Family: Weeks 35-37
A little trip down belly memory lane:
8 weeks (when I thought I was totally showing already)
and now, 37 weeks and feelingโฆ.
Ready! Even though I think I still have at least another 1 1/2 to 2 weeks left.
Random thoughts/things that Iโve noticed:
-Iโve been having Braxton Hicks contractions almost every night for the past couple of weeks. Theyโll feel like tiny cramps and then Iโll get a zinger, but I canโt really tell if itโs the Braxton Hicks or little miss trying to make an escape. I joke that sheโs trying to come out my belly button Alien-style because her movements are so extreme. We felt Liv move quite a bit in my belly, and could certainly see it, but with this one, the movements are enormous and youโll often see an appendage sticking out. Iโm definitely going to film it. (<โ edited to say: I did film it and will post it on the blog next week!) While I was getting my teeth cleaned last week, one of the techs said sheโd be creeping by because she loved watching my belly move so much. It was really cute.
-I told you guys about our last ultrasound, and how apparently little miss is supposed to be a big baby (10+ lbs). Thank you so much for the reassurance and your stories about babies of all different sizes, and how third trimester ultrasounds are usually inaccurate. When I had my midwife appointment on Monday, and talked to her about the ultrasound, she basically laughed it off. She said that I shouldnโt worry about it AT ALL, and that a skilled midwife or OB/GYN is way better at estimating size than a third trimester ultrasound measurement. She said I have a proven capable pelvis, since Iโve given birth before, and has no doubt Iโll be able to do it again. It was nice that she was so chill about it, and the midwives have no plans to induce me, unless I go to 41 weeks. If I make it to 41 weeks, I will be a cranky human.
-itโs amazing how a little bit of kindness or reassurance can put some pep in your step. While I was crawling on the treadmill (during the heat wave, so I had a wet cold towel around my neck) one of the guys who frequently works out at the club told me I was inspiring, and to โkeep crushing it.โ I didnโt feel like I was crushing it at all (I never thought Iโd say I look forward to burpees again), but I felt proud of myself for sticking with it even though movement is pretty limited right now. Sill rocking the barre, walking, TRX, and modified 21dayfix combo.
-I officially ran out of clothes that fit me and look appropriate (<โ the last part is key haha). Iโm so glad I went to Pea in a Pod and Motherhood, and grabbed a couple of essentials that will last me for the rest of the pregnancy. Itโs amazing how much better you feel when clothes fit they way theyโre intended. ๐
Weight gain:
33 lbs. It snowballed on at first, but seems to have tapered down.
Cravings:
-Goatโs milk Greek yogurt. I could eat it all day, but still have only seen it at Whole Foods
-Soft pretzels and pie (always)
-Giant bowls of fruit
-PIZZA
Aversions:
-Most raw veggies. I still love salad (because dressing) but if weโre having veggies, lightly sautรฉing them makes a huge different
-Hot food, unless itโs dinner time, just because Iโm sweating my face off all day
Baby purchases:
Over the past couple of weeks, Iโve picked up some nursing bras and nursing tank tops, along with a couple of items we were missing from our hospital bag (like burp cloths). We also got a couple of things from IKEA to complete her room, and the mobile should be here this weekend! When itโs all finished, Iโll definitely post everything. Hopefully everything will be ready to go by next week.
For my friends who are following along with name clues, here are all of the letter so far + a new one:
L E E N
Currently reading:
I think Iโve had my fill of birth books, so Iโd love any recommendations for books about the postpartum period and introducing a new sibling into the house. This week, I started No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbury and am loving it so far (itโs about toddler discipline).
Skimming our Bradley Method course book
Who knows? Maybe this will be the last belly update?!
xoxo
Gina
Iโm due 10/8 and Iโm willing to bet money we have the same name picked out for our girls!
ahhhhh! that is so awesome ๐
Great minds
Evelyn? NN Evie? lol
Emeline, Adeline, Evelyn, Penelope, Annabelle, MadelineโฆI was able to guess Oliviaโs and I just donโt know about this one! Excited for the little miss to make her arrival, and especially excited for you and the family! Thanks for always being an inspiration!
Go Gina!! You really are crushing it! Itโs so motivating to see you hitting the gym, going to barre and eating right. Best wishes!!
I second that! For a second pregnancy, you look UHmazing! Keep rocking it mama! ๐ <3
Evelyn!
