21-22 Weeks Pregnant – Symptoms, Body Changes, Bump Update – Pregnancy Diary
At 21-22 weeks pregnant, things got busy.
One of my friends from college decided to come visit us for one week, so we had a week packed full of outings and adventures.
While most women feel great around this time of their pregnancy, I was still not feeling the best. But I tried as much as possible to entertain my friend while also making sure I got enough rest.
Sick while Pregnant
The busy week with my friend in town and being out and about ended with me getting sick.
I hadn’t had a cold in forever, and never got sick during my first pregnancy. So when it hit me this time, it was bad.
Being pregnant, I feel like my body needs all the energy to grow the baby. And I’ve heard that the immune system is more vulnerable at this time due to this.
And suffering from fatigue didn’t make things easier.
As a stay-at-home mom to a 1.5 year old and without having childcare or any help, being sick and resting on the couch all day is not an option.
So I just tried to take it super easy, didn’t take my daughter out too much, and take every bit of rest I could get.
I also didn’t feel comfortable taking cold medicine or anything to ease the symptoms. It was just not bad enough to justify the use of medicine, that could potentially impact the baby, too.
Cervix Checkup at 22 Weeks Pregnant & Diabetes Scare
At 22 weeks pregnant, right before I reached 23 weeks, I had my next and final cervix checkup scheduled.
I was nervous, given a pinching sensation in my cervix that I had been feeling for the past couple of weeks.
But my cervix measured at 3.1 cm – right above the limit of 3cm. And my doctor was happy and told me not to worry about it anymore and that from now on no more cervix checkups were needed.
I was incredibly relieved to hear that.
While it still sounds like my cervix is already measuring on the shorter side, not having to worry again about bed rest or any other interventions that come with an incompetent cervix was a huge relief.
In addition to measuring the cervix, they also completed another growth ultrasound for the baby. And that’s when things got a little bit concerning.
My baby’s belly was measuring big, at 92%. The head measured big as well, but that was the same as in previous ultrasounds and the same was the case with my daughter.
The large abdomen though was a cause of concern for my doctor. She told me it could be an indicator of gestational diabetes, but I would have to wait until I reached 24 weeks of pregnancy to get tested for it.
So leaving the appointment, I was relieved on one hand that my cervix was still looking good. But on the other hand, now I had something else to potentially worry about.
Symptoms
Fatigue
Even in the middle of my second trimester, and pregnancy overall, I could still not shake off the fatigue.
At this point, I knew that it must be related to my iron levels.
Having a friend in town and a eventful week didn’t help. And when the visit ended with me catching a cold, it made the feeling of tiredness even worse.
All I could do was try to rest whenever possible and just accept the fact that I need to take things slower in this pregnancy.
And wait for my next iron level checkup to see what is going on there.
Food Cravings & Weight Gain
21-22 weeks pregnant also marked the return of my food cravings.
This was probably caused by my German friend coming to visit us in the US and craving all the American food. Candy, cereal, burgers, and donuts all made it in our shopping cart that week. And of course we went out for meals a few times.
While I am trying to keep my diet somewhat balanced, once I start giving in to my cravings and sweet tooth, it’s hard to stop.
And even though my doctor told me to just listen to my body, I don’t think eating all the junk food is a good idea.
Especially since it brought in quite a big jump in my weight gain, and that didn’t make me feel good at all.
Pinching in Cervix
At about 21 weeks pregnant, I also started noticing a pinching feeling in my cervix.
I do remember feeling that as well in my first pregnancy, but I was almost certain this only started later on.
While I still don’t know what it means, I was certain it would indicate a shortening of my cervix, or any other irregularities. But the cervix checkup showed everything was still just within a normal limit.
So after receiving these good news, I tried to accept the pinching in my cervix as just a random pregnancy thing, but nothing to really worry about.
Body Changes and Bump Update
At 21-22 weeks pregnant, my little bump was now definitely noticeable. And it felt good to finally look pregnant.
And with the weight gain, I sure noticed it growing even faster.
I know it still doesn’t look like a real big pregnancy belly, but I also know it’s only a matter of weeks for this to change.