The next phase

And so we have moved on into the next trimester.

I’m almost 15 weeks along now and depending on which literature you read, the second trimester begins at either week 12 or week 14. That has always confused me. Isn’t a trimester made up of three months? But the medical industry puts your estimated due date as 40 weeks from your last period, which means theoretically, there are more than three trimesters before your EDD. Huh.

If the first trimester was defined by my caution (it’s not uncommon for me to ask husband if the nugget is still alive), then hopefully, the second trimester would be guided by optimism.

YAY: the nausea has subsided and I get those lovely bouts of gagging only when I am hungry. Every day, I have breakfast before 730am and by 10am, I NEED to shove food down my throat. Otherwise, I’d feel grumpy, faint, nauseous and VERY VERY PISSED. And lunch needs to be served by 1230pm and tea break is at 3pm. Woe betide anyone who crosses my path IF I MISS THE SCHEDULE.

NAY: The exhaustion lingers and I am growing increasingly sceptical at the legendary second trimester energy burst.

Public service announcement: to remain Fabulously Gorgeous, invest in a good concealer and a non-smudge eyeliner. I swear by MAC for both.

The other significant thing about the second trimester? Why, my burgeoning belly, of course. I’ve been plundering the depths of my wardrobe, hoping to stave off the inevitable maternity clothes for as long as possible. Maternity outfits in Singapore are just hideous. Yes I am pregnant and no I don’t want to look like a circus tent, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

We did a nuchal translucency scan (as part of the OSCAR screening) at week 12 and it was too cute, we saw the Tiny Human waving his/her arms at us. The kiddo was squirming and flipping around, and it’s so unbelievable that merely seven weeks ago, it was just a comma on the screen. The ultrasound machine was able to pick up the beautiful butterfly shape of the left/right hemispheres of the brain and the baby’s spine. We even saw the nugget’s little heart pumping away.

I could never have imagined it but the rapt and amazed look on Mr Thick’s face and the awe in his voice moved me. I’m embarrassed to say this but I have underestimated his caveman ability to feel for his unborn child.

However, his attempt to name his child still leaves me in delicate shudders of horror so suffice to say, all naming rights are belong to me.

No pictures of the swimming baby because we forgot to bring our thumbdrives that day (yes, our clinic allows us to store our ultrasound scans digitally!) but hopefully we’ll remember to bring one next week during our 16 week scan.

(And no, we don’t know if it’s a Tiny girl Human or Tiny boy Human yet.)