Hey there, friends! It’s crazy how quickly these bump dates sneak up on me! It feels like I was just updating you on everything yesterday, ha! I’m going to share a little bit in the form of prompts as I’ve done in my previous bump dates and I’ll answer some of the questions y’all sent in toward the end!
Alright, let’s catch y’all up on the latest …
How far along are you: 28 weeks, which means I have officially graduated to my third trimester!
2nd trimester vs. 3rd trimester: I had soooo much more energy during my second trimester, which I feel is very ‘classic’ as most moms-to-be say the same thing. I appreciated being able to see my normal self shine everyday compared to my first trimester where I felt like I was a complete shell of myself. Everyone says things get a bit harder in the third trimester again. My old pal, fatigue, did say hello again yesterday. I got sooo tired at like 4:30pm and had to lay down ‘just for a second’. John ended up waking me up at 6:00! But, it’s a little different than the fatigue in the beginning. I can at least get through most of the day and feel motivated and productive, which is something I desperately missed and did NOT have in my first trimester. I am able to sleep okay at this point. I can’t stand the body pillow I purchased. It makes me feel so claustrophobic but I think it’s partly because our bed isn’t big enough for everything that’s in it, ha! I have found the best way for me to sleep is to use this Temper Pedic pillow [that we have for guests to use] as a wedge underneath my bump. I basically just spoon it, placing it underneath my bump, and sleep like a baby!
Overall ‘how are you feeling’: From a pregnancy perspective, I feel great overall! In so many other ways, I am feeling better and better and more like myself, as well. When I got pregnant, so much around me was in disarray as we had just moved and it just made me really sad that I didn’t have the energy to do things like unpack completely, find organizational items that certain areas needed so that things that can be considered ‘clutter’ can have a designated space, find furniture items to make this space feel like a home, etc. Looking back, I totally understand that it was completely necessary and just ‘the nature of the beast’ to put that on the back burner as my body was clearly doing more important work. But, if I’m honest, I am so thankful to have had all the energy I had during my second trimester. My motivation was back and I [slowly but surely] worked on all of the things I wanted to do [and listed above] earlier in pregnancy. It might seem silly but waking up everyday and having your home in disarray with no motivation to get it where you’d like it to be really wears on you – and your partner, as much as they do understand. So, thankfully, our home is truly starting to feel more like a home after chipping away at that to do list the last 12 weeks or so. We have been joking that we will ‘finally‘ get it the way we want it and then we’ll have to move with baby boy but, that’s just the nature of this season and I’m feeling very happy and thankful for progress right now.
Cravings: Literally, no cravings. Ha! What the heck!
What I’m Looking Forward To: I’m looking forward to taking some time off of work projects, blog posts and emails to finally dedicate some time and attention to creating a registry and doing some research on baby products after the holidays! I’m also looking forward to our next ultrasound in January. This will be the first one John WILL be able to come to now that the UK has changed their restrictions for partners joining women at their antenatal appointments.
What I’m Least Excited About: I am someone who deeply loves sleep so I’m not looking forward to the potential of insomnia during my third trimester.
What Have You Purchased: I have literally bought the most random things – some practical and some probably not the highest on the priority list. Here’s a quick list and a visual for you guys:
• SILICONE BIB: I am going to buy more of these but I started his silicone bib collection with this one. I’ll be trying to use silicone items versus plastic when it comes to baby boy as it’s more eco-friendly and made of non-toxic materials.
• IVORY GLIDER: We finally found a glider that is aesthetically what I was looking for, in the color I wanted, and it’s GREENGUARD Gold Certified, which is really important. Quite a few of y’all said you have this one and think it’s the most comfortable thing in the world, which was great to hear because we can’t try it out before it gets here, ha! It’s also currently on major sale plus an extra 20% off with code COZY!
• CHEST OF DRAWERS WITH CHANGER TOP: I fell in love with this chest of drawers the minute I saw it. It’s a great option for a nursery regardless of whether you’re having a boy or a girl. It looks really spacious, as well, and I love that it comes with a changing area on top with space for a basket for changing necessities. I love that it’s GREENGUARD Gold Certified, too! We’ll be snagging these changing pad covers, as well.
• MATERNITY / NURSING CAMISOLE: I wear cami’s under everything so, when I placed a Nordstrom order recently, I had to snag a white and black one of these per a friends’ recommendation.
• ORGANIC COTTON PORTABLE CHANGING PAD: I also snagged this changing pad for when we are on the go!
