chelsea barbine (00:01.806)
Hi, mama. Welcome back to the Postpartum Better podcast. Today's episode is part of the Pregnancy Diary series, where we're diving into a weekly update on my own pregnancy journey with baby number two. I hope that you've been finding this limited series supportive as you're preparing to welcome your own little one into the world, as I've truly enjoyed bringing you along for the journey of mine. Now, if the title didn't give it away, today we're hitting a

Big milestone, week 20. If you've been following along, you know I'm all about sharing the real sides of postpartum. And the same goes for pregnancy. Because let's be real, we've got enough apps telling us about the baby size and fruit terms. So the Pregnancy Diary series is meant to fill the proverbial gap on the stuff that those apps don't cover. The emotions, the mental prep, and what's really going on behind the scenes, which...

Full transparency, week 20 has felt like a lot and nothing at all. I've definitely felt a surge of energy and the nesting instinct has kicked in. We also had our anatomy scan, which I'll tell you all about in just a minute. Throughout the recap, I'll share how you can best prepare for both because let's face it, the preparation is where the real work is. All right, let's get into it.

chelsea barbine (01:28.492)
Welcome to Postpartum Better, the go-to podcast for expecting a new mom's navigating life after birth. Hi, I'm Chelsea Barbine, wife, mama, yogi, postpartum health coach, and your new mama friend. Together, we're covering topics like postpartum recovery, maintaining your mental and physical health, finding your identity as a new mom, and rekindling your relationships. Get ready for expert tips

Actionable advice and heartfelt conversations with other moms who just get it. The health and happiness of the world resides in us mamas. It's time to postpartum better.

chelsea barbine (02:15.936)
Okay, so week 20. my goodness, it feels so bananas. Just being over halfway there, my gosh. If you're in or around this stage in your pregnancy, you might be feeling a shift in your energy. And let me tell you, I'm right there with you,

As I shared in my week 19 recap, I truly do not know where I would be without the second trimester energy. Thankfully, I've had way more motivation to do things for work and play with Frankie, connect with Colin. I have even got the nesting bug, which I will share looks...

are you different this time around? I honestly, I kind of like to think of it as like nesting with intention. I think I shared this last week too and just in previous like reflections. One of the things that we are doing the same with our second that we did with Frankie is we're playing into room share. Frankie was in our room for overnight.

up until she was eight months old. I had, guys, no idea she would be with us that long. And I know some parents have their kiddos with them like even longer. This is not advice on that, by the way. This is truthfully just like a share to each their own. I promise there's a point I'm getting to it. But she was truly with us overnight for the first eight months. She did start napping in her crib at

four months, so she started using her nursery then. But aside from that, you guys, I barely, barely, barely, barely used that room. So knowing our plans to room share again, it has me choosing to re-channel the energy that I used on the nursery last time, quite frankly, you guys, into mine and Colin's room.

chelsea barbine (04:38.37)
Which full disclosure, it's not completely finished. We will need to set up the pack and play and you know, the diaper changing station and organize the baby's But gosh, it feels so satisfying to start getting things in place. Like not only does our room finally feel more quote unquote complete, like after three years of moving in, it's functional. And we have like our

designated spaces for the remaining items that we're going to be bringing into the space. I am going to do a more like step-by-step episode on prepping your bedroom for room share. So stay tuned for that. But in the meantime, my number one tip before nesting any area of your home is to set your intention for the space and to identify the people it will serve. Another big update.

slash the thing that happened this week was our anatomy scan. This is probably one of the most anticipated ultrasounds and just like, quite honestly, like milestones in pregnancy. The anatomy scan is usually done between like 18 and 22 weeks. And it is for those who don't know, it's like a very detailed ultrasound.

to check on your baby's development, literally like head to toe. And for some, it's the first, if not like the only time that you'll get a closer look at your baby's organs and bones and even get to see like their little fingers and toes. It's also common to find out the gender during the anatomy scan, although nowadays, my goodness, you can find out.

I feel like my sister found out when she was like eight weeks pregnant what she was having, but I digress. The scan itself, it's really like a very thorough, I'll say like evaluation of checking on the baby's growth. During the scan, the technician will take measurements of

chelsea barbine (07:03.906)
the baby's brain and they look at the heart. You get to hear the heartbeat. They'll check the kidneys. They look at the spine, all four limbs. Again, to make sure that everything is growing as it should, but they also check on like the placenta, your amniotic fluid levels, sometimes even the umbilical cord, which is cool. You can like see the blood flow, at least the machine that they used at ours. R-Tech also checked my cervix.

