Pregnancy Progression

I'm not at the point where I miss my baby bump yet, but I know the time will come. I actually feel like it was so long ago that I was pregnant even though it was only 4 months ago. I'll tell you what I do miss. I miss my full head of hair, great skin, and a body that I'm comfortable with. Currently I'm shedding like crazy, my face is dry in my t-zone, I'm underweight and I'm tired. I'll be doing another postpartum update soon.

To read Ava's birth story click here.

35 Weeks Pregnant!

Total weight gain: Since my last bump update I've only put on another half a pound so I'm up 20.5 pounds now. 

Maternity clothes? Yes. I can hardly find anything to wear these days. Even with some of my maternity tops my belly is starting to peek underneath. I'm also living in my black maternity pants. I swear I wear those all the time if I'm not in a dress. At this point I refuse to buy anymore maternity bottoms.

Stretch marks? No new ones that I can tell.

Sleep: Meh. Same as always. Stinks! It's not even the pregnancy though, it's my 2 and a half year old Mariam who still climbs into our bed at night. I'm also up at least 3 times between falling asleep and 6 am to use the restroom. 

Best moment this week: Hmm. I'd say getting some more baby things in order and sewing more things. It's also been exciting getting everything ready for Serena to start 7th grade and Layla who is starting pre-K tomorrow!

Movement: She's always been a busy bee. I'm starting to get convinced that she hasn't turned head down yet. I just really can't explain why I feel her poking out from everywhere, very much in my ribs, or why a lot of her movements actually hurt. It wasn't like this with the other girls. I have an OB appt this Friday so I'll be finding out where she is.

Food cravings: Tazo passion fruit tea. I've been having a cup just about every day for the past week. I've hardly had cravings other than sweets but last weekend I just had to have some of this tea so I bought a box from the grocery store. 

Labor Signs: The braxton hicks contractions have been minimal. I get a few a day and some are uncomfortable, but nothing I haven't experienced for the past few weeks. 

Symptoms: The middle part of my back still hurts a lot and I've been extra anxious and weepy this past week. Just a lot going on with everything and these hormones are kicking.

Have a great Monday!

Coping with pregnancy hormones

Before you get all comfortable with your morning coffee thinking I've got some great tips because I've been pregnant 5 times and should be an old pro at this, guess again. I'm currently in the midst of a rough pregnancy roller coaster ride this week. In fact I thought about making the heading of this post "when mommy flies off the handle".

Writing is therapeutic though (there's one tip for ya) so here I am pouring my thoughts out to you fine people. I've mentioned before that the first trimester was particularly rough because I had terrible nausea for a while. I didn't mention that weeks 7-10 were a little hard with all the emotions. When I first found out I was pregnant with this baby it was only 6 days after making a huge move from Texas to Florida. A 4th baby just wasn't in the plans. I almost didn't want to tell my husband I was expecting--at least not until I was showing. I was nervous to tell him. He's very practical and I knew he would be bring up the cost of raising another child here in Florida where we were still adjusting to a higher cost of living. He surprised me by laughing and mentioning how the timing is crazy but on the other hand he feels blessed. However, as the weeks went by and I grew sicker I felt I wasn't getting the support I needed. Emotionally and physically as in taking care of more things around the house. We had a couple talks and things got much better. 

Since then and when the nausea went away, the pregnancy has been going great. Any nervous feelings I had about bringing a 4th child into the world have long been gone and I cherish every day I'm pregnant with this sweet baby girl. Monday was a particularly wonderful day with the family and I marveled at how lucky I was. Come Tuesday something changed drastically. I've felt more tired this week, irritable, and been having these anger outbursts. I know I work hard at my business and around the house and I don't get enough sleep, but that's nothing new. I'm attributing these anger outbursts to pregnancy hormones. For instance yesterday I was ok, but towards the end of the day I ended up throwing a closed bottle of Pepsi across the room and broke a glass cup by shoving it in the dishwasher angrily. Mommie dearest anyone?

