bumpdate

Dress – Lou and Grey | Vest – Target (similar here and here) | Boots – Sam Edelman (from last year but similar here, here and here) | Bag – Chloe | Sunglasses – Fendi (similar here and here)

I’m only 3 weeks away from my due date so there is no better time than now to write my final bumpdate (read my prior one here)! Grab a snack, because this is a long post. 🙂

No surprise here, the third trimester has been much more challenging than the 2nd for me. Overall, I recognize that I have had a relatively easy pregnancy, but I still want to share my experience and symptoms. Fatigue took over almost as soon as the 7th month began and I felt much like I did during the first few weeks of my pregnancy. I had days where it was hard to even make it through the day, and I would need a nap for a few hours in the late afternoon. Swelling in my lower legs and feet has been a constant battle so I really try to cut out as much additional sugar and carbs as I can because I definitely see a correlation between the two for myself.

I have still tried to remain active though I had to stop doing yoga a few weeks ago because it was getting harder and harder to get into many of the poses. I go to pure barre 2-3/x a week and walk the other nights. While I didn’t have much of an issue motivating myself to work out through the first half of my pregnancy, it has really been a battle these past 2 months. However, as I spoke about in this post, I remind myself that I feel soooo much better after and it does wonders for helping my swelling, energy, mood and overall well-being so that normally gives me the boost I need to go.

Sleeping has become virtually impossible over the past 3 weeks because I cannot find a comfortable position. Either he is up in my ribs if I sit up, or the weight of him pulls my stomach down (even with a pillow underneath) if I sleep on my side so I just toss and turn all night. My back will lock up occasionally and I often need to wake Stan up to have him help move me or get me up to walk around. My leg cramps have gone away for the most part which I’m grateful for because those used to really scare the heck out of me in the middle of the night.

The one symptom/issue that has been the most challenging to deal with has been the mood swings. I’ll be very transparent here and say that there are some days when I feel so anxious, overwhelmed, frustrated or depressed that it makes it very difficult to just get through the day. It really plagued me during my first trimester as well, so I have been extremely open with my doctor about all these symptoms. I know this isn’t an indicator of postpartum depression or postpartum issues, but I have already prepared myself as much as I can that it could be something I struggle with after he is born. When I am having a major down episode or feeling like I can’t handle what is going on at the moment, I am very communicative with those around me that I am having an episode and to try and bear with me. This way they understand that it has little to do with them and please not to take it personally. Because it has been so prevalent for me during this trimester  and early on, I can often identify when the shift is beginning to happen and try to remind myself that this is not permanent, I will not feel this way forever and try and ride out the “storm” so to speak. It’s easier said than done, but it has helped me not feel like something is wrong with me, rather this is something I will go through temporarily and try to separate it from who I am as a person. This has worked for me most of the time but it can still be tough if I’m feeling this way for many days. My doctor and I do discuss this at each appointment and I try to give her a reading on how things have been since my last visit.

I’m excited for his arrival, but I would be lying to you if I said that the unknown doesn’t scare the heck out of me. I have been doing my own thing for so long that I am nervous how my life, schedule and routine will change. I do not thrive well on a chaotic, crazy or unorganized lifestyle, but I have been lucky to have many of my friends give me feedback on how they have still managed to keep a structured life with kids. I’m actually quite comfortable with change and try to remind myself of all the major curveballs life has thrown at me over the years that I navigated successfully, so that brings me comfort.

The most emotional thing however I still face is thinking that my Dad is not here to meet my son. Being so close to my parents my entire life, I couldn’t wait for them to be grandparents and be in my children’s life as they grew up. To be honest, I truly can’t even think about it most days because it hurts too much to even bear. I know people tell me that he is “still there” and will get to meet my son in spirit but I guess I’m just selfish and want him to be here physically to experience the whole thing with me. Even now as I type this out, I can barely breathe because the pain is still so intense and I miss him so much. I hope in time I can tell my son about him without feeling like I may break in two from all the hurt.

Switching to a lighter subject (though I had to come back to this post a few hours later because writing about my Dad had me in tears for the rest of the afternoon), the third trimester has definitely presented more challenges when it’s come to getting dressed. I have dabbled in maternity pieces here and there (my favorite maternity jeans were in this post, and I have been living in these tees from the GAP), but I have stuck mostly with fitted pieces throughout these remaining months since I do find that they are more flattering on me.

I do get questions from readers asking me about my preference towards heels versus flats in my final months and while I am always someone that has worn heels, I have been shocked at how much discomfort I feel when I wear flats right now. A slight heel often helps my back and I notice less swelling in my lower legs by the end of the day. Additionally, I really do find that I feel so much better about myself when I’m dressed up and have on heels. And I am of the mindset of doing whatever makes you feel your best during pregnancy! It’s such a challenging time that I think it’s better for a woman to choose those things that make her feel happy, comfortable and allow her to enjoy this time as much as possible.

