PREGNANCY / WEEK 20 TO 28

eatsleepwear, pregnancy, second trimester, maternity, babymoon, kimberly lapides, maui, hawaiieatsleepwear, pregnancy, second trimester, maternity, babymoon, kimberly lapides, maui, hawaiieatsleepwear, pregnancy, second trimester, maternity, babymoon, kimberly lapides, maui, hawaiiExcited to chat with you and share more pregnancy updates (and currently 29 weeks pregnant as I write this EEK!!!). Hope you enjoy these updates and if there is anything else you are dying to know, please leave me a comment on this blog post and I will be sure to include in my next update.

WEIGHT GAINED As of the start of week 28, I have gained 16 pounds.

HOW BIG IS BABY
By week 28, Baby is the size of a large eggplant. A little over 2 lbs and about 14-15 inches.

BABY MOVEMENT
This has been one of the most exciting things to happen during the second trimester. It started off as what felt like little gas bubbles popping in my stomach. I remember the first time I thought to myself, “OH MY GOD THAT IS THE BABY MOVING!!!!!!” And I put it in my calendar the first time that Blake felt a kick at 22 weeks! (Which was on April 23) It took me considerably longer to feel movement because of the position of my placenta. My placenta is both in the front and on top so doctor said it might take a touch longer for me to feel stronger movements. I am happy to report baby is dancing on the inside now and it’s such an incredible thing to finally be able to get that immediate knowledge that baby is inside doing well and able to actually kind of communicate with me that way. It’s also so special that Blake can feel the movement. It brings such a real element to the pregnancy that we have been waiting for till now!

HOW I’M FEELING: PHYSICALLY
Headaches/Migraines: I have continued to have migraines during this time but they have started to settle down. My doctor allows me to take excedrin migraine at the onset (since I can always tell when they are coming on) as well as I lay down, put on my eye mask, and lay an ice pack on my forehead. This usually REALLY helps and has allowed me to not be taken out for an entire day or two because of them. As I have gotten closer to week 28, I have not had one for quite some time. So fingers crossed this time has passed.

Hip + Tailbone Pain: I started to get really intense pains in my hips and tailbone making it even difficult to walk. The pain has come and go and my strategy is to continue doing a lot of the stretches I learn in my prenatal yoga class which seems to be helping. I also make sure to sleep with a pillow (or A LOT of bunched up comforter between my knees) to relieve some pressure and that seems to help as well.

Peeing my pants: I am still peeing my pants on the regular over here. TMI I know… but let’s be real. It happens. Now Blake thinks it’s funny to see if he can get me to laugh so hard that I pee myself… NAUGHTY HUSBAND. I continue to pack panty liners with me in every single purse for those… just in case scenarios. But at this point, I think I should prob pack a spare outfit in my car for a super serious accident. We also recently started taking a prepared child birth class at our hospital and while facing each other on a mat during breathing exercises, Blake and I were literally laughing so hard I peed myself in class. AWESOME. Maybe I should just wear an adult diaper to my next class. In all honestly, I think it’s great he can make me laugh like this.

Bye Bye Nausea, Hello Energy: The nausea is gone and I have to say I am feeling much more “normal” if that is a word for it. It’s incredible how much nausea can really drag you down in every way and it’s been amazing to be able to start to enjoy my pregnancy in new ways.

HOW I’M FEELING: MENTALLY
These weeks were right in the sweet spot for me. Because the physical symptoms started to subside, it’s like there was this huge breath of fresh air for me to breath in mentally. It’s easy to not love being pregnant when you feel like garbage 24/7 and I have to say, things started to get a little bit easier. I know I talked to you about not 100% LOVING being pregnant in my last update and I am happy to report that this chunk of time relieved some of that. While I still have this amazing respect for how difficult it is to go through pregnancy, it’s been a beautiful blessing to be able to fall in love a little bit more with my body, the process etc. Some days are harder and some are easier but being able to feel the baby, watch my body grow, it’s created this amazing little spark of love that I just can’t describe.

