Our Pregnancy Journal
The Second Trimester

Click here to read our First Trimester Journal Entries
(Preconception to Week 13)

Week 13 1/2

Friday, March 7, 2003

I am officially in my second trimester of pregnancy! Praise God! Yesterday, I had my third prenatal appointment with Dr. White - I was armed with questions and a tape recorder. They wanted the usual urine sample, as well as blood pressure, pulse and weight measurements. Everything was at normal levels, and I found out that I had gained two more pounds (for a total of three pounds for my first trimester of pregnancy). I was happy to see everything progressing nicely. Dr. White then did an external examination of my uterus (which really only consisted of a few prods on my increasingly firm belly) and smiled with affirmation saying that I was right where I should be at 13 weeks. Then for the exciting part. I took out the tape recorder and started recording as he used the Doppler to listen to Baby’s heartbeat. Right away he detected it on the right side, and it was somewhat softer sounding than I had remembered it being at 9 weeks. After about five seconds, Baby decided to move on us so Dr. White had to search around again. Then on my left side, we found Baby again and this time, the little tyke’s heartbeat was loud and clear. I was beaming with joy. Dr. White said it was a strong, regular heartbeat (a healthy sign). I asked him to guess from the heart rate as to whether he thought that it was a boy or a girl, and from the twenty seconds or so, he said that his guess would be a boy (although he made it clear that it was only a guess and that there are no absolutes). I was happy to have such a positive and reassuring prenatal appointment, and thankful for Dr. White’s continued encouragement and support.

Since Ivan was in class during this appointment, he called me as soon as he got out and I played the tape of Baby’s first sounds to him. He said that he had a big smile on his face and that the heartbeat was louder than he had expected. I’m excited that Ivan will be able to be with us at next month’s appointment. He’ll love to hear Baby in person! Throughout the day I was already thinking of our baby as a boy, and I finally realized that I was basing the assumption on very little, and decided to stop assuming it. Later that evening, we decided to try to time the heart rate, and depending on our counting abilities, figured that it was around 150 beats per minute or so (give or take 10 beats). So we’re not convinced of Baby’s gender just yet, but the hunch seems to be a boy. We’re hoping that Baby will cooperate at our ultrasound appointment in 7 weeks so we can know for sure. Exciting!

Week 14

Tuesday, March 11, 2003

It has been a rather uneventful past few days as far as changes in my pregnancy go. I have not felt any queasy feelings for a couple of weeks now and the fatigue is just occasional (usually weekday evenings, if any). I can tell that my belly is slowly but surely increasing in size as my pants get tighter. This weekend I'll probably look for some clothes that are one size larger than I normally wear. Most petite women who have been pregnant tell me that this is the best way to go since most maternity clothes are just made a bit too big. Otherwise, there is not much going on but I am thankful that things are progressing smoothly and normally. Praise the Lord!

Week 15

Thursday, March 20, 2003

The war in Iraq has officially begun and it feels a bit surreal to me. I have avoided watching coverage on the news, for fear of graphic scenes and violence, but one can only imagine what people are going through in the Middle East. My prayers go out to the troops and to our leaders as they make difficult decisions in these distressing times. As Ivan and I prepare to go to Washington, D.C., we can’t help but feel a little bit anxious about what could happen there. But we go with a peace, knowing with full assurance that if we were to die, the Lord would be bringing us home.

This will probably be the easiest vacation that we will take with our baby since he/she is conveniently tucked away in his/her very own womb. It’s amazing how intricate, complex and perfect the human body is for providing the ideal environment for a baby to develop and form. If that isn’t a sign that there is a perfect Creator and Designer of the universe, then I don’t know what is. I’m currently in awe that there is a 4 to 5 inch baby living inside of my uterus. Wow, that really makes me just... elated. I have been feeling great lately, and thankful for our growing child, my loving husband and solid marriage.

