Maternity clothes: All the maternity tops and shorts I purchased last year are getting reused. I had a really hard time, mentally, spending money on maternity wear with Isabel because it seemed so expensive for clothes that would only be worn for a couple months. I am thrilled to be getting more use out of the khaki maternity pants I wear for work since they were priced even higher than other maternity items I wore daily. Most of my casual wear is my INKnBURN capris and skirts, they don't get too hot during hotter temperatures and are still comfortable.
Stretch marks: As soon as I got my pregnant "diagnosis", I started applying lotion religiously. I found Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter and have it set up to be delivered monthly through Amazon's Subscribe and Save. So far I haven't noticed any new stretch marks.
Sleep: I tend to go to bed soon after the girls but get up a good few times a night to pee. If Matt works late, most of the time I'll wake up when he comes to bed since I'm already a light sleeper. I've been working 5x/wk and my alarm goes off at 3:30am so there are plenty of days I try to nap when Isabel takes her afternoon nap.
Best moment of lately: Switching from every 4wk appointments to every 2wks, this started at 30wks. I started posting downward and side view photos on Instagram of my growing bump at 30wks also. This was not something I did with Abigail or Isabel, weekly bump photos.
Miss anything: I really miss the occasional glass of wine.
Movement: AugustBaby is quite active. I think he/she is more active during the day than Abigail and Isabel were and just like the big sisters, AugustBaby gets the hiccups quite a lot.
Food cravings: No cravings. With Abigail I seemed to crave all things garlic. During Isabel's pregnancy, I ate a lot of sweet potato fries and milk/yogurt didn't seem to taste quite right. During my first trimester, in January and February, I did crave soda (Coke, Dr Pepper) which was odd because I'm not a soda drinker. I wouldn't even drink the entire thing, just needed a few sips. This soda kick seemed to mellow out mid-second trimester. Most the time I know it's meal time and I should eat, but nothing sounds good.
Anything making you queasy or sick: There are food smells that really smell off (bad), like a few breakfast items we serve at Starbucks. I am fully aware it's me and not the sandwiches.
Have you started to show yet: There's no hiding it, I am pregnant.
Gender: Baby's gender will be revealed on his or her BIRTHday. Matt and I really enjoyed the surprise last year with Isabel so we're doing it again. Honestly, there isn't much you need that is gender specific either. And names, we didn't even start that discussion until after Isabel was born so it's likely that's when AugustBaby will be named as well.
Labor signs: I had solid Braxton Hicks contractions starting at 18wks with both Abigail and Isabel's pregnancies. My belly would get as hard as a basketball for 20-30 seconds then relax. With Isabel, the Braxton Hicks seemed to be slightly more intense. Now with AugustBaby, for weeks I thought I could be having Braxton Hicks but they just felt different. With Abigail, my induction led to a c-section. I've heard a medically induced labor doesn't have the same effect. Since my body went into labor on it's own and progressed through delivery with Isabel, I think my body is just reacting differently. Over the last week or so definite Braxton Hicks have really kicked into gear.
Belly button in or out: Not an innie or an outie.
Wedding rings on or off: My rings are still off. They never really made a regular return. I'm not supposed to wear my engagement band at work and since it became habit to not wear my rings, it hadn't become habit to wear my wedding band again to work before finding out I was pregnant again.
Heartburn: I have occasional heartburn but nothing severe. Tums Smoothies became a new food group when I was pregnant with Abigail (probably due to high consumption of garlic). With Isabel, I seemed to narrow down the heartburn cause to dairy and tea. This time around, I get heartburn if I eat meals too large so I tend to graze more and eat smaller meals. I have also started eating a larger lunch (instead of dinner) and that helps a lot too.
Swelling: So far so good. I remember being so uncomfortable with Abigail in my third trimester, but I don't remember when it started. I didn't have much swelling with Isabel, even being pregnant during the heat of summer. I'm hoping to avoid the swelling again.
Looking forward to: Maternity leave! I was really hoping to take a few extra weeks before AugustBaby arrives but I recently learned I'm supposed to work until 38wks unless medically necessary.
In reading over my pregnancy comparisons, do you have a gender prediction for August Baby?
