Summer mama
We hear it all the time, "pregnancy is a blessing". It's a beautiful time when a woman's body works hard to create a human life. However, carrying a tiny human inside of you doesn't always feel like the most beautiful blessing. Especially when it's summer.
I got pregnant in February, giving me a November due date. Which means I get to be pregnant for the entire summer. Everywhere I go people say, "You're glowing!" Glowing? No.. It's 90 degrees and I'm waddling around feeling like I have a watermelon taped to me. That's not "glow", I'm just dripping with sweat. Women often claim to feel beautiful, confident and powerful while pregnant. But between the swelling of my hands, the all day morning sickness, and feeling like I weighed about 1,000 pounds, I felt anything but confident. I found it very easy to find things to complain about and even easier to find excuses to stay inside all day and lay naked next to a fan. However, I have slowly managed to find the tiny pleasures of being pregnant during this lovely season. For one thing, this summer is my free pass not to stress about having that flat stomach in a two piece. Being pregnant means you are allowed (and encouraged) to have a big belly! Summertime is the perfect time to embrace your baby bump. Bikinis, tank tops, stretchy sun dresses- the outfit possibilities are endless! When it isn't too hot, my husband and I have been doing little things outdoors to help stay active. Riding bikes, going kayaking, and even just evening walks are all summer friendly activities which help mom and baby stay healthy during pregnancy. I also found that they were not only a good distraction from the nausea but also helped to calm it a little bit. However, one of the best ways to stay active during the summer is swimming! Swimming is both great way to stay fit while pregnant and also helps pregnant mommies to feel great. The water obviously cools your body temperature down a ton (making it possible to pull my rings off of those sausage-like body parts I once called fingers) but the best part about swimming is that it makes all of the pain from the extra weight I carry around all day just simply disappear. At first, I was a little insecure about going to the pool with a belly as big as mine. But throwing on a bikini, cherishing the days where the words "flat stomach" are not in my vocabulary, and reading a book by the pool has quickly become a favorite pastime of mine this summer. I encourage you mommies to try it as well. Embrace that bump while you still can! And, relaxing by the pool gives you the perfect excuse to catch up on some pregnancy reading. Here are some of my favorites from this summer. Order a few and head out to the pool! Xoxo, Mommy
This was one of my favorites because of how blunt it was. (It's also the book featured in my photo!) It was incredibly enjoyable to read and also gave a ton of good information about having a healthy pregnancy. Not to mention, the book ends with a chapter full of tips on how to be a hot mom after baby is born.. so yeah, I'd say it's worth the read.
Now unlike the last one, this definitely isn't an "easy" read. But, it's still a great book for moms hoping to have a natural, unmedicated childbirth. It's extremely informative and was recommended to me by my bradley method instructor.
This was my absolute favorite out of all the ones I've read this pregnancy. I actually read the entire thing while sitting beside the pool for hours one day. Not only was it really enjoyable but it was soo relatable too. The author spills about all the weird things no one tells you about pregnancy and it's really reassuring to learn you're not the first person to have these crazy symptoms.
Chicken Soup books are so great to have just to pick up and relax with for a little bit. This one is full of wondeful stories about women discovering they're pregnant, funny stories from during their pregnancies and birth stories. There is even a chapter full of stories written by dads!
Little hats with pink bows, a long list of beautiful names, a Pinterest board full of princess themed nursery ideas!
After only 13 weeks of being pregnant, I didn't need a doctor to tell me what I was having. Despite my husband being certain (or maybe just really hoping) we were having a boy, I knew it was a baby girl. The heart rate was high in the 170's, I craved donuts so much I considered moving simply so I could live closer to a Krispy Kreme, don't even get me started on that morning sickness and, let's be honest, a mother just knows! I felt confident enough to purchase many baby girl items and even start referring to the little one in my belly as a "she". At 14 weeks, my husband and I went to a specialist who could find out the sex earlier than my doctor could. We decided we wanted to do a fun reveal in front of our family, so we asked the ultrasound technician to keep the sex a secret by writing it in an envelope. She often had us close our eyes when the baby had their legs open or was in a position that could potentially reveal the sex. Finally, she was finished. She wrote a word (girl, duh) in the envelope and congratulated us as we left. I envied this stranger for knowing what I was carrying before me! I might have even raised the envelope to the window in the car when my husband wasn't looking, but no luck, it was too thick to see through. My mom and my brother took the envelope to a party city, where they instructed an employee to fill a black balloon with pink confetti (my favorite color) if it was a girl, or green (my husband's favorite) if it was a boy. It felt like hours waiting for them to return with that balloon but finally, they were back. We gathered our immediate family in the living room and everyone pulled out their iPhones and hit record. We nervously counted down from three. This was it!! My husband popped the balloon and BURST! Out came... Well, honestly, it was hard to tell at first. The confetti was tiny and by shimmering in the light, it almost looked colorless. My husband and I squinted at the ground trying to see the confetti that was blending in with the carpet. My eyes focused and I realized... It was GREEN. GREEN? Wait what? My husband jumped up & down and screamed, "YES! I KNEW IT" and gave my belly a big, hard kiss. My mom and I looked at each other, shocked, as I attempted to squeak out, "Oh! A boy!" in a way that sounded somewhat excited. I tried to casually walk into the kitchen without anyone noticing and ripped open the envelope (you know, just to double check). It read "Baby boy!! :)" in messy cursive. I suddenly felt very annoyed that our home was filled with all of these people and started to try to yawn and act sleepy. I began complaining about my morning sickness and headache and people slowly got the hint and fanned out. I went to bed early but couldn't sleep. I hated to admit it, but I was sad. I felt so guilty but honestly, I was disappointed. I felt bad for this little *chokes out word* boy inside of me. It wasn't his fault! But I couldn't help feeling the way I did. I thought of all those baby girl clothes I had and all the times I imagined having a mini me, dressed in pink, with her curly hair in a cute little style. My husband finally came to bed, grinning from ear to ear, texting his out of state family the news. I pretended to be happy and eventually fell asleep. The next morning I went shopping. I mean REALLY shopping. I went a little overboard buying little hats, sweater vests and these adorable little button down onesies. As I shopped, my disappointment faded. I realized that I had created an imaginary daughter that I had been bonding with for the last 13 weeks and once I found out she didn't exist, it hurt. But that didn't mean I loved the real baby any less. We just had some catching up to do! Within about a day, I was over the moon about having a boy. I mean come on, it's a BOY! Baby boys are awesome! What was I so worried about? So if you are experiencing that guilty feeling of not being thrilled about your baby's sex, give it some time! And go on a shopping spree. Xoxo, Mommy |
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