Browsing Tag

favorites

Third Trimester Favorites + Baby Update

Posted on October 26, 2016

So next Tuesday marks the start of November, and also the start of our birth month. We’re both really excited, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t also a little scared of what’s to come. We’re both hoping for a natural/intervention-free labor and delivery, and that isn’t something you can really plan for. You just do the best you can to prepare your mind and body for the upcoming challenge, and hope for the best outcome for everyone. We are due in a month, which means little baby Smied could make his/her entrance anytime in the next 2-6 weeks! Our hospital bag is (almost) packed, the nursery is (almost) ready, and the house has been cleaned from top to bottom. As we approach the due date, I’ve been getting a lot of questions from family & friends:

How am I feeling?
Emotionally, see above. Physically, like the size of a small house. My belly has really popped over the last 2 weeks! Also, there is almost nothing on the planet that I can consume anymore without getting heartburn. Even water. I’ve heard that this means baby will be born with lots of hair, but both Jeremy and I were baldies when we were born, so I’ll believe it when I see it. I’ve been getting lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, mostly when I workout – and I’ve transitioned to longer walks most days of the week instead of runs. The maternity support belt I bought for running makes things comfortable, and I miss the runner’s high, but the contractions make it too uncomfortable to attempt more than walking with short bursts (5-10 minutes) of running in between. I think this is just my body’s way of telling me to slow down while it gears up for labor, and I’m listening to it. Thankfully I can still do my Barre workouts, no problem.

How is the baby?
Baby is head down, and active! Although on the smaller side, we think. Over the last few midwife appointments my fundal height has consistently measured 4-5 weeks behind where I *should* be. I’m not surprised since I’ve looked very small this entire pregnancy, and my mom has told me my brothers and I were all only 6-7lbs at birth. My midwife isn’t overly concerned since the baby is still showing growth signs at every appointment, but I have to go in tomorrow morning for a growth scan to make sure everything is okay. Please keep us in your thoughts!

Any labor symptoms?
Nope! Baby is cozy and snug in there – lots of hiccups and baby dance parties (with toes in my ribs – OUCH!), especially at 11pm every night, like clockwork. This is our first baby, so I have a feeling we’ll go over the due date. I say take your time, sweet pea! Just go easy on my ribs, okay?

With just a few weeks left of pregnancy (eek!), I wanted to share my final list of pregnancy favorites, for the Third Trimester.

You can find my other pregnancy favorites here:
First Trimester Favorites

Second Trimester Favorites

1. Mind the Bump App
We’ve assembled a pretty amazing team of UMich staff, midwives, and our Doula to help support us through this experience. If I know myself though, I’m just like my mom and when I get sick, or I’m in a LOT of pain, I tend to really go inside myself to focus through it. I have a feeling this will probably happen when things get really intense at the end of the first stage of labor. For that reason, I’ve been using this mindfulness meditation app to get into a good headspace. In my second trimester favorites, I mentioned that I’d been really loving the Mindful Birthing book – which I’m still so glad I read. But when I tried using the companion meditation CD, I found they were too long (25+ minutes each) to stay focused, and the coach’s voice was hoarse and not very soothing. This app uses the same techniques, but in shorter 7-15 minute sessions. It offers meditations for day 1 of pregnancy all the way through the 2nd year of your child’s life – which I bet are some of the most challenging years. I love it! On iOS & Android.

2. Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend who said it changed her whole outlook on birth. I really enjoyed it, as it is really thorough and takes a lot of the fear out of the process by explaining WHY your body is built for birth, and HOW it accomplishes this. I will say though, the first chapter of birth stories was a little too crunchy for me, and were difficult to stay focused on. Skip over these stories, and I’d highly recommend it.

3. Old Navy Maternity Tops
In the beginning of pregnancy, pants are the biggest issue. Your belly and hips expand in an awkward way that make normal bottoms feel really uncomfortable. My Gap pure body leggings saved me with this. Later in pregnancy though, as your belly starts to grow faster, and rise higher on your core, your tops are going to start feeling (and looking) ridiculous. My belly is now big enough that I’ve developed what I call the “short shirt belly shelf”, where the shirt rides up on your belly, and then the very bottom hem curves outward like it’s trying to get away from you because of how ridiculous you look wearing it.

