I always envisioned myself blogging throughout my pregnancy, you know, weekly recaps with photos, symptoms, and fun stories alike. But then something shifted during my first trimester. I no longer felt the desire to share every little thing about this journey with the internets. It feels super personal and private, and I want to save it all for my husband and our close friends. And also, this is a book blog — no room for babies on here! BUT…
Yesterday marked the very beginning of my THIRD TRIMESTER, and I mean… yeah, I’m going to post just one quick celebratory update. Because making it to the 3rd trimester is a BFD. Did you know if I went into early labor today there’s a 95% chance our baby would survive? That’s HUGE. And though not ideal, it allows me to breathe a bit easier.
Hello Third Trimester!
How far along? 28 weeks, 1 day.
Total weight gain: 25lbs. I’ve literally never been this heavy in my entire life. At first I was worried this would be a 60lb pregnancy, because I gained 20lb in the first 18 weeks. But the rapid weight gain has slowed way down. Not that I care about the scale, whatever it takes to cook a healthy baby is fine by me, but still…
Sleep: Sleep has been fine so far. It’s a bit of a struggle since stomach sleeping is a no-no. They claim the best position is sleeping on your left side, due to a major artery running up your right side. Even laying on my back for long periods of time is difficult. It’s been an adjustment, but for now, sleep is OK.
Best moment this week: Baby shopping with my mother. She flew up to help me pick out nursery furniture, a stroller, bassinet, carseat, swaddles, pacifiers, and everything in between. My doula sent me over a newborn baby shopping list, and let me tell you, it was overwhelming. After dedicating an entire weekend to shopping with my mom, we were able to knock off everything. It is SUCH A RELIEF to have everything we need for baby girl.
Maternity clothes? Ummm YES. I’ve been living in my maternity leggings since week 10. And let me tell you, maternity jeans are the BEST THING EVER. Jessica Simpson has a line out, I own three pairs.
Stretch marks? Nope! I’m thanking good genetics on that one. Also, moisturizing like crazy and drinking a ton of water helps too. However, my right leg is riddled with purple and blue spider veins. Cute.
Movement: I didn’t start feeling the baby move around until I was nearly 22 weeks (which is pretty late in the game, if you’re wondering), and it was the weirdest, strangest, and most beautiful feeling in the world. Her little squirms, hiccups, and kicks get more and more intense as she grows bigger and stronger. Feeling her move inside me is still so surreal, I announce it to my husband every single time. Lately, she’s been rolling across the entire length of my uterus. It legit feels like theres a snake inside of me.
Food cravings: Hamburgers! This has been consistent from the first trimester. It’s really anything with ground beef. If we’re not eating out at our local hamburger joint, I’m cooking meatballs, meaty lasagnas, steaks, or spaghetti bolognese for dinner. Baby girl loves beef.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Food wise, absolutely nothing has made me ill and this has always been the case. However, I’ve been slightly prone to motion sickness in the last month or so. Which makes any method of transportation other than walking difficult. It’s getting better, but it’s hard.
Gender prediction: We found out we’re having a GIRL at our 20 week scan. Literally everyone, everyone, except my mother thought the baby would be a boy. All signs and old wives tales pointed towards boy, and I just felt it in my gut — so it was quite the surprise for both myself and my husband.
I remember laying on the table, holding hands with Alex, staring at our baby projected on the mounted flat screen. I held my breath for the flicker of the heartbeat and then waited for the tech to confirm what we already knew, a boy. But then she said, “OK, and here’s the labia — it’s a GIRL.” Tears of pure happiness and delighted shock immediately started streaming down my face. I asked if the tech was 100% she wasn’t looking at a fetus penis. She explained what the difference would look like, and then I couldn’t stop silently crying the rest of the appointment. Baby girl was rolled into my back, so we couldn’t get good sonogram photos of her that day, but I didn’t care in the slightest. I’m going to have a DAUGHTER!
Name? She had her first name picked out long before we confirmed there was a heartbeat at 7 weeks. The moment we found out the sex of our baby, we began working on her middle name, and 24 hours later we had it. I hope she loves her name as much as we do. We’ve got three more first and middle names for girls lined up and ready to go if we have any more daughters. It’s the boy names we were struggling with! But we’re not sharing names until birth.
Labor Signs: None. Though I’ve had some terrible gas pains. A few times it’s been so painful I was convinced I was experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. Nope, just a bad case of farts.
Symptoms: Exhaustion. The fatigue is on a whole other level. It was almost crippling in my first trimester. I gained some energy back midway through my second trimester, and now I feel it creeping back in. Daily naps are mandatory.
Belly Button in or out? Out. Yikes. It’s definitely the weirdest physical change. You can’t really tell through maternity leggings / jeans, but yeah, I’m an outtie. I was told this goes back to normal after birth.
Wedding rings on or off? Still on. I make sure I can slip them on and off on a daily basis. A friend of mine had to get hers cut off at the fire department, which is horrifying.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Very happy. This has been the best gift, and I’m really enjoying this experience, even when it’s super hard.
Looking forward to: I’m actually looking forward to childbirth, more so because I am so excited to meet our daughter. And also, what an empowering and beautiful experience! I know these last few weeks will fly by, so I don’t want to wish them away any quicker. For now, I’m really enjoying the quiet, the bond I feel with my daughter while she’s growing inside of me, and all the naps with Max and Squeaks.
So yeah, feeling pretty good. Getting mentally prepared for childbirth and trying to grasp what life will be like with a newborn in the house. I have confidence Max and Squeaks will be excellent big brothers to their human sister. I’m not terribly worried about my husband and I adjusting to parenthood, I’m sure we’ll find our own flow with enough time and patience. See you in ~12 weeks, baby girl!