• ORGANIC COTTON POUCH: This matches the changing pad and I thought it’d be perfect for all the little bits you will be carrying around with you.
• NURSING BRA’S: These have over 8,000+ reviews on Amazon and come in packs of three. Love that they’re seamless and super affordable, as well!
• WATERPROOF HANDWARMER STROLLER MUFFS: These are certainly not on my list of things that I absolutely NEEDED to buy right now but I came across them and thought they looked soooo cozy and perfect for family walks. He’ll be born in March and I really want to try to walk with him and John whenever I start to feel up for it. Since it’ll be cold until about May so I thought they might be helpful to have around but, ha! We’ll see!
• REUSABLE BREAST PADS: So many of you have recommended snagging breast pads, which are necessary while you’re nursing. While I realize it’s inevitable to have a lot of items you’re disposing of frequently with babies, I do want to try my best to curb waste where I can. I am going to buy a pack of these … okay, maybe two, hah! I figure – we’re going to be doing laundry a lot more frequently anyway so it’ll be pretty easy to always have a set of these washed.
Movement: Baby boy is moving around like crazy! He tends to stay more on the right side of my tummy I’ve noticed. I’m not sure what that means and he seems to be much quieter in the morning and more active in the evenings and throughout the night [although I am such a sound sleeper, I don’t ever really notice but I do notice him moving when I happen to wake up and need to turn over].
Weight Gain: Honestly, I never weigh myself and I could go do it right now but, hah … I really don’t feel like it. I’ve definitely gained more weight. My hips are definitely widening and there are pajama pants, leggings and joggers that are no longer fitting over my hips so … let’s just say … it’s more than it was during the last update.
How Is Private Midwife Going? It’s going really well! Our midwife is now coming every two weeks to check in and make sure all is well now that I’m in my third trimester. She is hell-bent on getting my iron levels up [and so am I!] so I’m taking three 20mg iron tablets everyday to hopefully see an increase over the next six weeks and that will likely continue after birth because I have a history of low iron levels but, we’ll obviously keep an eye on the actual level to make sure it’s safe / smart to do so. She said he is measuring well based on fundal height and his heart beat is very strong! She’s really just helpful in terms of education. It feels nice to sit down with someone who can answer all of your questions and spend time talking about things you might not know or think about. She was encouraging us to start thinking about perineal massage and the importance of starting that at about 30/32 weeks. John loved that chat! Haha!
What’s next in prep: We will be creating a registry – finally – after the holidays! I just have not had time between work and holiday prep to even think about it! And I’ll start really getting started on purchasing things for the hospital and postpartum. I’ll make and share a list once I get going on it all. As a first time Mom, I’m not likely to get it all right at first and I might not use things I thought I would / might not buy something that I didn’t know I’d need until I needed it. But, I’ll be sure to share what I can when I can as I go. We are also taking The Positive Birth Company’s Hypnobirthing Classes in January through their digital pack, which was wildly more affordable [and just as expansive] than other options we found! I had heard amazing things about their hypnobirthing classes from other Momma’s and really wanted to get that under our belt’s in the third trimester. Through those, I wanted to get a really good refresh on birth, what happens, what to expect and to equip myself with mental tools and practices to hopefully do this thing au natural! We will, of course, go with the flow and let my body lead the way. We will also start thinking about a few different birth plans and have those ready for when we go to the hospital. [We won’t be married to them, don’t worry. Lots of people like to remind me that it will likely not go to plan. I know 🙂]
FAQ:
Are people nice to pregnant women in London? [I.e. doors opened, packages carried, etc]
I wouldn’t say I’ve been out in a lot of different settings in London to really know for sure. On the tube, it’s not typically crowded so people haven’t had to move for me to sit down, although I was standing [because I was only going one stop] and a guy asked if I wanted his seat so, that was nice. Otherwise, yeah, I guess so! I haven’t had anyone be overtly mean to me because I’m pregnancy but I don’t think I’ve had anyone make a fuss over the fact that I’m pregnant, either, ya know?
Favorite app’s you’re using?
In my second trimester, I feel like I’ve focused less on pregnancy. So, I’ll check The Bump app once a week to see what to expect for this week in pregnancy and baby’s development but, I haven’t been as interested in knowing all the things like I was in first trimester. I think I’ll be looking into the Freya app as delivery gets closer. That is the app associated with The Positive Birth Company. Their hypnobirthing tools live in that app and you can use them while you’re laboring.
I just found out I’m pregnant. What three pieces of advice do you have?
• REST – Your body is doing hard work so don’t beat yourself up for being tired. Enjoy it and sleep when your body tells you to.