Week 16

Thursday, March 27, 2003

This week has just flown by. We returned from a beautiful weekend in Washington, D.C., visiting Jeremy and seeing the city. It was nice to travel while I was still very active, but all of the walking definitely made for an exhausting trip. Over the weekend, the thorn in my flesh (i.e., my impacted wisdom tooth) started acting up again. I had a dull pain in my mouth from the swollen and tender gums, and it also contributed to a headache and tired eyes. This morning, I woke up at 4 a.m. to a pretty intense pain, and I knew that it would be time to call the doctor and dentist. But before I went back to sleep, I spent time in prayer, for our baby, for the x-ray that would be inevitable, the tooth extraction itself, that I would not need much medication afterwards, and for the dentist’s skill and wisdom. I also prayed that the Lord would take away the pain because I knew that I would not be able to do much work with a throbbing tooth, and I certainly did not want to take any unnecessary pain medication. I don’t think that I have ever prayed with so much confidence before that the Lord would hear me and have mercy on me. I woke up four hours later to find that God clearly answered my prayer - there was no pain at all! My gums were still tender and it looked just as swollen as it did the night before, but the Lord spared me of any pain or suffering. Praise the Lord! He is so faithful to provide for me and sustain me in my time of need.

I can’t believe that it’s almost time for another prenatal appointment. I’ll be seeing the doctor on Tuesday for the routine tests and to listen to baby’s heartbeat. We’ll also be scheduling our ultrasound so that’s really exciting. I’m starting to show more (although Jeremy didn’t think so last Friday) and I can tell that I’m gaining inches more rapidly now. I’m about to retire my normal jeans, and am getting more excited to be in maternity clothes soon. I'm even more excited to see our little baby soon!

Week 17

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

I just returned from my 4th prenatal appointment with Dr. White. Everything continues to go well and Baby’s heartbeat sounds nice and healthy. Dr. White continues to think it’s a boy, and my best measurements from the recording of the heartbeat seem to be in the range of 140 beats per minute. Our ultrasound is scheduled for April 25th, and we’re hoping to find out the gender of our little tyke at that time. I went about 3 months without feeling that eager to find out, but now it’s starting to occupy my thoughts regularly - maybe it’s because I’m having more of an urge to register for baby stuff and plan the nursery now. My hunch is that it’s a boy, and Ivan’s hunch is that it’s a girl, but to be on the safe side, I haven’t been looking at blue or pink in the stores. It’s definitely going to get harder in these next few weeks as we eagerly await the big “unveiling.”

I’m feeling well and waiting to finally look pregnant soon. My guess is that by the end of April, it will be quite obvious. I was suffering from allergies these past few days - a combination of my pregnancy hormones and just being in Dallas, I’m sure - but today has been much better. My wisdom tooth continues to remain stable and I’m having second thoughts on whether or not to get it removed. I wish someone would just tell me what’s the best thing to do for Baby’s sake, but I know that it’s something that only the Lord can give me peace about. I trust that either way, God will protect and sustain Baby’s health.

Week 18

Sunday, April 6, 2003

Praise the Lord! My wisdom tooth has been safely and successfully removed! Last Friday, I went to our dentist (Dr. Wong) to have him examine my tooth and gums. We had been praying earnestly that God would give our baby complete protection from any x-rays and/or medication, as well as the trauma of such an extraction. We had also been praying for Dr. Wong, that he would be given wisdom and skill in the diagnosis and procedure, and that God would give us a clear decision and peace. We arrived thirty minutes early to our 11 am appointment, and upon seeing us, Dr. Wong warmly greeted us and immediately sat us down in a room. We talked for about thirty minutes, discussing possible scenarios, alternatives and possible consequences of either leaving the tooth alone or extracting it. He left us to talk for a few minutes and so we prayed again, with God clearly giving us the peace to go ahead and remove the tooth.

Dr. Wong returned and correctly guessed that our decision was to remove the tooth. He took a look at the area of my gum where my tooth had partially erupted. To our surprise and delight, he said that an x-ray was not necessary and that he could easily tell the location and direction of the tooth. Praise the Lord! We had been hesitant about the risk of an x-ray and now it was not even needed. After numbing the area with novocaine, Dr. Wong gave me a bag a pretzels to eat so that my blood sugar would stay elevated for the procedure – it was such a thoughtful gesture of him, and probably a comical scene as I sat in the dental chair with the bib tied around my neck munching carefully on pretzels.

