We decided to splurge on some newborn photos, and are so happy we did! These beautiful shots were taken by Andrea Ryerson.
She has her own studio and a million props (headbands, wraps, bonnets, cradles, baskets, backdrops, etc.). She is extremely patient and knows just how to setup the shot to be stunning. We highly recommend her!
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As I’ve said before, I am very conscious about what I eat. Weight Watchers trained me to pay attention to what and how much food I eat. Since I’ve had to entirely change my eating habits since learning I was pregnant, I purchased some books that will hopefully help guide me toward good pregnancy foods during this process.
The first book I bought is called, “The 100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth About Foods You Should Be Eating During Pregnancy But Probably Aren’t.”
Sounds pretty straightforward, and it is. It starts with some basic information about certain nutrients you especially need to make sure you are getting while pregnant (iron, calcium, Vitamin D, folate, etc.) and explains why you need them.
The rest of the book basically breaks your pregnancy down into trimesters, then tells you which foods are best for you during each trimester and why you should be eating them (how they benefit you and baby). The one thing I found a little silly with this book was a couple foods were a little ridiculous. I mean, I understand that many people in their first trimester (including myself) suffer from morning sickness, but seriously? Ice chips made the first trimester list? Come on, people. Ice chips are water, not food.
The book also contains information about what to eat while you are breastfeeding, as well as foods that can help with postpartum depression, but I have not yet read those chapters as they don’t currently apply to me.
This is the first of the four book reviews I’ll be doing (at least in regards to nutrition). Let me know if you’ve read any of the books I mention and if you found them useful, or if you have other nutrition resources you think I should check out.
This is one of the best breakfast recipes I have found so far, and the best part is that it is incredibly easy! The hard part for me is making everything the night before because I tend to forget about it, but believe me, this recipe is worth trying (even my husband loves it). Plus, most of the ingredients (oats, chia seeds, bananas) are found in the Top 100 Foods book, so you know baby will like it too.
Overnight Oats Ingredients
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup soymilk (I used vanilla almond milk)
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cocoa powder
6 drops vanilla stevia (I used half a packet of stevia)
Topping ingredients
1/2 frozen banana
4 cubes frozen soymilk + splash of non-frozen soymilk
2 packets of Truvia (I used my remaining stevia from the oats)
1 tbsp cocoa
Directions
Whisk all oats ingredients together and put in the fridge (covered) overnight. In the morning, blend the topping ingredients together in your blender or food processor until smooth. Pour on top of your oats and enjoy the chocolate-y deliciousness!
We had our latest doctor appointment this morning, and I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but I was really hoping we would get to hear the heartbeat. We only waited a minute or two before they called us in, and then I had to do a urine test to measure glucose and protein levels (apparently this happens every single appointment from now on). They also checked my blood pressure and asked if how I was feeling/if I had any concerns.
Once we got all that out of the way, it was heartbeat time! I was super excited, but the doctor told us not to freak out if she couldn’t find the heartbeat because it is still very early and the baby could be hiding in there. Of course, it took a few minutes for her to find it (and of course I was freaking out), but when she did it was amazing. Geoff and I couldn’t stop smiling! It sounds sort of like “shoop, shoop, shoop,” like someone is whispering.
The doctor said she had to keep readjusting the doppler machine because the baby was moving around so much, and that it actually might have kicked right when we started listening.
I cannot wait until I can feel this little guy/gal moving around in there, but it sounds like I have a good 5-8 weeks to go for that to happen (sometime between 18-22 weeks). Another good thing that happens around that time – we get to find out the gender! I get to schedule my 20-week ultrasound now, and that is the earliest that the doctor can determine gender. Geoff and I talked, and we decided we do want to find out if it is a boy or a girl, so now I can’t wait for that! Just one more thing to look forward to…
I can’t believe I’m already in the last week of my first trimester. I mean, where did that time go?
