Baby Bump: Week 33

 

33 Weeks

What I'm Wearing:

Dress from Banana Republic

Fedora by Roxy

Bracelet from Express

Necklace from American Eagle

It's been a looooong day. I had my 3-hour glucose tolerance test this morning (more on that in another post) and work has been so busy. I'm so excited and relieved for the 3-day weekend. John and I just had a nice evening of shopping at the Town Center and then dinner at our favorite restaurant Yummy Sushi (don't worry - only cooked sushi for this pregnant lady). I plan on spending the rest of my weekend shopping, getting a prenatal massage, and thinking about some more baby names. People don't believe me when I say we still don't have a name picked out yet. They think I'm being coy or secretive, but no, REALLY, I don't have a name! So any suggestions are welcome :)

"You Will Never Be Skinny Again."

Is this true? I had someone tell me this today, and it's something I hear quite often from other mothers. It may have been true for them, but does it have to be true for everyone? Why is it so laughable when I tell people I have every intention of losing the baby weight? Is this goal so unattainable? Do I really sound that naive? Do these women say this to me out of spite because they simply couldn't lose the weight themselves and want to drag everyone else down with them (that doesn't sound very supportive now, does it)? Whatever the answer may be, I've decided to block out all the noise, which I'm finding I have to do a lot nowadays, from parenting advice to opinions on baby names. I may sound naive, but I still feel very certain that I can lose the baby weight. I find that I'm more motivated than most (or as my Mom put it, "You're way too vain to let yourself go." Um, thanks...?) And my Mom was only 120 pounds after she had two kids, which is close to my pre-pregnancy weight of 115. So why not? I work out regularly. I know how to resist a donut. I think I can do this gosh darn it! And I'm not going to let any naysayers stand in my way.

If there are any mothers-to-be out there who are with me on this one, here's some pictures to keep us all motivated in the meantime. Sure, they're celebrities who have more money and time than most to dedicate to losing weight, but they're still human nonetheless. And I think they're good examples to look up to.

Jessica Alba during pregnancy

www.ahotmama.com

Jessica Alba after pregnancy

www.people.com

I hear her secret to weight loss is burpees. They look pretty intense, but she looks amazing, so I'm all on board!

Halle Berry during pregnancy

www.whenyourebored.wordpress.com

Halle Berry after pregnancy

www.justjared.com

Kourtney Kardashian during pregnancy

www.extratv.com

Kourtney Kardashian after pregnancy

www.lifeandstylemag.com

Counting Kicks

I read recently that at this point in my pregnancy, I should start counting the baby's kicks and if I don't get to a certain number within an hour, then something might be wrong. 

Seriously, I think this is another one of those things that can be added to the long list of ways to make pregnant women paranoid.

I asked my doctor about this at my last appointment and he said he personally believes that's unrealistic because women are too busy and they simply lose count. Also, the baby could very well have long sleep cycles. Phew! This was such a relief because one day last week, I didn't feel him move for several hours. Of course, this happens right after I'd read the article on counting kicks. I'd also been told by my doctor that if this should ever happen, then to put something really cold on my belly, like a bag of frozen vegetables. Babies don't like the cold so this would cause them to react by kicking. So I tried this, but I only felt the tiniest of movements, so small that I wasn't sure if I'd actually felt them or if it was just my paranoid mind trying to convince myself that they were real kicks. At this point, I became completely panicked and alerted John. He insisted on calling the doctor to see if we could swing by quickly and listen to the baby's heartbeat, but for some reason, I refused. I honestly think I was in denial. I was trying to convince myself that nothing was wrong because I seriously wouldn't be able to face it if something was bad (ignorance is bliss right?) As the day wore on, I did finally feel him move a bit, but still not his usual active kicks. But by the next day, everything was back to normal. I asked my doctor about this and he said generally, the baby should be moving throughout the day and if that should ever happen again, then I should call the office and they'll be able to get me in to monitor the baby. That day has still gone unexplained (maybe he was just having a lazy day?), but the doctor says it's good that he's back to his normal self. And boy, is he! His kicks have gotten so hard and frequent lately I can actually see my stomach moving around a bit. I took the video below of my belly, hoping to capture some of these movements.

Can you kinda see it? I know it's subtle. You'll see more movement on the right side of my belly. And I'm not referring to my belly rising and falling - that's just me breathing :)

I read online today that at 33 weeks pregnant, my amniotic fluid level is maxed out, meaning there's less fluid to cushion his pokes and kicks. The other night, he pushed out so hard that John joked it hurt even him. I'm not complaining though. I LOVE feeling him move around. It's really the best feeling in the world. 