And honestly, like with that, I'll say more in depth view and like check for many of us, it is a huge relief, like just to check in, make sure everything is going well. But that doesn't mean that we're not feeling some type of way when we walk into the room. It can be very nerve wracking.

especially if you're worried about something not being right, whether you're a first time mom, perhaps you've had challenges in previous pregnancies. There's just something about the anatomy scan that I feel like every mama holds her breath up and through. So how can you prepare for this?

My recommendation would be multidimensionally. Mentally, I think it's so important to go into this appointment with a balanced mindset. Of course, we all hope that everything is perfect, but it's also good to remind ourselves that the purpose of this scan is to make sure that we're on top of our baby's health. And if something does come up, it means that we can take steps to address it sooner rather than later.

I recommend trying to try to release the worries and the fears of the things that you cannot control and really focus on what you can control, which truthfully is like taking care of yourself, again, multidimensionally and taking care of your baby as best as you can. And trusting that, you you have selected your healthcare team because you trust them.

chelsea barbine (09:29.074)
and leave the rest to them. It can also be very helpful to have your partner or another loved one with you for support. The scan can take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes. So keep that in mind. Also communicate that with your support personnel. But just all in all, having someone there by your side to share in the excitement.

or hold your hand if you're feeling anxious, it can make a big difference. It's a lengthy appointment and there's a lot that you're looking on on the screen and jargon that we're hearing from the tech and I think just having someone else there is like a sounding board but also another set of ears is just, it's huge. Emotionally, I want to acknowledge that this scan can bring up a lot of feelings.

you might feel excited, nervous, or even a little overwhelmed. All of those feelings are completely valid. And if you're someone who tends to worry, it might be helpful to consider grounding yourself before the appointment, whether that's practicing deep breathing, mindfulness, journaling, using essential oils, just to help process your emotions and to really kind of like bring you

to ease, bring you to peace. Remember that you don't have to bottle up your feelings. Talking about them with your partner or someone from your support team, it really does help to ease the emotional load. And if the scan brings unexpected news, do not hesitate to ask your doctor questions. Truthfully, allow yourself to take the time that you need to process any information that they give you.

reach out to those who can be of greatest support to aid in that processing, to compile any list of questions, or to discuss potential next steps. Physically speaking, there's not like a ton that you need to do to prepare for the anatomy scan. I do have a couple of tips on like making the experience as comfortable as possible, but there's one thing I learned.

chelsea barbine (11:52.162)
during my scan that I found so fascinating. And it really is like this, maybe it's not like technically a myth, but it's like a very old school recommendation to like make sure that you're hydrated. I've always heard that having a full bladder will help with like ultrasound imaging. And you should drink like a lot of water beforehand. To my surprise, my tech actually asked me if I needed to go to the bathroom before sheep again.

which honestly was a relief because we hadn't even started the appointment. And again, this is like a lengthy session. They use the ultrasound wand. They're kind of like poking and prodding around your abdomen. They're trying to get a good view of the baby. And like, I already had to pee. Like she hadn't even started. And I remember like in that moment, like looking at her and being like, are you sure? And she's like, yes. She's like, I know everyone says that they've heard to like drink a lot of water beforehand. She's like, but trust me.

Alter sounds have come a long way. I want you to feel comfortable. I don't want you to feel like you're, you know, in pain or anything like that. So like, yes, please, we'll be fine. Go with, you know, if we need to like illuminate anything, we'll provide you water, whatever. So there's that. You can bring your own water, your own water bottle, come prepared, but also know like, you're not meant to be uncomfortable. That all being said, I highly recommend wearing comfortable clothing.

You will be lying down for a little while, so you don't necessarily like think about your shoes, so to speak, but just don't, you don't want to feel like constricted. For the most part, you won't have to move too much. I mean, you'll have to pull down like the waistband of your pants or unbutton or God bless you if you're still buttoning your pants, like lifting up your shirt just so then they can get like a full, you know, full access, range.

