19 Week Baby Update!
Being pregnant has been crazy! That is the best word I can find to describe it. It's so many emotions, good and bad. For all my prego readers (or not!), who might be curious, here is a 19 week update to fill you in on this crazy, exciting ride we’ve been on.
Excitement
There are so many amazing things about being pregnant. You have this big, exciting thing ahead of you and so many fun things to learn about and plan for. Life just feels more exciting! It's also been this really fun thing for Nick (my husband) and I to talk about and plan for. We are both so pumped about being parents. After being married for six years and together for 11, the baby feels like such a special and exciting milestone.
We find out the gender on Wed, Jan. 9. We are dying of suspense!
Skin Issues
One of the toughest things for me has been my skin; extremely dry, peeling skin on my face and acne on my face, back and shoulders. Ew! After I learned you cannot use Salicylic Acid or Benzoyl Peroxide when you're pregnant, I set out to find a new skincare routine. Here are a few things that seem to work for me:
My blog partner Kelsey recommended using Charlotte Tilbury Dry Masks. They are spendy at $22 each or $80 for four, but you can use each one three times and they are really helping my dry skin. You can pick them up at Nordstrom or shop online.
I use Mario Badescu Drying Lotion for acne spots and his everyday moisturizer in the morning and night, which seem to be helping reduce dry spots without making my skin oily.
I use Keihl's Midnight Recovery Cleansing Oil to remove my makeup. The oil is less drying than other cleansers. Sometimes, I'll even just put the oil right on my dry spots like a moisturizer.
When I feel like I need an exfoliating cleanse, I’ve been using this Bliss Pore Patrol Daily Warming Scub. Only $12 at Target and gently removes all the dry skin flakes.
I swear by Skin Sceuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C serum. It's freaking expensive ($166) but it does wonders, and I mean wonders, for my skin. It’s smoother, brighter and has far less acne.
For New Years this week, I used self tanner and on my arms and shoulders. I noticed it made me feel way less self conscious when I put on a tank to workout today. I use Loving Tan's 2 Hour Express in medium. I feel like the color is very olive, rather than orange and easy to apply streak -free using the mitt.
Weight Gain
I swear, everyday I look in the mirror and wonder where that new spot of cellulite came from on my legs or booty. I always imagined staying super fit and just getting a belly. But genetics, and if I'm being honest, my pregnancy/holiday eating habits, just don't have that in store for me.
One thing that surprised me was how much I tend to compare myself to other preggies. I find myself thinking," oh, she is three weeks farther along than me and wayyyy tinier! What am I doing wrong?!" I know this sounds ridiculous when I type it, but I can't help it. Social media makes it way too easy. I write this to let all the other preggies know that if you’re feeling this way, so am I. It feels hard some days to feel beautiful. We just have to take it one day at a time and give ourselves some grace - at least that is what I say to myself. :) We are growing humans and that is a huge deal. We are going to gain weight, some of us more than others and that is A-okay.
Workouts
My first trimester was a mess! I was nauseous all day, eating carbs and cheese to make the nausea go away, and so tired. I also had a terrible cold and cough. At that point, I was pretty sure pregnancy was going to ruin me and I would never work out again.
The second trimester, everything turned around. Now, I'm able to work about at least a few times per week. Thanks to ClassPass (they are doing 1-month free right now!), I've been doing strength training at Sweat Equity in Bellevue, Mashup at Bassline Fitness in Kirkland, which is a cardio blast with bikes, treadmills and arm cranks. I've also done a few pre-natal yoga classes at Bala Yoga in Kirkland. I need to do more of those to get my flexibility back for sure. As a last resort, I'll do some at home workouts in my living room or our apartment gym, and the other day I went on a nice long run/walk.
As you can tell, I just like to switch things up and keep it exciting. It also really helps to workout with friends (thanks Nat and Kels!!). There are days when I don't even feel pregnant and totally kill my workouts. Other days, I feel like Jell-O. Just been trying to stay consistent and do the best I can each time I go and that makes me feel so much better! I’ll publish a post on pregnancy workout dos and don’ts soon!
Eating
The farther into my second trimester I get, the more I feel like I can control my eating habits. I'm starting to crave and enjoy the type of foods I liked before I was pregnant. Coffee tastes good again, healthy salads and smoothies sound good. It's so nice not to feel like toast is the only thing I want in life!
That said, I've definitely let my self eat way more treats that normal. Thanks in part to the holidays, but also due to being pregnant. When your belly is already big, you have less of a reason to say no. At least that is what it has felt like to me in the moment. I feel like the New Year is giving me a renewed sense of commitment to eat more greens and get back to my normal eating habits post-holiday. We will see how it goes!
Well, that is the most of it. If you're pregnant, I hope you are hanging in there through all the ups and downs! I'll start posting a bit more about my pregnancy journey now that I feel better. I feel like I have learned so much and have so many interesting things to share.
Talk soon!
Ronnie