Thankfully, it is now leggings/long sweater season, so I picked up this maternity swing tank (in pink, navy, and black) for layering – it is so soft, and comfortable, and runs true to size.

4. Burt’s Bees Mama Belly Butter & Oil
I started using this belly butter twice a day in the second trimester, and I love it. I know they say that stretch marks are genetic and there is nothing you can do from the outside to prevent them, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try! I use the belly butter in the morning, and the oil at night so I don’t ruin my clothes – the oil smells like Lemonheads candy, yum!

5. Reduce Insulated Steel Tumbler (YETI knockoff!)
Lately I have been SUPER thirsty – I’ll chug water like my life depends on it…at least until I have to come up for air. Jeremy picked up two of these tumblers at Costco last month, and they’re awesome! They’re total YETI cup knockoffs, and work really well at holding the temperature. I’ll often fill one of these up to bring to bed, and there will still be plenty of ice in it in the morning.

6. Snoogle Pillow
I know this was part of my second trimester favorites, but I love it so much that I had to mention it again. This thing has been an absolute life saver as far as staying comfortable with an ever growing belly – and I would recommend it even for my non-pregnant friends. It’s the best!

7. Lucy Darling Baby’s First Year Book
This memory book makes me freaking cry every time I flip through it and think of all the happy memories we’ll be making with this little one. We’ve already written a note to the baby, included some stories about how we found out that he/she was joining our family, their family tree, and all of their ultrasound photos. So cute.

I’ll give a short update later this week on how the growth scan went, and also a sneak peek of the nursery!

Second Trimester Favorites

Posted on August 23, 2016

Oh hey, third trimester.

Yep, I just entered the home stretch of pregnancy – and I can’t believe it! I just had my glucose test last week – I bombed the 1-hour test, which was pretty stressful. I thought that I was healthy enough that it wouldn’t be a problem, but I’ve learned it’s really common for healthy women to fail it. I had to go in last Friday for the dreaded 3-hour Glucose Tolerance Test, and while it was rough (I hate having my blood drawn!), I got the news yesterday that I passed with flying colors. So, yay! I definitely have a lot more appreciation for my own mom after experiencing pregnancy for myself. Between the morning sickness in the beginning, the crazy emotions, body changes, and all of the medical tests, I’ve realized just how much my mom went through to get me here. Thanks, mom!

Today I want to share with you some of my favorite things from my second trimester. The trimester that my midwife lovingly refers to as “the honeymoon”, and I can see why. It was pretty amazing, especially after experiencing the ridiculousness (so.much.nausea.) of first tri. I felt oddly normal aside from my growing bump, but with 200% of my energy back. I also got 200% of my appetite back…fighting off dairy-free ice cream is a real struggle. I also hit a few milestones – the baby now responds to my voice which is so cute, and I was finally asked by a stranger recently when I’m due. That makes it real! 🙂

1.) Gabrialla Maternity Support Belt
If you follow my Instagram, you know I post a lot about running during pregnancy. Staying fit while you’re growing a human is hard work, and with that comes a lot of aches and pains as your body stretches to accommodate the little one. I started getting pretty severe round ligament pain on my left side around 16 weeks, which made running really uncomfortable and not to mention the weight that the baby puts on your bladder makes it feel like you’re going to pee yourself with every stride. Sexy, no? A friend and fellow runner recommended this support belt, and it has been LIFE CHANGING (thanks, Michele!). It can be worn right under my running tops without chafing, and really holds the belly in place. Right now I only wear this for high impact workouts, but I can see myself in it more often once I get to the middle/end of the third trimester. Highly recommend, but go with one size up for comfort.