My hair hasn’t changed that much, but my skin has continued to move away from being oily, though it’s not as dry as it has been. I’m not sure if that is because I added in an additional omega 3 supplement to my diet a few months ago or I’m eating a ton of good fats, but it’s more normal to dry now. Dark spots are still popping up on my cheeks and my neck scar (from my spine surgery in December 2015) has gotten so much darker. I am confident that most of these pigmentation issues will go away after pregnancy so I try not to obsess over them. I do have a Linea Nigra down the front of my stomach, but no sign of stretch marks yet. I’ve used whatever body creams and oils I have on hand rather than something specifically geared towards pregnancy and have found that to work fine in keeping my skin supple and well moisturized.

I obviously don’t know what will be his favorites but there are things that have arrived in the past 2 months that I am looking forward to using. I talked about a ton of things in this bumpdate, but I have some things to add to the list. While we did receive this carrier from our baby shower, I did also purchase one of these wraps which I have heard great things about. I’m wayyyy behind on decorating the nursery, though I have the major furniture pieces purchased. I got this crib and dresser, and then this glider. However, I plan to keep him in our bedroom for the first few months so this bassinet was a must have! I love all the features that it has and it is the perfect height so I can get to him easily.

I researched for quite some time about what stroller we wanted, and finally decided to go with the Uppababy Vista. However, I felt the carseat that worked with the stroller was too heavy and was really impressed by the Nuna when I went to see it in store. I ended up going with the Nuna and hope I will like it as much as all the positive reviews I have seen. Clothing has obviously been one of my favorite things to buy for him, and I have picked up a little bit of everything to be honest. We have some outlet stores near our house so I have had some success at GAP and Saks Off Fifth, and then bought one of these onesies which I will promptly be buying more of because they are seriously so soft!

As far as my hospital bag, that is a bit of a hodge podge of things. I bought more of these tanks that I have worn most of my pregnancy, a nursing bra, traditional nursing tank and more of these leggings which have been my favorite during pregnancy. For something a bit looser, I grabbed these joggers from H&M as another option to wear home. My mom bought me a maternity robe for the hospital but I have already been wearing it non-stop and wish I had purchased it sooner because I love it! I decided to buy a corset as well and went with this one which seemed to have good reviews. I also put together a makeup, hair and skincare bag, and then some other necessities like flip flops, depends (yup, I heard these were a necessity), cozy socks, my own pillow, headphones and my curling iron. I’m sure I’ll be adding things last minute, so if you have any great suggestions feel free to send them my way! 🙂

The countdown is on and we are so looking forward to meeting our little boy! For all of my past pregnancy related posts, click here to read them. Also, I have all my maternity outfits tagged so you can click here to see what I have worn throughout my whole pregnancy. Thanks again for all your kind words, comments, messages and emails – it has been wonderful sharing all of this with you and I feel so grateful to have a community of readers that have been so supportive.

Dress – Loft | Hat – Hat Attack | Bag – Chloe | Boots – Isabel Marant (great budget option here) | Bracelet – Giles & Brother | Sunglasses – Illesteva (love these amazing budget tortoise cat eye sunglasses)

Before I start rambling about everything pregnancy and baby related for this bumpdate, I first have to talk about this outfit! I swear Loft is saving me through my pregnancy because their petite style dresses fit me so well (remember this post and this post) and there are so many great styles that seem to flatter my stomach as it grows. While they do have maternity styles to choose from, I have been gravitating towards their regular clothing and find it works just as well. And every single piece I have purchased will still work next year so I don’t feel like it’s a waste of money.

Stan and I shot these pictures at sunflower fields near our home that I had been dying to visit all summer. Sadly we arrived about a week too late so everything was beginning to wilt, but it was nonetheless still beautiful. I didn’t even want to attempt walking around in sandals or anything open-toed so I pulled out my trusty ankle boots (last worn here, here and here) and love how they worked with this dress. Wearing them actually got me quite excited for fall. One of my favorite ways to begin transitioning my outfits from summer to fall is by adding ankle boots to regular summer outfits. I love them with shorts, dresses, skirts – basically anything. While I’m not rushing for summer to end, it’s going to transition regardless so I’m trying to embrace it in a fun way. And no better way that with fashion, right?! 🙂 Ok, now I’ll move on to my official bumpdate. Read on for all my thoughts from these past months.

I’m a few days away from my 3rd trimester (this is blowing my mind), and it’s only been in the past 2 weeks that things have begun to get challenging again. My second trimester was very easy as I heard it can be. My hormones began to stabilize, I got back all my energy that was missing during the first few months and I felt great most days. However, I still have some symptoms hanging around like leg cramps while sleeping which can be excruiating, dry skin that can sometimes be itchy, super sensitive gums (my dentist warned me about this) and on especially hot days my lower legs and calf muscles swell a ton.

