Pregnancy Update: Halfway Point, Meeting My Doula, Switching Care Teams and More

This pregnancy is kind of flying by! I hit my 21 week point and am now really feeling pregnant – both with my belly popping and now I can feel the baby really moving around! Last night the baby was moving around so much that my husband was even able to feel a kick on my stomach.

Feeling the baby is what makes pregnancy feel really real to me and not just like I ate too big of a lunch LOL I’m still getting a little frustrated thinking about all the things I can’t do, but I’m trying my best to think of the positive and enjoy it.

This ended up getting a little longer than I planned so here’s a helpful table of contents if you want to jump to a section!

Current Workouts

I’m still feeling pretty good physically and am continuing with my Peloton workouts. I have started to modify some of the moves – primarily the core ones, as well as I’ve completely stopped running and have switched to power walks or rides.

I’m sure I could keep running but it mentally exhausts me. I’ve been trying to work on it, but it really gets to me mentally to see my pace continue to decrease. I’ve decided mostly for my mental health that I need to take a break from running and just focus on power walks and rides.

I’ve started doing the Peloton Power Walks through the digital app and have really been surprised with how challenging they are (PS Peloton if you’re reading this – please add more 30 and 45 minute walks!). The classes do intervals with both hills and speed increases and at the end of the workout I have quite the sweat going. So far I’ve been pretty happy with them and they’ve been able to satisfy my urge to run.

I’ve also continued to do Peloton strength classes following Hardcore on the Floor calendar. I ended up order a Reebok deck (I think it’s the same as what I used at Orangetheory) to help with some modifications and it’s already come in use.

Related Post: Hardcore on the Floor March Calendar Review

Current Meal Plan

Early in this pregnancy I decided to switch from a plant based diet back to my regular diet, and count macros with a Stronger U coach. I had been doing Plant Based since last June, after watching the documentary Gamechangers and while initially it made me feel great, I eventually started feeling exhausted and generally unhappy.

I also had major food aversions in the first trimester so decided for this pregnancy I’d go back to my regular diet. Going back has helped me tremendously – I feel so much better mentally and have been eating more balanced.

I’m still working with my Stronger U coach on my macros and have been seeing great results. In the first trimester I gained nearly 11lbs from overeating (I love my desserts!), but this trimester I’ve slowed the gain down and have been doing about .5lbs a week.

Gender Reveal

We had our big ultrasound this week and found out we’re expecting a girl! I had a feeling the baby was going to be a girl and now it’s confirmed. I’ll be honest and admit I haven’t even started thinking of names or anything yet – it’s still on the to do list, but I still have some time!

Everything else on the scan looked great and baby’s measuring on track for a late August due date!

Pregnancy Craving and Must Haves

So far I haven’t had really any crazy cravings. I’ve really been into fruit salads – especially salads like the Panera poppyseed salad. I’ve started making my own for lunch every day!

I’ve also really like acai bowls and Yasso ice cream sandwiches (specifically the peanut butter one) – which is funny because before pregnancy I never really liked ice cream sandwiches. Now I’ve been having one a night!

Meeting My Doula, Switching Plans and Care Teams

This week I met with my doula and it’s really made things so real. I’m starting to think about what I want for my birth plan and putting all that together over the next few weeks. My first birth was very difficult and had a lot of complications, so I’m trying to do as much as I can to make this one better.

I also decided to transition care teams at my hospital from the OB team to midwife team. After talking with my doula it seems like the midwife team might be a better fit for me because they’ll be more patient during delivery.

I’m lucky that my hospital offers both options and switching between teams is super easy, and if I need to go back to the OB team I can always switch.

So overall I’m feeling pretty good phsyically, and working on the mental part of it. I’ve been pretty stressed out lately with work and everything going on so it’s tough not being able to run to release stress (or have a glass of prosecco!) but I’m working on it.