Pregnancy update

I’ve been seeing fellow pregnant bloggers give pregnancy updates lately, and it reminded me that I’ve been wanting to do that for a while. I talk about bits and pieces of pregnancy in my style posts, but today let’s just focus on being pregnant entirely. I searched around on the internet for some pregnancy questionnaires, but that mostly just led me to things like “You think you’re pregnant?” or “Is this normal?” type posts. But I did come across this fun list of ways to document your pregnancy, so I’ll add a few of those in to my own list.

Gender? First off, in case you missed it (because someone asked the other day, and I realized I don’t say it very often), it’s a boy!

Currently I am… 24 weeks and 3 days along, in the end of my second trimester. That’s six months along, for those of you who don’t speak pregnancy-week-anese.

I have gained… a total of 13lbs, 10 of which I gained in the last two months. And I want to pause right there and say, as I did on instagram, if you’re pregnant, don’t stress the weight gain! I know 13 pounds isn’t a ton of weight at this point in pregnancy, but still. Seeing the scale go up towards the weight I was at the height of my chubbiness in my teen years can be stressful. Until I did measurements, and realized: it has all gone to my belly– eight inches– or my boobs — 3-4 inches — and only ONE inch has been gained around my hips. That means basically of my own weight I’ve gained what… 3-5lbs? Gaining weight while pregnant is healthy. The baby needs it, and so do you! So don’t stress out over the pounds. Seriously. My mom lost 25lbs of water, placenta, and baby just in the delivery room.

It’s all okay.

Along those lines, I’ve noticed I’m finally getting that “pregnancy fullness” I’ve seen in other women, which I think is beautiful. Pregnant women are beautiful.

Currently feeling… fantastic. Not sick, not feeling any back pain, and only having slight issues with standing up after I squat down. Obviously, the belly is starting to get to that big-enough-to-be-cumbersome stage, but it’s not terrible! I  mean, I can’t walk to the mailbox (which is down the street, around the corner, and down another driveway, so it’s a five minute walk) without getting all huffy, but hey. I’ve never been very athletic anyway.

Currently the baby is… kicking up a storm anytime I drink juice, anytime we watch a loud movie, anytime Mr. Owl talks, anytime I lay on my back or with my knees curled up. He hasn’t started to kick so hard that it hurts, but his movement is definitely getting stronger! As I’ve mentioned before, I can see him move and kick now, and it’s really creepy.

Currently craving… everything fruit and vegetable, but especially squash and zucchini. I will eat all of the squashes I can get my hands on, believe me! My favorite way is just simply sauteed and topped with salt. Doesn’t get much better than that! Oh, and also, homemade tomato pizza. My mouth waters at the thought.

Currently avoiding… bread (still hate the smell), most chips,  fizzy drinks (ugh, soda), dairy (it’s started to give me horrible stomach cramps again!) and thankfully, stretch marks!

I’ve been faithfully applying Boots Botanics Hand & Body Nourishing Body Oil to my belly and any other areas I think might be susceptible to stretch marks, and I am hoping that it helps! It has jojoba, almond, and safflower oil in it, and I read that jojoba and almond oils are especially good for hydration, and that oil is better than lotion as it absorbs better into your skin. So we shall see! I am hoping that the oil combined with slow weight gain and as much healthy eating as I can muster will help stave away the stretch marks. I have enough from weight gain and loss in my teen years!

My bellybutton is… getting shallower and shallower! I think in another month it may pop out, because it is seriously getting close to extinction!

Most days, I am… happy but easily emotional (and this can swing to the hysterical-laughter side, too!), a little tired, and I’m starting to feel the nesting stages coming on. Like the day I baked a pie, cookies, muffins and PSL syrup from that pumpkin, or when I just had to clean the entire downstairs, or the other night when I came downstairs to get a snack and ended up washing most of the dishes because I needed to clean. I’m also feeling an intense desire to decorate! Oh, I really want to decorate everything. I’ll have to invest in some DIY projects with what I have around the house, though, because we currently don’t have enough extra money to buy fun home things.

The worst thing so far is… belly cramps. Oh, I hate belly cramps. Mr. Owl makes me laugh a lot, and many times it’s late at night and leads to hysterical laughter which means I get these cramps that just won’t go away. So annoying. I also get a cramp if I bend the wrong way, lift awkward things, or… I dunno, stand up wrong and walk weird. Also, I can no longer have garlic, onions, or super acidic dishes. Heartburn city! It’s sad.

I rebel against… wearing all maternity clothes, limiting my coffee intake (okay, I don’t generally drink more than 1-1/2 home-brewed cups a day, but sometimes I just want more coffee so I have more coffee. It’s my only vice, okay?), eating meals at regular times (when you’re pregnant, you just gotta eat when you’re hungry).

Weird symptoms I’ve noticed: the whole boob-leakiness is still going on, which fascinates me, and my mom, and my best friend (neither of them dealt with that). I’m guessing I won’t need to supplement with formula. So that’s good. And I no longer have a strong “gotta pee!” urge. It’s SO strange. Instead of that familiar sort of ache you get when you have to pee,  now I notice I need the restroom more because if I bend over, my stomach feels incredibly full and hurts in a “too much pressure” kind of way. But I don’t get the full-bladder feeling now. I don’t get it.

And I’ll leave you with that. 😉

I really want to do pregnancy updates more often, but I totally don’t know what all to update you with. Give me good suggestions, if you have any, or I’ll just keep updating with this list!

Happy Saturday!

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