In honor of officially being a month away from our due date, I thought I would share some photos from our maternity shoot, as well as an update on how the third trimester is going. Somehow, it feels like time is flying by and crawling at a snail's pace all at the same time. Between trying to get our home prepared for when our little man arrives and enjoying the remaining time we have being a family of two, we have been keeping busy. I've also been working hard on implementing routines into my daily life that I have had trouble keeping up with beforehand. I've worked hard to stay as active as I can, while also listening to my body as to not overdo it. Oftentimes, I try to enjoy the beautiful summer weather by going for walks, but I also have been following along with Belly Strong Fitness's free maternity workouts on YouTube. DJ and I spend a lot of time at the golf course-- where he plays while I drive the cart-- and putting the finishing touches on the nursery. We've also been spending quality time with our pups and trying to prepare them as much as possible for our newest addition.
How I'm Feeling, Physically
In all honesty, I feel pretty good! After hearing how my own mother's third trimester went when she was pregnant with me, I thought I would be having a rough time of it. But I have had a pretty smooth experience these past weeks. Some symptoms I have been experiencing are acid reflux, minor joint pain in my hips, cramping in my calves, and swollen feet. Other than that, I haven't experienced anything too bad. As I stated before, I've been working on trying to keep active and help prepare my body for labor. One of the ways I've been doing this is by following along with Belly Strong Fitness's week-by-week maternity workouts. They have two workouts available for each week-- one shorter at around 15 minutes, and one longer at around 25-30 minutes. They also have other workouts available to target specific areas or to allow you to workout in a way that works best for you. I have been enjoying these workouts a lot, and plan to utilize their post-partum program as well-- as long as my body and doctor allows.
Our little duck has also been doing great. Our doctor says he is measuring a week behind in growth, but that it's not anything to worry too much about as I am on the smaller side, so she expects he will be as well. He loves to move around and remind me that he'll be here soon.
How I'm Feeling, Emotionally
Where to even begin when answering this... I think the emotion I am feeling the most is excitement. I am excited to meet him and find out what he looks like. I'm excited to be able to experience firsts with him, especially with the holidays so soon after his arrival. I am also feeling nervous, as there's a lot that I am clueless about. I try to remind myself that no one really knows what they're doing when it comes to being a parent, but it doesn't necessarily stop the nerves. I am anxious about labor, as I don't look forward to being in pain for hours on end, but I fully trust my doctor and the other hospital staff, and I know my husband will be so supportive during the process.
When it comes to being pregnant, I am ready for it to be over. Some women really love being pregnant. I am not one of those women. Watching my body grow and expand in ways it never has before has made my self-confidence take a hit. Having something fit one week, or even one day, but not the next is something that has been hard on me. I know that my body is doing something wonderful and miraculous in growing a whole other human being, but that does not stop the effect it has had on me. I know that I might never look the same as I did pre-pregnancy, and I'm okay with that. But at least how I look is more in my control than it is right now.
Photographer: Brooke Sering Photography
Dress: Amazon
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