Pregnancy Favorites

Throughout our pregnancy, I have enjoyed reading blogs of mamas who share their favorite things that helped them go through pregnancy. In following some of the mold, I wanted to share what I consider my pregnancy favorites. For this pregnancy, these items have been my go-to, life savers, or simple pleasures along the way! Now, there are tons of items out there that aid in pregnancy – some that are created especially for this journey  and others that soon-to-be mamas make a part of this journey. Everyone’s experience will be different – it really boils down to what makes y.o.u. comfortable and happy. 🙂

1. Pillows – Pillows have been one of my main sources of comfort. Our bed turned into grounds for a soft fork early on, but it’s been worth it! I’ve kept 5-6 pillows near me over the past 8 months – two body pillows, two or three standard pillows, and a wedge pillow. As I started to grow,  the body and standard pillows provided support in my mid-section as I slept. In addition to pillows underneath my head, of course, I’ve kept the remainder underneath my feet. The wedge was a gift that I didn’t really know I’d use so much but it’s come in handy during our travels and at football games.

2. Water – The fact that this was not listed first does not weaken its importance – water is and has been imperative. For me, it’s truly a medicine. When I’m feeling a little blah or when I’m kinda hungry but I don’t really need to eat anything or when I’m just feeling like I need something, a cold glass of water is hard to beat. I’ve read and heard that just when you think you’ve drank enough water while carrying your baby, drink some more, so I try to revert to water as much as possible. We could seriously buy stock in a bottled water company because I’ve gone through so many in this year.

3. Comfy, Size-Appropriate Bras – I listed these descriptions because they are important. If your chest blooms, you will have to up your bra size. I had a stash of nursing bras that were passed along to me to start with. Well, by the time I thought I needed to retire my pre-prego bras, I had already grown out of the stash with the exception of one. I’ve since purchased another non-padded bra (again for comfort) and sport bras. I have not grown again in months, but I’m assuming that I will have a spurt in the coming weeks when milk arrives and all, so I’m anticipating purchasing a new nursing bra soon.

4. Prenatal Vitamins – As with H2O, the fact that these are listed at number four does not make them less important. I’ve been religious with taking my vitamin.  My OB was firm about taking a prenatal with DHA, which guided my search.  I settled on the vitamins pictured after snagging them at Kroger for under $14 for 90 pills (cha-ching!).

5. Maxi Dresses – If you’re not a dress wearer and don’t mind investing in maternity bottoms, then feel free to proceed to number 6. Maxi dresses have been in FULL wardrobe rotation for me, especially since I’ve popped. I am getting weary of wearing them and have considered buying a pair of maternity dress pants, but I just can’t justify the purchase this far along. So, I get creative with the dresses – one day I may add a scarf, another day I may add a statement necklace, another day maybe a blazer, with flats or heels, or maybe a cardigan .. See? That’s a week of outfits right there. I had a decent selection of maxis prior to pregnancy, so they’ve definitely saved some money on the wardrobe. I also have been able to wear a few shorter dresses that are “expandable”. If you’re on a budget, or just not interested in starting a large maternity wardrobe, before going out to purchase new clothes I’d test out as many of your current closet goodies as possible. Believe me, you’ll be surprised at how many non-maternity items you can fit in over the next several weeks! Since we’re on the clothes tip a little, and in case some of you are interested, I’ve landed a handful of deals at local consignment shops (the nicer ones tend to have name brands at good, cheap prices) and Target on their clearance racks (with the awesome aid of their Cartwheel app).

6. Sonic Slushes – Mmmm … Lemonberry goodness. These got the best of me during months 4 and 5. So much so, that I’ve cut back significantly on drinking them. I gained 10 pounds each of those month thanks to indulging in these at least once, maybe two or three times, a week. I’ve also not turned down any gummy candies – these were the perfect pacifiers while on the road and at my desk. I know, I know .. eating sugar and being stationary are not a great combination at all, but it happened ;).

7. To-Do Lists – So, there’s this “symptom” called “pregnancy brain” that tends to come along with pregnancy. People, it’s real. I was afraid of it – who wants to not be able to completely form thoughts and forget more things than normal? Before pregnancy, I was a to-do lister but it’s been maximized since our second trimester. I bought a good ol’ tangible planner earlier this year which was in great timing. I’ve also pulled out notepads that I never get to use and even dedicated a note in my phone to things I don’t need to forget. I commend any mamas (new and old) who are able to do without lists, but for me, these things have been mind and life savers.

8. Undergarments – I have adored my trusty black slip over the last few months. Yep, a simple, black, half slip. I can remember when this slip was too large for my waist; in fact, I still have the safety pin in it that I used to double over the band so it would stay up on me. Since I wear a lot of dresses, the slip adds a layer of smoothness and coverage over whatever may be going on underneath. Camis have added a great layer of coverage, too. It may be my Momo in me, but I just think women should have a certain outward appearance regardless of what changes your body may be going through. Despite the Mississippi summer heat, yes, I wore “layers” to be presentable.

