I slightly changed the highlights as I’ve seen this layout on a few blogs and I wanted to give it a try. I feel like this month went by a lot faster, but that happens with the holiday season. Not complaining though- I’m glad it flew by!
Maternity clothes? Not yet, but my jeans don’t button anymore so I’ve been using the belly band which is awesome! The one I got on Amazon was kinda price ($30 or so), but it has elastic on it which helps keep it in place so I think it was well worth it!
Wearing my normal skinny jeans with the belly band at 18 weeks.
Stretch marks? No…I use Burt’s Bee’s Mama Bee belly butter in the morning after I shower and then again before bed. I also drink (always have) a ton of water and heard that staying hydrated helps. I don’t even know if I’m going to include this one on here anymore. I mean, every woman hopes to avoid stretch marks, but it can happen and that’s totally fine if it does. Genetics influences this and my mom didn’t get any so we shall see.
Sleep: Good! Except for the nights that I wake up between 3-4 AM and cannot fall back asleep for an hour or two. I’m getting up once or twice to pee, but I’m sleeping well. I have regained enough energy where I don’t have to take a nap during the day anymore, but I’m in bed between 9-10pm and sleeping until 7am or so. When I wake up randomly in the middle of the night and can’t fall back asleep, it kicks my ass the next day and I feel much more nauseous.
Best moment: We announced the pregnancy publicly (Facebook, Instagram, and the blog) at 15.5 weeks! It felt great to get it out in the open and the amount of support I’ve gotten is amazing 🙂 I also had two ultrasounds done to check my cervical length- one at 15 weeks and one at 17 weeks. You want the cervix to stay closed and be between 2.5-5cm in length. Because I had two LEEP procedures done to treat precancerous cells in my early 20s (one at 19/20 and one at 22/23), my doctor wanted to see exactly how much of cervix was left. During a LEEP, they remove abnormal tissue by cutting it away with a thin electrified loop. I actually had my third abnormal PAP and they found precancerous cells again when I was 25, but my GYN didn’t want to perform a third LEEP because I was so young and hadn’t had children yet. I was on the medication, Aldara Imiquimod, for three months and it fortunately worked. Anyways, my cervical length measured 3.5 cm both times! I will have another measurement taken at 20 weeks. And one last great moment- hearing the baby’s heart beat! It is always my absolute favorite thing 🙂
Miss anything? No. Well, I miss certain restaurants from back home. Why the hell does El Paso not have a Panera Bread? I’ve been wanting some broccoli cheese soup in a sourdough bread bowl from there. Our Super Target sells Panera soups but that shit is NOT the same. I’ve also been wanting Gelsosomo’s Pizza and lemon rice soup with rolls from Broadway Cafe back home.
Movement: I’ve felt little flutters- it almost feels like waves- a few times, but that’s it. It’s not consistent and didn’t happen the same time every day or anything, so I’m not really sure.
Food cravings: Papa John’s cheesy bread during week 15. And everything I listed above that I can’t get here, haha. Vegetables finally started making a comeback during week 15! I got a veggie delite sub with extra pepper jack cheese from Subway a few times and it was super good! Raw baby carrots and cucumber with Greek yogurt ranch dip was sounding good starting at 17 weeks. I was also able to introduce cottage cheese back into my life which was exciting. Some people think cottage cheese is gross (perhaps it’s a texture thing?), but it’s a great source of healthy fats and protein! I’ve always eaten it with crackers- I don’t like mixing it sweeter foods, like fruits. Velveeta shells and cheese!!!!
Anything making you feel queasy or sick: Chicken. Red sauce pastas (although I can do pizza with light sauce). Sweets still sound pretty gross, but sometimes I’ll just want a bite or two of something sweet. A lot of things still sound gross that I normally like. We went to see Star Wars when I was 17 weeks and the theater was packed. Seriously, I think every single person in there was eating popcorn with jalapenos and the smell was horrific to me. I hate jalapenos to begin with though 😦
Workouts: Same as last month- walking a few days a week on the treadmill at an incline. The weather has gotten cold here and I’m a little bitch in the cold now so I haven’t been walking Wrigley outside 😦 Stretching and yoga as well, but I’m honestly not a huge fan of yoga. I think it’d be better if I was taking actual classes instead of laying on my mat in my bedroom in front of the TV or my ipad, haha.
Showing? Yes- a little! My stomach started getting rounder around week 12, but it became more noticeable to us around week 15.
Gender: We found out during week 14…we will share soon! My next post is about gender and old wives tales 🙂
Symptoms: Food Aversions, fatigue, sneezing a lot throughout the day
Belly button in or out? In.
Wedding ring on or off? On…but I only wear it when I go out. I’m not one of those women that wears theirs 24/7! Is that weird?
Emotions: Oh my god…all over the place. For real, I’m feeling normal one second then bat shit the next. My husband and I are both pretty stubborn people to begin with, haha. I actually asked my doctor if it was normal to go from good to raging to crying in a span of like 30 minutes. She reassured me it is 😉 I’m still scared and nervous, but each day has gotten a bit easier. I don’t cry as often from worry- I’m really trying to enjoy each and every day. I do have to say that I’m still emotional when going to my OB appointments. This might sound so fucked up, but I still get jealous when I see pregnant women with big ol’ bellies…I explained this to my doctor at 18.5 weeks and she also said this is completely normal when pregnant after experiencing a miscarriage and infertility. I actually have a post that I started which I’ll share soon regarding this.
Looking forward to: Our anatomy scan on Janurary 8th! I’m super nervous about it though. My 30th birthday is the next day, January 9- I can’t wait for it! (just kidding).
What’s Going on with Baby: The baby is about 5.5 inches long, weighs roughly 7 ounces, and can flex it’s arms and legs. Ears are in their final position and and protective layer of myelin is beginning to form around nerves which is a process that will continue for a year after birth. The baby can now be easily distinguished by it’s genitals 🙂
Living in Bliss 