Bump to Baby: 17 Weeks

You are now the size of a pear weighing at least 5 ounces if not more and around 5 inches long. You could basically fit in my palm which just means you have a lot more growing to do. You are starting to form baby fat which will continue to grow until you are born and probably even after. Your heart is regulated by your brain now which is beating twice as fast as mine but that's normal and a good thing. You are working on your sucking and swallowing skills this now which are pretty important after you are born for being able to eat. This week you are also becoming even more unique because you are forming your fingerprints which continue to form over the next week or so.

I can definitely tell I'm into my second trimester now because I am much less nauseous than I was. Even better is that I am throwing up way less than I was. I'm down to about every three days or so, which is definitely nice. I don't really feel 100% all the time but I'm much better than I was. I wish my energy was back up but really I'm not a high energy person in the first place which doesn't help and I'm not really sleeping great either which doesn't help, but I'm working on the pillow situation which will definitely help that. Truthfully this week was rough. I wasn't getting sick but I still struggle with food at times which is very frustrating. I have also been pretty cranky this week. I think that goes back to the trouble with sleep but I have been seriously cranky this week. I call it pregnancy rage. But mostly I am feeling a bit better. It does depend on the day but it's hard to believe that we are almost to the halfway point already.

Minus the whole pregnant thing I am definitely feeling like a teenager all over again. The acne is unreal right now. I feel like an absolute mess trying to control the breakouts and keep everything under control. Lately I have been working extra hard to keep with my face washing routine but sometimes it gets so hard when I'm so tired in the evenings or in a hurry in the morning. Also it feels discouraging because it doesn't seem to be doing any good. I keep reminding myself that my hormones are all over the place which is the reason behind the acne but it doesn't always help. I think truthfully this is one of the worst symptoms for me in terms of the struggle. It's something that is very obvious to the outsider and also makes me feel very self-couscous. My face has so much scaring from my struggle with breakouts during my teenage years so to think I'm struggling with it once again in my early 30s. Pregnancy definitely has a way of bringing out all those insecurities I went through as a teenager but at least there is an end to this experience and it's a result that makes it all worth it.

(Sunday, July 15 - Saturday, July 21)