When the time came, there were five people hovering over me – Dr. Wong on my right, his assistant on my left, Ivan comforting and encouraging me and two other assistants observing the procedure. The whole process took less than two minutes as God provided a quick and simple extraction. It seemed that all Dr. Wong had to do was cut away a bit of the gum tissue on the top and with a little nudging, my tooth was loose and popped right out. I didn’t need any stitches and the bleeding was very mild. Everyone was so pleased with the result (as well as amazed by the ease of it all). Dr. Wong attributed it all to God, who was the One clearly watching over and guiding us the entire time. All I could think was that God was certainly watching over our little baby, obviously showing us His constant faithfulness and provision in every possible way.

I spent the rest of the day resting at home and taking it easy for the rest of the weekend. I was expecting to look like a chipmunk on my right side, but my cheeks didn’t swell at all. In fact, my gums were minimally swollen and I was eating well by the time evening came around. God truly honored my desire to take only Tylenol (the only pain medication fully approved by my doctor) even though the dentist had given me prescriptions for vicadin and antibiotics just in case. Sometimes I’m amazed that everything went so well, and then I’m quickly reminded of how great our God is, how infinitely powerful and loving He is to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). May all glory continue to be given to God alone!

Week 19

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Yippee! I’m finally showing (at least enough so that people who already know that I’m pregnant can see). I can still get away with wearing most of my regular clothes (thanks to safety pins), but it’s definitely getting more difficult to find something to wear these days. It’s funny, I was eating all of the time during my first trimester so I never felt hungry but the weight gain was relatively slow. Now that I’ve been in my second trimester, I’m still eating all of the time but feeling hungry every once in a while, and my belly is now starting to expand more rapidly. I do know that Baby is growing faster at this point, so maybe that’s it - he/she needs more room! I’m looking forward to feeling those first kicks in the next few weeks. Also, I have completely recovered from my wisdom tooth extraction so besides feeling a bit tired by the end of the day, everything is going really well - praise God!

This past weekend, Ivan and I spent some time at Babies R Us again, and we’ve been researching car seats and strollers quite a bit. It seems more difficult than shopping for a car. Sometimes I’m just ready to skip all of the baby gear and go straight to the child development books. But I know that these are necessary things too, so I’m just taking it one step at a time. I’m trying to learn from veteran moms and not buy all of the unnecessary things that most first-time moms tend to buy. In other words, I’m trying to let practicality and wisdom rule over oohs and ahhs and “that’s so cuuuuute!” Although I must confess, it's not always easy to keep that in check - especially when I look at darling little baby clothes. =)

Week 20

Wednesday, April 23, 2003

Almost halfway there! Wow, sometimes it feels like I just got pregnant, and sometimes it feels like I’ll never get to the finish line. Twenty more weeks seems like such a long time to me right now. But it’s really great to have so much time because I’ve just started to do a biblical study of parenting/child rearing and I’ll need the preparation time (not that I think I’ll ever be fully prepared for such an awesome responsibility). Recently, I’ve been convicted that even though there are a lot of great Christian books out there on parenting, there’s also a lot of junk and cultural lies that I wouldn’t be able to discern without going straight to the Bible first. So that’s where I want my foundation to be, on the Word of God and not psychology or opinions of man. It will be difficult to unlearn so much of what society has already taught, but I know that the Lord will guide us and be gracious to such clueless first-time parents.

Less than 48 hours until our ultrasound! I am so excited to “see” our baby for the first time, and hopefully find out whether we’re having a boy or a girl. A lot of people have given me their opinion that it’s a boy (slower heartbeat, no morning sickness, carrying in front, etc.), and with my own intuition that it’s probably a boy, I will certainly be shocked if we find out that it’s a girl. I can honestly say that I’ll be overjoyed no matter what though. I still haven’t felt that first kick yet, and every night I spend a few moments hoping and then worrying about it. If it’s not one thing, then it’s another, it seems. My friends have warned me that I could spend the rest of my life worrying about my family, and that it’s a daily giving over to God what He has only entrusted to us for a time anyway. I’m learning how difficult that will be, but it’s a wonderful learning experience and such a privilege to have this gift from God.