But I have not had food aversions or nausea and managed to stick to a regular fitness routine (read that post here) which helps keep my energy up and my bloating/swelling in check. As far as weight gain, I’m not going to lie and say it’s the most fun. I accept that it’s part of pregnancy and try my best to eat healthy, knowing that this isn’t forever. If we are being honest, the hardest part of my weight gain has been dealing with my increasing bra size. Some women love the fuller bustline that comes with pregnancy, but since I started with a 32E I knew that things could and would get out of control. Yowza. I did size up slightly in some new bras, but I find that working out my upper body has helped a bit in keeping them manageable and not feeling like I’m being strangled. LOL

Even though my 2nd trimester has been quite uneventful, over the past 2 weeks I have noticed a drastic change in how I feel. I had severe and very challenging mood swings during my 1st trimester and those have returned recently. It can be so hard to manage because while I know why I am feeling anxious, overwhelmed, sad, impatient – it’s still frustrating because it’s out of my control. I have gotten better at noticing the first signs of a mood swing and actually will communicate to those around me that I may be a bit more emotional than usual. All of that great energy I had during the last few months came to a screeching halt these past 2 weeks and I feel super tired and lethargic often. And as my bump grows, sitting down, working out, eating, driving and just generally moving around is getting more cumbersome. Sleeping is different every evening with some nights being restful, and others impossible to sleep because he kicks me all night long, I feel like I can’t move/breathe and no position I get into is comfortable. But we are in the home stretch so I try to be patient with myself as much as possible knowing again that these issues aren’t forever.

Because my skin has completely flipped the script on me and gotten so dry, it has really thrown me for a loop. I have had combination/oily skin my entire life so not seeing a midday shine on my forehead startles me sometimes. Ha! Skincare wise, I have tried to add more oils into my routine while coupling it with drinking as much water as possible and trying to consume tons of healthy fats. I even added an additional omega 3 supplement to my diet and have noticed quite a positive difference.

No stretch marks on the horizon yet, and I’m trying to moisturize every night with various body oils and creams to help combat them. I have some hyperpigmentation on my face that has popped up and my chest has a ton of broken capillaries on it now. 🙁 I heard those could possibly go away after I give birth, so fingers crossed that they do.

I’m still trucking along with regular clothing for now, and the only maternity pieces I have purchased are jeans. I alternate between body conscious pieces and flowy pieces depending on my mood and enjoy wearing both. I always get asked about shoes and how I am able to still wear heels and the truth is that sometimes flats can hurt my back even more. I have found that a 2-3 inch heel is often the most comfortable for me, so as long as my shoes still fit I will wear the heels!

I’ve talked before about my love of Loft for much of my pregnancy, as well as Old Navy and GAP for many of the dresses I’ve worn this summer. These leggings from Lululemon are as good as everyone says and truly one of the most comfortable pieces in my entire closet right now. There are some other comfy pieces both for working out and everyday activities that I have mentioned over the past few months so, click here to reference all my maternity blog posts.

Stan and I are heading to NYC for our baby shower in a few weeks, but a few things from the registry have already begun to trickle in. Of course, I couldn’t leave this off the registry and was so excited that someone sent me one already. I heard wonderful things about this Nose Frida set which was also a registry item we have already received. Dockatot sent us one of their baby docking sleeper stations and I think it will come in handy immediately. Additionally, I had so many friends and family rave about it which was a huge bonus. This chair from 4Moms just arrived the other day and I was laughing so hard because Stan could barely contain his excitement in putting it together. He has already assembled it, synced it to his iPhone and practices using it on the all the various settings. Funny enough, that chair was one of the first things a co-worker at Stan’s job recommended to him when he found out we were pregnant. He said it was a lifesaver for their newborn so Stan and I have our fingers crossed we have as much luck!

I have seen these activity sets all over social media so I was really excited when Skiphop sent us their newest one. As far as skincare, I have some Babyganics and Mustela on hand for now and will probably dabble in a few other brands when he arrives to see what works best. Stan is on diaper-buying duty so he picks up a box every time he goes to Costco. LOL Clothing has been the most fun to buy obviously, and I get things from time to time when I come across a cute baby boutique or am down visiting the outlet stores near my house. Copper Pearl sent me a few of their bandana bibs and I just about lost it with cuteness overload! And a few packages of Aden + Anais swaddling cloths arrived recently which I hear are the absolute gold standard when it comes to swaddle blankets. My girlfriend was over 2 nights ago and saw them sitting on the floor in the baby’s room and launched into a 5 minute long gushfest over how much she swore by these when she had her baby. Another swaddle that was recommended to me was the Ollie Swaddle which I just recently received. I feel like I’m going to need adult sized versions of these because they look so cozy! 🙂

As far as nursery decor goes, I am still thinking about how I want the room to look but have some ideas that I will be sharing in a post tomorrow! I ordered the crib and the dresser  so I am slowly making progress. Emphasis on slowly. Eek! My friend that is helping me design my office will also be working on the nursery so I don’t feel completely lost. She has amazing taste (and three kids!) so I know I am in good hands.

Thanks to everyone for all your kind words and well wishes over the past few months. Pregnancy is already a highly emotional and difficult time, and I was actually quite nervous about sharing it publicly. However, since writing and running a blog is my job I knew it came with the territory. I am so grateful to have received nothing but kind and uplifting support which means the world to me. This blog is still primarily a fashion and beauty blog so I have tried to keep that the primary focus and will continue to do so after he arrives. Any baby/pregnancy/maternity posts will be peppered in here and there for those interested, but won’t take over. LOL A little over 3 months to go!! Yay!