update! Time is flying and I cannot believe I am over half way to seeing our sweet baby. We now know the gender, are in the process of registering, and getting the nursery all ready for the arrival of baby Greco. In a few weeks I will fill you all in on what we are having, boy or girl! I hope you enjoy this 20 week pregnancy update that really breaks down a lot of my second trimester so far.

Current Symptoms:

I have way more energy in my second trimester than I did in the first trimester. I have been experiencing some heart burn and acidity. Every now and then my gums get sensitive and are achy. I looked this up and was surprised to discover this is a common side effect of pregnancy. Who knew?! Another result from pregnancy is grey hairs!!! Yep, I am 27 years old and was in plucking out grey hairs from my head before I dyed my hair a few days ago. Pregnancy has such strange symptoms sometimes, but of course it's all worth it! After all, we are creating life.

Baby Gender:

Stay tuned! I actually know the gender now, I am writing this at 21 weeks since I was sick all last week. We just found out the gender and are so excited to share it with you all... in a few weeks ;) .

Favorite Pregnancy Moment:

I felt the baby move! It was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced in my life. I was laying in bed (this was during week 19) when I felt the baby kick for the first time. I've heard people describe it as popping popcorn or butterflies fluttering inside you, which I think it felt similar to that. To me though it just simply felt like exactly what it is, a baby growing inside you that decided to kick, move or swim around in there. It is truly amazing to feel the baby move, it makes me feel so grateful to be a woman and to be pregnant with a healthy baby.

Any Struggles:

I am grateful that I have had a pretty smooth pregnancy. The only thing that has been a tad difficult is the lowered immune system. I seem to catch every dang cold that I come across. I have been sick several times already throughout this pregnancy with colds. Other than that I can't complain.

Maternity Clothes:

Yes! My jeans absolutely do not fit around my belly anymore. I went this week and got two belly bands and three pairs of pregnancy jeans. I had good luck finding stuff at Target, H&M and Motherhood. The pregnancy jeans at Target were about $35, this is where I purchased all three pregnancy pants. The pants at H&M were the same price, and the price of the pants at Motherhood were more expensive. The belly bands (or tummy sleeves) I purchased were from Motherhood and were less expensive than Target's belly bands. I also found maternity tights at Motherhood, I love wearing black tights with some winter outfits so I was relieved to find these. H&M had some cute options, I loved that they offered trendy clothes for a mommy to be to wear. I found a spring maternity dress from there that was on clearance. My mom and I also found a ton of basic long sleeved tops at Ross for super cheap. Those tops are so comfortable and great for everyday wear. We got every basic color in these tops so that I can just accessorize and make it a cute outfit. I'm sure technically I could go my whole pregnancy with wearing my non maternity jeans, a belly band and a big top, but my opinion on this is if you want to feel good about yourself during pregnancy then you should splurge a little and purchase clothes you feel very comfortable in. There is no doubt that maternity pants are more comfortable than my jeans and a belly band. Plus, I think if you plan on having multiple children, investing in some good maternity clothes on your first pregnancy is a wise decision.

Below I have linked some super cute maternity clothes, I hope it helps you preggie mommies find options. *If you have trouble seeing the images and links, simply turn off your ad-blocker.

Food Cravings:

Honestly, I thought I'd have more frequent and stronger cravings throughout pregnancy. You so often hear of women craving tons of crazy foods while they are pregnant and that really hasn't been the case for me at all. A lot of the foods I eat are foods I loved before getting pregnant. I would say however that I seem to prefer salty foods over dessert type foods, which is usually the opposite when I am not pregnant. I've been loving sweet potato fries that I bake at home, and baby oranges/ "cuties". I don't seem to get bored of those foods and I want them just about everyday. I'm so glad that for the most part I am craving healthy foods and I haven't had a consistent desire to eat junk food.

Stretch Marks:

Thank goodness I have no stretch marks. I am really hoping it stays that way. I use coconut oil on my boobs and belly every night before bed and I use coco butter lotion during the day. Be careful using coconut oil during the day because it can leave oil stains on your clothes, I learned this the hard way.

Thanks for reading and being a part of my pregnancy journey. Comment below sharing what second trimester experiences you've personally had and also share your guess, boy or girl!!