Sometimes, you you might have to like kind of like move around a little bit if the baby is in a tricky position. They might ask you to help guide them, you know, moving as needed. But just in general, like you're going to be laying there. always, it sounds so silly, you guys, but I always have to remind myself to wear like a top and a bottom, like not a dress. They have plenty of blankets and things you can cover yourself with, but like, I don't know. It's just, it's just, you want to be comfortable, right? You don't want to be cold.

chelsea barbine (14:17.4)
Pack a sweater or something like that if you want that as well. And I would say if you tend to have lower blood sugar or depending upon the timing of your appointment, bring a snack just in case you get hungry. I don't think anyone's going to tell you, no, you can't eat something. And finally, do not forget to bring any questions that you have for your health care provider. Yes, the anatomy scan is a great time to check in on your baby's health, but also on your own.

It's also a great time to practice asking questions and advocating for yourself, just getting more comfortable speaking with a practitioner that uses medical jargon. Goodness, the ultrasound appointments remind me so, so, so, so much of labor and birth, at least at a hospital.

You're in a hospital bed, you've got all the equipment around you, you know, they're checking on baby, checking on you. And it's just, I think sometimes it's just like a really great mental preparation. So use it to your advantage, get to feel more comfortable. And remember that this appointment is just as much for baby as it is for you. And honestly, with everything that's coming up, I invite you to truly

Just soak it in. Soak in these moments, perhaps which are the final moments of seeing your little one before you bring them Earth side. For many of us, the anatomy scan is the last time that we get to quote unquote, seeing our babies for the next how many months? And the next time we see them, we're literally, my God, I could cry.

We're like literally holding them in our arms. Between that and honestly like feeling the nesting instinct kick in, it's making this feel so freaking real. Like, holy moly, we are going to have another baby here. Like literally, I mean, it's not really gonna happen tomorrow, at least. God, I hope not. But it feels like it. And while yes,

chelsea barbine (16:42.838)
I shared, know, it feels like so much has happened this week, yet like nothing at all. I'm kind of like finding my groove. Like it's just like, okay, this is life. It really is a reminder that every phase of pregnancy, it brings something new. Even if it's not all like, even if it's not like the daily fireworks, like all the, like the newness kind of thing, like that crazy. Sometimes it's just about embracing.

the more small and steady changes, like those little steps. I know it can feel easy to kind of expect that every week should be full of like big milestones. And week 20 is, it's a key marker because it's that halfway point. But I wanna remind you that if you're not feeling like you've hit your groove yet,

It's totally okay. Honestly, some of you might be feeling the energy surge like I did and others are listening to this, like still struggling with fatigue or morning sickness. And I want you to know that like one, my heart goes out to you. Truthfully, I have mom friends who have experienced that. And also pregnancy is such a unique experience for each of us.

Week 20 isn't like some magic switch. mean, again, for me, it's, it's like, it's been a lot of riding the wave, like taking advantage of the days where I feel great. Like over the weekend when I was, you know, that sat like over on Saturday, I like nested like in our whole bedroom and I was like leaning into the energy as early as it felt to like actually start prepping. I leaned into it. Right. And today with like our anatomy scan, like

I just, I'm holding space and soaking up the days where I'm like, like, you know, and then also being kind to myself in the days when it just kind of feels like a normal day or I'm more tired. I think emotionally, I think a lot of us at this point, we're starting to kind of think about what's coming next. You know, like that transition to bringing the baby home and recovery. And for first time moms, it can feel

chelsea barbine (19:06.734)
I don't know, it can just feel so, like what's the word I wanna eat? Like not foreign or like, I guess maybe unknown. And that can bring about its own level of worry. And for us second time moms, like we know what's coming and that can bring up its own kind of anxiety. And either way, just know that it's important to remember that not only are we not

going to have it all figured out. But we're also not supposed to. Like pregnancy and postpartum, they're journeys. And no matter how much we prepare, as much as I hate to say this, you know, it's my whole thing, there's going to be an element of figuring it out as we go. So if you feel like you're behind or if your energy is low or if you haven't started prepping yet, like that's OK. You're doing amazing.

Truthfully, I believe that. And when the time comes, you'll have the tools that you need to take it one day at a time. I'm here with you. We've got this. We've got this, mamas.

chelsea barbine (20:23.758)
Thank you for joining me for this episode of Postpartum Better. If you're inspired by this conversation to help yourself or another mom navigate life after birth, take a minute to leave me a review on Apple Podcast, and then share this episode with someone who could use the virtual hug. The health and happiness of the world resides in us mamas, and I'm so proud to be doing Postpartum Better with you. Until next week, with care, Chelsea.