The Best and the Worst

Amongst family and friends it’s been no secret that my pregnancy has been fairly easy. No morning sickness, mood swings, tearful outbursts or acne. I am really thankful to have avoided these common side effects while creating a human, so when I do experience discomfort I try not to be a drama queen about it. Too bad for you the non-complaining stops NOW.  I feel like I have to fill you in on something I am experiencing that I really didn’t expect from pregnancy: SHIN SPLINTS. They are killer. They popped up about two weeks ago and I’ve been googling remedies ever since. I knew from my past experience with exercise induced shin splints that a potassium boost usually helps. My body reminded me of that last week when I went to bed with shin pain, was rudely awakened by a viscous Charley Horse, and in the morning I was craving…raw salmon? Turning to trusty google taught me that raw salmon has about the same amount of potassium as a banana per 100 grams, about 360mg. Since raw salmon is a no-go for me and to get the most potassium bang for the buck, I made an awesome white bean (561mg per 100 g) dip and pretty much devoured the entirety of it. My shin splints and leg cramps went away for a good 4 or 5 days! Awesome! Not awesome is they’re back now because I don’t eat white bean dip everyday. I guess I’ll have to start force feeding myself bananas all the time, does it still count if they’re in the form of banana bread with chocolate chips?

Now that we’ve got all the complaining out of the way, let’s talk about the BEST of this best and worst post. Now that I’m six months along I wanted to share some of my favorite things for me and baby I’ve found so far.

IN LOVE with the Britax B-Agile Stroller in Peacock

Best for Baby
Last week I put a stroller/carseat combination on our registry…. for the third time. I swear this is finally the one! I really don’t think I’ll change it again because this stroller is so awesome. I originally had the Chicco Cortina + KeyFit carseat, but then after falling in love with the easy maneuverability and lightweight frame, I switched to the Mamas and Papas Sola stroller paired with a Graco carseat. I made that switch without Michael having the opportunity to test-drive the stroller, but dragged him to Babies ‘R Us this past weekend to hopefully seal the deal. Instead of him falling deeply in love with the bright purple Sola stroller as I did, he wasn’t so impressed with the $399 price tag coupled with the fact that we’d have to get an adapter just so the Graco carseat, which wasn’t our first choice, would fit (the Sola stroller only has an adapter for Graco seats and two other international brands). Luckily I spotted a stroller that had a similar styling as the purple Sola and was almost just as lightweight! The Britax B-Agile paired with a B-Safe infant carseat of the same brand. After pushing all the wrong buttons and lifting levers for about 15 clueless minutes, we finally figured out just how easy it is to click the matching carseat in and out, and also how to use the one-handed folding feature on the stroller. I was sold on the fold, Michael was sold on the convenience. To make the travel system even more of a match made in heaven, I found the stroller in turquoise on Amazon! My favorite color + gender neutrality for a possible baby boy in the future. Success!

Best for Me
Recently I had to go without my beloved Mama Mio Tummy Rub Oil for a couple days and it made me realize just how much I cherish that tiny bottle of goodness. Seriously, it’s become like a drug. I didn’t realize how addicted I’ve become to it until I was forced to be without it since I forgot to order a new bottle until it was too late. Luckily I have Amazon Prime so I only had to suffer while using another oil for two days, but my skin was so itchy during those 48 hours! Nothing keeps my skin as hydrated as Mama Mio. I am six months into pregnancy now and do not have any signs of stretch marks. *Crossing fingers* my skin remains scar free, but I am feeling really confident that my combination of tummy oil + Palmer’s stretch mark cream is getting the job done. Although the oil is a bit pricey at $35 for 4oz, a little goes a long way. I just bought my second bottle of oil last week at 23 weeks pregnant and $70 to avoid dreaded stretch marks is well worth it for me!

Best for Everyone
Something that has kept Michael and I on an even-keel throughout my pregnancy so far is being equally involved in sharing decisions and feelings about the baby and everything that comes along with adding a new member to our family. It might sound obvious to some to have a partner involved in each aspect but sometimes it’s easy to assume that your fellow parent to be will have the same views or feelings as you and that’s not always the case. I encourage Michael to let me know if he feels overwhelmed or a little freaked out and let him know that I feel that way sometimes too! It’s not a bad thing to feel uncertain about taking on a task that you have never dealt with before and cannot truly be 100% prepared for. On his end, he has been really great about listening to my pros and cons for every stroller, swing, and carseat on the market and also being sensitive when I’m feeling really useless due to my inability to lift things over 20 pounds. We’ve been learning together and it’s been working great for us so far. 

Baby Bump Stats 

How far along? 6 months! Last month of second trimester!
How big is baby? I officially am carrying a cantaloupe, that is scary. 10.5-to-11.8-inches, weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces
Total weight gain/loss: +16 pounds, I might stealthily delete this question from all future posts!
Maternity clothes? A bunch of new sweaters are coming in the mail! I’ve been successful at wearing loose, flowy summer tops but sweaters are a different story. Unless I want to look like a stuffed sausage with half my belly hanging out, maternity sweaters are the way to go!
Best moment this week: Crossing off a bunch of home projects off our before-baby-gets-here-list.
Movement: She’s been kicking the crap out of me this entire post writing session, I’ve jumped in surprise/pain 5+ times.
Food cravings: Root beer! We went to two stores the other day and they didn’t have my beloved Mug root beer, Michael was nice enough to pull off at a gas station to get me some.
Food Aversions: None
Gender: GIRL
Labor Signs: None
Pregnancy Symptoms: Shin splints, hip aches, back aches at night again.
Belly Button in or out: Innie
What I miss: Sleeping in any position I want, being able to take deep breaths while sitting down.
What I am looking forward to: Christmas! When all of our family will fly across the country to be with us! So stoked!
Upcoming appointments/events: 9/19- Ultrasound, 9/24- 26 week checkup