HIGH RISK DOCTOR APPTS
So at our last scan, the anatomy scan, we saw a CPC (choroid plexus cyst) which had me FREAKING OUT. We went to our echocardiogram at the high risk doctor and quickly saw that the CPC was gone and that there was nothing to worry about. The heart all looked great as well. This was all amazing news. The doctor did however notice something going on with the placenta. He found what they call a “marginal cord insertion” where the umbilical cord inserts into the placenta within 2 cm’s from the outside of the placenta. There is also another type of cord insertion that is much more severe and worrisome but my doctor assured me that this was not that. Because they saw this, we now need to be monitored more frequently as the baby gets bigger to ensure he is growing on track and getting all the nutrients he needs from the placenta. We have been going every 4 weeks to monitor and everything has been looking good! At this point we just roll with the punches and know that is baby is growing, that is all that matters. And getting a little extra screen time with our little guy is never a bad thing.

GLUCOSE TEST
At week 26, I headed to the doctors office for the dreaded Glucose test. The horror stories I heard… were endless. Let me tell you about my experience. It’s a fasting blood test so for a preggo that has nausea and needs to eat.. It’s not the most fun experience. But, considering my background in what I have done for this baby to date, I wasn’t really that worried about this test. I got there and was able to pick a glucose drink flavor that was refrigerated (which I think made it easier to drink) and I picked lemon lime. Like drinking a Sprite right? HA. They take 1 blood draw before you drink the beverage and then wait an hour, test again, and wait another hour and test again. I chugged water before the test so I would not be dehydrated which made the blood draws easier. Honestly, the experience wasn’t bad for me. I had my laptop with me and just kept myself busy working while I waited for each blood draw. All in all, it wasn’t my preferred activity but the experience wasn’t as bad as everyone made it out to be. Excited to tell you I PASSED!

WHAT I’M EATING
My food preferences always seem to include some kind of dessert or sweets. Love having something on hand after dinner to get that little bit of a sweet tooth fix! We have been taking more frequent trips to grab ice cream and frozen yogurt and I am not mad about that! We also stock the freezer with ice pops, haagen daz bars, and yasso frozen yogurt bars (mint chip is my fav!) We cook a lot but I always love a good italian meal. Something about it comforts me. I also always have string cheese on hand as well a new favorite, Blue Diamond Honey Roasted almonds for when I want a sweet treat but also a little protein. Other than that, I pretty much am eating everything and have random cravings all the time where I tell Blake, “Hey you know what sounds good?? Strawberry shortcake.” Totally reasonable requests coming from me all the time. HA!

HOW I’M SLEEPING
Sleep has been going ok. I have stopped taking the unisom for now as I have been sleeping through the night and don’t want to take things if I don’t really need them. If you remember, my doctor let me take unisom to help me with sleeping. I do toss and turn all night from side to side but generally that is how I usually sleep anyways. I have actually been sleeping without a body pillow. What I do is steal ALL of the comforter and bunch is between my knees and my feet since I move around so often. It’s working for me for now but I am sure that will change soon. I have my pillows handy for when I need them. I actually slept surprisingly well on our babymoon to Maui. Considering we were not in our own bed, I slept like a rock. Likely because of the time change and spending 8 hours a day in the sun.

EXERCISE
I am still loving my prenatal yoga class every Friday and the stretches and practices I am learning are going to serve me well getting closer to Labor. I also still try to get to the gym when I can but after the babymoon, I have been more tired and getting to the gym less these days. I don’t force my body if I feel like I am too tired to go. I always listen to what my body needs. When I go, I still do the treadmill at an incline of 3 and speed of about 3.5 and then do some arm circuit machines. Thank goodness I have Blake who will keep me motivated and always ask if I want to join him at the gym. So when I feel up to it, I can go.

BODY IMAGE
Last post I talked about body image and at this point in pregnancy I am feeling much more comfortable in my own skin. We headed to our babymoon around week 26 and I have to say, it’s the best I have felt my whole pregnancy. Maybe it was that sweet Hawaiian breeze… but it’s also likely because it was in the perfect sweet spot for my body and soul. My bump was finally loud and proud and something just clicked where I felt confident and beautiful. I spent my days in Hawaii in my bikinis with a smile plastered on my face, watching my baby boy move from the outside, and having literally the best time. Do I have cellulite? Hell yes. Are there things I might not love about my body? Of course. But you know what, there is way more love than anything else I have for my body at this part of the journey. Getting ready in the bathroom I would just start staring at my belly, thinking back about how much I dreamed of these days. To look into the mirror and stare back at a rounded growing belly. Every time I catch that reflection I take a minute to think about just how lucky we are.

