It is insane to me that we’ve already reached the last trimester with Bijou! (No, this is not baby girl’s official name, just something we’ve been calling her ever since I discovered the French name a few months back. It means “jewel” or “small and elegant”—how cute is that?) My first pregnancy with Jude seemed to last forever, but this one has FLOWN by. It’s going to be September before we know it, y’all, a fact that both excites and terrifies me. Every day I ask myself if I’m mentally prepared for two kids under two… The answer is still TBD.

Anyhoo, a lot has happened since my 16-week “bumpdate” back in April! Let me fill you in.

GETTING A GLIMPSE

Scott was able to accompany me to Bijou’s big anatomy scan at 20 weeks, which was a huge relief for both of us! He was not allowed to attend any of my previous appointments because of the clinic’s Covid rules (lame), so this was the first time he got to see our little lady. It was 100% worth the wait, though, as she put on quite the show. She was constantly moving and changing positions, making sure we got to see her from every angle—and, at one point, when the ultrasound tech added a little pressure to get a better look, she pushed back so hard on my belly that I involuntarily gasped. Clearly, she’s a fiesty one! We got a ton of good pictures, but this profile image of her sucking her thumb is my favorite:

While Bijou herself appeared perfectly healthy and normal, we were informed during the sonogram that she was in a breech position (butt down), which is not uncommon for 20 weeks—but also that my placenta was a few centimeters too low and partially covering the cervical opening. This is a condition known as partial placenta previa, something I just happened to be familiar with because of my own mom, who was diagnosed with placenta previa and put on bedrest at 6 months pregnant with yours truly. Yeah, not fun! However, my midwife reassured me that a mild case like mine often corrects itself as the uterus expands, and that there was not any cause for concern quite yet.

Tomorrow’s actually my 28-week appointment, and we’ll be doing a short ultrasound to see how things have progressed since then. Fingers crossed baby has turned and the placenta has moved upward to a more optimal spot.

THE GLUCOSE CHALLENGE

If you followed along with my first pregnancy on Instagram, you’re probably aware that I’m not the biggest fan of the screening protocol for gestational diabetes, aka the Glucose Challenge Test. (Honestly, who is a fan? Nobody, that’s who.) Not only is the amount of glucose you’re made to drink in one sitting seriously gag-inducing, but it’s also completely unnatural. (Can you think of ANY other time that a human would willingly down 50 grams of sugar in five minutes or less?) It’s beyond me why we have such an impractical approach to evaluating a woman’s susceptibility to GD when we could simply ask pregnant mamas to eat a high-carb meal of real food instead, and then observe how their bodies respond. If this were the case, we probably wouldn’t see so many healthy women end up with false positives. Cue the unnecessary worry/shame/guilt.

The 2-hour fasting glucose tolerance test is slightly more accurate—although it’s more sugar (75 grams)— and you can request to go this route if, like me, you don’t want to risk narrowly missing the mark on the first test and having to complete the 3-hour one (which is a whopping 100 grams of sugar) a week later. For this reason, I opted for the 2-hour test when I was pregnant with Jude.

I was planning on doing the same thing again until my sister-in-law told me about Glucoganics, an all-organic and additive-free Glucola alternative with only three ingredients: cane sugar, lemon juice, and water. (Um, awesome.) The catch? It only contains 50 grams of glucose, so it cannot be used with the 2-hour or 3-hour GTTs.

Naturally, my interest was piqued by this discovery, and my curiosity eventually won out. With the permission of my midwife, I took the dreaded 1-hour test at 24 weeks pregnant with this less offensive beverage and hoped for the best. Being the nerd that I am, I also asked that my insulin levels be checked along with my blood glucose, and I brought in my own glucometer to compare to the lab reading. My philosophy? If I’m going to put my body through that much stress, I might as well gather all of the data I can from the experience!