2.) Snoogle Pregnancy Pillow
After the first trimester is over and your belly starts growing, you’re not supposed to sleep on your back anymore to avoid putting too much pressure on the blood vessels going to your legs, and the baby. Jeremy surprised me with this amazing pillow at the beginning of the second trimester as a way to help with this. It is super comfortable, and has a washable slipcover. True story: he steals it in the morning if I get out of bed before him…he (not so secretly) wants one for himself!

3.) Gap Maternity Leggings
So, the Gap is pretty much the holy grail for affordable, quality maternity clothing. Once I had a visible belly, I hated the way that my normal clothing fit and felt on my body. I picked up two pairs of their Pure Body Leggings – in black, and charcoal – and love them. I bought the demi panel leggings, and was worried that the band under the belly wouldn’t be comfortable, but I was wrong. The band is wide and very elastic, so these have become a staple in my closet. The best part is that these don’t *look* like maternity clothing, which means I’ll keep wearing them after the baby comes. The Gap almost always has a 35-50% off + free shipping sale running, which keeps their clothing even less expensive than Target or Old Navy. You can sign up for their emails here to be notified of upcoming sales, and get 25% off your first order.

4.) Cindy’s Kitchen Balsamic Vinaigrette
I get asked pretty often what weird things I’m craving, and the truth is I don’t really have many cravings, I just want more of what I liked to eat before pregnancy. If I had to pick one thing that I really want most of the time, it would be this vinaigrette. I want to put it on just about everything – chicken, salads, peaches, ~~drink it straight from the bottle~~ – which is a little unusual I guess. This stuff is SO good, though.

5.) Suzanne Bowen Barre Workouts
In my first trimester favorites, I mentioned that I’d been doing some Jillian Michaels workouts – which were great! I love HIIT workouts, but pulled an oblique muscle around 14 weeks after one of these workouts, which was a clear sign that my abs could no longer handle that kind of strain. A minor tear in an oblique is one of the most painful things I’ve ever experienced, because you use your core for EVERYTHING. I had to take a full two weeks off of any exercise, and if we’re being honest, most movement. During that time, I researched more challenging prenatal workouts and came across the BarreAmped method. I’ve always equated prenatal workouts with being too easy, but these (especially the Sleek & Toned DVD) are TOUGH. I vividly remember having to stop every 45 seconds during the first workout because my muscles were being burned out so quickly…there may also have been some swear words. If you are skeptical at all, just take a quick glance at any Barre instructor’s butt. That should be enough evidence that these routines work. This + running 5-6 days a week has kept me feeling really fit!

6.) La Croix Curate’ – Watermelon
I don’t have a problem with La Croix, you have a problem. I can stop drinking it whenever I want. Okay, not really…this stuff saved me in the first trimester, and I’m still addicted now.

7.) Mindful Birthing book
As someone with a type A personality who struggles with anxiety at times, I’ve used a lot of mindfulness techniques over the years to get myself into a healthy, comfortable headspace. So when I found this book on Amazon (which also came highly recommended by my doula), I snatched it up quickly! The author applies the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction technique to the process and pain of labor and childbirth. I just finished the book, and while I can’t yet attest to it’s effectiveness during labor, I’m already finding the meditation and mindfulness exercises to be extremely helpful in everyday life. I’ll offer a full review once this little one arrives!

8.) Pregnant Chicken Blog
Let’s get real for a second, shall we? Pregnancy is beautiful, and amazing, and a miraculous journey. But it’s also pretty weird and gross, sometimes. Now that I’m in the beginning of the third trimester, I’m starting to transition from “oh yay, baby kicks!” to “NO ONE TOLD ME THERE WOULD BE CANKLES”. Amy, the author over at Pregnant Chicken, has a hilarious way of delivering otherwise serious information. I love how she keeps it real, honest, and throws in a few swears here and there – it feels like you’re listening to a friend talk. I especially love her weekly emails, and baby registry suggestions. If you’re newly pregnant, please do yourself a favor and hop over there for a read. So refreshing!

What were your favorites during the easiest trimester?

Favorites Pregnancy/Baby

First Trimester Favorites

Posted on June 3, 2016

I found out I was pregnant at roughly 4 weeks along.