Today is Friday which means H is home for the next two days and that definitely makes things easier. I also scheduled a prenatal massage for the evening so hopefully that helps. We also plan on going to the beach this weekend which is relaxing. I'm no expert at coping with pregnancy hormones and sometimes I do a crappy job at it--as in I don't nearly take some "me" time as much as I should, but I think the first important step is being able to recognize yourself when you're acting out of sorts and making a positive effort to deal with it. 

Have a great weekend!

We are having a.......

baby girl!!

I know almost everyone thought....or hoped that it would be a boy, but it looks like we are just destined to have a house full of girls. We are happy with whatever we are blessed with.

When we went for our ultrasound the little lady didn't want to cooperate and for a few seconds we were thinking boy because we saw something, but we ended up getting a clear picture that it is in fact a girl. We also get to have another more in depth ultrasound next week and hopefully I'll get some pictures this time. 

This past weekend the family and I went to Mounts Botanical Gardens in West Palm Beach and took some pictures to share with our family and friends. The park is a hidden gem and Saturday was just beautiful outside. The beautiful balloon tassel was provided by Love Pretty Details and I absolutely loved it! The tissue garland was already assembled and all I had to do was tie it on the balloon after I had it blown up with helium. So easy and so fun! I made the mistake of not putting enough helium in the balloon since it's supposed to be bigger, but it still came out great. Take a look at their shop for gorgeous handmade party decor.

Excited to add another little girl to this bunch!

Etsy shop: Love Pretty Details

Follow on Instagram: @Loveprettydetails

Have a great Tuesday!

18 Weeks Pregnant!

(As of today 18 weeks 5 days)

Total weight gain: I don't have a scale at home so I have no idea but my pants don't feel tighter except in the belly area so I don't think I've gained much since my last appointment.  

Maternity clothes? Yes and no. I found an old stash of maternity shirts in a closet so I took those out and have been wearing a few.

Stretch marks? Still too early in the game.Nothing new to report here.

Sleep: I've been sleeping a little bit better these past 2 weeks. The girl's have been better about climbing into our room in the middle of the night. Part of the reason is Mariam has started to just climb into Serena's bed instead of ours. 

Best moment this week: Feeling the baby become more active. I could of sworn it had hiccups yesterday but it just seems so early to tell so maybe not. 

Miss Anything? Breathing like a normal person. I feel constantly out of breath this past week.

Movement: I've been feeling a decent amount of movement this week. 

Food cravings: Pretty much anything bad. Haha! Fried foods, candy.

Food aversions: Nothing I can think of this week.

Labor Signs: No thank goodness. Way to early for all that, but I've been feeling a lot of braxton hicks contractions. More when the girl's stress me out or I have to yell at them for fighting amongst each other.

Symptoms: A little indigestion, not much energy, getting winded fast.

Have a great Tuesday!

Events & Pregnancy fashion

This past weekend was full of events. By the time Sunday rolled around I was actually happy to be back in my yoga pants and ponytail. The weekend kicked off with the Boca Bacchanal which is a food and wine event benefiting the Boca historical heritage society. It was held at the Atlantic Aviation hanger in Boca and unfortunately it rained cats and dogs as soon as we arrived but that did not keep the crowd away, let me tell you. There was over 140 featured wines from world-renowned vintners and delicious by-the-bite specialties from over 30 South Florida restaurants. Guests were also able to experience private jet tours, chef demonstrations, car displays, fashion presentations from Saks Fifth Avenue and live entertainment. H and I had a great time and hope to attend next year. I also got to know a few bloggers which was fun. 

(Excuse the blurry phone pictures. Every time I move them to the computer they come out blurry.) 

The next morning Serena and I had a mother daughter tea and book discussion event at the library but I'll do a separate post on that. So Saturday evening in continuing the Boca Bacchanal event we attended a vintner dinner which was held at the homes of various Boca notables. The one we went to was held at the home of the president for the Boca Raton historical society. Her home was beautiful! Dinner was exquisite and the company was great. It's only too bad I didn't get to enjoy any of the wines, but maybe next time. 

Have a great Thursday!

14 Weeks!

(Actually 14  weeks 4 days today)

Total weight gain: As of my last appointment at 12 weeks I hadn't gained any weight due to the nausea. 

