What I Learned About Pregnancy

Now that I'm 1 month postpartum, I thought I would do a little post on what I learned about pregnancy. This is obviously just in regards to my own pregnancy, as we all know, each pregnancy is different in their own way. These are just my thoughts and opinions!

17 weeks

1. Pregnancy waddle is real. It's crazy how much your hips want to be ahead of the rest of your body when you're standing, or walking. Plus it doesn't help that it feels like there's a head in-between your legs!

2. Cravings are also real. Kit Kat Chunky's, Creme Eggs, & Cherry Sours have never held such a special place in my heart. 

18 weeks

3. It's really hard not to compare yourself to other fellow preggos.. but try your best not to and remember that this is your own personal, unique journey!

4. You may get the weirdest, most inconvenient pregnancy symptoms, such as carpal tunnel, jumpy legs or blurred vision... & you might have them all at once.

20 weeks

5. You may feel extra confident with your baby belly & take a million photos of it.

6. Climbing stairs and hills gets real challenging in the later months. 

24 weeks

7. You may pee yourself a little while brushing your teeth/tongue due to sensitive gag reflex. 

8. You may change up your wardrobe to sports bras and leggings once things stop fitting.

26 weeks

9. The first trimester is brutal. If you're one of the special ones who didn't get sick, consider yourself lucky. I was nauseas and threw up everyday for 14 weeks... but then it was like a light switch & I wanted to eat everything!

10. The first time you feel the baby move, is amazing... but the first time I saw my boyfriend feel the baby move, was so emotional.

29 weeks

11. You're really not as "big" as you think you are. I've been looking back through my belly photos, and I really wasn't as huge as I or anyone else thought I was!

12. The gender ultrasound is so fun! We knew we wanted to find out what we were having right away.. Having the ultrasound tech show us his "parts" was so emotional! All I could say was "it's a boy!!!" & then tears started falling. It was the first time I cried at an appointment.

34 weeks

13. You may think you're in the clear for stretch marks, but truth is, you probably just can't see them on that part of your body. You'll see the reality of it once the baby is out. 

14. Emotions change on a dime.

38 weeks

15. It's not as hot as you think it is. Careful not to freeze your boyfriend by opening windows and turning off the heat in the car, during the winter months. 

16. Pregnancy is really not that glamorous at times.... Consider it preparation for the also not so glam labour & birth. 

38 weeks

 17. You will miss your belly after you give birth.

18. You never really get used to your belly sticking out so far. I grazed mine on doors, walls, and the fridge countless times. 

40 weeks

19. Epsom salts & lavender bubble bath is a treat for the tired, aching body.

20. 9 [10] months of pregnancy doesn't prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of love when you see your baby for the first time.

40 weeks & 5 days

Bump Update - 18 Weeks

How far along? 
 18 weeks

Total weight gain/measurements: 
belly has grown half an inch over the last couple weeks!! i really gotta get a scale

Maternity clothes: 
haven't bought any yet.. still waiting for those Asos leggings to come in though... those would come in handy right about now. 

Stretch marks: 
No 

Sleep: 
Literally up at least 3+ times a night. Every night. One night I was up for hours! I feel like it's been a long time since I actually slept all through the night. 

Best moment this week: 
Where do I begin?! It's been such a great couple weeks! My nurse practitioner who I started to see, found me a new nurse practitioner closer to where we live! She's only 15 minutes away, as opposed to 1.5 hours! I searched her online, and theres nothing but amazing reviews about her! Our first appointment with her is next Friday. The only downfall with that, is that the gender ultrasound will probably be delayed until I'm about 20+ weeks.. 

The second best moment was going to Bo's dads place for Thanksgiving dinner. I've always been with my family for Thanksgiving [except for one year when I was in college and my roommate and I made a delicious, huge, home cooked dinner for all of us!], so I was starting to get a little sad thinking that it was just going to be Bo and I... which obviously wasn't going to be the end of the world or anything!... but it's just not the same as being with family. We had an amazing dinner with great company! I was very thankful that day to have the people in my life that I do. 

The third and quite possibly the most incredible thing ever... I felt the baby move for the first time [Oct 16th]!!!!!

Miss anything? 
SLEEP. I don't care if I should "get used to it" or "just wait and see" or "blah blah blah blah blah blah". I'm waking up to a snoring dog, pee breaks, and sweat! I'd like to sleep all night while I can, before I don't have a choice in the matter.  

