Hello loves! I know I’ve been sharing my journey with you all via Instagram but there are just some bumpdates (bump – updates.. see what I did there) that are too long to share on social media.
This last Trimester has FLOWN by! I remember counting down the days until maternity leave because of how exhausted and uncomfortable I was. Fast forward to about 2 weeks into maternity leave and I’ve never rested more in my life (and am still exhausted, welcome to the third trimester). If you’ve been following me since the beginning of my pregnancy you know that the first trimester was the toughest – both mentally and physically. I’m so grateful to have such supportive friends and family that kept me positive during that time, because looking back I’m blow away that I ever felt that way (however I do not regret it – it was a learning experience). And this third trimester has been nothing short of amazing, feeling her little hiccups and kicks and now, big rolls in my belly!
With my growing baby and belly have come some other ailments. One being the most common – exhaustion. I literally walk from the couch to the bathroom and I’m out of breath! I also have to take a big deep breath in order to lift my leg to get into Christian’s Jeep Wrangler LOL. Another one, sore feet! They are a tad swollen and get increasingly bigger as the day goes on, but they’re more sore than swollen. My feet start to hurt if I’m on them for more than 5 minutes, and that pain takes my waddle to a whole new level! I’ve also been experiencing an increase in pelvic pain due to everything loosening up & thinning out, but that’s not too new. I have had pretty bad pelvic pain for quite some time now so it’s all about taking a deep breath and getting through it! The one ailment that is brand new and affects me the most, is the loss of feeling in my hands. I wake up with both hands tingling and it will eventually go away throughout the day, but what is even crazier is when I’m going about my day and all of a sudden I lose feeling in my right hand. I could be blow drying my hair, eating chili or just driving and there goes all feeling in my hand! Circulation is all over the place with pregnancy so this didn’t worry me when it first started to happen. I kind of just hold things more carefully and shake out my hand (as if that’s going to help). I make sure I am always drinking tons of water, this is not only helpful for circulation but incredibly helpful for a fuller milk supply and healthy delivery. I am also EXTREMELY hot and forgetful! I have to have the air on at least 68 when we go to bed and am constantly turning on the fan. Poor Christian is ice cold whenever he is home! And my memory.. SHOT. Christian and I could be having a conversation for 20 minutes and a minute later I’ll ask him a question about that same topic and he’ll respond with, “we just talked about this entire thing for 20 minutes..” OOPS LOL!
At our last doctors appointment (37 weeks) we did my cervix check. This was extremely uncomfortable and boarder line painful (not unbearable like contractions will be). The doctor really has to get in there to feel your cervix, so imagine that feeling on top of already having pressure from a baby! The result: no dilation, but we are thinning (WOO!). She has also dropped which is good, so progression is slowly happening. Previously I had gotten tested for Group B Strep (which all women do late in their pregnancy). Group B Step as explained by good old Wikipedia is:
Though GBS colonization is asymptomatic and, in general, does not cause problems, it can sometimes cause serious illness for the mother and the baby during gestation and after delivery. GBS infections in the mother can cause chorioamnionitis (intra-amniotic infection or severe infection of the placental tissues) infrequently, and postpartum infections (after birth). GBS urinary trcact infections may induce labour and cause premature delivery.
More importantly, my doctor explained that GBS can cause infections in the babies lungs, heart or brain during delivery if left untreated. My test did come back positive, I am a carrier for Group B Strep. What this means is when I begin to get contractions 5 minutes apart or my water breaks I need to head to the hospital immediately (bummer, cause I wanted to shower & do my hair for this little mama to arrive) in order to be put on antibiotics via IV all throughout my labor. This is all fine and dandy until the doctor asked if I was allergic to any medications, in which my response was, “ABSOLUTELY, I cannot have Penicillin”. This lead to the realization that the nurse who took my test originally never asked me if I was allergic to anything and in this case is SUPER important since they would have given me a Penicillin based antibiotic, which would not have ended well. The doctor was amazing and just explained how they had to do another test in order to check for any sensitivity to the 2 other antibiotics that are available for this prevention. We should have that answer when we go back on Wednesday for our 38 week check up and I will keep you updated. If you’ve experienced this and have any insight PLEASE leave a comment, this is all so new to me. My doctor also offers the option to check my cervix every time I go in until I give birth, but I’m pretty sure I’m opting out of it this week!
We have the stroller ready, the car seat installed, the swing put together, her bassinet all set up and her room ready to go! (AND we may have had the most amazing maternity shoot with which we cannot wait to reveal the images taken by the most talented photographers we know – Elevated Photos! You got a little taste on my IG earlier & here as the Blog Post’s Image.) Now all we have to do is wait for our little mama to be ready to meet all of us!
..she literally just got the hiccups as I was writing this sentence..
This journey has been so amazing, and full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t change it for the world!
I have a lot of blogs I’m putting together for you guys, including everything you need to know about Maternity Leave in NJ, what’s in my hospital bag and my Forever 21 try on with some nursing friendly pieces!
I’ve also created a new page on my Blog where you can SHOP my Instagram! Right now it’s mostly maternity outfits but I am working on putting together a Shop My Home page as well! The images from my IG will be updated on this page and once you click on an image it will provide you with links to every item I’m wearing (HOW COOL!)
I can’t thank everyone enough, whether it’s been on my blog or on my IG, for reaching out with such incredible support. I knew the fitness industry had an incredible online support system but this mom community brings a whole new meaning to support! There are so many moms out there who judge other moms and I think it’s amazing the community we have built on Instagram and social media with the select few mamas that just continue to support one another. I, for one, am so grateful to have been accepted and come across such incredible mamas via social media!
♥
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