As I am sitting here while Noah naps, I really can’t believe how fast this pregnancy is going compared to the first. I heard that when you have a toddler, the second pregnancy flies by. No talking or singing to the belly anymore, knowing what weekly ‘fruit’ you are, no more reading the pregnancy books and blogs…so on. I would say part of that true, but Noah has been giving so much love to her these days. It really warms my heart! But lately, there is so much happening every day, time just seems to get away. But we are slowly getting ready for her (mentally too!) and we are so excited for her arrival.

Some links below contain affiliate links and/or discount codes at no additional cost to you to click through or shop through the links. I receive a small (like real small…ha!) commission if you purchase through the links. 

Outfit Details: Hat // Amazon  Romper: This Free People romper is sold out but I found a similar one at Nordstrom Rack

It’s funny that once I hit 28 weeks, I mean like literally to the day, I started feeling exhausted. Hello 3rd trimester! It can be easily compared to the first trimester tiredness. This trimester is all about a growing belly, tired feet and a little less breathing room. The belly gets so big now, which is a good thing! The baby is growing and is healthy, but does slow moms down a bit.

I also have this strong urge to stay home, clean and prepare for her arrival. Literally, I don’t want to do much these days and I am perfectly ok with being a homebody. One thing that has really helped me with this big belly is smaller meals and lots of snacking. In fact, my biggest meal is lunch and then I will graze at night. It helps with heartburn, sleeping and my overall comfort level.

Our Plan (as of now…)

The doctor appointments are now every two weeks and we have started to think about our ‘birth plan’. We aren’t sure what we want now, since Noah was breech and it required a c-section, we are just waiting to see if baby girl flips into birthing position or not. Our ‘plan’ is really on her schedule, as it always is with babies. But I’m hoping we won’t need another c-section, but we shall see in the new few weeks.

Noah has also been really noticing what is happening to my body. He is talking a lot more about the baby, her room, toys, clothes and all of the sudden, wants to be carried much more. Toddlers truly observe EVERYTHING!

Some things that have helped me so far:

Peppermint Oil– I have terrible sinuses and allergies, anyone else? It only gets worse during pregnancy and in the heat! Since I can’t use my normal nasal spray, I found peppermint oil. I dab a little on a tissue and take a few deep breaths in. (disclosure: make sure to wash hands really well and keep away from toddlers. It can burn eyes if it’s too much). I do this a few times a day and it helps clear me up a bit. It’s not permanent, but I’ll take any little help these days.

Pregnancy Pillow– As this belly gets larger and larger, sleep is so difficult. The one aid has been this pillow. I don’t think I would survive the night out with. It’s a real game changer during pregnancy. It relieves back pain like nothing else. I spent the night at my parents house recently and even brought it. It will be with me till the very end (maybe even longer!).

Exercise Ball– Big belly’s can bring unwanted back pain (sigh). I know this sounds so crazy, but sitting on this helps with lower back pain.  The ball also prepares you for labor and can help turn a breech baby (I used it to try to turn Noah when he was breech). The couch can be hard to sit on, so this ball helps stay comfy while watching tv. My doctor is the one that recommended I use it. I found mine at Target, and this one comes with a pump. Amazon has a bunch too.

Belly Band– With summer almost here, so come the dresses. I love this band to help with that. This belly band is supposed to go over your regular pants to keep them up, but I really like it to smooth out the belly when I am wearing tight fitting clothes. For example, in this jumpsuit above, I have it on. It just smooths every out. You can totally wear it over pants, I’m just not wearing pants much these days in the heat. Belly bands can be crazy expensive and I found this one works great and the price is perfect. This one at Target has really good ratings, but I got mine on Amazon.

Peppermint Tea-  During the last few weeks, my nausea has been slowly creeping back. I can’t eat big meal, I have heartburn and my stomach has been queasy. This tea has helped a lot so far, I drank it a lot during the first trimester. It’s caffeine free and has added probiotics, which is a bonus. You can find it all over, including grocery stores. Target has it too.

Other pregnancy stuff

If you are looking for nursery essentials or what we bought for baby number 2, you can check out my blog for some more goodies.

You can find other pregnancy goodies here on my Amazon page under ‘motherhood and baby’.

I look forward to sharing more of the final three months with you guys, the good, bad and perhaps ugly :). As always, thanks for following along and you can find me on Instagram and sign up for weekly blog posts here.

Until next time,

Christine