Yoga Baby 2; 36 Weeks

So... I sorta stopped taking bump photos. I didn't mean to, but it got cold outside, and those little black tank tops were getting too tight (they're mostly size small and I have not felt like going to buy a bigger one). Today baby and I are 36 weeks. It's less than a month to her estimated due date and quite a few things have changed in the last 8 weeks.

Cravings: Yes! Though I don't have a lot of room in my stomach, I have had the same type of "cravings" I had with my first - mostly for sweets, and always after the thought has been planted by some external source - like the Great British Baking Show. I texted my husband and asked if he could stop at the grocery store and pick out a Danish for me... because it was Danish week. Then last night we watched some youtube video of a guy on Tasty trying to hide pickled vegetables inside brownies. Even though I maintain that does not sound good - I immediately made a batch of brownies.

Aversions: Getting better. I'm still not really interested in red meat, but I have been drinking lattes some mornings, which makes me happy.

Nausea: No nausea. Dizziness is back with a vengeance though - always when changing levels (sit to stand, lay down, etc) It started when I had a cold about a week and a half ago and just hasn't let up. Trying to move slowly, and I always brace myself because I'm pretty used to it by now.

Gender: Girl.

Yoga Baby 2; 28 Weeks

Not much has changed pregnancy wise since my last post, but plenty has been going on...

Cravings: I actually don't have much of an appetite most of the time. I'll eat, but I think I've reached the point where I get full very quickly and don't find myself getting very hungry.

Aversions: Just the coffee thing. I've been able to have them out and about - I especially like having coffee at my parents' house, but its a major no-go at home.

Nausea: No nausea. Had another instance of lightheadedness the other day. I was worried I might pass out, so I skipped class that day - didn't want to be so far from home again if I did end up passing out.

Gender: Girl.

Yoga Baby 2: 26 Weeks

14 weeks to go! That seems far too long. Not much has changed since my last update

Cravings: Haven't really had them lately.

Aversions: Can someone explain this to me? I don't want coffee at my house. I can have lattes elsewhere, made at coffee shops, even at my mom's house, but not at home. Just no. Weirdest aversion ever.

Nausea: No nausea. I have a really strong gag reflex lately though. I think that's allergy related, not pregnancy related though.

Gender: Baby girl.

Yoga Baby 2; 24 Weeks

I need to figure out a better camera set up for my weekly photos. This quality is shoddy.

I am officially 6 months pregnant, and this is how things are going...

Cravings: Haven't really had them lately.

Aversions: Been feeling better about chicken and steak. I still don't get excited about coffee in the mornings, but I'm not really missing it, so no complaints there.

Nausea: Still free from nausea

Gender: Still a girl.

Yoga Baby 2; 22 Weeks

We appear to have had a bit of a growth spurt this week. 

Cravings: Still really into burritos. They are definitely my go to for most lunches lately.

Aversions: I've had a couple lattes here and there, but in general the thought of coffee makes me cringe. I still can't really eat chicken and steak unless their mixed into and hidden in something else.

Nausea: No nausea. Just short of breath all the time and lightheaded at least once a day (see last baby bump update re: fainting)

Just For Fun; Gender Prediction Wivestales

I found about a bajillion new wivestales to test out to predict this baby's sex. I just found out the sex of the baby this morning, but I thought it would be fun to test some of these wives tales:

• Carrying high or low? High means girl, low means boy. I'm carrying a tad higher than last time, but still pretty low. So, BOY

• Mayan Numbers - The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception.  If the result is a even number then baby is a girl, if its odd, you're having a boy. 33 + 2018 = 2051 = BOY

• Acne - If you have pregnancy acne, it means its a girl. I had some kinda gnarly acne in the first trimester, but it's since cleared up. I don't know if that's because I'm taking better care of my skin, or because of hormones, but let's say it's the former: GIRL

• Cravings - Salty cravings means boy, sweet means girl. The only thing I've "craved" so far have been tacos and peanut butter toast, so I guess BOY

• History of Parents Kids -  This one makes me laugh. It basically predicts there is no way we're having a boy. Haha. If you're the first child, you'll have the same sex babies that your mother had, starting with the second child. If you're the second child, you'll have the same sex babies your mother had, starting with the third child, and if you're a third child, you'll have the same sex babies in the same order. SO, my mom had three girls. Girl. Girl. Girl. GIRL. 

