Hi everyone! I’m delighted to reveal the gender of Baby Maroun today. IT’S A BOY!!!! It’s been so much fun seeing so many of you place your guesses on my Instagram (@arumlilea). If you haven’t already seen, I posted our gender reveal video on Instagram Reels so I hope you enjoyed that.
If you missed it, I announced I was pregnant in this blog post. I also mentioned in this video that we’ve actually known the gender for quite some time. Ryan snuck me into the hospital he works at when I was 11 weeks pregnant to do an ultrasound one quiet evening and he said then that he thought it was a boy. A week later, our fetal medicine expert confirmed that Baby Maroun was in fact a boy. We are over the moon! I was raised in a very girly household so I have a lot to learn but I cannot wait for the joy that little boys give their moms.
I’m currently 26 weeks pregnant so I’m nearing the end of my second trimester and I realised that I haven’t given you much of an update about how its going so I thought I’d share a few little tit-bits that tyou might find interesting.
In terms of cravings, for someone that really loves savoury food, I’ve wanted all the sweets! Whether it’s cake, biscuits, ice cream, sweets, fruit or fruit juice, I’ve wanted it all. Early on, Ryan and I made a habit of popping out for (decaf) coffee and cake dates on the weekend to satisfy my cravings and it was so sweet to have our little cake dates and discuss how excited we were about becoming parents. I’ve also craved Jive ice creams so Ryan’s been kind enough to pop out to the petrol station to satisfy that craving many an evening.
In terms of energy levels, the first trimester required many naps, and I’m not a napper at all, but thankfully my energy bounced back in the second trimester which has been great. The headaches and nausea were also left behind in the first trimester so this second trimester has really been amazing! From about 20 weeks I started showing which has been quite exciting. It’s truly amazing watching your body transform to cater for baby. It boggles my mind. While my body is changing, I’m still wearing regular sized clothing for the most part. The only maternity wear I have bought so far is one pair of jeans, a pair of tracksuit pants and two pairs of workout shorts. Other than that, my usual dresses are my go-to items of clothing.
Now that my energy is back, I’m also doing more workouts. I’m trying to be very consistent with daily walks and a mixture of either pilates, weights or yoga to keep my body moving and to keep it strong for birth.
Medically, you may be aware that I had a stroke a number of years ago so I have been taking blood thinners since then. When you’re pregnant, you need to switch to injectable blood thinners for the safety of the baby so I have been injecting myself twice daily but its really not as bad as it sounds. Recently I also did the glucose test for gestational diabetes which involves a few blood tests and drinking the sweetest water that even my sweet cravings weren’t comfortable with! I’m also due to have my second COVID vaccine this week and I can’t wait to be fully vaccinated. Baby is doing great! He has started kicking this trimester which makes me so happy! I love climbing into bed and have him wriggle non-stop at that time of the evening. I’ve started using the kick timer on my pregnancy app because it’s so much fun to track how active my little boy is.
I’ve been so fortunate to have the loveliest second trimester but the biggest learning curve I’ve had through this pregnancy so far is stress management. Unfortunately we have had so many stressful situations arise in the last few months ranging from loss within our family and friends and situations far outside of our control but I’m so grateful for the power of prayer and the reminder that I have so much to be thankful for that gives me the perspective that nothing is more important than the health and happiness of baby boy. I love playing calming music, reading, exercising, scented and long baths to unwind and it really helps.
All in all, this second trimester has been a real treat. I really do feel so blessed and I’m also becoming so excited for what’s around the corner. I can’t believe that before the year is over, I will be a mommy. At the moment the babyshower planning is in full swing so I can’t wait to share more details of that with you. Thank you so much for all your love and prayers. I’ve really been so incredibly touched by how many people have reached out in excitement and anticipation of our little baby. You are incredible!
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