"It is not the strength of the body that counts, but the strength of the spirit,"- JRR Tolkien.How true is that for pregnancy!
Dude. I am almost halfway through my pregnancy. WHERE DID THE TIME GO?! I feel like just last week we found out we were pregnant and now every time I look at my belly I'm reminded that I will be able to meet our sweet little Baby V in just over 20 weeks.
I've continued to lead mission trips while pregnant, and while I admit that my first trimester was much harder than my second, this second trimester has still had it's challenges. Getting sleep hasn't come easy, especially while on trips, but even when I'm home, it's hard to get comfortable. I have terrible leg cramps that wake me up suddenly and I wake up at least once a night to pee (sometimes two or three times), once I wake up, it is REALLY hard to go back to sleep. This is new for me. I can usually fall asleep anywhere, anytime. I've also been "diagnosed" with minor case of diastis recti- or the tearing of my abdominal muscles- which really hasn't caused too many issues yet, its just weird because I have another little extra bump at the top of my belly where the remaining abdominal muscles protrude out. It's just a little strange, but doesn't cause any pain. The hormonal effects have probably been the hardest part- pregnancy brain is a very real thing. Strange dreams? Yep, just about every night, (lizard baby??). Mood swings- absolutely, especially when I don't get enough sleep.
That being said- that's seriously been the worst of it. And if that's the worst of it, I can't complain at all. Like I said in my last post- I have been so blessed with a relatively easy pregnancy. I'm hoping and praying that as the pregnancy continues, so will my strength both physically and mentally. Plus, it's all so worth it. The fact that God has made it possible for a baby to grow inside of a woman! OH MY GOSH- it is seriously just so cool. I'm always amazed. Though I haven't consistently felt our baby move, I have felt a few flutters and strange feelings in my belly that can be attributed to baby movement. I'm hoping for more consistent movements to come in the next week or two. Speaking of the next few weeks, we will find out if we are having a boy or a girl on June 25th at our Gender Reveal party!! While of course we are just hoping for a happy, healthy baby, it is still exciting to find out the gender. So tune in, we may be able to hook up Periscope or a live stream for the big reveal- but we will at least share the video on Facebook that evening.
Halfway there- halfway finished. The hardest part is yet to come, and as I've started to mentally prepare for natural labor, as I've been reading articles, resources and talking with others, the more I've come to realize that 50% or more of the battle is all in our head. It's about the strength of your spirit, not only the strength of your body. Way to go Tolkien for once again revealing truth in your writing. There are so many ways to cope with the pain of labor, and I'm so thankful that our birthing center has those different avenues available to us. While I still have 20 weeks to learn about giving birth, raising a child, and caring for an infant, we only have 20 weeks to strength our spirit, will, and determination to have a natural labor. We only have 20 weeks until we get to meet our baby. Until Andrew and I get to raise a child together.
That's crazy to think about. Twenty. weeks.
But now, pickles and pizza.