Maternity clothes? I busted out one of my maternity shirts this past week, but most of my tops are flowy so I can get away with wearing them for awhile. Some shorts are getting a little snug around the waist.

Stretch marks? Still too early in the game.Nothing new to report here.

Sleep: Still waking up at least once a night either due to needing to use the restroom or one of the girls has come into our room.

Best moment this week: Hmm..Well I had a great week with the family. H was off work for a week and Serena was off school for Spring Break. We spent a lot of time outdoors doing different things. More on that later. 

Miss Anything? Having energy. Being able to go through the day without nausea.

Movement: It's been very subtle this week. I think I felt it more early on when I was around 11 weeks and my uterus was still tender.

Food cravings: Meh. I never know what I have a taste for. Thanks nausea! I do still love pizza though. 

Food aversions: Sometimes I'll be chewing chicken or meat and all of a sudden I'll want to throw up. Sometimes it's the texture. It's weird and happens randomly.

Gender: Not sure yet, but getting close to finding out. Next month!

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Tired every day. Random burping, occasional heartburn. Nausea.

Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move more and more and finding out what we are having. Just listened to the baby on my fetal doppler this morning and the heartrate was going strong at 168.

Have a great Monday!

10 Weeks

(Excuse the blurry, bathroom camera phone picture. This is my most recent 10 week bump shot.)

Here is weeks 7, 8 though. My belly apparently wastes no time as soon as it knows it's pregnant. Also, I finally dyed my hair 2 weeks ago. It was brasssyyy as you can see by my 7 week picture, but I'll do a follow up post on this next week. 

How far along? 10 weeks1 day.

Total weight gain: I'm not sure. My starting out weight for this pregnancy was 102 lbs.

Maternity clothes? No, but it is time for a belly band already and I like to wear comfy lounge or yoga pants throughout the day.

Stretch marks? Still too early in the game. I'm hoping I don't get any new ones. I have a few on the sides of my butt from my first pregnancy and one above my belly button from my 3rd pregnancy.

Sleep: It's hard to get comfortable at night. Not sure why at this point. Also I don't sleep through the night. Layla and Mariam are back in the habit of waking up and crawling into our bed in the middle of the night. Sometimes I'll take them back because 4 of us in a queen size bed is not comfortable, but sometimes I'm too tired to take them back to their room and have to sit there till they fall asleep.

Best moment this week: Ok you guys are going to think I'm nuts, but I think it's possible. Around 9 weeks and 5 days I started to feel the tiniest little flutters and bubbles. I know it sounds crazy, but they do already start kicking up a storm around 10 weeks. Also, I'm thin and my uterus has been tender since the beginning of this pregnancy. I think that's another reason I've been feeling movement already. I've had a few babies so I know what early movement feels like, but I've never felt movement this early. First time for everything I suppose.

Miss Anything? Having energy. Not being nauseous every day.

Movement: (See "best moment of the week question.")

Food cravings: None at this point, but I am loving pizza a lot these days.

Food aversions: Not much. Despite feeling nauseous all the time, I still enjoy food. Though smells hit me hard sometimes. My sense of smell is definitely heightened. 

Gender: Not sure yet.

Labor Signs: No.

Symptoms: Tired every day, occasional dizzy spells in the morning. Nausea throughout the day. I'm still taking the diclegis nightly. 

Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move more and more.

Have a great weekend!

Baby #4

There's a saying that goes, "life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans." That's very true. We had plans for our new life here in Florida, but what we didn't realize was that there was another passenger with us when we left Texas on New Year's Eve. I found out on our 6th day here in Boca last month that our family is growing. Crazy! I've been quiet these past few weeks because I've been really sick. Every symptom in the book, and severe all day nausea. I could hardly function! 

We got to see our little baby almost 2 weeks ago on an ultrasound where it was confirmed that I was 8 weeks pregnant. I honestly was scared about twins because I couldn't understand all this nausea and fatigue compared to my other pregnancies, but it's just one healthy little baby. I always get a little nervous before that first confirmation ultrasound but my fears were put aside after seeing the fast beating of the heart. It's always such an amazing feeling and we got plenty of pictures. I actually found out really early about this pregnancy. I knew since I was 3 weeks and 2 days and that's only because my body had been feeling off and I know my body. Something was up! I was so happy when I finally got to meet my new OB because she prescribed me medication for the severe nausea. I'm taking Diclegis and the first day I took the full dosage, I was a zombie so I started taking half the dosage and it started to help. What a relief! However, I'm back on the full dosage because half was no longer cutting it and thankfully my body regulated and I don't feel like a zombie though I am still very tired daily. Some days the medicine doesn't even cut it though. I was nauseous all day yesterday and it wasn't fun. 

