I’m officially the most pregnant I’ve ever been! Ben was born at 34 weeks and 6 days (full birth story here) so today is officially further along than I ever got in my pregnancy with him. I did a 34 week bumpdate the morning he was born so this is my first 35 week bumpdate ever! This milestone feels so much bigger to me than any other so far and I’m really happy to be here.
Me at 34 weeks and 6 days pregnant. I don’t have any bump pictures from the day I had Ben so this is probably what I looked like.size of the baby: A mini lop rabbit. Or a kid’s backpack.
gender: Girl.
clothes: All maternity jeans plus my Lululemon align leggings (on repeat) and this pair of Motherhood Maternity leggings. I’m still wearing these non-maternity tees from Gap Factory under cardigans, this Old Navy tunic sweater, and a few other pullover sweaters that still magically fit me. With a high of 42 today, I’m about to go to the basement and dig out my J. Crew coat (currently 30% off!) to see if I can still zip it up. My guess is no.
movement: She’s not an aggressive kicker or mover. I feel her move regularly but it’s more like little wiggles and adjustments to get cozy. If I scrunch my torso too much it feels like she’s up under my right rib. Not super comfortable.
sleep: Still pretty good! I wake up about once a night to go to the bathroom but fall right back asleep after.
missing: Walking at my normal speed. If I power walk (which is just how I walk normally) I start to get braxton hicks contractions or round ligament pain. And I guess a glass of red wine might be nice on a cold evening.
cravings and aversions: I feel like I’ve kind of been in to sweets more than usual. I’ve been doing a silly job with nutrition where I do things like I did yesterday for lunch – I eat a big healthy salad and follow it up with a bag of candy (Haribo raspberries or peaches).
Right now if I eat or drink too much at one time, it feels like it just sits at the bottom of my throat. I never feel truly hungry and if I bend over and crunch my abdomen (like say, to tie my toddler’s shoe), I’ll nearly barf.
what we’ve bought: We’re pretty much ready with a few girly things plus all of Ben’s neutral stuff.
what i’m dreaming about: Nothing recently.
how i’m feeling: Literally 1000 times better since I started taking the iron for anemia. I can’t believe I struggled through the 2nd trimester, being out of breath all the time and super fatigued and it literally was just the anemia. I thought it was just being pregnant with a toddler, which is certainly harder but still, not to the extent that I was struggling.
They told me the iron would take 2-3 weeks to work and by the end of week two, I was already feeling worlds better. I’m not out of breath all the time now and feel way better at 35 weeks than I did at 25 weeks. It’s insane. I’m almost mad at my past self for not really stressing how I was feeling to the doctor and getting my blood checked earlier.
workouts: Still just walking all over and chasing a toddler.
nav is: Trying to wrap up things at work and pass off important stuff to his coworkers so he’s ready to start paternity leave (more on our paternity leave situation here) whenever this little gal makes her appearance. We’re hoping it’s December 6th at my scheduled c-section as planned. More on why I’m having a scheduled c-section here.
looking forward to: Decorating our house for Christmas this weekend in preparation for her arrival. Yes it’s super early but I don’t want to be decorating or wishing I could decorate while recovering from a c-section and caring for a newborn. I want it to be cozy and Christmasy when we come home with our little girl.
best moments: Watching Ben thrive at his new preschool prep program (just a two hour per week class that helps get him ready for preschool next year). He’s honestly so good natured and sweet to other kids. I worry that lightning can’t strike the same place twice and that there is no way this little girl will be as amazing as him but I know that even if she’s wildly different than he is, we’ll still think she’s perfect.