9. Veggies – In my opinion, these are too easy to purchase and cook for pregnant women not to indulge in. From frozen to fresh, my favorites have been broccoli, edamame, corn, beans, greens, cabbage, and sweet potatoes. Your body and baby will tell you when they’re not a fan of an item, so I would go for the gusto until you’re shown otherwise. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my share of sweet potato and regular fries, fried okra, and creamed corn. But I keep an eye on how much of those things I’m eating. As my doctor reminds me, it’s a lot easier to gain weight during pregnancy than lose it afterwards.

10. Cocoa Butter Lotion for Stretch Marks – This lotion has worked for me just fine. I have no stretch marks and my skin is clear, aside from expected pregnancy markings. I moisturize after each shower and sometimes throughout the day. I hear, and believe, that 1) how your skin reacts to the massive stretching is genetic and 2)  you can get stretch marks after you’ve given birth as your skin bounces back to shape. Knowing this, I plan to just keep moisturizing and wait to claim zero stretch marks until I’ve made it down to my pre-prego size . 😉

11. Maternity Fashion – One thing I did not want during my pregnancy was to look matronly with the bows across my tummy and tent-like maternity tops. True, options are limited, but with a little bit of shopping and trying on, I have managed to accomplish this goal for the most part. I mentioned earlier that consignment stores and Target have been my popular stops. Cartwheel will inform you of any sales on clothes in Target and/or give you an additional percent off certain items. From what I can remember, I purchased my one and only pair of maternity skinny jeans from Kohls.com (with a Retailmenot.com and Ebates discount). I work in an office and had to have some essentials, so I was able to rack up on a couple maternity work items from a local consignment store during one of their sale weekends. I also bought two casual maternity tees from Destination Maternity that were two in a pack for maybe 13 bucks. They’ve worked well with jeans, dress pants, and to lounge in. As I said earlier, I’ve been able to incorporate a lot of my non-maternity clothes into my wardrobe. Since I’ve been growing, I have purchased a couple more non-maternity pieces that I will be able to grow in. For example, I got a shirt dress from Target and some wide-band tights (<–LOVE these things by the way). I also found a Piko top at a boutique that is everything (flowy, light, colorful, and loose) and will be worn religiously for the next several weeks.  If you want to try to use non-maternity clothes post-partum, I read a style blog that strongly discouraged purchasing non-maternity items that go two sizes beyond your normal size.  So unless it was just necessary and I knew that I could still wear it regardless of my increased weight, I only purchased larges, as pre-prego I wore mediums.

12. Chapstick – With hormone increases and a lot of nutrients, etc. going to the new life that’s growing, some type of moisturizing lip balm is necessary. And not-to-mention, it makes you feel pretty on days when you’re just plain and pregnant. Lol.  

13. Teva Sandals – These.have.been.amazing. My twin got a pair randomly on a trip to Nashville. I tried hers on one day and thought  “I need these”. So, I found them and got a pair! They form to your foot which makes walking more comfortable. Of course, you don’t know how large your feet will grow, but fortunately, these are still hanging on despite the plumpness. These come in a variety of styles, so if you want a wedge heel or a flat heel, flip flop or thong, you can take your pick.

In addition to tangibles, I subscribed to a couple of apps that explain the growth of your baby week-by-week. My favorite has been “What to Expect”. It’s provided just enough information each week to keep me aware of what’s developing with our baby. Subscribers are also able to join various communities where you can interact with expectant mothers expecting during the same time. I’m sure other sites, such as thebump.com, have pretty similar characteristics.

Here’s to riding these things out for another 5 weeks and to all the must-haves my prego friends would add to the list! 😉

Catching Up … Hello and Goodbye, August.

I can remember, quite vividly, writing about how excited we were about the month of August and the clearer calendar. Well, we’re down to 6 days left in the month and I have to admit – it FLEW by! My last post was 20 days  ago (sad news), so let’s catch up!

Week 28 – This was the first full week of the month that included our first weekend with no travel. We anticipated traveling to the MS Coast to celebrate a Gender Reveal Party for one of the Cotten cousin couples, but we had two big, final assignments due for Clifton’s Specialist degree program. I took advantage of being around town that weekend and knocked out our baby registries. It was a mildly overwhelming, tiring, but fun experience. We chose the trusted Babies R Us as one of our registries and I would highly recommend the store to every expecting parent. They make the registry process a lot more enjoyable than other popular stores like Target, for instance. The other two are Amazon and Target. Amazon has a couple items that I consistently read good reviews about from new (and seasoned) mamas. Since Amazon is strictly an online registry, I did not include a ton of items. Target tends to have cute clothes for babies and they also provide different colors/patterns for some of the popular/big items.