• Cold Feet - If your feet are cold, you're having a boy. If not, girl. It's the dead of summer in Los Angeles. GIRL. 

• Chinese gender prediction chart – age 33 in the month of May = GIRL

• Ramzi method – baby/placenta formed on right side = BOY

• Baby's heartrate – over 140 means girl, under 140 means boy. 164 at my 8 wk appt, 150 at my 19 week appt = GIRL

• Sickness – morning sickness means girl, not a lot of sickness means boy. I had none with my son, but got pretty sick this time around = GIRL

• Partner weight gain – Partner weight gain means girl. Mine is actually trying to lose weight at the moment and has done so successfully. BOY

• Headaches – headaches mean boy. No headaches means girl. I actually got a migraine and regular headaches with my son, and basically had a 2 month long headache this time – BOY

• Clumsiness – extra clumsiness means boy, no additional clumsiness means girl. I’m generally kind of clumsy, so I haven’t noticed any extra = GIRL

• Previous child’s hair swirl – if their hair swirls to the right (clockwise), it means girl, counterclockwise means boy. My son’s hair swirls clockwise – GIRL

• Nail growth – Nails growing longer, stronger and faster means boy. So, boy, but don’t prenatal vitamins do this??? BOY

BOY: 7 

GIRL: 8

Split pretty evenly down the middle, with a slight favor that this kiddo is a girl. What do you think???

Check the gram for a post soon to announce the sex of the baby!

Yoga Baby 2; 20 weeks

HALFWAY! There is something so exciting about reaching the halfway point. It makes February feel so close!
As I am putting the finishing touches on this post, I am on my way home from our anniversary trip/babymoon to Miami. Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. 💓

Also, kind of a big deal, but not too big a deal because everything is fine thus far, but dude... I freaking FAINTED. According to my doctor and Dr Internet, this is relatively normal and has to do with having lowish blood pressure during pregnancy.  I walk around not pregnant with blood pressure on the low end of normal, but now that I am pregnant, it is on the low end of low normal. So, basically every other time I stand up, I get dizzy. The fainting episode was different. I was sitting in class last Tuesday and I started to feel funny - like I needed to focus intently on breathing, so after a moment or two, I thought it would be helpful to get some fresh air. I got up and slowly walked to the back of the room toward the door. I have a vague recollection of reaching for the door handle, and then I was waking up on the floor. It was so incredibly surreal. I haven't fainted since I was a teenager. The rest of class was cancelled and the ambulance and fire department came. They checked my seated pulse and heart rate, then again standing - offered to take me to the hospital, but said that if I wanted my husband to take me instead, they thought I was well enough that they were confident that would be fine. So, I did. Hubby got an Uber out to school so he could drive my car and me back to my doctor. Baby and I got checked out and everything is A-OK. (He/she is dancing up a storm as I type this). I have a nasty bruise on my hip from hitting a chair on my way down, but other than that, everything is fine. Sure was scary though.

Fit Pregnancy; Week 16

It was not my intention to make Monday and Tuesday rest days, but they definitely were. Monday I was not feeling well, and Tuesday was my first day of school(!), so I took my "spare" time in the evening to get myself set up with the class' online portal and do the chapter 1 reading. It's hard to do homework when you're trying to simultaneously feed your 3 year old dinner and block out whatever your husband is watching on TV. I'm going to have to start setting aside designated homework time where I am to be left alone. Oh, the things we take for granted when we are in our 20's and can lock ourselves in our rooms with no interruptions for hours.

Yoga Baby 2; 16 Weeks

Here we are! Week 16! I've started monthly self-care excursions. My first was actually for my birthday, so I couldn't get a massage because I was still in the first trimester, BUT NOW that I'm in the second, I can get my monthly massages and feel oh-so-good. I had a spa day all to myself last week. It was amazing. I swam and read and lounged about and didn't worry about anything at all.

Cravings: I ACTUALLY HAD SOME! The other day I smelled something that reminded me of peanut butter toast, and I stopped and made peanut butter toast right then. Other than that though, I mostly crave water. Haha. I am just really thirsty all the time.

Aversions: Still coffee and meat products. Haha. I actually have a bit of an aversion to chocolate, which is so strange. I even have a couple of pieces of chocolate in my desk and work, and I just am not interested in them.

Nausea: I haven't been nauseous in weeks! Hooray! Keep me in your thoughts I stay this way!