Iโm still guessing Penelope (my daughterโs name) but Madeline is such a cute name too. You look great! I miss my preg belly sometimes ๐
Iโm so excited for you!! I canโt wait to find out what baby girl will be named! ๐
You look fantastic! Love the belly. Iโm 16 weeks along with my first and have a feeling Iโll be all belly like you! I started to show reallyy early, to the point where strangers were noticing at like 10 weeks. And itโs not slowing down yet! Canโt wait to see pictures of the newest family member when she arrives. My guess for the name is Leanne.
Youโre so close to the finish line. You look fabulous! Iโm loving all the name guesses.
Iโd love to hear some things youโve done or plan to do to help Liv adjust to her new sis or if youโre just gonna wing it and see how things evolve. I often think about how my son will be if he gets a sibling. He has such a sensitive, very caring, sweet personality. I wonder if heโll be loving and nurturing or if heโll be like, โscrew mister nice guy. I want my mama back!โ Haha
Is it Elena?!
Thatโs what I was thinking!
I third that guess! Or it could be Eleanor, but I think Iโll stick with Elena. Pretty name.
Well that rules out my suspicion the name would be EEL Annabelle or Emmeline are my guesses. I have a 6 month old Harper and those were other names I loved so I may just be projecting On the other hand Leen would be a hilariously controversial name for a fitness bloggerโs daughter You are still glowing! I am sending good labour vibes your way from Australia
Best wishes! I had an inaccurate ultrasound at 39 weeks in which they underestimated his weight by more than a pound, leading to a failed induction and C-section. Your midwife is so right.
I read โLight Between Oceansโ on maternity eave and l
Iโm guessing Evelyn and call her Evie for short!
Am I wrong that youโve mentioned before that you are a lover of โCome On, Eileenโ?? Thatโs my guess! Although Evelyn is a lovely name, it was on our short listโฆ We went with Maren instead.
Awww, Eileen would be sooooo cute! Olivia and Eileen. Sounds good together!
Youโre looking beautiful! And Iโm definitely guessing Evelyn for the name! Good luck!
Elena? Leena?
My official guess is Noelle!!
Iโm guessing Eleanor!
That was my guess too! Thatโs my BFFโs name. Itโs a good one! ๐
Congrats!! You look great and hope the little one makes her entrance soon:) I was in OB recently when I was visiting and tried OB noodle house, and it was really good! And my husband and I have had a lot of Pho from all over:) we walked over to the dog beach, not prepared for the beach, and my 4 yr old was in the ocean in just his underwear haha. Heโs such a beach kid. Take care!
Colleen? Eleanor?
Youโre looking fabulous! So close!! Iโm guessing Eleanor (Ellie for short) or Madeline!
Evelyn, Elena, Penelope or Noelle are my guesses!
You look great & definitely are crushing it! ๐
Hmm I am going to guess Leanne or Madeline. If you have a Madeline youโll then have two great childrenโs book characters :)!
Elena & Olivia. โlena & Liv ๐ Or Madeline and Olivia. Those are my guesses! I had to pair it with the sibling name because they obviously have to go together ๐
Iโm guessing Noelle now ๐ Youโre so close! And I remember those random compliments that just helped so much when youโre that close to the end (and movement is just so unappealing!) Youโre doing great- good luck on the big day whenever it is!
AHHH you look great! Cannot wait to hear your good news!
I was just talking to my friend Colleen so thatโs the first name that popped into my head ๐
You look great!
Of course I have to guess Colleen. I have always loved my name and there are not too many of us out there.
Eileen, Elena, Madeline, Penelope? ๐ No matter what, Iโm sure sheโll be a sweet and beautiful baby!
Congrats!! Youโre soo close!!
I never trust the ultrasound. A friend of mine was โsupposedโ to have a 10 pounder, and had a 7, and I was โsupposedโ to have a small 8, big 7 pound baby, and he was barely 6 pounds! I definitely wouldnโt stress too much about it! Go you for already knowing the name!! We didnโt have our sonโs name until a few days before D day!! Though, I truly think that boys names a billion times harder โ we had SO many cute girlโs names before finding out he was a boy.
i totally agree- boys names are tough!
You look amazing! Good luck!!