Hopefully when I get to the first trimester I will start feeling better. I'm praying because it's pretty hard when you already have toddlers to look after, a family and a business to run. Not too mention still getting adjusted in a new state. I'm currently 9 weeks and 5 days and yes already bumping along. My belly does not mess around as soon as it knows it's pregnant, though I feel like I'm definitely in that stage where I'm not sure if people think I'm pregnant or that my belly is just like this because I've had 3 kids. Haha! I'll do my first bump picture on Thursday when I'm 10 weeks and then do them every 2 weeks. I can't believe I'm having another baby!

Ps. I think it's another girl. The heart rate was 160 and the yolk sac was on the left, but we'll see. Not counting ourselves out yet. As always I'd like a boy for H, but I'd be perfectly happy with another sweet baby girl. It's now or never though. I'm not having another baby after this one. This first trimester has been so bad honestly I never want to experience this again. On top of that, we feel our family will be complete for many reasons.

Have a great Tuesday!

That old feeling..

Has up and left the building. What old feeling you ask? I haven't talked about it much because there isn't much to talk about since it's completely crazy, but not really irrational. Happens to most women, but shortly after having Mariam (third baby mind you), I was already missing my baby bump. In fact I hesitated when people would ask me if my husband and I would try again for another--perhaps a boy since we have all girls. I would say no "we're done", but it wasn't the truth. However the truth was partly for the wrong reasons. 

I loved being pregnant. Sure I had morning sickness, fatigue, aches and pains, worries, a bout of infertility, a miscarriage, but I loved being pregnant! There's nothing like hearing your babies first heartbeat, feeling them move inside of you and then bringing them into the world. Nothing. Of course childbirth isn't always easy on the body and there can be lasting effects, and babies are only babies for a short period of time. 

I also felt most beautiful pregnant. I felt healthy, I felt full of life. No trying to constantly gain weight since it came naturally, no feeling scrawny as I sometimes do. I felt the most womanly I could possibly feel. I felt empowered and more head over heels in love with my husband knowing I'm bringing a child of ours into the world. 

A couple weeks ago at 14 months postpartum while driving home from the grocery store, I realized I no longer miss my baby bump, I no longer miss being pregnant. This is a good thing. I am happy for this. I am happy with my three and my life. I feel life would be madness for me adding another baby in the next couple of years. However I have not ruled out completely another child--ever. I cannot say what my feelings will be when Layla & Mariam are 5 and 4 and no longer babies, but for now I'm taking it year by year. 

Postpartum: 9 months in....9 months out.

Mariam is now 9 months so I did a comparison picture this weekend. I've been bad and have not been working out and doing stomach exercises lately. I had hoped to get a washboard stomach by now, but I haven't made exercise a priority. I still plan too. I do try to exercise these days at least twice a week and I'm on my feet pretty much all day. Combined with breastfeeding and fast metabolism, I didn't have any trouble losing the baby weight. As I mentioned in my last postpartum post, I highly recommend binding your stomach postpartum especially if your stomach gets huge like mine and you've had more than one baby.

How to make a baby

 

Two weeks ago I came across this photo series taken by canadian photographer Patrice Laroche and I've been meaning to share it. Ha-ha! Makes me wish I would of come up with something like this. I love how he made his shoe fall off too. So creative!

6 Weeks Postpartum

I am now 6 weeks postpartum and I'm happy with the way things are coming along but I'm still not comfortable wearing form fitting tops. My stomach went down really fast in the beginning and while it is a little smaller than my 2.5 week postpartum update here, progress has slowed down as expected. I think it's really close to the point where it's gone down just about as far as it can on it's own and now it's time to start exercising.

