We’re halfway there!

We are finally at the halfway point and I can’t believe I’m 21 weeks now! In that sense I do feel like time is going by really fast. At the same time it still feels like I have such a long way to go before I get to meet her.

If you haven’t read my last post about our Big Reveal, you can catch up HERE!

After we found out we were having a girl and when she finally started kicking, it definitely began to feel more REAL. It’s just up until that point I felt like I just wasn’t really pregnant sometimes. It’s hard to explain but it’s definitely a surreal feeling considering we have been talking about this moment for such a long time.

Over the past couple of weeks I have received tons of questions of people just wondering how pregnancy is treating me so far so I wanted to give you all a little update! Whether you’re already a mama or maybe thinking about starting a family in the future soon, I think it’s nice to hear the experiences from other women. Everyone has a different pregnancy and not one is the same as the other but the best thing is to just be there for other women.

I do want to say thank you to those that constantly check up on me and want to know how I am doing. It really means so much that you care to know how I’m feeling and it makes me feel incredibly blessed!

Alright so here goes a full update on everything pregnancy!

Weight Gain?:

Since my first doctors visit at week 8, I have gained 3 lbs. Within the first few visits in between I did lose weight since I was having a hard time eating. I am much better now and only have nausea every now and then!

I am not entirely sure on my pre-pregnancy weight because I didn’t actually weigh myself.

I had a doctors appointment yesterday and she said my weight is on track. She measured my belly and said that was perfect too!

So mama is healthy and baby girl is growing perfectly!

Stretch Marks:

Let me start this by saying that I went into pregnancy accepting that I would probably get stretch marks.

So far I am starting to get some stretch marks around the nipple area. SORRY TMI but I know some of you may want to know! I started to notice them coming last week. My skin is stretching so much in the chest area as it’s not usually use to the bigger breasts LOL!

As far as my stomach there is no stretch marks yet. My belly hasn’t necessarily popped yet so I guess I’ll check back in around the beginning of the 3rd trimester!

Body Aches/Pains?:

Overall I would say that I am not feeling any extreme aches or pains right now. I have always had sciatica issues since high school so that does flare up every now and then. A couple weeks ago my sciatica had flared up for about a week. I researched some new stretches and sleeping positions which has helped so far!

Eventually I plan on going to to chiropractor though as I know that is something I need.

Cravings:

I get this question a ton and honestly I don’t crave anything weird or out of the ordinary. My cravings have been similar to what I would normally crave pre-pregnancy.

You know like fruit with limon/tajin, anything carbs LOL, and In n out!

I have not made Cesar go get food in the middle of the night though, at least not yet.

Diet:

When I say diet I just mean what am I eating on a normal basis. I am in no shape or form on a diet or restricting myself, and I am just listening to my body.

It’s really hard for me to eat 3 large meals a day as I feel very full and can’t eat too much. So I just try and eat whenever I feel hungry!

For breakfast I usually have eggs with a wheat tortilla and some form of fruit! Recently I discovered Juice Floe, so I like to have a morning juice, they are so good! I also have yogurt with fruit and peanut butter if I’m not in the mood for eggs.

For lunch/Dinner I have some sort of protein with carbs and veggies. I am a big fan of soups so I make soup often to get my meals in. If I’m eating out then I love to eat at Flame Broiler because it’s so healthy.

The snacks I love to eat are fruit, hummus, thin pretzels, and sometimes a pressed juice!

Sleep:

I have a very hard time sleeping at night and usually I am up late. If I am super active during the day, my body will feel tired but my mind is still awake.

I am using a sleeping mask from Slip that you can find HERE and I absolutely love it! It was a gift and it blocks out all the light for me!

Now that baby girl is moving more she had me up last night. I do hear it gets worse as both of us start growing more.

Working out:

I am still able to workout and I try to commit to at least 3-4 days of doing something active.

In the morning I do stretch for my sciatica and I do this sitting squat that is supposed to help with my tight hips. I’ve always had really tight hips and have never really been that flexible. I do the sitting squat pose for about 15-20 minutes. It is uncomfortable but it doesn’t hurt or anything.

In terms of cardio I use the treadmill at my house and walk on high incline for about 20-25 minutes. I follow it up with body weight or low weight exercises. If I am too tired from doing something than I don’t push myself!

What’s next?:

In terms of preparation I have already started doing my registry, planning for my baby shower and even started to think about nursery.

The registry has been interesting since there is so many brands and products out there! I have been talking to a lot of moms and received some good input when I asked you guys on Instagram! I will do a blog post on some of the major items and what is on my list. It would be fun to compare after and see what I actually use/really like after too!

I picked a theme for my baby shower and honestly I love it!! We already starting buying some stuff and I feel like slowly it will start coming together. I am starting to look around for vendors for: catering, cake, cupcakes, treats, possible furniture rentals, backdrop rentals, and possibly a really cool balloon arch thing.

As of right now I think I am going to carry the same theme over for my nursery. I just like it that much and I feel like I haven’t really seen it around too much either!

One last thing…

I did start to take some hypnobirthing training classes. These sessions have been online and all pre- recorded sessions. They reached out to me and I was able to have the digital pack for free!

I have been loving the videos and it has helped me look at pregnancy and the birthing experience completely different.

For those that may be wondering what hypnobirthing is:

Hypnobirthing is a logical approach to childbirth and helps you think of pregnancy in a more positive way. They go over common terms or phrases you hear and how it can affect you during birth which was really cool for me to learn.

You can find more information on it HERE.

Well guys it’s been real and I am so happy you all get to follow along with me on this journey!

If you have any questions please reach out to me!

It’s been real.

XOXO,

Liz-Laugh-Love