15-16 Weeks Pregnant – Symptoms, Body Changes, Bump Update – Pregnancy Diary
At 15-16 weeks pregnant, my body was slowly starting to show off my pregnancy.
And I felt so good about my slowly growing bump!
The nausea had finally completely leveled off, and I could eventually enjoy normal eating without relying on saltine crackers again.
16 week checkup
At 16 weeks pregnant, I was also due for my next prenatal checkup.
At this point, the doctor started using a doppler to check on the baby’s heart rate instead of checking on it via ultrasound. In addition, she measured the length of my uterus to make sure it’s growing accordingly.
16 weeks pregnant also marked an important milestone in my pregnancy journey for another reason.
During my first pregnancy, I suffered from an incompetent cervix, which was detected only at 27 weeks. While I was thankfully still able to carry my daughter to full term (37 weeks), the precautions that came with this diagnosis were not fun.
I was worried this might happen again this time and maybe even earlier, as everything is already stretched out.
My doctor told me that they check for the condition between 16 and 24 weeks of pregnancy. After that, it would be normal if the cervix starts to shorten, and no immediate need for worry or intervention.
The length of the cervix is best measured via a transvaginal ultrasound. Mine came up to around 4cm, which is perfect. Anything above 3cm is considered normal and safe.
Nevertheless, my doctor put in a referral to perinatology for a more in-depth check a few weeks later.
Traveling in Pregnancy – We went on a Cruise
At 15-16 weeks pregnant, I was feeling good enough again to travel.
We did take a weekend trip to LA & the Universal Studios Hollywood when I was 12 weeks pregnant. And that went well. So I was excited to plan for a little longer trip this time around.
My OBGYN advised me not to do any international travel after 22 weeks, so we were happy we could fit it in before.
We opted to take a 4-night cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico. My in-laws were in town for ten days so we took the opportunity for a little family getaway.
Traveling with a baby is already challenging, and I was a little worried that traveling with an active toddler while pregnant would be hard. But it went pretty well.
One thing is for sure: It is exhausting. You can read more about our little travel adventure in my blog post here or our YouTube video from the cruise.
My biggest advice would be to plan for some rest here and there. It is especially helpful if you can nap while your toddler naps. And to plan for an early bedtime to catch up on more rest otherwise.
With those things kept in mind, traveling with a toddler while pregnant can be quite fun, and we happily soaked up these special moments with our daughter while it’s still just the three of us.
Symptoms
Fatigue
At 15-16 weeks pregnant, my pregnancy symptom number one is still fatigue.
This pregnancy has me so tired, that I am starting to wonder what is going on.
While fatigue is a very typical symptom, it usually starts wearing off once the second trimester starts. I remember it lasting quite a bit longer in my first pregnancy as well, but not with this intensity.
The cause of the ongoing tiredness in my first pregnancy was a lack of iron.
I do try to eat quite balanced, I try to include sources of iron in my meals, but it was still not enough, and this is quite common.
So in my first pregnancy, the doctor eventually prescribed me an iron supplement.
As these are hard on the stomach, a friend recommended a liquid over the counter iron supplement, that worked just as well and was much easier to digest.
While my doctor hadn’t checked my iron levels since the initial blood work, I asked about starting a liquid iron supplement and she confirmed it is a good idea.
In Germany, I took the Floradix iron supplement*, which worked quite well, and I ordered it again when I saw it is available here, too.
In comparison, I also wanted to try out an alternative brand that I read about, the MaryRuth’s prenatal & postnatal liquid iron supplement*.
So I ended up ordering both and trying out both, one after the other, knowing it might take a few days or weeks for them to take effect.
Feeling Tiny Movements
Towards the end of week 15 of my pregnancy, the most amazing symptom started to pick up. I started feeling the first tiny movements!
It felt like someone was very very subtly stroking my belly on the inside, like a little flutter.
During my first pregnancy, I only started noticing movements around week 17. And they felt different, more like someone subtly poking me from the inside.
This time, knowing what to look out for and impatiently waiting for that first feeling, I noticed it right away. And I was surprised it felt a little different.
The light stroking, fluttering, movements lasted for a few days and then I hardly felt them again for another week or two.
At first I was worried, but I also know that this is still quite early to feel consistent movement. And at 17-18 weeks pregnant it eventually started to pick up again.
Cravings
My pregnancy cravings started to pick up quite a bit early in the second trimester.
I’m not sure if this was caused by the fading of the nausea, but it definitely increased simultaneously.
While I was still craving fruit as in the weeks before, I also started to feel an increase craving for meat and chocolate. And any type of chips and other junk food.
I try to keep a balanced diet, because I know it is super important to get all my nutrients in. For both me and the baby. But at the same time, I could not say no to any chocolate or chips that were anywhere in sight.
Going on a cruise with an all-inclusive buffet almost round the clock was like a dream but also dangerous.
Knowing it was just for a few days though, I did let myself indulge and give in to any craving, and just tried to enjoy these sweet moments of my pregnancy.
Headaches
During weeks 15-16 of being pregnant, I noticed I was getting headaches quite frequently.
They were never so unbearable that I would have to take a painkiller, but definitely noticeable. While I know some painkillers, or one, is pregnancy safe, I still try to avoid it all costs unless I truly need it.
I asked my doctor about it at my 16 week checkup and she said it’s nothing to worry about yet. She advised me to drink more water and stay hydrated.
And this actually helped a bit.
I did not notice how little I was drinking before.
Having an office job during my first pregnancy, I was used to having my water bottle sitting right next to me on my desk all day. And I was doing a good job at tracking my water intake to make sure it was enough.
This time, as stay at home mom with a busy toddler, I’m barely ever sitting down in one spot for more than 10-15 minutes besides during her meals. Only during her naps, but I tend to sleep during those since I am so tired.
So drinking enough has definitely not been on my radar this time around. But upon improving my water drinking habits, my headaches improved, too.
Body Changes and Bump Update Pictures
Being 15-16 weeks pregnant, people suddenly started noticing the small bump.
My friends got super excited that they could finally see it. And I got excited, too!
I also finally made the choice to switch to my maternity leggings, and I can’t believe I waited this long.
Leggings stretch, and I’m sure some people don’t mind the little bit of compression that you have with regular leggings.
Me, on the other hand, I still don’t like too much compression on my pregnant belly.
So switching to maternity leggings was one of the best feelings.
And as a stay at home mom, you can never have enough leggings, so I ended up ordering some more maternity leggings* and maternity biker shorts*.
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