The Tropical Harbor || Pink Blush

When I chose this beautiful tropical print Pink Blush hi-lo maternity dress, I was expecting that I would still have 4-6 weeks of pregnancy left. I ordered it at 36 weeks and some days pregnant, and I had it set in my mind that this baby would be like my other babies and come a week or two late. I speculated that I still had a month or so to get ready for this baby fully — to purchase things like newborn diapers, white onesies, little pants, and whatever else I discovered we lack for a newborn at this point. I am a last-minute person, so most of my preparation has taken place in the third trimester.

But as I write this, it’s very, very possible that I only have a week left of pregnancy. And I have to admit, I had a hard time wrapping my brain and emotions around that.

Pink Blush sent me this dress of my choice for review. All opinions are honest and my own!

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen that this baby keeps flipping itself from head down to breech position. We have been in to see our midwife and the doctor four times now and it’s been a rollercoaster! As of right now, the baby flipped itself from breech to head down, and has (we hope) stayed there. But we are on baby watch to ensure that it stays there, and likely next weekend I will be induced via natural methods (feel free to email or DM me on social media if you’re curious about this!) just to ensure a safe birth.

So far, the entire process of having had the baby flipped once via an external cephalic version (ECV) was much easier than we or they anticipated. I didn’t have to take the medication that helps relax your uterus — but which also raises your heart rate and makes you feel a bit jittery, all safe but uncomfortable things — when I went in for our first ECV as the baby had already begun to turn itself and I have a lot of amniotic fluid which makes for easier movements.

After the successful ECV (which was quick in and of itself) I was given a belly band/binder to help keep the baby in place, and we waited somewhat impatiently for Tuesday to come so that my midwife could check and see if the baby had decided to stay put, or flip around again. Since I have lots of fluid in there, it meant that when we went to see my midwife earlier this week… the baby had decided to jacknife itself with its head by my right rib, its bottom toward my cervix, and its feet under my left rib.

Right back to the same breech position it was in before.

So, she sent us in again yeterday for another ECV and to chat with the doctor about anything else I can do to help this baby stay in head down position… but when they took the ultrasound it showed a head-down baby. Somewhere in the day between seeing our midwife (who took an ultrasound and confirmed a breech baby) to arriving at the hospital for another possible ECV, the baby decided to go head down. It was a relief not to have to perform another ECV, which is 100% safe but uncomfortable for me, but now we’re a bit up in the air! I was sent home with instructions to keep wearing the belly binder, and just hope the baby decides to stay put this time.

We have officially decided to call this baby “stinker.”

My midwife will check me on Monday to see if the baby has cooperated, and then again NEXT Friday (in June) to ensure it’s head down, and… because it has a history of flipping around, we may just be naturally induced a week or so early to ensure that baby doesn’t flip back to breech last minute.

It’s been a rollercoaster of days and emotions and preparation. But on the bright side, it’s made me get all of the things done I procrastinated on until now — deep cleaning our house, organizing a garage sale, purchasing the last few things we needed, and just generally getting life in order to welcome a new little person into our house.

One of the things I have been doing lately in anticipation of life with a newborn again, though, is filling my closet with dresses that I can breastfeed in, and that will hide any tummy I have post baby. This tropical print dress hits all the perfect marks there! It’s got a nice stretchy waist so it fits now at 38 weeks pregnant AND will fit post baby, the neckline is super super breastfeeding friendly, and the skirt flares out gently to hide all those post-baby lumps and bumps.

I ordered this one and their beautiful long burgundy maxi dress anticipating that I’ll need some easy, comfortable, stretchy, and breastfeeding friendly dresses and I have not been disappointed! I’m hoping to take some photos in the maroon one before baby makes an appearance because it would be a GORGEOUS maternity photoshoot dress, but if not… well, post baby photos will also be pretty!

I have so many dresses now that I have gotten in anticipation of post pregnancy and having a waist again, it’ll be almost like having an entirely new wardrobe! Except… really it’s just the same wardrobe stuffed twice as full. Oops!

Now that this week is nearly over and preparations are all taken care of for this baby, I’m feeling so much better about the possibility of an early delivery. It’s funny, when you’re used to late babies and have set your brain to expect a late baby, being suddenly hit with the fact that your 3-4 weeks has been cut to 1.5 is a hard thing to get yourself to accept. I got so many messages and comments that it would all be okay and early babies are great and it wasn’t a big deal… but when you struggle with anxiety over big changes… it kind of is a big deal to have THIS big of a change thrust upon you.

And I just want to put this out there for any other mamas in the same boat as me, struggling with depression or anxiety or whatever is hitting you right now: your feelings are valid and okay. Just because another person doesn’t think it’s a big deal doesn’t mean you’re wrong for feeling whatever you feel about it. Much like pain is relative, emotional responses are relative too. I may have a high pain tolerance for physical pain, and tolerate things like labor very very easily in comparison to others… but emotional and mental changes? Those are much, much harder for me to get through.

And that’s okay. I’m learning through all of this to trust that God has His hand on all of us, and no matter WHAT… it’s gonna be okay. If you need to talk to someone, please reach out. Email me, DM me, PM me, whatever. I’m always here to listen and offer support if I can.