June 29, 2012 – Jocelyn Rau

Ok, so apparently I’m a liar, because I don’t really think this week’s pictures look any different than last week’s.

How far along? 22 weeks, 6 days
Total weight gain: 21 lbs. as of yesterday morning. I’m still not excited about the fact that my weight is already over the +20 lb. mark, but at least I’m only up 1 lb. since last week. 1 lb. per week is an acceptable gain rate for this point in the pregnancy.
Maternity clothes? All right fine, I think I’m completely in maternity bottoms now. But most regular tops are still ok. I have been wearing more skirts and dresses than usual, too, since they’re nice and loose. Plus they feel good when it’s 90+ degrees outside, as it has been the past couple days again. I will admit, the maternity dresses I’ve gotten this time are actually quite cute, so I don’t mind having to wear them so much at all.
Stretch marks? Thankfully, no. I didn’t get any from D, so hopefully Dv2.0 doesn’t give me any either.
Sleep: When D sleeps through the night (which is almost always), it’s pretty good. Sometimes I have to get up to pee, but that isn’t a constant yet.
Best moment this week: Seeing the baby move from the outside and enjoying the long hours of summer daylight. I was also thrilled to discover that my regular size L underwear does still fit. I thought I had been remanded to the world of giant sail-sized maternity underwear for good. I know it’ll be a long while until I see those regular size Ms again, though.
Miss anything? Beer, especially now that the weather’s warming up. And not looking really bloated.
Movement: Rolls and flutters/kicks are getting stronger and a little more frequent, so that’s a good sign. He/she especially likes it when I eat.
Cravings: In general, no, but when I get really hungry I want protein – meat, cheese, etc. This week pizza has sounded really good too. That may or may not be pregnancy-related though. I’ve never been one to pass up some good ‘za.
Aversions: Food, no. Smells, not nearly as bad as last time, fortunately. I just get sick of scents quickly and have to get rid of them completely.
Gender: Not finding out.
Labor signs: No.
Symptoms: Heartburn is now a nightly occurrence (thankfully it’s quite mild), and the sacro-iliac pain is still alive and well. I don’t even have to be really active during the day anymore for it to flare up, it’s pretty much there all the time now. Superb. And the left side is the culprit, not so much the right. I asked my trainer, and it seems this is because my left hip is much more flexible than my right. Weird. Also, the hair retention has begun in earnest. I barely shed anything when I wash and brush my hair now. I’m dreading those nasty postpartum months when it falls out in heaps again.
Belly button in or out? In. Never went fully out with D, just a little crooked.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Looking forward to: Seeing almost everyone on my mom’s side of the family this weekend, plus my dad again for lunch on Saturday. These large family gatherings get fewer and farther between all the time, so I’m very excited for this one. We also have a 4 day work week next week for the 4th of July. Yippee!

I’ve been wondering for awhile how I compare size-wise to my last pregnancy, but it’s been kind of hard to tell since I’m not really showing that much yet. I looked back at my D pregnancy pics and I don’t have any from 22 weeks, so here’s a side-by-side from 21. The one on the left is me at 21w2d pregnant with D and the one on the right is me at 21w1d pregnant with Dv2.0.

What do you think? Any difference?