 

I still have loose skin around my belly button and I get self conscious around H when I pull up my top to breastfeed and I've got this roll sitting on top of my pants. It takes about 6 months after pregnancy for everything to come back into place and exercise will tighten the skin, so I try to remember that. I've been waiting for the 6 week mark to start exercising. I haven't done any at all--and really I'm not in a rush. I know I'm lucky to have fast metabolism, but as I mentioned before, you can actually hinder your progress of getting back to pre-pregnancy size if you start too soon. I actually plan on waiting till the weekend to start walking and I will start incorporating other exercises next week. I plan on waiting at least two more weeks if not longer for ab work.

 

My stomach got so stretched out last year and this year so I really want to give my stomach muscles a chance to come back together and not aggravate the process by doing standard situps. I have to build up my core first.

 

Here is the progression thus far:

 

 

As far as other postpartum issue besides getting back into shape, I'm happy to report that I haven't had any baby blues. I still get some random sciatic nerve pain in one of my legs here and there, and my neck and shoulders hurt related to breastfeeding from last year (that's another post), but that's pretty much all I can think of. Later this afternoon I have my 6 week postpartum appointment where the nurse will check and make sure my uterus is back to it's normal size and we'll be discussing birth control...because this baby making factory is closing up shop! I'm not ready to do anything permenant in case I ever change my mind, but I really don't see that happening. I've got more than I can handle and I feel like my family is complete with three girls.

2.5 Week Post Partum Update

I'm 3 weeks postpartum today, but I took these photos this past Friday. I'm happy with my progress so far. Honestly, I was worried about how my stomach was going to look after being so stretched out with this pregnancy and it being my third....and the fact that it was this big last year too!
 

I mean hello torpedo belly!....

 

 

I gained a total of 25 lbs and I'm not sure how much I weigh right now because my scale is broken, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting close to my pre-pregnancy weight.

 

Ok, so you are probably wondering what my secret is--and I'm going to tell you.

 

Control top underwear. Yep. I'm not wearing them in these pictures, so that is my stomach not compressed, but I'm telling you these things are miracle workers! The brand I've been using is Bali in style 8710. I totally have to credit my mom on urging me to bind my belly down this time. Whether you get a corset, an actual postpartum belly binder, or control top underwear. Just get something that keeps your belly nice and tight. The type that I used has the top that goes all the way up to about an inch above my belly button. .

 

I still have a ways to go but I'll get there. I'm in no hurry to exercise yet. You have to take it easy the first few weeks. I stayed busy but I didn't lift anything heavy, or drive the first week and a half.  You don't want to strain your belly or put any type of unnecessary pressure on it. It won't help your recovery and you could get a hernia. Also continue to lotion your belly and drink lot's of water. Another thing that helps is breastfeeding since when the baby nurses, it makes your uterus contract and go back to it's natural size faster.

 

This recovery has gone so much better than last year. I haven't had any postpartum blues--minus being a little extra sensitive and I'm bouncing back faster. I really credit the fact that I stayed active and busy this pregnancy. I was pretty much on my feet for much of the day since I had Layla to tend too.

 

Happy Cyber Monday!



Mariam's birth story & my recovery

 

Delivery

 

As I mentioned, Mariam decided to arrive right on her due date! Last Sunday I decided to take the girls for a walk to get out of the house. We walked about a mile (me pushing Layla in the stroller) and then we stopped back at the house so I could drop Layla off with H. Serena and I continued walking and all in all, I walked a total of 2 miles. I remember my belly tightening while walking but that was normal for me. Once I got home and for the remainder of the evening, I felt no additional contractions. I was a little bummed. So I went to sleep around 11:00 pm thinking that I was just going to have another long night of waking up to use the restroom multiple times like usual.

 

Around 2:00 am, I wake up to use the restroom and I realized I had my bloody show. This was new for me so I wondered if Labor was coming. I went back to bed and that's when the first contraction hit. It was like my others in the past, but I still needed to breathe through it. The next one came 12 minutes later so I started timing them with an app on my iphone. the next one came 10 minutes later, and then 5 minutes and then down to 3. Once I checked the times in between and they started getting pretty painful, I knew this was the real deal. I called my mom about 3:00 am and had her head over to stay with the girls so we could head to the hospital. By the time we arrived at the hospital it was 4:30 am and I was in a lot of pain. They got me in a room and I hated having the contraction monitor strapped to me. When I'm in labor I don't want anything restricting on me, or anybody touching me.

