I am officially in my third trimester now! Yay for being almost 30 weeks along! I thought this would be a good time to make a little “scrapbook entry” of how my pregnancy is going so I can look back on it in the future.

I personally love hearing details about random people’s pregnancies, but please feel free to scroll on past if that’s not your jam. No judgement. 😉 Otherwise, enjoy!

Cravings/aversions: Not really. Though maybe it’s partly just self-discipline? :’D Still, I haven’t suddenly wanted foods I didn’t like before or vice-versa.

Morning sickness: Thankfully, no! I had some mild nausea in the first trimester, but nothing debilitating. I am *so* grateful. The only time I threw up was when I got food poisoning the beginning of the second trimester and let me tell you, that was NOT a fun day.

Fatigue: I had a lot of fatigue in weeks 7-13 or so. I got more energy in the second trimester, although I’ve also not gotten great sleep the past couple of months. Restless legs, stuffed-up nose, waking up to use the restroom, difficulty finding a comfortable position, and probably just hormones since that’s what we blame everything on, right? XD So I’m a little more tired than normal, but not bad at the moment.

Other symptoms: I’ve dealt with a sore tailbone off and on which flares up when sitting in the car or on hard chairs for long periods. The only other consistent issue is gestational rhinitis, which is basically a head cold that lasts throughout pregnancy when the inside of your nose gets inflamed. It’s pretty mild as far as pregnancy symptoms go, but still annoying since it makes it harder to breathe, sleep, and go places without tissues.

Outfits and wardrobe: Allllll the dresses and leggings. Most of my dresses still fit me since I prefer long, flowy styles anyway. I also like a short dress/tunic + leggings combo or just leggings and a t-shirt for a comfy around-the-house outfit.

Bump: I measured 27cm at 29 weeks, so a little small but not concerning. My midwife also discovered I have pretty severe diastasis recti, which is where your ab muscles separate with pregnancy. Apparently its common when your baby doesn’t have a lot of room to expand into your body. :[] I’m wearing a belly band now and will probably have to do pelvic floor physical therapy which I’m not looking forward to. But at least it’s not a health issue for me or Sophia.

Exercise/workouts: I tried a few prenatal workouts and… I’m not a workout girl, sadly. 😛 I do go on lots of walks. I’ve found a nice 30-minute loop around our neighborhood which I do a few times a week. And I’ve slowly worked up to 100 squats a day since those are supposed to be great for your pelvic floor.

Weight gain: About 15 lbs. so far. Started around 135 and am now around 150. My baby bump is still pretty small so I don’t feel inordinately heavy or cumbersome… yet.

Foods on repeat: Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, peanut butter, eggs, chicken, almonds, bananas, frozen blueberries, kale salad, oatmeal, canned salmon.

Baby activity: Sophia is really active! I have an anterior placenta so I couldn’t feel her moving much until 20 weeks at least, but I can for sure feel her now. She’s especially fond of kicking when I’m lying on my side in bed or when I play piano. 🙂 It’s a bit uncomfortable sometimes (that girl has POWER), but it’s also sooo cute and possibly my favorite part of pregnancy so far. 🙂 She also learned to hiccup! So funny.

Baby position: My midwives think Sophia is in an oblique position currently, which is head down and sort of slanted with her legs up by my right ribs. Prayers that she stays head down and gets in the optimal position!

Birth and delivery goals: I’m planning on a birth center birth. Hospitals stress me out but I’m not confident enough to do a homebirth for my first baby, so the birth center is a perfect in-between. I’m enjoying my prenatal appointments with the midwives so far!

Favorite podcasts: “The Birth Hour,” by Brynn Huntpalmer, hands-down. Listening to dozens of birth story interviews has taught me so much about how different births can go. I also enjoy the “M is for Mama” podcast which mostly has parenting advice but also her 8 birth stories.

Favorite YT channels: I love Beth Grace Moore’s videos here for realistic but encouraging pregnancy and postpartum content. Also Bridget Teyler’s channel here has super helpful tips.

Favorite books: Mama Natural by Genevieve Howland, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. (aff. links) The former is a week-by-week guide with tons of helpful information. The latter is half positive birth stories, half labor and delivery advice from a famous and beloved midwife.

Birth Course: I got Bridget Teyler’s Built to Birth course (plus the 7 bonus course with the premium  edition). We’re a little over halfway through the birth course and I’m absolutely LOVING it. The information is evidence-based and clearly presented. She does a fascinating job of giving the science and reasoning behind techniques which helps me be more confident in my body’s abilities. Especially great if you’re going for an unmedicated, natural birth.

I want to end with just some journaling and thoughts.

Writing this post makes me feel a little guilty, honestly? I know many people have really difficult pregnancies, and if that’s you, you’re amazing and impressive and brave. Not that I haven’t struggled, but overall I’ve loved being pregnant: the fun little things like baby kicks, a cute bump, learning fascinating things about my body, my family and friends’ excitement for me… We’ll see if I still speak this fondly in a couple months, haha. But that’s how I feel now.

Even though I complain to Sully plenty of times about the exhaustion or the aches and pains, I’m so grateful for the privilege of growing a human inside me. With this being my first baby and working part time from home, I get to soak up this special season in my life while still getting rest. It’s the least-taxing form of motherhood I’ll likely ever experience – Sophia is easy to take care of and doesn’t (usually) wake me up at night, yet I still get to have her companionship as my little friend and start getting to know her.

I told Sully the other day that pregnancy feels like puberty 2.0. Your body is growing and changing in ways you can’t control; doing things it’s never done before. It can be overwhelming and scary and painful. But it’s also beautiful and exciting and special. You get to watch yourself become someone new, yet someone that’s been there all along. Life is a series of breaking out of new chrysalises with new wings, and the transformation from a woman to a mother seems like one of the biggest I’ll ever undergo.

I’ll admit, I’m apprehensive of the way our lives will change in a few short months. Sleep deprivation, constant tending of the baby, pain and recovery, and a massive shift in my relationship with my husband as our family grows from two to three. I’m so excited to meet our sweet Sophia, and yet some days I feel a deep sadness to realize this easy time of being newlyweds is drawing to a close. Our lives will be harder and more complicated for the foreseeable future. But as @m.is.for.mama likes to say, hard is not the same thing as bad. In fact, with God’s grace to strengthen our weakness, I think the hard will be very good indeed.

Thanks for coming along with me on this journey! If you can’t tell, I am obsessed with all things pregnancy right now, as first-time moms tend to be. 😛 I’m glad I have a space to write out my thoughts and share them with you guys.

If you’ve been pregnant, what was your favorite part? If you haven’t, what do you look forward to most? And if you’re a guy… sorry for a boring post, eheh.

Thanks so much for reading, my friends, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***