Public Service Announcement: The bra that changed my life

This post is a little TMI but it’s worth sharing.

Before I got pregnant I did not have a small chest. It was nothing of epic proportions but I was a really solid C. At around 12 weeks I gave up trying to fit into my pre-pregnancy bras and went bra shopping. I bought DDs and they fit. Yikes, that was fast.

Unfortunately, the growth did not end or even really slow. I have no idea what traditional bra size I would fit now but it would be HUGE. The thought of buying new bras again, especially when the ballooning will probably continue and reach absolutely terrifying levels once our little guy is born and my milk comes in, is ridiculous. But the DDs weren’t cutting it.

I read a few good reviews online about Coobie bras. For the price it seemed silly to not give them a try. I found a promotional code and bought two of them (for $20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I bought the “full” size since I wanted room to grow. A little under 2 weeks later they came in the mail and I put one on immediately. And they are life changing. I’ve been exclusively wearing them ever since. They feel like a sports bra but they don’t give you the dreaded “uniboob” and are stretchy! They fit perfectly and I am thrilled!

I know that not everyone undergoes massive boob growth but wearing these bras brings a whole new level of comfort to the whole experience. I’d much rather be wearing these with sore boobs even if mine weren’t humongous.  Soooo if you’re having bra issues, they’re worth a try!

*Disclaimer: The company that manufactures Coobie had nothing to do with this post. These are all my personal views and I am only sharing them to help other women in the same situation.

I’m so far behind on these but I know that if I make myself catch up I’ll just keep procrastinating so this is this week’s update!! I’ll include milestones from the past few weeks too J

How far along? 24 weeks!!! Viability baby!

Total weight gain: A lot. Over 25 pounds. And I’m shockingly okay with it. I’m walking every day, working with light weights and eating a healthy diet with lots of fruit and veggies. Apparently this is what my baby needs so I’m trying to embrace it. I’ve lost a lot of weight before (60+ pounds) so I know that I can do it again. The only thing that’s causing me issues with it is comparing myself to other people but that’s all mind stuff that I need to work out.

Maternity clothes? Almost all the time! The only non-maternity pieces that I’m wearing were already flowy dresses. 

Stretch marks? No new ones. Still none on my tummy. I use moisturizer on my tummy twice a day so hopefully that is helping anyway. I think something that also helps is that I was overweight before and I still haven’t reached an all time high weight-wise. 

Sleep: Pretty good. I’ve been getting up multiple (over 3) times each night to go to the bathroom but luckily I can always fall back asleep pretty quickly.

Best moment this week: . We had our first baby shower on Saturday (so early I know…my sister was in town from out of state for the last time before little guy gets here so we had an immediate family one). It feels so surreal to have stuff that’s for OUR baby. Really weird feeling. I think that we also decided on a name!

Miss Anything? Nothing.

Movement: Really strong! I feel him basically all day long now and I love it. Both Josh and my sister have also been able to feel him from outside. Yay!! I think movement is my favorite part J

Food cravings: Fruit fruit and more fruit. I’ve been eating a lot of watermelon, plums and bananas.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nothing.

Gender: Bouncing baby BOY!

Labor Signs: None!

Symptoms: Peeing in the middle of the night, growing body, needing more rest (after standing up for half an hour + to make dinner I always feel like I’ve basically reached my limit).

Belly Button in or out? In and I’m now sure that it’ll eventually at least break even. It’s getting more shallow.

Wedding rings on or off? Still on! I don’t think I’ll make it to 30 weeks with them on though. We’ll see.

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! Still anxious but definitely happy.

Looking forward to: Baby related- 3^rd Trimester! Not baby related- Moving next month!

A break from our regular programming....

Josh and I have been looking for a house for a few months. If you recall we moved back to our hometown in January because of the job opportunities for Josh and to be closer to family. We didn't have a house when we moved so we've been living with my father in law since January.

It seems like every house that we've found that we LOVE ends up selling right before we have a chance to make an offer. It's been extremely discouraging and has led to multiple emotional breakdowns (on my end) especially since ideally I'd like to spend the last few months pre-baby being excited and preparing with just Josh...not with 2 roommates (my brother in law lives with FIL as well).

Well, last week we went to see a house. We fell in love with it right away. It's in the best school district in the area, within walking distance to the grocery store, in a safe neighborhood where I'd feel comfortable going on jogs with the baby but without Josh. When our real estate agent called to inquire about it the listing agent told him that the seller had just accepted an offer. As long as the potential buyer signed the addendum with their conditions it would be pending escrow. I was defeated. I'm so over house hunting and ready to be settled somewhere.

