Hello, Third Trimester
As of today I am halfway through my 28th week of pregnancy. I don’t even know if I would describe it all as fast or slow. The first 16 weeks where nausea plagued me night and day…those were definitely slow. But then my second trimester was a breeze and a whole lot of fun with picking out everything for our registry, enjoying the holidays, and starting to really embrace the “nesting” stage.
Oh! And our babymoon. We ventured north west through the mountains of Virginia for our last one-on-one getaway (for awhile). When I heard about the growing trend of a babymoon a few years back, I thought it was kind of…dumb. But I think that getting out of town for a few days while you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy and taking some intentional time to spend with your spouse can be so valuable.
It snowed a couple inches while we were there, making the perfect backdrop for the surrounding mountains and quaint downtown area. We stayed in the most darling B&B which you can see more about here. The newly renovated rooms of this 1800’s structure and fresh pastries from the local bakery at breakfast made for a really cozy and sweet time.
Through the past six months I have done a lot of research for so much involving pregnancy and taking care of our baby. For anyone who may be interested, I’ve listed a few of my favorite pregnancy finds below that I hope will help (or entertain) you who may be going through this wonderful experience someday:
MY PREGNANCY FAVES:
1.) The PharMeDoc Total Body Pregnancy Pillow. I did a lot of research on pregnancy pillows before getting one. Did I really need it? Was it worth the money? In the words of Jane Bennet when Mr. Bingley proposes to her, “Yes, a thousand times yes.”
2.) Cedarwood Oil. I’m sensing a trend here…my pregnancy faves are the things that have helped me sleep at night…but really, it’s true. I haven’t gotten super into the oil game yet, but I did buy Cedarwood oil and started rubbing it on the bottom of my toes at night to aid with restful sleep. Ladies, it really makes a difference.
You’re going to be getting up 2–3 times a night to pee anyway, so for a natural solution to help you get to sleep quickly and go back to sleep swiftly, you will thank me. (P.S. — if your husband isn’t a fan of the smell, just put some socks on after you apply a few drops to your toes at night…he probably loves you enough to let you keep using it because he knows it helps you ;).
3.) Maternity Pants & Leggings. Being that the majority of my pregnancy has been through fall and winter, I really had no way around investing in some maternity pants. I started off with getting the widely praised Bella Band, but ended up not liking it. With a growing belly, I found that it didn’t have the support I desired, required constant adjusting, and the indent of unbuttoned pants against my shirts bothered me.
So to my local Destination Maternity I went. I ended up with a pair of these, these and a pair of black maternity jeggings. If I had been pregnant in the summer, I would have probably stuck with dresses, but I’m always cold so it wasn’t really an option for this winter pregnancy.
I did just order a pair of BLANQI Maternity Leggings that I think will be lifesavers for these last 3 months where my belly stretches beyond anything it has before, but I’ll hold all applause until I put them to work ;)
4.) The Honest Co. Organic Belly Balm. In the past few weeks I’ve gotten that lovely itching sensation from time to time because of my stretching stomach. This mixed with dry winter skin had me in need of a nourishing balm to help with moisturizing and incoming stretch marks. I picked this belly balm up at Target.
5.) Warm slippers, a candle, a non-pregnancy related book to read (my current read and I am loving it!), and a supportive and caring husband.
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And now for a few personal pregnancy facts to end our time together:
- My belly button is shrinking everyday and…it’s…weird.
- My most bizarre craving to date has been Chef Boyardee’s Ravioli (childhood flashback, much?!)
- I did my entire registry while sitting on the comfort of my couch by using Babylist.
- My once very curly hair has turned more into waves, so I find myself using a curling wand almost every morning.
- I have an arbitrary feeling that our baby will be born at the end of March, instead of in April (due date is April 7th).
- Overall I don’t feel that “big” and have been able to keep my bump easily concealed (not that I’m trying to hide it, I just like to wear loose tops in general!)
- Probably my biggest “annoyance” when it comes to clothes and pregnancy has been my coat situation. None of my regular winter coats will button or zip all the way up, so I’m pretty cold when outside. However, I decided I would rather suffer through it than buy a maternity coat, so I’ve made my peace with that.
- 78 days till my due date as of today! That still seems far away, but I’m sure it will fly by as our calendar is full of baby showers, numerous baby prep classes and getting everything ready for our little girl.
x o .
