like I did with baby boy Luca, I’ll be doing monthly pregnancy recaps to document the progress of this pregnancy and hopefully relate to some of you who are pregnant as well or interested in becoming pregnant! in this week’s recap, I’ll be recapping week 24, 25, 26, and 27. I’m currently 28 weeks pregnant.
the recap, weeks 24 – 27
I am officially in my third trimester now! this is what I like to call the, “shit gets real” stage. you start to get physically uncomfortable and much larger, the pains and aches begin, the exhaustion slowly creeps back in, and you realize, oh, yes, a baby’s coming – and soon!
luckily, along with all the not-so-fun stuff (the aches and pains), comes the really fun stuff – the excitement that the baby will be arriving in mere months, stronger and more frequent baby kicks, a proper baby bump to rub, and pregnancy benefits (aka everyone wants to do everything for you and treats you more delicately.) I’m totally milking the latter (preggo benefits), because, who knows – this may be my latest pregnancy and I want to soak it in! if someone wants to carry something for me or give me their seat, I’m taking them up on it!
I’ve been slowly accumulating things for the baby (some purchased and some gifted from family/friends and brands) and keeping it mostly in Luca’s closet. so far, our new dresser has arrived (which will double as Lu’s dresser and the baby’s dresser/changing station), some decor, our glider chair from Pottery Barn Kids, and lots of clothes that I can’t stop buying! we’re not going to set up the nursery for another month or so, because I want to be able to use my bedroom fully for as long as possible, since I’m going to lose some functionality as I make way for the baby (for instance, I won’t have room for my makeup table anymore.) so for now, we’re storing items in our storage facility and elsewhere in the apartment. I’m thinking around the end of April, I’ll start setting it all up, so I can have everything in place and then have 6 weeks or so to purchase little decor items and such. my goal is to be done by early May!
after my glucose tolerance test (which I passed – yay!), I went to reschedule for my next appointment, and I was told that my OB-GYN (who I adored and was the sole reason I decided to deliver at this same hospital again), was not available for an appointment because she is taking an “indefinite leave of absence” and later on, I received a letter in the mail telling me that she was “no longer affiliated with the hospital.” such a bummer moment, BUT, luckily, I have loved all the other doctors in the rotation there and the doctor who actually delivered Luca wasn’t my usual OB-GYN, she wasn’t on call that day – and I LOVED him, he made delivery so great!
this past weekend, in celebration of my 32nd birthday, Lu and I got massages at the Four Seasons Downtown (in NYC) and I got the HATCH Mama Prenatal Massage which was absolutely incredible – they had one of those pregnancy body pillows with cutouts for your belly and breasts so you can lay down on your face and the chair was electric so when I laid on my back, I was properly and comfortably propped up. it was absolutely blissful – and I got a stretch mark minimizing sheet belly mask to take home with me, I can’t wait to use it! highly recommend this massage to anyone living in the city (or coming for a visit!)
overall, I feel great, but as you’ll see in the updates below, I’m starting to slow down and experience some typical third trimester aches and pains, so I’m going to make an effort to relax more, decrease the intensity of my days, and listen to my body as it grows with this baby girl.
and of course, I’m looking forward to our babymoon in a couple weeks – we’re just taking a quick weekend trip to Miami!
other fun updates
- heartburn: I don’t remember having heartburn with Luca (and I feel like I would remember it), but just about week 24, I started experiencing it. it doesn’t creep up until about an hour after I’ve eaten and so I’m usually unprepared (ie don’t have Tums nearby), but luckily, it’s not terrible and it’ll subside within 20 minutes or so. it’s definitely tough when I’m hungry and have heartburn at the same time, because I can’t fathom eating, but I’m hungry!
- linea negra: this started making more of an appearance around week 27 and is getting slightly darker and dark every week.
- baby kicks: for a few days, I wasn’t feeling the baby kick (around week 25-ish), and I got really nervous and Googled way too much. luckily, I had an OB-GYN appointment which confirmed that the baby is fine, but it was the first time that I was ever truly worried during this pregnancy. now, the baby doesn’t stop kicking! the kicks are getting stronger, much more frequent, and sometimes, they even wake me up!
- sleep: speaking of sleep, sleep is pretty much the same as it was in my second trimester – very interrupted between odd dreams, pee breaks, and just being uncomfortable. I’ve been using my Snoogle almost every night now and it’s a Godsend.
- exhaustion: around week 27, I started getting tired again. my second trimester flew by and I was so energized and luckily, I capitalized on this and was super productive. now, I have to be careful about workouts, because if I workout on days when I’m cooking for the blog and on my feet all day, I’m absolutely beat and I have the worst back pain. I try to keep my workouts to 30 minutes and I’ve just accepted that I can’t do as much as I was doing before. I crave 3pm naps, although I haven’t taken any (only a couple on the weekends.)
- braxton hicks: I’ve started to feel these a bit – they always feel like the baby’s moving at first, but then it’s just an odd tightening sensation and you know it’s a BH contraction.
- back pain: ugh! I have had lower back pain for years (before Luca!) and with Luca, it flared up more and now, with baby girl, it’s back with avengeance! at night time, Lu pretty much gets me everything, because I’m maxed out. my lower back just throbs! it’s not sharp pain or debilitating and I’m still obviously able to be active and workout, but I can tell I’m going to have to slow down for the sake of my back!
- aches: I haven’t had any severe round ligament pain (with Luca, it was terrible, like someone was stabbing me in my hips and lower abdomen), but my whole groin area aches by the end of the day. I feel a lot of pressure and my hips are starting to ache (as the joints are loosening up, this is normal for you FTMs!)
- hot flashes: yup! these came back. these were bad for me postpartum with Luca, I don’t ever remember having them while pregnant, but I do!
maternity favorites
here are a few things I’m loving right now:
- this spring jacket that has a removable panel so I can wear it postpartum! it’s the perfect length, flattering to the bump, and just warm enough for the spring.
- these panache sports bras, I had to size up, because my belly is getting higher and the bra was pushing down uncomfortably, so now I’m a 36FF, for those of you who always ask.
- maternity underwear – I caved and bought maternity underwear (my butt is getting big in this pregnancy, and I just needed new underwear that didn’t roll down) and it’s literally the best thing that’s happened to me. it makes SUCH a difference comfort wise (all day) AND the ones I found aren’t too granny-like, they have lace and they’re soft. HIGHLY recommend them!
for more favorites, follow me on @inspiralizedali on Instagram, and check out my Pregnancy Favs highlight icon!
and that’s it! see you in a month for a recap of weeks 28, 29, 30, and 31!