Thankfully, I passed with a serum glucose level of 82 mg/dL, and my insulin was in an optimal range as well. (Phew!) Now that I’ve taken and passed both the 1-hour screening and the 2-hour diagnostic test within the last two years, I might request to opt out of the glucose challenge altogether in the future if we decide to have a third baby. Not that that will be ANY time soon. But after having gone through it twice, I’d personally rather just check my blood glucose for two weeks straight with a continuous glucose monitor than repeat this test again.

EATING FOR TWO

While we’re on the topic of sugar, I have been really into all the fresh fruit, mineral-rich smoothies, and coconut milk ice cream this summer. (Coconut Bliss’s Chocolate Peanut Butter pint is my current go-to.) Basically, if it’s cold and sweet, I’ll eat it.

That said, there is one hot beverage I can’t get enough of right now, and that’s Organo Gold’s mushroom coffee! I know, the fact that it’s 90 degrees here and I’m purposefully picking hot coffee over my usual cold-brew-with-a-splash-of-cream is insane. But hear me out: Everyone raves about this reishi-infused coffee because of the supposed health benefits, and while I can totally appreciate that—it definitely does seem to help me feel calmer, similar to when I drink green tea or matcha—the main reason I keep going back for more is the TASTE. Never before have I met an instant coffee that I liked, but this stuff is the real deal. It has the same rich flavor as freshly-brewed java, and it froths up nicely with just hot water or mixed with my favorite chocolate collagen powder.

I rotate between the King and Black sachets, but Black is my preferred cup—not only because it’s a darker brew, but also because it contains a less potent dose of reishi than King. When it comes to adaptogens, IMO, less is more in pregnancy.

PREPARING FOR LABOR

There are a few self-care type rituals I committed to during my first pregnancy that I do believe made a difference in Jude’s birth and would be worth doing again—like, for instance, taking two 2-mile walks a day, drinking raspberry leaf tea every evening, and getting weekly chiropractic adjustments from 20 weeks on. So far, the weekly chiro appointment is the one practice I’ve consistently prioritized.

With the weather being what it is, I can only muster the motivation for a morning stroll—but thanks to a prenatal fitness app called Baby2Body, I’ve managed to replace my second walk with a strength training workout 3-4 days a week. I do feel a bit stronger since adding in this form of movement, and I’m hoping it sticks. I’m also planning on seeing my pelvic floor PT next month to make sure everything’s working down there like it should. This is something I didn’t look into until after Jude was born, but I’m already experiencing weird incontinence-type issues with this pregnancy (TMI!) and want to nip that in the bud before giving birth.

As for the raspberry leaf tea, which is traditionally known to help tone and strengthen the uterus, I’ve had to put that ritual on hold for now, as it is not recommended for those with placenta previa. If I’m given the all clear by my midwife tomorrow, however, I plan on starting it back up. I swore by this powerful herb after Jude's swift arrival, and I'll do anything to increase my chances of another quick and (relatively) easy labor! Studies have shown that eating dates can have a similar cervical-ripening effects, which is why I'm also consuming a lot of date-sweetened protein bars.

So far, I've gained a little over 10 pounds and am definitely feeling rounder in my midsection than I did with Jude, who jutted out in front like a big bowling ball. I'm trying to eat more calories and carbs this time, too, in hopes that the extra nourishment will positively impact my milk supply later on. Feeling like I never could provide enough milk for Jude was a big struggle; it’s the reason that he was only breastfed (and not even exclusively) for the first 6 months of his life. While I wholeheartedly believe that any amount of breastmilk for baby is great and have no shame about our decision to supplement, I'd like to make the process as smooth as possible if I’m going to try breastfeeding again.

STAY TUNED, FRIENDS!

Okay, I think that's enough for now, but I'll check back in towards the end of the summer! A lot will have changed by then, as Scott and I are in the midst of transitioning Jude to his new room (the old guest room) and transforming the nursery—as well as organizing and purging a TON of baby clothes/toys/stuff. More on all that + birth plan stuff to come!