• FEEL THE FEELS – Finding out your pregnant can be exciting but it’s okay if you’re also terrified over what’s to come or sad to leave behind the chapter of your life where you didn’t have kids. It’s very normal and it’s okay to admit the other feelings you may be having.
• ENJOY THE DIET – Literally anything goes when you’re in your first trimester! While you may be dealing with lots of not-so-great symptoms, enjoy eating literally whatever you want! I ate SO much pasta in my first trimester … I literally wouldn’t be surprised if I birthed a meatball but, oh my gosh, I had zero guilt. It was amazing so enjoy what you have the stomach to enjoy!
Might be too early but what are you packing for the hospital?
Yep! A little too early but hoping to have more of an update when I share the next bump date.
Because of the to do list I had surrounding the house and work during my second trimester, I literally have spent zero time on prepping for labor. BUT — once January hits, I am taking it slow when it comes to work and I will be making all things baby, labor and postpartum my main focus.
Did you decide on a home birth?
I shared that I am intrigued by home births in my last bump date and wow, lots of opinions out there and quite a few horror stories that are never really great to read being that there are equally, if not more, beautiful stories that don’t get told because nothing ‘crazy’ happened. I am still intrigued by home births and am going to continue to read more about them through a few books I picked up. I haven’t made a lot of progress in those this past month due to work and the holidays but have that on my list for January, as well.
I will not, however, be having a home birth for baby boy. It’s just something I am looking into for future births [God willing].
Any good fleece-lined maternity leggings?
I shared these over on stories yesterday. I wouldn’t say they’re the “best” as I do feel like I pull them up quite a bit but they are super warm and I like the way they look. They have a bit of a faux leather look to them and they’re under $100 so I make them work. I also have these on today and I think I prefer them because they don’t go over my bump and I don’t have to pull them up but they’re a bit more of a casual material and look.
How do you relax / stay comfortable? I’m getting so uncomfortable at 30 weeks.
This is getting harder and harder for me, as well. Honestly, it’s a struggle. I cried last night because my bump was hurting as I think I flexed my stomach muscles too tight when I was getting up off the couch. It’s really tough and I don’t think I have a secret to share. I try to keep my feet and my head elevated but I’ll still get back aches from time to time and John is then expected to become a masseuse immediately, ha!
Do they have the glucose test in the UK?
Only if you have certain risk factors or certain things in your medical history. I am not a candidate to have it done so I won’t be.
Do you have a name picked out?
Yesss, we do! I almost said it to Victoria the other day! But, yeah, we have a name and we are so excited to share it with our family and friends [including you guys] once he is here! It’s kind of nice to hold on to at least ONE secret during the pregnancy that is just for you and your partner, you know? Plus, what if we find a name we like better before he gets here?
What was the maternity book you shared the other day?
Expecting Better by Emily Osher. I’ve heard her follow-up book, Crib Sheet, is great, as well, which I intend on reading just before or just after baby boy gets here. Or whenever life allows lol – let’s be honest!
I’m in my second trimester. What do you wish you started earlier?
Umm … everything! I wish we were done looking up all the things on strollers, car seats, baby monitors, breast pumps [if you want to breastfeed], etc and what you need in your hospital bag, what you need to get through your postpartum period, what bottles are best, what diapers have the least amount of chemicals and are the most eco-friendly, etc etc etc! At the end of the day, babies don’t “need” as much as people make it seem like they do so I’m personally not stressed that I still have that on the horizon in January but, I do think it’d make the third trimester easier as you’ll be more exhausted and have less energy as your pregnancy progresses so use this time and this energy now! 🙂
How does your skin feel? Have you found any miracle lotions?
It does itch from time to time but I swear by the Necessaire Body Lotion. It is made with all clean ingredients and is ultra moisturizing! I’m pretty sure my code for 10% off [ALYSONHALEY] is still working!
I’m 11 weeks. Did you and John love a name and just know it was the one or did it take time?
We had one for a girl picked out SO fast. I am still obsessed with it and am 99.9% sure we’ll use it if we do ever have a girl but a boy name was A LOT harder for us. We do like the name we have picked out but, I will say, it doesn’t have the same appeal to us that the girl name did. I honestly think that’s very normal. I’ve had a lot of mom’s tell me the same thing – that boy names are just a little harder for some couples and I’m sure the same is true for some couples with girl names.
Alright! That does it for this latest bumpdate! Let me know what you want me to cover in the next one! Cannot believe the next one will be 32 weeks!! Ahhh! xo.