I know in the last few posts I have said that my nausea has started to go away, but I’m seriously starting to think that the baby can hear those words leave my mouth and then BAM! Two hours later I’m curled up on the couch in a ball (*insert baby evil laugh here*). Overall, it really has started to subside, but it hasn’t gone away completely (YET).
As far as cravings go, I still find myself wanting cereal (Oatmeal Squares or Cinnamon Toast Crunch in particular), but I’m also really having cravings for anything frozen. Baby wants popsicles, ice cream, Frappuccinos, smoothies, etc. Isn’t that weird? It doesn’t really matter what it is, I just want something cold.
I’m definitely feeling my pants getting a little tighter now. Ideally, I’d like to skip the part where you look like you could be pregnant… or just put on a few pounds… and go straight to full-on baby bump. Wouldn’t that be nice? You would start out all skinny and then one day, POP you have a baby belly! I can’t wait to get to that point when can wear all the cute maternity clothes… leggings with tunics, summery dresses, tight t-shirts that hug your bump… Ah, the shopping! I’m probably getting close, but I’m not quite there yet. So for now I’m wearing floaty shirts and blouson tops to hide my teeny bump. I don’t think I’m fooling anyone though.
We have our next doctor appointment on Monday and I’m hoping that we will be able to hear the heartbeat while we are there. I’ve read that after 10 weeks the heartbeat is loud enough to hear, so cross your fingers that we’ll get to hear it! I’m not really sure what else to expect from the appointment, since the only other one I’ve had with this doctor was basically just touching base, so I’ll let you know how it goes.
In other news, I’m thinking about trying prenatal yoga. I need something to do for exercise other than walking around, and my doctor recommended trying it out. I’ve never tried yoga before, and honestly it just seems like a lot of stretching. I’m willing to give it a try, though, so once I find a place I’ll post a review.
Have you tried prenatal yoga? Did it do anything for you?
While it may seem as if you’ve doubled in size over the past few weeks, it’s your baby who actually has!
By now, your baby weighs a full half-ounce and is about the size of a large plum. Most of his systems are in place, though there’s still plenty of maturing to do. For one thing, his fetal digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements necessary for eating, and his bone marrow is busy making white blood cells — weapons against germs once he’s out of your safe haven. The pituitary gland (at the base of the brain) has started producing the hormones that’ll enable him (or her) to make babies of his (or her) own in a couple of decades or so.
If all those changes in your baby sound dizzying, that may just be you dealing with yet another problematic pregnancy symptom: Lots of women experience occasional dizziness and/or feel faint due to progesterone, which causes increased blood flow to your baby by relaxing your own blood vessels. The decrease in blood flow to your body and brain, along with typically lower blood-sugar levels during pregnancy, can set your world a-spinning. Do your part to keep your equilibrium by eating regularly, getting adequate rest, and standing up slowly.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers (and mothers-to-be) Day! I had a great weekend with my hubby, who took me to the mall, the movies (we saw Iron Man 3), brought me breakfast in bed and got me a gift certificate to the spa for a pre-natal massage! I’ve never had a massage (of any kind), so I’m super excited.
My parents sent me an adorable card, and my in-laws gave me a rose – so pretty! My co-worker also bought me some flowers and gave me a nice card, which was so sweet.
I have spent a lot of my time the last few weeks in our gardens. Since we moved into our home in October, we weren’t exactly sure what was going to pop up this year, so I was pleasantly surprised by all the beautiful, well-maintained plants that have sprouted this spring! We have lots of tulips and daffodils, hostas, peonies, hydrangeas, irises, a hibiscus tree, a magnolia tree, and some other flowering bushes that are gorgeous. We also have a flowering tree in our front yard that is full of pretty pink/purple flowers right now, but is starting to drop the petals and have buds show up.
Last but not least, I’ve enlisted Geoff to help with my bump photos, so there won’t be anymore selfie/mirror pics anymore. I’m also going to wear the same striped shirt until I can’t fit into it anymore so it is easier to tell the difference. Now we just have to figure out how to take the photos at the same angle each week because it looks like my bump shrunk a little from last week to this week!
Week 11
Pat the Belly 