Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Pregnancy Must-Haves so Far...

Everyone’s pregnancy experience is different and I’m sure we all have found the things we need to survive all that accompanies pregnancy, especially in the first trimester.  I have been super lucky to have no morning sickness whatsoever, but I have faced some challenges.  Here are some of the things that I’ve found to help me survive these first weeks:



So of course you should (even when you’re not pregnant) drink a lot of water every day.  There are lots of different recommendations out there, for me I don’t really count how many ounces, I just make sure that I’m constantly drinking water for the majority of the day.  I drink it all day at work (about 3 bottles) and then at home I usually want something with some flavor.  These Fruit2o’s have been a great way to change up plain old water.  So far I’ve tried lemon, strawberry, and raspberry and all have been yummy.  I also enjoy a LaCroix for that carbonation that I sometimes crave in a soda.



I’ve been really lucky to not have hardly any break outs or dry skin; however I still like to use lotion regularly and searched for an “all natural” product for a while.  There are lots of them out there, but I also wanted a body wash.  I used to use Neutrogena that had salicylic acid in it for breakouts, but that is not safe during pregnancy.  I came across Tubby Todd on Instagram while searching for & following any and all things baby.  I think these products are geared more towards baby, but if it’s safe for baby then it’s safe for me while pregnant.   They also have a ton of other products; some for mama’s that I’m looking forward to trying when baby is here, particularly this nursing salve.



I really started ramping up my EO use since they’re natural & safer than so many products that are out there.  I have a cousin who I get all my oils from and she is so helpful when it comes to this stuff and seriously lives and breathes oils so she is a great resource.  She suggested that I get the Family Physician Kit so that I’d have a plentiful amount of oils for practically any ailment that comes my way during this pregnancy.  It comes with 10 different oils, all of which have several benefits & uses.   Allergies have been kicking my ass and since I can’t take anything, I’ve been using the heck out of lavender, lemon, peppermint, Breath, and melaleuca.  



A show to binge
Let’s be honest, in the first trimester the energy level in a day hovers pretty much around ZERO at all times.  I’m slowly starting to gain some of it back, but most days as soon as I’m off work I’m on the couch in my pjs with the dog binging on Netflix.  I just started watching Penny Dreadful which I love so far.  I’ve also watched Aquarius, Bloodline, How I Met Your Mother, and Joe and I are watching Shameless.  Having something to go home & relax and watch is a definite must!



A fitness routine
Fitness has not been a top priority in any way whatsoever this first trimester but I've been really trying to do something and now that I'm getting closer to my second trimester and feeling much more energetic, I've finally incorporated some exercise back into my life.  I've been doing prenatal yoga every couple days and it's been amazing.  Low impact, relaxing, and easy on the baby and the body, is exactly what I wanted.  

Sunday, August 28, 2016

13 Weeks



How far along?  13w1d

Total weight gain?  About 115 pounds, not much weight gain yet.

Maternity Clothes?  None yet

Stretch Marks?  Nope

Sleep?  Sleep is getting better, energy is getting better, constant hunger is subsiding.

Best Moment this Week?  Finally entering into the last week of my first trimester!  I missed my first OB appointment on Friday which is so unlike me!  Had to reschedule for about 2 weeks from now.

Have you told your friends?  Yes of course!  

Miss Anything?  Not really, being able to take medicine I guess.  I really could've used a decongestant this week!

Movement?  Nothing yet.

Food Cravings?  Anything chocolate!

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Not a thing!  

Have you started to show?  Just a tiny bit.

Gender prediction?  Still going with boy!  We find out Saturday!

Labor Signs?  No

Belly button in or Out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or moody?  Moodiness is decreasing, finally!  I think everyone will be happy to see this symptom finally go away.

Looking forward to?  Our gender reveal is this coming weekend and I cannot wait!  Let the planning being!  

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

12 weeks!!



How far along:  12w4d.  It feels awesome to finally make it to that “safe zone” of 3 months of pregnancy!  At 12 weeks the chance of miscarriage decreases drastically.  I am finally starting to feel a little less worried.  I can’t believe how quickly these weeks are flying by. 