Movement: 
YES YES YES YES YES and it was amazing. I had been feeling little flutters every now and again for a couple days but couldn't really tell if it was just my own tummy grumbling or if it was the baby. Thursday afternoon, I was 100% confident it was that bebe! It was so amazing feeling him/her move from the inside! I know that I'm pregnant, but every now and again I'm just like "Woah, theres a baby growing in there" haha!
----a couple days after i wrote this, Bo felt the baby move too!----

Food cravings: 
Still sweets & frozen treats. I had an insane craving for Smiley "fries" the other day though. I went to 3 different stores to find them! Still have my tea and toast every morning too. 

Anything making you queasy or sick?
 If I don't eat quick enough when I wake up, I gag. I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, super hungry and super nauseas too...

Gender:  
No idea yet.. It'll probably be longer then I thought before we get that ultrasound.. due to a late appt with our nurse practitioner. 

Labour signs:  
No

Symptoms:  
Tired from lack of sleep is my biggest one. My muscles & joints are a bit achy. My hands and feet are getting extra veiny [if you look at my hands in my 18 week maternity photos, you can see the veins popping out!] Sweating a lot in my sleep, which I never used to do.. I'm going to assume thats another weird pregnancy thing. I get dizzy probably like 90% of the time I stand up.. I gotta learn to move slower!

Belly button in or out?
 In

Happy or moody most of the time: 
Lately its both. I swear my emotions are on some kind of crazy pregnant emotional roller coaster. 

Looking forward to: 
The gender ultrasound 

I think this outfit is so cute and it was SO comfy! I think I've only ever worn this shirt or dress... I'm not too sure what it is actually... but I've only worn it once before! Ive had it for years! I think I'll be wearing it a lot more these days. I had on tights underneath that I hd also had for years. I remember buying them for an "event" outfit, maybe New Years, and never ended up wearing them! They were full of holes in the one leg from the cardboard piece inside that keeps them looking all nice. Had to edit those out ;) The boots are from Shirley [my step dad's mom]. I've worn them a bazillion times. Love love love them. I believe she gave them to me as a Christmas gift :)

18 Week Maternity Photos!

I got upset at the fact that my best friend/personal photographer lives 15 hours away from me & I no longer have anyone to document my pregnancy! I was tired of my iPhone selfies. She so awesomely suggested to take my own photos. The only picture taking device I have besides my iPhone is my lap top! So, since theres no timer on my phone, my lap top won! Which kind of worried me because usually the quality is just ... well... crap. haha! Turns out, as long a you throw a little edit on them, they look not too bad! Still nothing compared to how they COULD have looked with her amazing camera and skills, and NOT my make shift stands and shifty webcam! But I'm workin' with what I got over here haha! She also took the time to edit some of my shots! Here's a mix of both our edits.

The shirt is a green chiffon halter from Warehouse One. This is actually my first time wearing it!

The pants are shiny black leggings from Garage. I bought them one year for a flamingo outfit. They are amazing comfy and they feel fun and slippery on your legs!

Boots are from my step dads mom. They were a Christmas gift!

Bracelet and ring are from Urban Outfitters. 

i love this one!

This shirt is quite large.... It also help that so are my boobs so it's not clinging to my belly what so ever! I don't even look pregnant in this outfit! 

This one is another favourite!

The top I bought from a friend a couple years ago. This is only my second time wearing this one. Its from Le Chateau. I'm not too sure if its a shirt or a dress.... 

The tights are just some cheap ones from the Bargain Shop. I never wore them when they were bought. That was a few years ago... They were quite holey in one leg form being moved so much!

The lipstick I'm wearing is "Dizzy" by Rimmel. 

This dress is amazing! It hugged all the right things in all the right places! I felt quite confident!

Seriously? Where did the baby go?

The sweater dress is from Victorias Secret. It has had quite the time with me and my ever changing body. When I first bought it, it was way too small. The first time I got to wear it, it was pretty tight, but it looked okay, I guess. The third time I wore it, was during a photo shoot with my best friend Sierra, and it fit perfectly! This time I'm wearing it, its too big! I'm going to keep it around for awhile. I'm sure it'll work perfectly for when this belly gets even bigger!

The leggings are from TNA. I have 2-3 pairs of leggings that still fit, all from TNA. They are my saviours right now. 

Boots are from Charlotte Russe. They've done their time. I desperately need a new pair. I had to hot glue the bottom of a boot in order to wear them for photos. Haha!

Belt is from Urban Outfitters. Headband is from the Bargain Shop. 

The lipstick is N.Y.C Smooch Proof Long Wearing Lip Colour in 489C. This stuff is amazing. It lasts for so long!

I loved this look so much. The outfit, the hair, the lip colour! Loved it.