Wrote this at 38 weeks, and now I’m 41 weeks… going to get induced soon.
So I always intended to write monthly updates, and I have a few saved in my drafts. But 2020 is hard, and pregnancy during a pandemic is just so different than normal. Nothing I write about my own life seems right. I have a lot of drafts saved about a variety of topics, that I’m just probably not going to publish.
At the same time, some of you do enjoy what I write about my personal life on here, so I should publish something ha
I’m going to split this into categories of questions and resources I’m asked about often… because who doesn’t love a good outline.
How are you feeling/ sleeping?
This is a question I’m asked constantly now that I’m 38 weeks pregnant, and I almost feel bad answering: I feel pretty good?
I don’t have a body pillow (I do have this belly wedge that I use occasionally). I don’t have leg cramps. Is my belly actually smaller than average? No. I asked my doctor.
One thing that helped: I did have pretty terrible Restless Leg Syndrome for a few weeks. This is something I deal with when I’m not pregnant, but normally I can just increase my dietary intake of magnesium and it goes away.
Not the case when you have a small human leeching your nutrients. My doctor told me to take a magnesium citrate supplement, and it’s been a miracle worker. Magnesium also relaxes you overall, so you sleep better. People always mention the digestive problems that accompany magnesium. I remind them that pregnant people typically have the opposite problem, so magnesium solves that, too 🙃
Literally – taking Magnesium changed everything about my third trimester, so ask your dr if you can try it.
I take this the Klaire Labs supplement (amazon here, but so much cheaper on this website): 300mg before bed and 150mg in the morning. I tried Natural Vitality, too, and it made me terribly nauseous and had me wandering around my living room at 3am (restless leg makes you… restless). So just trust me on this one.
Any crazy cravings?
Again, boring answer: I really have no cravings. Before I was pregnant, I had a pretty serious sugar addiction, so this hasn’t changed. Any day of my life, I crave pizza and cheeseburgers… but I haven’t eaten cheeseburgers at all because of the well-done requirement. Also because of my pregnancy digestion issues, I’m limiting bread and dairy… which makes me really sad… but I feel a million times better, so it’s sort of worth it.
I say “sort of worth it,” because I really love pizza. And I don’t enjoy salads.
Ugh.
I do like salmon, though.
Crazy hormonal stories?
No… People send Eric funny pregnant woman videos, and he’s like… “this hasn’t been my experience.”
Like all people, I’m occasionally grumpy and sad. The majority of my feelings are linked to the 2020 disaster we’re living through… not the pregnancy.
I cry easily, but I’m also seeing people die, lose their incomes, face injustice. 2020 is a lot to bear for anyone. I don’t blame my hormones for these feelings. You don’t have to be pregnant to burst into tears randomly this year.
Isn’t it so cool when the baby kicks?
Honestly, the first few weeks of kicking were very distracting. My laptop is typically on my lap and bounced around a lot.
I always say, “Yes, so amazing!” because this is the answer people want to hear. Am I heartless? I don’t know. Maybe I’m just exhausted.
Just know that if you’re pregnant and not feeling in awe of the miracle of life all day long, that’s ok. You’re allowed to be tired of a foot being wedged inside your ribcage for weeks. Being pregnant is weird.
You can be extremely thankful and kind of neutral at the same time.
Baby brain, right?
First of all, there is literally no such thing as pregnancy brain/ baby brain. You are exhausted from GROWING A HUMAN IN YOUR BODY. Hormonal depression and anxiety are real, but you just forget things when you’re tired and stressed.
I choose not to blame this on my baby. Between the state of the world, and the state of my house (under construction my entire pregnancy), I’m not surprised if I forget something.
Also – I worked in an almost all-female fashion company for a few years right after college. Women were pregnant everywhere, wearing heels, looking great, doing their jobs well, etc. I’m sure this affected my view of pregnancy for the better.
Pandemic Pregnancy
No one asks me this, but I’m going to talk about it anyway.
Being pregnant in a pandemic is a ridiculous experience, and sometimes I’m mourning the typical pregnancy experience.
My doctor appts were 6 weeks apart. Eric was only allowed at the ultrasounds (so thankful this was possible, because I know that’s not the case other places). We announced to friends and family over Zoom. We couldn’t tour the hospital. Online birth classes (I know most people say these are pointless, but still always pictured going to one with Eric). No “babymoon.” No in-person prenatal yoga classes. No shopping (not that I shop much anyway… I still haven’t gone down the baby aisle at Target except to buy a gift for someone else). No doulas allowed. No leaving the hospital room once you’re checked in.
I’m excited to have a baby. I just really hate 2020.
We also had a massive construction project going on at our house for the majority of my pregnancy, and I do not recommend this. People would ask if the baby room was ready, and I would be completely embarrassed because it didn’t even have walls yet. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had panic attacks because people keep saying “any day now,” and I was still sleeping in the attic. “Nesting” consisted of me moving baby stuff from one side of Eric’s office to the other.
I had the world’s easiest pregnancy health-wise, but I cry when I think about how little of it was enjoyable and fun.
I keep thinking that if I get pregnant again, I’ll be taking care of a toddler and won’t be able to enjoy that pregnancy either.
The one benefit is that you can’t have visitors in the hospital. I have visited many women right after birth in the hospital and always felt bad for being there. They need to be sleeping or learning how to take care of their baby. Meet the baby later.
Don’t mean to be depressing – just reality of this weird time we’re living in.
Favorite Pregnancy Resources
Best pregnancy book: Expecting Better by Emily Oster
Love her approach to all things pregnancy related with statistics and science… so you don’t need to be scared about eating deli meat and sushi.
She also has a great parenting book: Cribsheet
Online Courses:
These are the classes I took while pregnant, and I went into motherhood with realistic expectations and feeling very educated:
- Birth It Up: Epidural Series (she also has a “natural birth” series) – check her Instagram on Sundays for a discount code! Eric and I actually learned something from this birthing class, so that’s saying something! and it’s cheaper than the hospital class, so win win. FYI – Eric thinks her voice is a little monotone, which is weird because she’s not like that on her podcast or IG.
- Newborn Basics 101 (I bought this as a bundle with the Birth It Up class)
- Milkology: Ultimate Breastfeeding Class
This is a breastfeeding class, so naturally they’re super pro-breastfeeding. For the record, I’m more of a “Fed is Best” person instead of “Breast is Best.” But the class is inexpensive and covers the basics. I may have learned more about breastfeeding from Karrie and Liesel on Instagram, though… - Taking Cara Babies: Will I Ever Sleep Again? Newborn Sleep Class
AMAZING and just gives you confidence as you enter parenthood. Even discerning the difference between hunger cues and sleepy cues! Sometimes your baby is overtired, not hungry!