Total Weight Gain:  Ok so my mom, the peach that she is, surprised me with my very own Fitbit scale this past weekend!  Now I can actually track daily if I wanted to.  I’ve never owned a scale so I’m pretty excited to have such a nice one.  Thanks so much mom.  I weighed myself Sunday and was at 116.  I’m not sure that I actually gained 2 pounds in a week or if I might’ve weighted a little on the lighter side when I used my mom’s scale the week before.  Either way, I’m happy with my weight gain.


Maternity Clothes?  None yet, although I did use the hair tie trick with a pair of higher rise jeans, worked wonders.


Stretch Marks?  Nope.


Sleep?  Sleep continues to be hit or miss.  It takes me FOREVER to fall asleep, but once I do I feel like I’m getting decent sleep.  I’m up several times a night to pee.


Best Moment this Week?  Interviewing doulas!  It’s still obviously very early, but I not really knowing too much about doulas and how their services work I wanted to start looking early.  I’ll dedicate an entire post with more information about doulas and why we chose the one we did.  We also go the results of our NxGen testing and everything is negative.  That means our gender results are in too & being sent off to our friend for our gender reveal!


Have you told your friends?  Of course!


Miss anything?  Not much.  I mentioned last week that I started reintroducing caffeine back in my life, but honestly it doesn’t seem like it’s having much of an effect on my yet.  I do miss my wine, but not nearly as much as I thought I might.


Movement?  Nothing yet.


Food Cravings?  I craved a donut the other night with pizza.  I’ve been eating apples with peanut butter & lots of strawberries.  Nothing too crazy yet, still lots of candy.


Anything make you queasy or sick?  Nothing!  All I’ve experienced as far as illness goes is allergies.  I never have allergy issues but these last few days I’ve been so congested!  I am using peppermint, lavender, lemon, & melaleuca EO’s to help since I can’t take a decongestant. 


Have you started to show?  Everyone swears there is a little bump but I swear it’s from the food still. 


Gender prediction?  Still guessing boy, but we will find out next weekend for sure!!


Labor signs?  No


Belly button in or out?  In


Wedding rings on or off?  On


Happy of moody?  I am starting to finally feel less moody.  I am also gaining some energy back too!


Looking forward to?  Finally having my first appointment with one of the midwives this week.  They won’t be doing an ultrasound on me again until 22 weeks, but I am excited to finally meet with my regular doctor.

Monday, August 15, 2016

11 weeks



How far along?  11w2d

Total weight gain?  I finally ended up weighing myself on my mom's Fitbit scale and I was at 114, I'm guessing I have maybe only gained a couple pounds if even that because that's been about my weight for the last several years.  I am planning to weigh myself weekly on that scale so I can keep track of what I'm gaining, I'd like to gain about 25 pounds.

Maternity Clothes?  None yet

Stretch Marks?  Nope

Sleep?  Sleep is getting better, energy is getting better, constant hunger is subsiding.

Best Moment this Week?  I didn't get to see the babe this week since our appointment was cancelled which was a total bummer.  However, my friend Jessica and I went and bought all the stuff for the gender reveal in just a few weeks and it was so fun.  It's going to turn out so cute!  Joe has been practicing with the bow & arrow to hit the paint filled balloon.  I filled yesterday's balloon with pink to test his reaction if it is a girl, we still have some work to do on that! :)

Have you told your friends?  Yes of course!  

Miss Anything?  I am slowly introducing caffeine back into my life.  I had my first cup of half & half this weekend and it was glorious.  I ended up doing 8oz of caffeinated and 8oz of decaffeinated just to see how my body would react and it helped with a headache I was having & also helped in the digestive department.

Movement?  Nothing yet.

Food Cravings?  Still craving carbs, but also finally feeling like I can control some of those urges and sticking to some healthier options now that I'm nearing the second trimester.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Not a thing!  

Have you started to show?  Nothing yet, but I think it's coming in the next few eeks

Gender prediction?  Still going with boy!

Labor Signs?  No

Belly button in or Out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or moody?  Moodiness is decreasing, finally!  I think everyone will be happy to see this symptom finally go away.

Looking forward to?  3D ultrasound & NxGen testing Monday!  I cannot wait to see the baby again. It will be the last time for 11 more weeks unless we have any issues.  And less than 3 weeks away from our gender reveal!  Lots of exciting things happening.  I have a lot of nursery ideas, but I'll feel like I can start making some solid plans once we know the gender.  I can't wait! 