Week 20

Friday, April 25, 2003

We’re having a boy! (Well, that’s what it looks like from our ultrasound anyway - the technician was pretty sure and Ivan and I saw the right body parts.) We had an amazing experience this morning as we got to “see” our baby for the first time. After a small mixup in scheduling, I wound up at Baylor Hospital and I could not have asked for a better technician and overall experience. She spent about an hour taking measurements of our baby’s different body parts, and kept saying what a beautiful baby we had (of course, we’re not really sure what that means exactly because it’s really just a black and white skeletal-like image, but we’ll take her word for it). The baby was really active - I saw him wave his arms around and kick at my uterus. He turned over a couple of times so that we were able to see a lot of different angles. At one point I was able to see a clear image of his tiny face, as well as his tiny fingers and thumbs, and it nearly took my breath away. I was so amazed to see this life growing inside of me. He seemed content to be moving around so much and I was glad to hear that everything looked great and that they liked to see an active baby. When Ivan was allowed to come into the ultrasound room, the radiologist showed us the different organs and parts - heart, brain, stomach, etc. Watching his little heart beat was really wonderful - they measured it at 133 beats per minute. The measurements of our baby put me at exactly 20 weeks of pregnancy so I’m right on track to deliver in early to mid September. We were able to take a couple of pictures home and we’re looking forward to our visit with Dr. White on Thursday to discuss the results in detail.

I was so encouraged to physically see our baby moving around in the womb. It’s funny, the last time I wrote, I was worried about not feeling the first kick yet, and that very night it happened. Just as we were about to go to sleep, Ivan had his hand over my belly and I felt a small rolling-type movement. I asked Ivan if he had just moved his hand and he said no. I was pretty sure that I felt it internally but I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t Ivan. So there it was, a little movement from our baby boy just as his Daddy had his reassuring hand over my belly. I told Ivan that it was just perfect how that happened when he was there (of course, Ivan couldn’t feel the baby yet, but I think Baby knew that his Daddy was close by). I can’t seem to stop praising God for all that is happening. We have truly been blessed.

Week 21

Thursday, May 1, 2003

I just returned from another encouraging prenatal appointment. Everything looks great and Dr. White was pleased that the ultrasound results were all normal. All of Baby's measurements measured 19+ or 20+ weeks so Dr. White will be keeping my original estimated due date of September 6th. He said that if I don't go into labor by that date, then he usually only waits 3 days up to 7 days before inducing. Wow, so that means that the latest we'll have our baby is actually September 12th! We're so excited. Ivan says that the baby's heartbeat is much more distinct now and Dr. White says it's a very "laid back" beat. Will that be a sign of his personality? It's funny how these sorts of thoughts come into your mind.

Well, I'm continuing to feel great - pretty much "normal." I do feel like my belly has grown rapidly in the last couple of weeks even though my weight gain has not been as dramatic (in comparison). I'm always on the look out for maternity clothes - nobody warned me that it would be so difficult to find clothes for a petite pregnant woman. And now that we know it's a boy, I've made my first clothing purchases for him. It's amazing what bargains you can find online and even at BabyGap. I just bought Baby a cute, navy jacket there for $3.97! I figured that it would be useful in the winter or next spring. It's been so much fun "looking" at all of the baby clothes out there (I'm sticking to just looking, and only buying if there's a really great bargain). But I guess that's always been my shopping style anyway.

Week 22

Thursday, May 8, 2003

We had a momentous night last night - Ivan felt Baby move for the very first time! Ivan has been wanting this ever since I felt Baby’s first little rolling motion in my belly. He would put his hand over my belly every night to try and feel him, to no avail. But last night, after I had felt a pretty strong movement on my left side, Ivan decided to put his ear to my belly and it finally happened - he felt Baby move quite a few times! I asked him if the movement was what he was expecting and it wasn’t. He thought he would be feeling kicks and punches, when it was more like a bumping or tapping. He likened it to how it feels when you’re fishing and you feel something bite on the line. That made me laugh - only a guy would think of that analogy - but it really is true, at this point anyway. I haven’t been violently kicked yet, although I know that that day will come. I really can’t believe that I’m already 5 months pregnant!

Week 23

Thursday, May 15, 2003

My pregnancy continues to progress normally and my energy level has remained high. The only real physical problem I have recently experienced is a leg cramp during the night. I know that it’s common during the second and third trimesters so it was not as scary as it could have been. I just had to remember to flex my calf right away to stop the cramp. It still feels a little sore, even two days later. Otherwise, everything is going well and Baby is becoming more active, mostly during the morning and afternoon while I’m at work. It certainly has been a wonderful way to keep me joyful throughout the workday. I am also more noticeably pregnant these days, although I’m still waiting for that first stranger to make a comment. Ivan and I are reading more parenting books lately – one day Ivan came home with a huge stack of books from the seminary library. He’s been reading one book a day and learning a lot. It is so encouraging to see him so purposeful in preparing for our Baby’s arrival and the huge role of parenting.