You are a trooper for sure! So happy for you, and canโt wait for your new addition to arrive ๐
You look gorgeous, my friend! Youโre ALL belly! I can relate to so many of your thoughts here. I had a 3rd tri ultrasound last week, and they told me the same thingโฆthat my baby was going to be huge. I kind of freaked, but have heard the same from others and my midwife that those ultrasounds can be off. And yes to so much of my clothing being too small and/or inappropriate these days. This belly is HUGE! Haha. Weโre almost there!!
yay! i canโt wait to see pics of your beeb!
Iโm reaffirming my last guess- Eleanor.
Iโm the opposite with veggies right now @ 14 weeks. If they arenโt raw Iโm not interested (except potatoes).
cravings are so interesting to me!
Congrats on sobering news from your midwives. :). Itโs not a direct hit on the topic, but I found the book Simplicity Parenting very helpful soon after our first was born. Good luck!
i will check it out! thank you ๐
aww, Eleanor?!?!?!!! Great pick.
Iโm still hoping for Helen! ๐
You look beautiful! Keep hanging on, youโre almost there!
thank you! <3
Is the name Ellen or Nellie? Congrats on your new baby girl.
Your soft pretzel cravings reminds me of a quote from new girl when she is talking about PMS, โ It hurts, I feel like Iโve laid a million eggs and theyโre all hatching. i feel like i wanna murder someone right now and also i want soft pretzels.โ they always play it on cosmoโs wake up with taylor on sirius.
also, my money is still on chalene!
Dr Laura Markham has a blog, website and two books. She is awesome (I think). All for positive parenting which was really effective for my kids. My guesses Evelyn, Eleanor, Ellen. E names are really popular in Australia my girls have 8/20 kids in their class with E names!
Elena!
Also, you are absolutely stunning rocking that bump. I know you donโt feel like it, so just a friendly reminder. ??
And now for something completely out of left field, but you are getting awfully close, so it needs to be said ๐ I know this goes against all things blogging, but if you posted a pic of the new babe, then said, โIโm out. See you guys in two weeks!โ I would be sitting at my computer doing my best golf clap. And if you took a four week maternity leave, all the better. FMLA gives us folks with a regular 9-5 the right to check out for 12 weeks and still have our jobs be here for us when we return. And personally, as a non-blogger, I think itโs a bit crazy that women feel compelled to continue posting immediately after giving birth. I wish you a wonderful birth, a healthy baby, and a full-maternity leave (whatever that means to you). I will now get off my soap box. ๐ Absolutely love the blog, you inspire me greatly!
I remember you posted about two abdominal binders post pregnancy, but canโt find that post. Which ones did you use and which would you prefer? THANKS!!
Iโm due in December โ my first!
yay, congratulations!! i used the belly bandit (the bamboo one: http://bit.ly/1KKENhj) and the hip shrinxx hip shrinker (http://bit.ly/1FDqbEx). got new ones for round 2 ๐
Thank you!!
Iโm thinking โColleenโ
You look so beautiful! Love the bump and youโre rocking it! Your hair? Gorgeous.
Iโm loving this game guessing name. It reminds me of Wheel of Fortune or Jumble puzzles, which I love! Iโm out of ideas though! Canโt wait to hear the name.
Keep feeling great and growing that baby girl like a boss ๐
Jacqueline? although I obviously prefer the Jacquelyn spelling ๐ (actually, I kind of donโt prefer it because it always gets spelled wrong!)
Donโt grt me started on weight predictions!
Iโm type 1 diabetic and was being monitored very closely. At 36 weeks they thought from the ultrasound that the baby was nearing 9lbs. They rushed me to be Induced the following week. It took a further week for the Iinduction to actually work. So i was just shy of 38 weeks when baby arrived and I was expecting a whopper. The poor little guy was 7lb6oz! Had he been earlier he would have been 6lbs.
I really wouldnโt worry ๐
wow that is crazy! good to know. happy heโs here safely <3
Gina, I think you look amazing and actually a bit smaller than when you were pregnant with Livi. Soโฆ10lb babyโฆI doubt it. Iโve heard you can never tell with ultrasounds and have friends who have had their babiesโ weight grossly over/under estimated by an ultrasound tech. Your midwife sounds like a rockstar they way she blew it off. Gotta love midwives!!
Canโt wait to see pics of the new little one, and hear the birth story. You are going to rock it! Thanks for being such a great, fit, inspiration to us Momโs trying to keep healthy an active with little ones, or pregnant.