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

10 Weeks!



How far along?  10w4d

Total weight gain?  I was supposed to have my first sono tomorrow with my local doctor, but the doctor reviewed my ultrasounds from my RE and decided that I don't need one at this time.  I go in on the 26th to meet with the nurse & do an intake, but I won't have a sonogram until 22 weeks!!  That means our last ultrasound at our RE on Monday will be the last time I will see our babe for 11 weeks! That just seems cruel!

Maternity Clothes?  None yet

Stretch Marks?  Nope

Sleep?  Sleep is about the same as last week, I have good nights and bad nights.

Best Moment this Week?  Well tomorrow's appointment was supposed to be my best moment, but since that was cancelled, I really don't have a best moment this week.  Its been quiet and uneventful which is OK by me.  I did stay home sick the first time this pregnancy with a headache on Tuesday.  I also decided to somewhat start a registry which has been fun.  One good thing about TTC'ing for 5 years was researching and learning about baby products, I could seriously have everything I wanted picked out now if I really wanted to.  

Have you told your friends?  Yes of course!  

Miss Anything?  I ended up having a grilled hot dog at a cook out (everything in moderation!) and it was worth it.  I also had about half a Cherry Pepsi the other day when I had a headache that I could not get rid of. I will start caffeine again once I hit the second trimester.

Movement?  Nothing yet.

Food Cravings?  Anything with carbs!

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Nothing!  I've been so blessed to not have any sickness or queasiness at all!

Have you started to show?  Still just that food baby I've been carrying around.

Gender prediction?  Still going with boy!

Labor Signs?  No

Belly button in or Out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or moody?  Still pretty moody most days.

Looking forward to?  Our 3D ultrasound was also changed.  They decided that they wanted me past 11 weeks so I go Monday the 15th, I will be 11w2d and we should be able to get a clearer picture. This is also when we do the NxGen test meaning that we will know the gender oh-so soon!!

Tuesday, August 02, 2016

9 Weeks!



Do you guys feel like this pregnancy is flying by as fast as I do?  Doing these updates each week has made things really seem like they're going by fast!  Hope you're all enjoying them as much as I am.

How far along?  9w3d

Total weight gain?  Again, no idea.  I go for my first OB appointment on 8/11 and I imagine they'll take my weight at that time & I'll be able to start tracking that.

Maternity Clothes?  None yet

Stretch Marks?  None.  I did get an amazing package of oils from my cousin Michelle, and one of them is specifically for stretch marks so I'm looking forward to trying that!  She also gave me a nausea spray & a rollerball of Happy Mama which is used when a mental lift is needed! I'm throwing that in my purse and using it like every day! Seriously if you're looking into oils, check out her Facebook, she is a wealth of knowledge about them and is probably the sweetest girl I know. 

Sleep?  Sleep has been better, I get up to pee about 4 times a night right now.  I changed my work schedule from 7:00-3:30 to 6:30-3:00 which I like so much better.  I worked that schedule for about 7 years then switched it to the later time last year when we moved.  I hate that extra half hour at the end of the day!  The 30 minutes in the morning goes by much faster than it does in the afternoon.  I get home even earlier and I love being able to take a quick nap every day.  

Best Moment this Week?  It's been a pretty uneventful week so far.  I got the top I'm planning to wear to the gender reveal (free, just had to pay shipping!) which I'm excited about.  Our party is scheduled for 9/3!

Have you told your friends?  Yes of course!  

Miss Anything?  Caffeine, alcohol, hot dogs! - Same as last week!

Movement?  Nothing yet.

Food Cravings?  Cinnamon toast, candy of any kind, chips, hot dogs, cheese, really anything, lol.

Anything make you queasy or sick?  Nothing!  I've been so blessed to not have any sickness or queasiness at all!

Have you started to show?  Not really, mostly just a food belly still.

Gender prediction?  I still think boy!  Gender reveal is set for Labor Day Weekend!! 

Labor Signs?  No

Belly button in or Out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or moody?  Still pretty moody most days.

Looking forward to?  Our 3D ultrasound is this Friday!  I'm so excited for that but also bummed as it's our last appointment with our RE.  Next week we have our first official appointment with our midwife which is local.  I will not miss the 1.5 hour drive to Peoria every week for ultrasounds, but I will miss the staff at my RE's office so much.  They are seriously so amazing and supportive and they think the world of Joe and I and what we did to accomplish this pregnancy and I really just appreicate everything that they have done for us and all the support they have given us.  
 
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