Baby Bump: Week 32

32 Weeks

What I'm Wearing:

Blouse from Forever 21

AG Stevie Polka Dot Ankle pants from Anthropologie

Be Maternity BeBand from Target

Sandals from American Eagle

Necklace from Banana Republic

Hi everyone! Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend so far. Again, John and I have had such a busy week, hence the lack of posts. I had another doctor's appointment on Thursday and surprisingly, I didn't gain any weight from my last appointment two weeks ago. However, I hear that's pretty normal at this point in the pregnancy - there will be some weeks where you'll gain a couple pounds and then another couple weeks where you probably won't gain much. I'm not too worried. The doctor said everything looks and sounds great. He measured my belly and it did grow two inches from my last appointment so the Bit is growing happily and steadily :)

I've started going through this phase where I desperately long to wear my non-maternity clothes. There's so many great trends going on right now and I miss partaking in them. Comfortably, at least. I squeezed myself into the jeans you see above because gosh darn it, I want to get in on the polka dot jean trend, too! Of course, I couldn't zip or button the pants up, so I wore my BeBand, which is not the most comfortable thing to wear, but oh well, it allowed me to wear my new pants. I bought these jeans in my pre-pregnancy size and they have enough stretch to accommodate my growing belly (and sadly, thighs) so I have good faith that I'll be able to wear these soon after the baby is born.

Now shoes are a whole 'nother story. At this point, I only have about 2-3 pairs that fit me comfortably enough. I don't know why, but I torture myself with shoe shopping because well, I just like to look at shoes. Of course I never fit into them, which makes me a little sad but at the same time I'm happy to just be shopping!

Baby Bump: Week 31

31 Weeks

What I'm Wearing:

Sleeveless Tiered Maxi Dress by Mossimo

Hamilton Sandals by Sam Edelman

It's been such a busy past couple of weeks for me and John. We both went back to work and the beginning of the school year is usually pretty hectic and nonstop. Once we get into a groove, however, things will start to slow down. This year will be a bit different for us for obvious reasons. I'd like to think of this time as the calm before the storm. With my due date being October 14, that'll put me right at the end of the first grading period so more than likely I'll be taking the 2nd quarter off for maternity leave and returning for the second semester, which I think will be a nice transition. It's been a bit difficult for me returning to work since I had the whole summer to sit and relax - now I'm constantly standing and walking around. Another major difference - during the summer I had the freedom to run to the restroom whenever I needed to. Now I feel like I'm bound to my classroom. But the teachers in my hallway have been extremely helpful and understanding, volunteering to watch my classes for me if I ever have to go. Now John and I are trying to come up with a game plan for when I actually go into labor. I've decided that I'm going to work all the way up until my water literally breaks. If that should happen during the school day, we'll have a plan set in place for who's gonna watch our classes when we suddenly have to leave in the middle of the day. And it'll be quite convenient since we work at the same school now. I can simply waddle on over to his classroom :)

Baby Bump: Week 30

30 Weeks

What I'm Wearing:

Side Tucked Tee by Bordeaux

Jeans by Liz Lange Maternity

Hey everyone! Sorry for not posting in a while. I went back to work last week and I've been super busy ever since (good practice for motherhood!) Anyway, I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'll try to post more this week. In the meantime, have a great Monday!

Maternity Style

A few nights ago, my family and I went out to Seasons 52 to celebrate my Mom's birthday. I always enjoy occasions like these because they give me an excuse to dress up a bit. However, at 29 weeks pregnant, being stylish has become a bit of a challenge, BUT not impossible. I think it's important for all women to maintain their sense of style while pregnant. Sure, oftentimes it seems that the maternity clothing options out there are not exactly the most fashion forward, but there are ways around that. I still buy and wear blouses in my pre-pregnancy size, but I often wear tops that are blousy or have some stretch to them. The only non-negotiables for me have been pants, shorts, and skirts. I absolutely had to get maternity versions of these because they are built with a panel that can stretch with your growing belly. A Pea In The Pod has some great designer maternity denim that's on trend (make sure to take advantage of their buy one, get one free sales). Target also has some great skinny jeans options by Liz Lange. But if you do want to stick to your pre-pregnancy bottoms, you can always invest in the Be Maternity BeBand, which allows you to wear your pants unbuttoned and unzipped while still staying covered up. I personally don't like the belly band. I find that it doesn't stay in place and I'm constantly adjusting it. Plus, since it's made of a relatively thin stretchy material, you can still see all the bumps and ridges underneath (not to mention your unzipped zipper!). Of course, this can be remedied by wearing a longer shirt, but I still find it uncomfortable. And never underestimate the power of a maxi dress! These can be worn comfortably throughout your entire pregnancy AND they're super chic and stylish.

What I'm Wearing:

Top by BCBG

Pants by Joe's

Shoes by Michael Kors

29 Weeks

I absolutely adored Kourtney Kardashian's maternity style. Her clothes were always so fashionable, yet accommodated her growing belly. She recently posted the following video on her blog, where she talks about being stylish during pregnancy. She brings up some good pointers, such as buying regular clothing in bigger sizes or taking advantage of accessories to maintain your fashion sense.