In the past month my belly has grown at a rapid rate. I think my belly has finally reached the maximum amount it can “normally” stretch before the real skin stretching begins. Every day my belly feels like it is being pushed out to abnormal lengths. It’s tight, heavy and uuuuuuuuuncomfortable! And when she moves…ouch! BUT I’m not complaining because I’m happy! All this stretching means that my baby girl is growing which is super important. The only downside? My clothing options are decreasing by the day. My only pair of work pants are becoming extremely uncomfortable to wear; my jeans, while fit with a rubber band, tend to fall consistently; and my belly is beginning to outgrow my favorite dresses. Is it time for a trip to the consignment shop for maternity clothes? Yes, yes I think so.
In other news, I’ve been doing some serious thinking on
whether or not I want to give birth to my baby in a hospital as I had
originally planned. While it may be a better option financially, personally I
fear that my requests as listed on my birth plan would not be met or completely
ignored. I want a natural, stress free, medical intervention free birth. Will I
get that at a hospital? Not likely. So I have decided to weigh my options and
see what it takes to have a midwife instead of an OB and a home birth instead
of a hospital birth. I just feel a home birth will be so much more personal and
relaxing. I’ll be able to choose the way I labor, the way I deliver and what to
do with my baby after she is born. I’ll have freedom! My body, my baby, my
choice.
Have you had any experience with a midwife or home birth? If
so, how was it?
DIET
Breakfast: I have been adding some variety to my breakfast
lately. (Shocker, I know!). I still love me a delicious parfait loaded with
banana and pomegranate seeds topped with nuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds and flax.
Superfood heaven right there! I’ve also been testing out a few fruit smoothies
as well as a few hearty, creamy smoothies like pumpkin pie. Yumm! My most
recent obsession is apples, nut butter and banana! We went apple picking 2
weekends ago and my house WAS loaded with apples, so I decided why not indulge
in as many as I can! I’ve almost hit that “I’m sick of ‘em” point. Almost.
Lunch: Nothing new here. Still salads, salads and MORE
salads with my fave dressing: lemon garlic tahini! Nom nom nooooom!
Dinner: Still eating what’s in season. I have a serious
obsession now with greens. I literally CRAVE cooked greens with garlic and
lemon (Can you see a pattern here!?). Soooooo good! Sometimes I’ll throw in some olives or
tomatoes or even chickpeas. Seriously, ridiculously, obsessively good.
Snacks: Sprouted Trail Mix and Hummus top the list! Oh and
cookies. Exclusively Angela’s (From Oh She Glows) Vegan, Gluten Free ChocolateChip Cookies. I can, and sometimes do, eat them all….day….long! Call me pregnant
cookie monster. It’s that serious. Cookie, cookie, cookie, coooooookie!
Cravings: Greens, soups, and cookies
EXERCISE
I still take my dog, Rex, on a daily walk around the neighborhood. It takes us anywhere between 15-30 minutes and is approximately ¼ - ½ a mile. Not too far but a nice, brisk walk none the less. Now that it’s getting a lot colder outside, I’m all for quick and easy.
I’ve also been trying to incorporate a prenatal yoga class
or two during the week. It’s sad to see how weak I am ever since I lost all of
my weight and gained it all back. My
muscles lack the tone and strength that they used to have. Hopefully the yoga
plus the walking will help me gain some of that back. It’s been really nice to
relax, breath and stretch! I can really feel it in my back and hips. They love
me J
PREGNANCY
Weeks 24 and 25
Honestly, at this point, I don’t recall much about weeks 24
and 25 except for the fact that I was growing by the day. Time is flying by so fast and with the
fall/holiday season in full swing, we’ve been busy baking goodies, picking
apples, attending festivals and enjoying the cooler weather. My pregnancy has
become such a part of my life that I literally have to write down things about
my pregnancy in order for me to remember. Sad.
 |
| 24 Weeks! |
 |
| 25 Weeks! |
Week 26
In week 26 I started dealing with some nausea, especially
after I ate. I was afraid that I was going to have to deal with the third
trimester morning sickness, but thankfully it went away after a few days. My
daughter was recovering from a pretty bad cold so I wonder if maybe I caught a
small bit of it.
