Baby B Update – 7 Months Pregnant

I’m officially in my third trimester! As cliche as it sounds I can’t believe how fast time has flown by.

I’ve mentioned before that I was very anxious in the first trimester – I was so convinced something was going to go wrong that we didn’t tell even our closest friends and family until I was 12 weeks pregnant, and didn’t tell others until I was 16 weeks.

Because of those fears the first trimester seemed to drag on forever, whereas now I can say that the second trimester went by in a blink of an eye!

Now that I’m standing here (well, more like sitting awkwardly trying to find a position that’s comfortable lol) at 28 1/2 weeks pregnant it all feels so real and crazy that baby B will be here in such a short time. I can’t wait to meet him!

We just booked one of those 3D/4D ultrasounds for a couple of weeks from now and I’m so curious to see his little face. This is definitely one of the upcoming things that I’m most excited about; that, and my upcoming baby shower!

Pregnancy Updates – 7 Months Pregnant

Emotional / Mental:

Emotionally I feel so much more relaxed about Baby B’s health and well being (in comparison to the first trimester) but I’ve recently started “kick counting” and I noticed early on that that was not good for me mentally. I found myself panicking every time he was moving less and I started obsessing over his movements. After about a week of this Alex and I had a talk about how this wasn’t sustainable or healthy for me and so we’ve decided to do the ‘kick counting’ just once a day at bedtime, which is when he’s naturally most active. I wish I could do it more throughout the day but the added stress was not good for me or for Noodle baby.

I’ve also found myself struggling to accept my changing body – or rather how others perceive it. As women we have so much toxic beauty culture shoved down our throats, and I know for me pre-pregnancy, my mind when seeing myself in an outfit was focused on looking skinny. I don’t think I realized until getting pregnant and gaining weight how much time my brain subconsciously thought about my weight and how I looked to others. I’ve worked a lot on loving my body throughout these changes and changing the narrative in my head.

Other than that, emotionally I’m doing really well and getting SO excited to meet Baby B! I’m nervous about labor and delivery but I feel empowered by all the steps Alex and I have taken to learn about the experience.

As someone who is type A and SUCH a planner, the hardest part for me as we move closer and closer towards baby’s birth is not being able to know when he’ll come! I’m working on going with the flow and being open to all possibilities.

At this point, I plan to have an OBGYN (I have to because I’m high risk) and a doula at the birth. I’m planning to give birth at BC Women’s hospital which has an amazing reputation.

Oh – the other weird thing that’s happening to me emotionally right now… I can’t watch dramatic/intense TV shows and movies! It’s so strange – and as a die hard Grey’s Anatomy fan – it’s been torture haha. Luckily I’ve discovered some great hilarious shows on Netflix – I just finished binging Never Have I Ever (10/10 recommend) and Alex and I are now watching How I Met Your Father, which has been really cute so far!

Physical:

Physically I’ve been so lucky this whole pregnancy and so far *knock on wood* that hasn’t changed as I enter my third trimester. I’ve had an easy pregnancy – no morning sickness, no aches and pains, no swelling etc.

The one physical thing I have noticed in the last couple of weeks though is my decreased lung capacity. I find myself getting short of breath easily and so working out has become a thing of my past. Instead, I take at least one long walk a day, which has been great for me physically and mentally – and honestly if there’s hills even just a walk feels like major cardio!

I have to remind myself that I’ve gained 1/5th of my body weight so of course things are going to feel more challenging physically. I did still manage to snorkel with sea turtles in Maui though – no way was I going to miss that opportunity!

Nursery:

Alex and I have accepted the fact that the chances of us finding a house (and closing and moving in) before Noodle arrives are slim to none. At first we were both pretty bummed about this but we’ve started to look on the bright side of getting to stay in our condo downtown – we’ve got so many friends nearby and everything is walking distance.

As such, we’ve started turning my home cloffice into baby’s nursery. I do still have to keep my clothes in there, but we’ve cleared out space for his clothes and planned out where the rocking chair and changing table are going to go. Baby steps!

Baby B:

Noodle is now 16 inches long and 2 1/2 pounds. It’s hard to believe he’s so big! He’s really active at night, and loves to kick me in the bladder lol.

Alex reads to Noodle every night and it’s the sweetest thing to watch. To see how much Alex loves this baby before he’s even met him just melts my heart.

We’re also *this close* to deciding on Noodle’s full name!! We’ve decided to keep it a secret until he’s born, which has been hilarious to watch my family struggle with. My 12 year old nephew Jimmy is so excited for this baby and he won’t stop guessing what the name might be. It’s so sweet! My mom, for reasons completely unknown, has decided that of course the logical name we must have chosen is “Ebenezer” so she has started calling him “Ebenezer B” which I can’t even with 😂

What’s Next:

Our babymoon to Maui was our last vacation together (I’m so glad we were able to make it happen!) but it certainly isn’t our last trip! Between my work up North and visiting family in Ontario I realized that despite being almost 29 weeks, Baby B will still be on SIX more flights before he’s born. Wild eh! Lots of upcoming travel for us.

My baby shower is coming up May 29th and I can’t wait! My mom, aunt, sister Rachel, and bestie Maddie are all coming in from Ontario for it! My other sister and 14 year old niece are also coming down from Northern BC, and my incredible friend and bridesmaid Sarah is not only coming from Australia for it, but is co-hosting it with my mother in law! I really thought our wedding would be one of the only times I’d have all the women I love in one room so to have this opportunity to do so and celebrate baby B is just the greatest gift I could imagine.

Birthing classes! Alex and I have been loving the Tinyhood online class we’ve been taking (you can get 20% off Tinyhood courses with code LEGALLEE20) but we also want to do an in person labor/birthing class. We need to try to find one locally, so wish us luck!

Things I’ve Been Loving Lately:

I thought I’d share a few products that I’ve been obsessed with lately. If you’re a mom to be you definitely need to check them out! If you missed it, you can also read all about what’s on my baby registry if you’re looking for recommendations for baby.

1. Hatch Belly Oil: I attribute the fact that I don’t have any stretch marks to this oil. It was recommended to me and it is the holy grail of stretch mark oils y’all! It leaves my skin feeling so soothed and moisturized as well and it has a subtle orange scent that I love.

2. Lululemon Align Leggings (one size up): I have been living in these when I’m not at work. The high rise fit is perfect for the bump and it gives it support without feeling squished.

3. Styled Collection Leopard Blanket: This ‘dupe’ for the Barefoot Dreams blanket is, in my opinion, actually better than the Barefoot Dreams blanket. It’s also half the price of the Barefoot dreams version. I love the material – it is so soft and cozy and it’s giant! Alex and I call this my snack blanket because I will curl up in it at night and while leaving enough out that I can lay snacks on it and eat them off it while we watch TV. (Cookies are current fav lol)

4. Lumineux Teeth Whitening Strips: The only teeth whitening strips I’ve found that are pregnancy safe – these are godsend! They’re all natural, non-toxic and actually whiten your teeth. I love them!

That’s all for now! Thank you so much for reading this update – it’s been a long time since I’ve done a more personal / life update / what’s going on with me style post. It felt weird to write, but also nice to return to more of my ‘roots’ of blogging. Let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this!

XO
Lee & Noodle