BABYMOON
If I can suggest one thing, take a babymoon. It doesn’t have to be a whole big vacation, it can even be just a weekend getaway. If you can make it happen, just slip away for the weekend with your significant other and take the time to indulge just the two of you. Have a nice meal, enjoy a sunset, anything. Looking back on our trip, I am so thankful we had the time to spend together and really just RELAX together. Without work or obligations getting in the way. Everyone LOVES to tell me how your life will forever change once that little love bug comes into our life but it’s really true that this time together just the two of us is so special. We scheduled a photoshoot with my dear friends of Love and Water to capture the moment and ended up with some incredible memories from our trip. For us, Maui is so special because we got married there 3 years ago and it was the start of our family of 2 (plus lola and the cats!). Being able to come back as a soon to be family of 3, was even more magical and I can’t wait to bring out little one to these exact same spots and create new memories in one of our favorite places.

CHALLENGES
Hormonal meltdowns: The hormonal meltdowns are still real. ALL. THE. TIME. I really try to curb my unreasonable nature but at times it’s just impossible. So this continues to be one of those things throughout pregnancy that lingers but at this point, I think I (and Blake) are semi used to it by now.

WHAT I’M WEARING
I recently did a post here sharing my babymoon wishlist and alot of things I wore while in Hawaii. I recently did a huge shopping haul before our trip and stocked up on alot of dresses. Honestly dresses are the easiest thing to wear and not feel constricted and it’s been so wonderful that is Summer and I can get away with doing that. It means that I can still buy non-maternity dresses to slip into as well. I have been lounging in this cute graphic tee, this little bit sexy cover up, and this dress that just makes me feel like a sexy, beautiful pregnant woman. I also picked up this bra that is not maternity and surprisingly cozy to wear under white tops and dresses for summer. I need to pick up another in black.

SELF LOVE
Part of my self love routine has been scheduling time to get a mani pedi. Seems so simple but it’s always so fun to get to pamper yourself. I was able to enjoy an AMAZING prenatal massage on our babymoon and will likely schedule another massage in the coming month. Blake and I also continue to make time for date night every week. We either plan a new recipe we want to try together, or try a new restaurant to savour the time when we can just pick up on a whim. So important to focus on always strengthening our relationship and having fun along the way. Blake has been my rock and does SO much for me in general, and basically takes over cooking all the time so I can rest and he is basically the best husband around. I need to actively thank him more because without him, I would be a hot mess.

RECENT PURCHASES
Babyletto Crib from Serena & Lily YAY!!! We got our crib and put it together. Alot of you asked about it and we bought it from Serena & Lily because apparently it’s been sold out alot of other places online. It’s modern, and beautiful and I am in love.

LexyPexy Pretzel Teeth because baby toys, I just can’t help myself

Hooded sweater + Disney Pants from Zara Zara kids is a dangerous place. I ordered a couple things that are so freaking cute. You know how I feel about disney and I bought these little disney joggers… that I wish came in my size!

BABY PREPARATIONS
Like I said above, we finally have our crib and it’s set up, and it’s glorious!!! We are in full swing designing our nursery with my dear friend Anne who is making sure Baby Boy has the coolest room around town! We are not focused on a theme per say. We are more focused on soft neutrals and creating a warm rich texture based space. Will share a sneak peek with you all soon.

I am also currently working on my West Coast Baby Shower with the lovely ladies of Beijos Events which is making me just so happy. Excited to celebrate with all my friends out here! I have been sharing a lot of the baby products and gifts coming in from my registry and others and started to share them to my highlights on my IG profile. I will be sharing a roundup of my registry must haves as it’s been a number question lately for all you mama’s to be out there planning your own registries. I have to say, making a registry is VERY overwhelming for a first time mom that literally has no idea what they are doing. It took me SO long to comb through research and decided on things. So will be excited to share what I learned with you all.

I need to start planning for my hospital bag, Blake’s and Lola’s. That is high priority now as I want to be sure I am prepared for the unexpected.

WHATS NEXT
Hopefully it will be smooth sailing into the third trimester and as the clock starts to tick down, I am sure I will have a bigger update for you all on what I am planning, how I am feeling etc. That’s all for now! Leave me a comment with any more questions you might have. Happy to answer!

photos by Love and Water

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