Gender: Don't know yet. I went in at 15 weeks and we tried to see, but babers was sitting crosslegged and the midwife couldn't get a good angle. I'll be scheduling my big fancy pants anatomy scan next month though, so then we will actually know.

Energy: Better! I am still tired and sometimes have bad days, but I definitely am feeling that second trimester energy boost.

Missing: Sushi, runny eggs. I'd like a turkey sandwich from Jimmy Johns.

Sleep: The vivid dreams are back. Sometimes up to three separate, very vivid dreams in one night.

Maternity clothes? Still loving sundresses. Toying with the idea of maternity pants. I bought some at Old Navy. I put them on the other day, but they are legit too big in the front... like maaaaybe I could wear a longish shirt with them to cover up some of the extra fabric, but it just feels awkward right now. I am back in my maternity uniform from my first pregnancy - tank tops and wide band foldover maxi skirts. I'm not as comfortable in it this time around though.

Exercise? As soon as I started to feel better, I started exercising regularly. I set a 4 day-a-week minimum for myself and I've been sticking to it. Most weeks I've been able to do more than 4 days.

Until next time...

Round Two!

Hiya friends! As of today, I am 14 weeks along, and baby is scheduled to make their appearance in early February. These last few months have been a bit of a roller coaster, so without further delay, lets get into this pregnancy update!

The first trimester of this pregnancy was nothing like my first pregnancy. I barely noticed a difference the first time around. Around 7 weeks, I started getting tired and would have the occasional headache. This time around, beginning around 5.5 weeks, I felt bloated, nauseous, generally crappy, so tired I could barely keep my head up all day, and had spotting that scared the heck out of me. Then at about 8.5 weeks I started getting really bad nausea and headaches. I had several days of just being completely confined to the couch or the bed, when even the simplest tasks, like getting up to get a glass of water or empty the dishwasher were just too much. Laundry sat in baskets unfolded in the middle of the living room. So, its been different. I started reading Expecting Better, which hadn't come out yet in 2014. I'm really enjoying it. My sister told me about it when she was pregnant in 2016, but I forgot what it was called until someone mentioned it on the Birth Hour, and I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle.

Here's the typical pregnancy stuff:

Cravings: I'm fresh out of the first trimester. I wouldn't say I have cravings. I would say I have "let's have X for dinner because it is the only thing I think I could tolerate right now" Usually, this means some kind of crunchy food - like hard shell tacos or big crunchy salad.

Aversions: Coffee. My usual morning latte just sounds repulsive at the moment. I was having iced chai in the mornings, mostly enjoying the flavor, but feeling yucky once it hits my stomach. So, I stopped having those. Most animal protein sounds disgusting. I've had a really hard time eating chicken and steak. I have to kind of disguise meat in other things - like (see above) big salads, burrito bowls, soups, etc. Around 10 weeks, my husband made his own parmesan chips. It stunk up the whole house and made me so sick.

Nausea: This comes and goes.Now that I'm clear of the first trimester, I'm *hoping* that means no more (or at least minimal) nausea. For a while there, I was nauseous and had some kind of headache every single day. I didn't throw up much - only once, I think, but we did have to stop the car a few times so I can get my land legs. The excess saliva is no joke. I just feel generally crappy and exhausted basically all the time. And bloated. So so bloated.

Gender: Don't know yet. Won't for a little while. We are going to find out though, so I'll post when we do.

Energy: What's that? I miss my workouts. I'm trying to workout more often, but I'm living my life with pretty much the bare minimum to get by.

Missing: I'd really like some sushi and eggs over easy on toast, and a freaking Jimmy Johns turkey sandwich. I feel like I could eat those things without getting sick.  I have been going a bit easy on myself with the restrictions, as Expecting Better helped lay out the medical evidence for all the things we avoid, but I still haven't taken the plunge on those most missed.

Sleep: Not terrible, but not great either. Falling asleep to begin with is the hard part, and even though the internet says Melatonin is OK to take, I'm not about to go and F with anybody's hormones.

Maternity clothes? Mostly no. I did put on one of my sisters big cozy maternity tops last week, but it didn't look very maternity-ish. I'm still wearing my pants, but I have resorted to the old rubber band trick until I'm ready to go full fledged maternity pants. Sundresses are a huge win at the moment.