We rounded the weekend out with a 28 week maternity shoot with April and my first pre-natal yoga class! The last session with April was at least a month ago, so it was great to be able to capture our progression and changes right as we were exiting the second trimester. We had some fun things planned for outside but had to postpone them since it poured and stormed that weekend. I’m looking forward to the next session already! Not only are the exercises fun, but the conversations we have right before class are always uplifting. I’ve been following a lot of baby/mama blogs, but to have the talks in person with mamas who are within weeks of us is grounding and reassuring. I’ve had four classes as of Sunday and am enjoying them fully. I don’t do a great job with incorporating a lot of the moves during the week, so I’ve made it a goal to take the time to engage in at least one move a day, or no less than 3 days a week.

Week 29 – After pinning and googling and pinning and googling, I’ve come up with ideas to incorporate into the girls’ room. In order to start making these ideas and visions come to life, we are having to do a LOT of rearranging and sorting. I got this random burst of energy Monday of this week (which unfortunately exhausted pretty much all my energy for the rest of the week .. haha)  and made a large dent in the sorting and rearranging task list. I have had a moment or two of anxiousness, wanting to just have everything d-o-n-e done. After a few minutes in my moment,  I get reminded that Ava will not know or care about a single bit of detail that we set for her arrival. She’s only going to be concerned about comfort, nourishment, and dryness. If she were to come right now, we’d be able to provide all those things for her, with a bonus dose of overwhelming love, so, whatever we have in place when she arrives will be what we have in place when she arrives.

Week 30 – We made it  ten weeks from our due date!! Annnnd the thoughts flooded in: Where will I be when I start having contractions? Who will be with me when I start contracting? How they will feel? What day will it be? How many pounds will she weigh? … I could go on and on. I am a sucker for surprises, so the pregnancy and anticipations of labor + delivery are keeping me going – it’s like opening up an unexpected gift each week with Ava’s birth day being an early Christmas present! 🙂

I made it through the first football game of the season. 🙂 As many of you know, Clifton is back on the football field, doing what he loves to do. His team played at home Friday night so my in-laws and I packed up and traveled to Tchula, MS. My first feat was locating a restroom .. Needless to say, I will not be drinking much when we have home games.  The second feat was praying not to have an allergic reaction to the grass that had been cut the day before. THANKFULLY I had an allergy pill and the Lord’s favor on hand. Although they didn’t come away with a win, the fact that I managed to escape with zero mosquito bites is achievement enough. 😉

This weekend, my sister- and brother-in-law came over to put the crib together. Eeeek! We have one or two more decisions to make on the girls’ room before it’ll be complete. And, I’m planning a BFF/Boog pow-wow next weekend to knock out decorations and such. Aside from these loose ends, the fact that the crib is all one structure now is so, so exciting!

We’re now at Week 31‘s door. We get to end the week in Water Valley with our first shower taking place!! I can’t wait to see my Mama, who is likely going to flip when she sees how much I’ve grown, Kara, who’s coming home for the first time in over a month, my sisters, and other family and friends that will be around. This is my last planned trip home before Ava arrives, so I do not have much on my schedule … just relaxation with my loved ones. Clifton has football practice first thing Monday morning; because I did not want to have to leave Sunday or early Monday, he won’t be making the trip. Ava and I will bring him plenty of love back, though!!

Prego Progression

As I promised, this post will be all about the progression of…. the Belly!!

As of today, we’re officially 23 weeks! Can you say “WOW?!” We’re officially scooting down the hill, closer and closer to welcoming our sweet bundle.

Taking a weekly progression photo was not high on my to-do list. I was comforted with this decision when I realized how much (I didn’t think) I grew between weeks 13 – 20. You’ll also notice that I break a pregnancy “rule” – I don’t wear the same outfit and stand in the same spot for each photo. Fortunately, I think the belly bump is distinctive enough despite the variations.

Case-in-point, Week 13 and Week 17:

Within three weeks, just in time for our gender sonogram at week 21, we had a growth spurt:

 

Since the last photo, on our sonogram day (did you notice the pink and blue in my dress? :)), we’ve rounded out even more. We were able to snap a photo while in Destin which I think is just THE cutest! I have to give outfit creds to two special people – thanks to Kara for the shorts (they’re LizLange Maternity, comfy, and I love them) and my cousin, Erica, for the shirt that she passed along!

One of my besties, April, has embarked upon allowing me to be one of her photography guinea pigs as she develops her skills and brand. I’m so very much looking forward to having some consistent, true progression photos over the last half of our journey to keep and share!!

Here’s to anticipating the day I’m no longer able to see my feet when I look straight down …