Week 24

Thursday, May 22, 2003

I went to my monthly prenatal appointment today and everything continues to look great. I’ve gained some more pounds, grown a couple of more centimeters (in terms of my uterus anyway, my actual body continues to grow bigger in inches) and Baby continues to move actively. We even heard him kick while Dr. White was listening to his heartbeat. This was the first time that we had to chase baby around with the Doppler – the little guy just moves around all of the time. As I’m sitting here writing in this journal, he’s already moved quite often! I have not had any leg cramps this week but I was feeling excessively tired the last couple of nights. I’m better now, but it’s so strange how these waves of energy come and go. Earlier this week, I also felt a sharper pain on my lower right side that came and went over a period of about five minutes. Dr. White says that it’s probably Baby kicking on my ligaments. (Normally, my ligament stretching pains feel more like pulls than stabs.) Anyway, it was good to hear that we should expect a smaller baby – probably around the 6 pound range like both Ivan and I were when we were born – and Dr. White seemed very happy about it. He told us that 9 pound babies are very hard to deliver. Maybe he said that because he had just returned from an all night labor and he hadn’t gotten to sleep yet. =)

Week 26

Monday, June 2, 2003

We just returned from a wonderful vacation to sunny Southern California. Since we had over a week to spend there, we were able to hang out a lot with friends and family, as well as celebrate my birthday down by the ocean (ah, how I miss the deep blue sea). Some dear friends also hosted a baby shower for us, and it was a great time of fellowship. It is such an encouragement to hear people pray for us and Baby. Well, since people are openly referring to Baby by his name, Karston, I thought that I would start doing that here as well. We're still not absolutely sure about the middle name yet, but as of now, we think that we're going to name our firstborn son Karston Andrew Yong. While we were on vacation and our schedules and sleep cycles were completely thrown out of whack, I didn't notice Karston moving around as much. But now that we're home and back to the usual routine, he's kicking more than ever. It's nice to feel him moving around inside - practicing acrobatics and little jabs in the womb. I'm certainly getting bigger by the day and have even brought out the maternity shirts to wear regularly now. I can't believe that we're 6 months pregnant - Karston will be in our arms before we know it!

Week 27

Wednesday, June 11, 2003

It's amazing how much can happen in one short week. Over the weekend, I started noticing that Karston was barely moving around and I wasn't feeling any kicks or jabs anymore. I started to get a little worried but thought that I would just call the doctor and see what he said. But since I had to get more prenatal vitamins on Tuesday anyway, I decided to just stop by and see if a nurse or Dr. White could tell me if everything was normal or not. So I went into the office that morning and they decided to go ahead and check me out (since I was already there).

I had the usual tests done - urine, blood pressure, pulse, weight and fundal height. Much to my shock, I had gone from 19cm to 25 cm in just three weeks! I knew that the baby was growing, but I had no idea how rapidly! So Dr. White listened for the heartbeat and it was definitely regular and strong so he thought that everything was fine. But since most women don't notice decreased fetal movement for another 3 weeks into their pregnancies, he ordered an ultrasound to be on the safe side. Initially I was worried to think that it might be serious, but Dr. White reassured me that he really thought the baby was fine. So the worry turned into excitement at the prospect of seeing Karston again on the ultrasound screen. I also wanted to double check to see that Karston was in fact a Karston, and not a "Katie."

So this morning, Karston decided to completely let me know he was doing just fine in his little uterine home - he was kicking and jabbing like a little boxer! I couldn't believe how active he was. He even continued to poke at me throughout the day, so I felt a little silly going to the ultrasound in the afternoon. But we definitely enjoyed our visit. The technician confirmed that we are definitely having a boy and that he was developing just fine - measuring 27 weeks and 2 pounds! We got to take home some beautiful pictures - this time they gave us a large x-ray film rather than printouts. Although we had already assumed that everything was fine, it was nice to have the confirmation of observing him inside the womb. Oh, and as a side note, we're now considering the name Karston Timothy Yong. Since Timothy means "one who honors God," Karston Timothy would mean "blessed one who honors God." We really like the sound and meaning of that.

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