2nd Pregnancy: Second Visit to the Doctor

We were supposed to see the doctor last week but since he had a few emergencies and was running late, plus Gavin was down with a fever, we rescheduled it to this week.  Now that I am past the 12 week mark, I am officially in my second trimester meaning that I now have a 95% chance of carrying the baby to term.  The first trimester is usually a little dicey and the time during which a pregnant Mum needs to take extra care.  This is, I think, the main reason why most people avoid announcing a pregnancy until Mum’s into the second trimester.

It is pretty amazing but having entered second trimester, I do suddenly feel a little more lively.  I managed to take Gavin shopping and carry him without feeling like I was going to collapse at any time.  The morning sickness seems very much improved as well, although not completely gone.

At the start of the second trimester, folate supplements are no longer required, however, multi-vitamin and calcium supplements are recommended.

I would share the vital statistics from my visit to the doctor except I somehow managed to miss it all.  It might have something to do with the fact that we brought Gavin along again and he was busy trying to get into the limelight.  While I was talking to Dr Wong about my developing symptoms over the past 5 weeks, Gavin was desperately trying to capture my attention with statements like, “Mummy, I love you.”

Ah well, here’s our first photo of the baby:

A Discussion on Current Symptoms:

For someone who is only three months pregnant, I reckon I look like I’m at least five months pregnant from the size of my bump.  Dr Wong says this is because the muscles have stretched and are more elastic this time around so expansion is quicker.  Currently the uterus extends only halfway between my pubic bone and my navel so the bump is not so much a baby bump rather than the movement of my organs to accommodate the growing uterus.  Lovely, I wonder how big I’ll be at the end of this pregnancy.

The pelvic twinges are due to the stretching of ligaments.  A swollen clitoris could be due to accumulation of sebum, or it could be an insect bite, or it could be due to vigorous sex.  I’ll stop here since hubby gets uncomfortable about any discussion of our intimate moments, although I can’t understand why.

I’d also been having a slight itch around the lip of the vagina (the labia majora) that has been occurring on and off, mostly only in the early hours of the morning.  I had associated it with a detergent I had been using because the itch got really severe at one point and immediately improved after I’d switched detergents, although it didn’t completely go away.

Dr Wong explained that it is very likely a mild overgrowth of yeast (which is usually present in some amount in the vagina – the quantity of which determines the presence or absence of a fungal infection).  The symptoms can be complicated by an allergy, such as the one I had to the first detergent I was using.  I think I should add that yeast is an opportunistic microorganism and will overgrow when given the right environment.  Pregnancy is one such time when the vaginal environment can favour growth of yeast because of the increased secretions produced.  To reduce the problem, Dr Wong recommends using a reputable feminine wash like Sebamed or Lactacyd.  If the problem persists, then anti-fungal treatment is required.