 

At that point, I was in PAIN. I can honestly say that out of my other two labors, the contractions this time around were by far the worst! I could see the peaks on the moniter and most of them were off the charts. All I could do was grip the sides of the bed and writhe around. Some of them were so bad that my midsection would literally spasm. It was unbearable! At times I would just talk to myself saying over and over again..."it's almost over, you're almost there".

 

I wish they could administer the epidural right away, but it doesn't happen like that. You have to answer all these questions, you have to have an internal check and your blood needs to be drawn and sent to the lab. I finally got the epidural close to 8:00 am. Let me tell you, it was heaven after that. Omg! Sweet relief. Once it kicked in, all I felt was just slight pressure when a contraction hit. After about an hour I had to wear an oxygen mask and lay on my left side because Mariam's heartrate went down with two contractions. It wasn't an issue again, but it still worried me and I had to wear it while I delivered as well. Around 11 something, I was at 10 cm and ready to push. I pushed 10 times and she was out. I felt no pain. This delivery was a far cry from Layla's. It was so much easier. She was born at 11:40.

 

Recovery

 

It's been so much easier this time around, and a huge part of it is because I didn't tear or need an episiotomy. So in other words, my nether regions don't hurt. I've had cramping which is normal--especially during nursing, and I can definitely feel uncomfortable if I overdue it...oh and my back hurts here and there but that's about it. By Friday I had left the house with H to run some errands and I felt ok. I also left the house yesterday. Mariam has been waking a lot at night but for the past 2 nights she has given us a three hour stretch at one point during the night. I feel much better equipped to handle lack of sleep this time. Maybe it's because I did it not too long ago. When I had Layla, it had been almost 8 years since having a newborn so it was like a cold slap in the face. I even feel better about my appearance post partum this time. Last time I felt disconnected and like a zombie with huge bags under my eyes when I would go out in public. Right now I feel pretty much like myself, just more tired.

 

It's been a week and so far Mariam hasn't been too difficult. She spends most of the day sleeping and has a period in the afternoon and evening of wakefullness. She nurses all the time and it's going well, but her latch isn't the greatest. She also snacks a lot rather than get her belly full in one sitting. As far as dealing with three children in the house, and two of them being under 2 yrs old....welllll let's just say that needs it's own post and I'm sooooo glad H is home for 2 weeks.

 

40 Week Baby Bump!

 

Oh hello there. As you can see I'm still here at 40 weeks. I can honestly say I've never been this pregnant before. I have mixed emotions. I love pregnancy and I know I'm going to miss it, but at the same time, it's the not knowing and her not being on time that has me a little on edge. I've been pretty restless and wanting the days to go by fast--I can't wait to meet her!

How far along? 40 Weeks!!

Total weight gain: 25 lbs. Looks like I am weighing less than I was last year pregnant. With Serena I gained 12 lbs and with Layla I gained 35 lbs.

Maternity clothes? Yes some, and I'm sure H is tired of seeing me wear the same old black yoga pants at home all the time. They are the most comfortable though.

Stretch marks? ::Cries:: Yes. I noticed new ones a little over a week ago. They waited till the end to come out. They are by my belly button and luckily are light, but are still unwelcome permanent residents visitors.
Sleep: Bad. Im getting up nightly around 2am thinking it's morning and then it takes me awhile to fall back to sleep. I also get up 2-3 times to use the restroom.
Best moment this week: The week just started so hoping we get to meet our little baby.
Miss Anything? Something not hurting.
Movement: Yes but she is cramped in there, so I don't feel her as much.
Food cravings: Chocolate and sweets
Food aversions: Nope.
Boy or girl: Girl!
Labor Signs: Meh.
Symptoms: Lot's of going to the bathroom, lack of sleep and emotions are riding high.
Belly Button in or out? Out and flat..sorta
Wedding rings on or off? Off
Looking forward to: Dr's appt & Ultrasound tomorrow. The last one tomorrow I hope. I know we'll be scheduling an induction date since the practice doesn't let you go past 41 weeks. I'm thinking Friday, November 9th would be good. In for the weekend and out by Monday. Not too mention Monday, November 12th is Serena's 10th birthday and I know she wouldn't want to share her birthday.