The next day our agent called. The potential buyer declined. The house was back on the market. We submitted an offer right away. Apparently 2 other offers were submitted that same day. The seller closed the property to other offers and told the 3 of us to make our highest and best offer. They were all due by 5pm yesterday and the seller would choose between the 3.

Well, I got a call from our agent about an hour ago and WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!! I already feel so much better just knowing that our baby will have a house to live in. We'll be moving in mid-July and I can't wait :)

I’ve been MIA…

I know that I’ve been missing in action over here lately.  I’ve been in a bit of a “just before viability” funk. I think I’m coming out of it…I HOPE I’m coming out of it! This explanation is long, just a warning!

At the beginning of last week my progesterone bloodtest results came back really good. I was feeling great before that and after that. That Sunday I’d felt our little one kick from the outside. My sister felt it. Josh felt it. I was THRILLED. I was on a complete high which is probably why I came crashing down so hard.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I started feeling a little crampy. I’m pretty sure it was/is just round ligament pain but in the moment I panicked. I’d gotten to a point the week before where both Josh and I acknowledged to each other that we were finally thinking that we ARE going to have a baby in October without adding the “if all goes well” after. I think that combined with the kicks made me feel so much bonded with our baby and when the cramps started it added a whole new layer of fear. The thought of losing all of this and the actual SON that I’ve now completely fallen in love with was/is overwhelming.

So I started overanalyzing everything. I googled symptoms of premature labor. I read them over and over. At first I reassured myself because I was having no lower back pain. The next day my back (of course!!!) started hurting. I reassured myself because the “crampy” feeling was pretty low and didn’t seem to be even close to where my uterus is now. The next day I had stomach tightening. I completely stressed myself out but I kept telling myself that my OB appointment this past Tuesday morning would reassure me completely.

Unfortunately that appointment was a huge letdown. My normal OB is out of the country so I met with another doctor who was in a rush on his way to a hospital emergency. He checked baby’s heartbeat (something I’d just done 30 minutes early so it didn’t help my anxiety) and wrote off my concerns as being completely normal aches and pains as long as there was no blood. He spent literally 3 minutes with me. That night I had a complete emotional breakdown because I’d completely convinced myself I was going to lose our little boy just 2 weeks before he had any shot of making it through. Luckily after laying down and drinking water coupled with some much needed support from Josh I felt much better.

Yesterday my back pain was gone and the crampy feeling was just here and there. I still had moments of panic where I begged Josh to let me schedule a private U/S just to make sure that everything is okay with my cervix. He thought that doing that would just be enabling my panic/worry and that it wouldn’t help me calm down or just trust that everything will work out the way that it’s supposed to. He was right.

I'm feeling good again today and I'm hoping that it keeps up. I'm primarily a lot more calm which really does make a world of difference. I'm 22 weeks and 1 day pregnant today. I'll post my 21 and 22 week updates later today to catch up! Any prayers/positive thoughts for my continued peace of mind would be appreciated!

Burn Baby Burn

I first experienced the lovely sensation early in the second trimester. At first I didn’t know what it was because I’d never had it before. My dad has always had some acid reflux issues and gets really bad heartburn but I didn’t fully “get” how uncomfortable it actually is.

In the past 2 weeks or so it’s gotten worse…much much worse. Ever since I had to take about a million pills in the first tri I’ve been traumatized when it comes to taking medicine while pregnant. My pill sessions would sometimes take a really long time because just the act of having the pills in my mouth would prompt me to gag/vomit. Lovely. For that reason I haven’t taken Tums yet. I just can’t stomach the idea.

This led me to google with hope that I’d find a magical cure. These are the suggestions that I came across:

·         Stay hydrated.

·         Eat cooling foods.

·         Stay clear of caffeine…it’s a trigger.

(Source- http://www.remediesforheartburn.net/heartburn-remedies-for-pregnant-women.html)

·         Take 2 teaspoons of unprocessed and unheated honey after every meal. (One website said a tablespoon of honey in warm milk)

·         Sleep at a slight incline by propping your body up with pillows or inclining your bed.

(Source- http://laryngopharyngealreflux.healthrisks.biz/heartburn-remedies-for-pregnant-women/)

·         Don’t eat for at least 2 hours before bedtime.

·         Eat small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large ones.

·         Wear loose fitting clothing to reduce pressure on your belly.

·         Eat papaya, almonds and dairy (unless you find dairy to be a trigger for your heartburn).

(Source- http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/eating-well/week-36/heartburn-relief-during-pregnancy.aspx)

Have any of you been able to find relief using any of these methods? Do you have other tricks up your sleeve that could help??