Anyone who tells you that pregnancy is an amazing, special time is a magical pregnancy unicorn, at least when they’re talking about the first trimester. I know every pregnancy is different for each woman, but in my case, the first trimester was ROUGH.

I spent the first two weeks after I found out, wondering how I got so lucky that I was feeling so “normal”. Aside from my boobs feeling like overfilled water balloons, and still being shocked by the news, I wasn’t fatigued or feeling sick at all. I was still able to eat the foods I enjoyed normally, and was able to workout and run 4-5 days a week. I vividly remember being halfway through a run during week 5 and thinking “I feel so great, I must just be one of the lucky ones!”…I didn’t even have time to knock on wood before week 6 showed up and knocked me right on my ass. This was right around the time we’d started our bed project – I had to abandon Jeremy halfway through and tell him to finish it himself. Sorry, honey.

First it started with aversions to foods I normally loved, since my go-to meals strangely just didn’t sound appetizing anymore. Within a few days, this progressed to complete food aversion. It got to the point where if I could just go without food of any kind for the foreseeable future and not die of starvation, that would have been my first choice. Everything sounded, looked, and smelled disgusting, and I wanted to throw a tantrum every time my stomach would growl because DON’T MAKE ME EAT, body! I was also completely exhausted – there were times when I would have to take a break from walking up the stairs, or brushing my teeth by sitting on the bathroom floor, because it felt like I’d just run 100 miles. I was feeling so terrible that I had to give my ticket away to a Neil DeGrasse-Tyson talk, an event that I’d been looking forward to for MONTHS. So sad.

Once the nausea kicked in full-force, it was pretty awful. So bad in fact, that in an effort to avoid having to call out sick or hide getting sick at work, that I actually kept an oversized Tupperware “puke bowl” in my car. Gross, I know. Thankfully, I never actually threw up, but felt like I was on the verge of it 24/7. I don’t know how women with Hyperemesis do it, you ladies deserve a gold medal for surviving that. I could barely handle how I was feeling – I would come home from work every evening, try to choke down some mashed potatoes or applesauce, then crawl in bed and just cry about how awful I felt. The worst part was not knowing if/when my hormones would settle and the sick feeling would end, and suffering alone since we didn’t want to tell anyone until the second trimester. I remember sitting on the couch one night with Jeremy halfway through week 6, saying “I don’t know how I’m going to do this. I can’t handle being pregnant and I have 34 weeks to go.” I felt so miserable, ungrateful and guilty. I know several women who have had a hard time conceiving, and here I was, complaining about how awful I was feeling while this amazing thing was happening. It was a confusing time, emotionally. Luckily, the major nausea tapered off within 4 weeks, my moods leveled out, and food sounds super-appetizing again now that I’m in the second trimester. And by super-appetizing, I mean I may or may not be turning into a culinary vacuum cleaner.

In lieu of this month’s favorites, here are some of my first trimester favorites that helped make the hardest trimester a little bit more bearable.

1. Chimes Ginger Chews
Jeremy brought home some of these chews from Zingerman’s a while ago, and I never really tried them until I started feeling sick. I’ve heard lots of good things about ginger for nausea, so I always kept a few of these on hand just in case. In my purse, in the car, in my pocket, etc… They’re really spicy without being too sweet, which really helped ease the nausea when I wasn’t sure I could make it through work without getting sick. Plus, they’re low in sugar which is much better than popping sour candy or Preggie Pop Drops, which I found were just glorified Jolly Ranchers.

2. Bananas
So, bananas were my saving grace when my blood sugar would dip (because food sounded so gross that I just wouldn’t eat), which would then lead to serious nausea. I learned the best way to fight the nausea was to never let myself get too hungry, so I always had bananas with me because they were a small amount of food with just enough sugar to keep me going. I’m surprised I didn’t turn into one considering how many I ate. I would send Jeremy to the grocery store and ask him to get 2-3 bundles of them, and they’d be gone in less than a week. My first trimester record was 18 bananas in 5 days….yes, really.

3. Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30
With the exception of the green haze of weeks 6-10, I was able to get these weekly workouts in when I was feeling good enough. It was a workout I’d done before I got pregnant, and is a great way to get some endorphins flowing, build muscle, and get a little cardio in. It was gentle enough that I was able to handle it even when I felt too weak to run or do intense strength training, but I still felt like I got a good workout in when I was done. Now that I’m in the second trimester and my tiny belly is starting to make an appearance, I’ll have to adapt to another workout program that is easier on my abs (don’t want to get Diastasis Recti!), but this was great for the early days.

4. Glow Nurture App
I downloaded this app shortly after I found out I was pregnant. I love data and facts, so being able to see exactly how big the baby was at the moment, and how it was developing was really reassuring in the early days, when you don’t actually feel anything going on down there. I still haven’t actually felt any movement yet, but I need less reassurance now that I’m out of the danger zone. It also has a daily health log, and appointment reminders. The community forum can get a little catty, but I otherwise really enjoy the app. Available on Android and iOs.

5. La Croix Sparkling Water
This stuff is like the nectar of the gods during pregnancy. When I couldn’t stomach food, but would get so nauseous from being hungry, this sparkling water would be my first go-to item. The flavor (my favorites are Lime, and Cran-Raspberry) made it easier to take down than regular water, and the carbonation would fill my stomach up to take the nausea down long enough for me to eat something small. If this sparkling water were a person, I would be in love with it – it was a life saver!

6. Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw Prenatals
I did a ton of research on prenatals before I actually made a purchase, and this one had the best reviews as far as how good they were for you, and how little they aggravated reviewer’s stomachs. When you already have all day nausea, you don’t want to add anything else into the mix to make it worse. Thankfully, these prenatals have been great. They don’t have a strong (read: gag-inducing) taste, and never upset my stomach even when I couldn’t stomach food along with them. I also think they may have played a role in me never actually getting sick.

7. The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
We were gifted this book by one of Jeremy’s coworkers, and I read through it just out of curiosity. If you’re hoping for a more natural birth (hope is a strong word, since you can’t really plan much of it), this is a great read even for expectant mothers. I’ve learned a ton about the actual stages of labor, and what to expect every step of the way. Jeremy has recently picked it up as well, and it’s helped him to learn about the process of birth, and the best ways to be supportive during that time. Because of this book, we’re in the process of interviewing Birth Doulas — even if you’re not interested in hiring a doula, this is a MUST read for anyone you want in the delivery room as your support.

8. What to Expect When You’re Expecting
I know this book is the gold standard of pregnancy reading material, and I’m so glad I have it. It is super-detailed, and extremely thorough without being cheesy, or biased as some prenatal books can be. It is a great reference to have on hand when you’re experiencing weird symptoms, or are just curious about what should be happening during your current week of pregnancy. I highly recommend it for first-time moms who don’t know what they’re in for, it’s been a great resource for me!

9. Ingrid & Isabel Bellaband
As a first time soon-to-be mom, I’m definitely not naive to the fact that at some point my normal clothes (or at least some of them) won’t work for me when my bump grows to beached-whale proportions. However, that didn’t stop me from trying to prevent spending money on maternity clothing just yet. Tops were not an issue in the first trimester, but bottoms are a whole different story. PREGNANCY BLOAT IS A REAL PROBLEM, guys. By roughly week 8 or 9, it was too uncomfortable to try to button pants, but I was able to get by on the hair tie trick. However by week 11, that wasn’t cutting it anymore. Insert the Bellaband – it is a super-soft, smoothing band that you can wear over almost any unbuttoned/unzipped bottom, and it comes in several colors. I picked mine up at Target, in the color “Natural” to see if I liked it. Well, the verdict is in, and I LOVE it. This has allowed me to stretch the use of my pre-pregnancy clothing since the only thing growing right now is my belly. This is a MUST have, and I will definitely be picking it up in the other colors soon.

So, what were some of your first trimester favorites (or survival items)? If you’re reading this and you’re in the middle of the first trimester, good luck to you – you can do it! It gets so much better for most women, I promise!