As for the rest of the week, well, it was quite busy. First,
my husband came home with a new, slightly used, Nissan Pathfinder after
realizing that in a few months we would be traveling with not only a child and a
baby, but also with a grown pup. With our family quickly expanding, it was only
smart to purchase a vehicle that would comfortably fit us all. So far, the
family, including Rex, is totally loving it!
That weekend, we drove our new vehicle up to Graves Mountain
to attend their annual Apple Fest. While it was wet and a bit chilly, the time
spent with family and our pup was still enjoyable. What surprised me the most
was that even after all that standing and walking, I was not sore! How is
that!? I get home, stand for 4 hours and I feel like my body was hit by a
truck. Weird. 
Lastly, I forced my husband to drive me into “town” to seek
out maternity clothes at a consignment shop that I had heard so much about.
While the selection of my size, my style clothing was very small, I still
walked out with three dresses and a pair of hideous, yet comfortable dress
pants for only $40. A deal!? I think so. I’m in love with dresses and wish to
wear them all the time. I have a feeling consignment shopping will be my new favorite
hobby for the next couple of months. After all, I’m not getting smaller. Just
ask my husband…
On Sunday morning, while lying in bed waiting for my husband
to wake up.
Husband: “I’m hungry!”
Me: “Well, I don’t know what you’re going to eat. I need to
go grocery shopping. Eat your pork rinds from yesterday.”Husband: “I’m hungry! I’m hungry!”
Me: (Lifting shirt to watch belly move)
Husband: “Well, we can tell SOMEONE’s being well fed!”
We both busted out laughing! Yes, my husband called me fat
but at the same time I couldn’t be mad because he honestly had a point. Have
you seen this thing!?
 |
| 26 Weeks! |
Week 27
In week 27 I started dealing with a new pregnancy symptom:
feet swelling. Every evening my feet,
especially my left foot, would swell to the point that it was visibly puffy and
red. It wasn’t painful or uncomfortable, but I could definitely feel it. Knowing
that swelling, while normal, can also be a sign of a serious condition such as
preeclampsia, I took precautions and rested a soon as it became visible.
Elevating my feet seemed to help and the swelling would be gone by morning. The
odd thing is, the swelling occurred all week long, until Friday. From Friday
into the weekend, I dealt with very little if any swelling. So weird.
I’ve also been dealing with boosting my self confidence. The
lack of clothing options, plus my hatred for the maternity dress pants that I
find absolutely unfitting, has left me a bit down in the dumps. I desire to be beautiful
and somewhat sexy yet all I see is frumpy. My hair is dragging, my beautiful
long nails, all broken and my feet and legs slightly swollen. I hope I can get
out of this rut soon because I know I’m beautiful. I just have to see it for
myself. It doesn’t help that I’m a bottle full of raging hormones. I used to
never cry and now I cry 2-3 times a day! The joys of pregnancy!
 |
| Week 27! |
On Friday, I had my one month checkup at the OB. Everything
is looking great. The baby is growing, again, on point! Her head, belly and
femur all measure perfectly. Her heartbeat was rapid; between the 140’s –
150’s. She weighed in at around 2lbs and 5oz and was smiling for us while
watching her on the 3D cam. Every time I see her I fall more and more in love
with her. She’s already perfect.
As for momma, I gained 10lbs in one month!! Yes, I’m 137lbs
right now! I finally reached my pre-pregnancy weight, plus some, which was good
news for everyone. My BP was 120/74; normal for me. And the swelling, according
to my doc, is completely normal. Checking in perfect!
That day, reality finally hit. This baby is coming SOON! My
doctor notified me that after my next appointment I would be visiting every 2
weeks to make sure I’m progressing well. Every two weeks!? Am I seriously that
close!? All I could do was panic. I have so much to do!Checklist
And then there’s this…. I don’t even know where to start- Decide on type of birth and contact a midwife ASAP
- Find a hypnobirthing class
- Stock up on needed oils for delivery and post partum
- Continue yoga routine
- Finish baby registry for babyshower
- Stress less and ENJOY pregnancy
That last one is a doozy…
Any advice!?
Until next time, enjoy the cooler weather and have a Happy
Halloween!
Beth
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