23 Weeks Bumpdate

23-weeks already? Can’t believe I am already more than halfway there! From finding out we were pregnant, to moving across the country, to learning we were having a boy, I can’t believe how much the time has flown by! If you haven’t seen our gender reveal video, check it out here.

23 WEEKS PREGNANT BUMP UPDATE

I am so thankful for y’all and the ways you’ve already encouraged me and followed along on my journey so far. Growing a baby can be hard work, and I am still learning the big and small things–things like how to get my pants to fit right, how to stay healthy, and how to be okay with needing to slow down. Below are a few more little tips and moments I’ve had so far. I can’t wait to hear what you guys think!

Any movement? Tons of movement–especially right after I eat or when I am laying down. It feels like the little guy is practicing martial arts in there!

Physical changes/weight gain? The baby bump has finally popped, and people no longer have to wonder whether I just ate too much Chic-fil-A. I have gained 16 pounds and I definitely look preggo!

New cravings? Carbs. Lots of carbs. All of the carbs. Plus I never stop wanting cereal and Mediterranean food. What a combo, right?  

Symptoms? I’m still very tired, but I am not sick anymore which is a huge blessing.

Size of the baby? The size of a barbie doll. 

Any stretch marks yet? What are you doing to prevent them? I haven’t experienced any stretch marks yet! I am using my essential oil roller to prevent them. My favorite ones to mix are Gentle Baby, Frankincense, and Lavender with Fractionated Coconut Oil. All of those go into a roller that I use on my stomach! To read more about my favorite oils or to grab some for yourself, check out my essential oils post from last month.

Started wearing maternity clothes yet? Not quite, they just don’t fit yet. But here’s the problem–my pants also don’t fit. I have been using the BellaBand over my pants and the Maeband so I can leave them unbuttoned (praise!). I also wear dresses, sweatpants and yoga pants A LOT to keep it comfy!

Here are some of the outfits I’ve been wearing lately! 

Pain or swelling? If I am on my feet all day running errands or doing chores, I do feel like my feet are a little swollen at the end of the night. By the time I go to bed, I sometimes feel like I got hit by a truck. I am realizing more and more that I can’t go as hard or do as much during these next few months, or I really feel it at the end of the night.

Workouts/ways you’re staying healthy? I used to love to workout like 3 or 4 days a week, but to be honest, during this pregnancy I have had no motivation and dread it most days. High impact activities that I used to do like running and jumping can really hurt now. But my health is still so important during this time, so I have been trying my best to power walk 3 days a week, and go to pilates once a week.

Name update? David and I have decided on a first name! YAY! It has been so special to finally be able to call our little guy by his name as he grows. We can’t wait to share it with y’all! Right now, we are still trying to think of a middle name. I would love to hear your suggestions–feel free to leave them in the comments down below!

Daily to-do list? Being super sick my first trimester–plus moving across the country–was one of the hardest things. It took me way longer to pack up my house and then unpack it all because I was so sick and could only do a little bit each day. We have been in LA almost a month now and I am so happy to say that we’re mostly all unpacked and settled in. Now, I am just trying to buy stuff to organize because we basically have half the amount of storage we had in our last house (typical LA space, I know). To move here, we had to get rid of half our furniture because it wouldn’t fit in the truck to get here. Because of that, another one of my projects has been decorating and finding furniture for the new place! Would y’all want to read a post on how to organize a small space as well as a home tour? I’m learning a lot and would love to share it.

As far as my daily to-do list, I can only do half of what I used to be able to do. This honestly has been really hard for me to not only get used to, but be okay with. I am a huge achiever so getting a million things done in one day is what lights me up. I’ve had to get to a place where I see growing a human as a BIG daily task. That way when I only get 4 hours of work in instead of 8, I can feel better about it. For example, I remind myself that “growing a human” took 4 hours today and I justify that by taking an hour nap, going to doctors appointments, being on Pinterest looking at nursery decor, applying my belly oil, etc. etc. That way, I don’t feel like I wasted that time or got nothing done–I actually got closer to completing the best “task” of my life, growing a babe!

Best pregnancy moment so far? I have two that I can’t choose between. The first was feeling him for the first time. It made it so real. I remember it hitting me and thinking, wow there is actually is something living inside of me, and I can feel him moving around! Before then, it didn’t actually feel real that I was pregnant. My second moment was my 20-week ultrasound. I legit got so emotional because he actually looked like a baby, and we could see his features for the first time. Before then every other ultrasound looked like a blob or a creepy creature thing! Haha!

One thing that I wasn’t expecting? I’m just gonna say it– my nipples leak. I’m sorry if that is TMI, but NO ONE has told me that it happens, so I was very confused when it started. Now it happens ALL THE TIME. Especially my right nipple, which probably leaks 3 times a day. Is this something that you other mamas have experienced as well? Don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful that I am healthy and that it is a good sign of my body changing for the baby. But to be honest, it sometimes is very frustrating because it gets all over my clothes. To help, I’ve been putting band-aids on my nipples to try and keep some of the leakages in. I’m sure that is probably not the best for them, but at this point I am desperate. If those of you that have had this happen before have anything that you do to help this, PLEASE let me know in the comments below!

As you know, this is my first pregnancy, so while it has been a huge learning experience and a little scary, it feels so much better to know that new mamas and experienced mamas alike are my support system!  I am so excited to continue sharing honestly along the way, and hearing your stories too.

Hope you guys enjoyed the 23 weeks pregnant bump update – Comment below if there’s anything you’d like to know in my next bumpdate!

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