 

Just have to throw this one in there, because it really is a true picture of how this belly actually looks! It's very oddly torpedo shaped. Whenever I go out I immediately see people's eyes zone in on it. Sometimes I feel self concious but I'm pretty used to it. Haha.

 



Body after baby...

 

Let's face it, most of us aren't going to have a personal trainer on hand ready to call upon after we have a baby. Chances are we aren't even going to be motivated to work out due to being sleep deprived. You don't want to work out too fast anyways until it's cleared by your doctor. Jumping too quick into an exercise regimen after a baby can cause long term effects--and not in a good way.

 

When I had my first I was barely 20 and I had youth on my side. Not that I'm not still youthful now, but this is 10 years later people. I had lost all my weight within the first week. I had only gained 12 lbs as it was. I liked my body after giving birth. Being slight my whole life, I felt it added some curves I didn't notice before. Muscle tone was always easy to put on since I played sports most of my life, but this was different. I felt more womanly. 2 years after I had Serena I started playing soccer again and I was even happier with my body--and proud that I was doing this after having a baby.

 

 

I quit soccer because we were having difficulty conceiving Layla, but still tried to stay active here and there. With Layla I gained 35 lbs and wasn't crazy about my postpartum body. My belly was huge pregnant with her (like I am now) and it took about 3 months to lose all the weight. By 4 months postpartum I started rapidly dropping the weight. I got too skinny and my clothes were hanging off me. I was back at work at this time so I'm sure being sleep deprived, busy and stressed wasn't helping. I gained some weight but it was hard until this recent pregnancy. (9 months postpartum I was already pregnant again)

 

The challenge I see myself having this time is my belly. Around 8 months postpartum I was barely targeting my stomach and then got pregnant so I never got to see it toned and flat again between these two babies. I know that I would bend over and it would still wrinkle around the belly button, and if I got too full, you could see roundness. Sort of like my intestines hadn't fully moved back into position. That's why shortly after this baby, I plan on getting a belly wrap. My mom told me to wrap my belly after I had Layla but I didn't listen. I thought I'd have no issue like with my first.

 

 

 

So the plan after this baby is to start with something not too strenuous like yoga and pilates coupled with walking and then move onto toning followed by ab work once my abdominal muscles have gone back into position.

 

The state of the uterus & what's in my hospital bag...

 

 

So I had an OB appt and ultrasound yesterday and everything looked great. The ultrasound tech spent a good amount of time showing us our little girl and we even got to see one of her squishy legs. Like you can see where she has a little fat roll already! Little chunker. :)

 

Her estimated weight is 7lbs 1 oz and I'm 1 and a half centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. She's head down but still a little high up. When my OB was doing the internal she said she could stretch me to about 2 centimeters and I could start feeling the pressure, but I was like "noooo thanks!" I'm still traumatized from having my membranes swept last pregnancy. Really it was one of the single most painful things I have ever experienced. We'll just let this baby girl come on her own accord. Preferably next week.

 

I started packing my bag this past Sunday and here's what I've got:
 

{Comfy Express t-shirt, ribbed maternity tank, lounge pants, lotion and toiletries. Not pictured are things like contact stuff, nursing bras, robe, and hair stuff.}



{Babies get cold so I'm taking her little leggings and a couple of tops. I have some cute newborn dresses, but I doubt she will fit into any of them. They didn't fit Layla last year. I don't think I'll use the hot pink headband since it doesn't match anything, but I plan on adding a little bow to the cap. Also taking a pair of socks, mittens for scratching, burp clothes and blanket.}

 

You really don't need a whole lot of stuff going into have a baby. The hospital provides you with most of what you need. I also need to remember to take my camera, phone charger, and a book or magazines.

 

I can't believe she is almost here. I set up her bassinet the other day and it just feels so surreal. ...:sniff....sniff:...