Exercise? At the moment, I've been managing to get in about 2 workouts a week -  a steep drop from my usual 6-7, but I am hopeful that I'll work my way back up. I have had a couple of weeks when I managed 4 workouts, so I know that I can do it. I just hope it doesn't totally knock me back into feeling terrible.

I think that's it for now.

yoga baby; 38 weeks

Week 38

We are full term. Now the waiting begins...

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Same old same old. Mac, peppermint/chocolate things, lemonade, french fries. I don't always want them. but if presented with them, I will eat them without fail.

Aversions: I've been better about this. Luckily hubs does most of the cooking, but I've started frozen meal prep, so I can't say I'm averse to cooking. ;)

Energy:  Everything is exhausting. 

Summer in October; The Pregnancy Clothing Chronicles

Am I actually writing a blog post about this?

I think I am... even though the weather is cooling down (now). I'm also not including any pictures in this post because there is nothing glamorous about complaining about how your clothes fit.

Last Sunday, after spending the better part of the day in yoga clothes - having taught at 830am and then taken yoga at 1pm - I got out of the shower around 5pm so hubs and I could make our one outing of the day together; a quick run to Target for a new video game.

I showered before he did. I always do when we are planning to go out because it takes the length of one husband shower for me to get my face on. Usually that works out perfectly.

Usually was not this past Sunday.

This past Sunday I got out of the shower and started looking through my clean clothes for something light and flattering to wear into the 100 degree heat. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND????

Nothing.

I found nothing that fit all of these criteria; clean, light, and flattering.

Maybe I just needed to do laundry? Yes, that's possible.

but I think I know what else you're thinking - "you're pregnant, Alyssa, get over your definition of flattering", but it's actually not that hard for me to find flattering things... usually (by my standards anyway). I kind of love my shape right now. When adorned appropriately, pregnant bellies are downright adorable and I'm proud to have one.
The trouble was finding things that were flattering and didn't also make me feel like I was wearing wool - because when its 100 degrees outside and you're pregnant, everything is itchy and hot.

I dug around and found a pair of clean, black maternity shorts with an itchy belly band that I can't fold down anymore because my son is too large and won't tolerate that kind of discomfort/tightness around the lower abdomen any longer, and a tank top that I only kind of like when I'm not pregnant, but was one of the few shirts in my closet that was long enough and could be easily paired with the shorts.

I was not comfortable. I was sweaty and itchy and all I wanted was to turn around, go back home and put on my pjs.

The next best option was to use this time at Target to buy things that looked large and comfortable... which is exactly what I did. I bought myself three super soft cottony things - a GOM nighty (on sale, woot!), this lattice back dress in black, and a really long cozy tshirt.

I wore them all within the next 48 hours, and today it is 20 degrees cooler than last weekend, so I may never need to wear them again. *face palm*

pregnancy is uncomfortable

What I'm doing here I call my "belly stretch". I do it whenever my insides feel especially squished and I just stick my belly out as far as I can. It feels great, but usually as soon as I relax, I'm right back to feeling squished again.  Also, Panda Bear cracks me up in this picture. 

There. I said it. Pregnancy is uncomfortable.

Don't get me wrong. I am so so so happy and feel so very blessed to be able to grow this little human and bring him into the world, but I don't think there's a rule anywhere that says I have to be happy when my back hurts and my clothes don't fit.

Since I have just gotten into my third trimester, I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about some of the pregnancy symptoms that I've personally experienced thus far and how I'm dealing with them.

Sciatic Pain - Especially on my right side, since about the halfway point, I've been dealing with some sciatic pain. I've considered myself fortunate lately because I have the knowledge and understanding of how the muscles and bones work to optimally stretch it out. One of the key ways I've been able to work out my low back is literally curling myself into a ball and using the floor to hit points. If you have the stability and need to focus on one side more than the other, you can actually just hang out in a ball, letting only that part of your back hit the floor. My mat provided a really nice firm, but not hard/painful surface for me to work into my low back. I also found that by getting into a supported back bend like bridge pose with a block under my sacrum helps take some of the compression out of the low back and, if you're feeling stable, you can play with weight distribution.
The biggest thing for me, personally, has been working on engaging my glutes when I do lunges - not letting myself sink into the hip/pelvis. Even though it can feel better on the front of the hip to stretch it out, it puts all the extra pressure on the low back, so simply by keeping my glutes and pelvis engaged, I'm helping my low back.