Happy Tuesday! It is hard to believe that this is most likely the last pregnancy recap I will write since I’m currently 40 weeks and 1 day pregnant. This journey has been incredible and unlike anything I could have ever expected. I have so many thoughts regarding my pregnancy experience, but I am going to wait and share all my thoughts after Baby Girl Diamond has arrived. I am so thankful that overall it has been a very healthy pregnancy with only a few hiccups of excitement along the way. While I know that the average first child comes at 41 weeks and 1 day, I have a feeling that Baby Girl Diamond will come a little bit before that. In fact, Bo and I both keep saying that we think this Wednesday would be a great option! I kicked off the day with what is most likely my last Orangetheory Fitness class before Baby Girl arrives and am now staying busy by finishing a few more final work projects, blogging, cleaning, and going through my hospital bag one last time.

Let’s dive into the latest and greatest details of this pregnancy, focused on how I felt last week, June 11th through June 17th during Week 39 of pregnancy.

Baby Size: As of Week 39 Baby Girl has plumped up and is around 7.5 pounds and over 20 inches long. Her brain is still developing each day and she can flex her limbs already! She was extremely active all week, especially during the afternoon and loved moving from one side to the other side, never settling in the middle.

Weight Gained: As of last week’s 39 week doctor appointment, I have gained 33 pounds, some of which could be water weight due to the extreme Summer heat.

Symptoms:  Last week, I started to feel discomfort on a more consistent basis. Sitting in chairs grew so uncomfrotable that I finally borrowed a neighborhood mom’s stability/exercise ball to use during the day and in the evening. Sitting on the ball provided immediate pelvic and rib cage/upper back relief, where I was feeling the most pain. Towards the end of the week, I started to feel some pretty severe Braxton Hicks in my upper abdominable region, but no true contractions yet. I took lots of warm showers and enjoyed another prenatal massage to relieve some of the tension and pain. During both my doctor’s visits last week my blood pressure was in the healthy range as were all my other lab results.

Workouts: My doctor continues to reinforce the benefits of staying active, as long as the activities are workouts that I’ve done throughout pregnancy and are indoors with sufficient air conditioner and fans. Based on this, last week I swam once, did one prenatal yoga class, two prenatal pilates class at Aline Pilates and two Orangetheory workouts. Based on how I was feeling, I actually hopped back on the treadmill as incline walking, at a slower pace, felt better than bike this week. Swimming was harder cardio-wise but still felt amazing. I kept my pace slower and shortened my workout to 30-minutes and then spent 15 minutes doing some gentle exercises in the pool as well as pool walking/jogging. My doctor attributed the increased difficulty to the baby’s position and pressure on my ribs and lung area.

Cravings: As soon as the hot weather went away, so did my ice cream craving. Last week I found myself eating more normally, having yogurt bowls for breakfast most days, salads or sandwiches for lunch and enjoying dinner since my stomach had a bit more room due to the baby dropping. Bo and I actually went out three nights in a row, which is very unusual for us. We decided it was time to enjoy some last-minute date nights since we didn’t know how soon Baby Girl Diamond would arrive. It was so fun to just laugh and chat with him over a few casual meals including Mexican and burgers. It wasn’t until yesterday, when the heat returned, that I craved ice cream and fresh fruit ALL day!

Food Aversions: After drinking La Croix throughout my entire pregnancy, I started to crave infused tap water last week versus sparkling water. I made lemon water and lime water most days, trying to ensure I stayed well-hydrated.

Sleep: Last week continued to be tough as I couldn’t get comfortable. In fact, only one night did I sleep “well” while the other nights I found myself tossing and turning, waking up multiple times not only to use the bathroom but just to move into a more comfortable position. I continued to experiment with different pillow configurations each night, one night using all our guest bedroom pillows and our pillows to find support and relief.

Wearing: Last week I think I wore and washed my black dress five days though I tried to keep things fun by changing my accesories. Otherwise, I rotated through the same clothes and shoes as last week.

Other Random Thoughts, i.e work and blogging after baby: Last week marked my last full work-week before maternity leave. While I love my company and my role, I am looking forward to investing 4.5 months with our new bundle of joy. My company, Procter & Gamble, provides 16 weeks of paid leave while employees have the opportunity to take longer, unpaid. At this point, my plan is to return to work on November 1st, which will be about 4.5 months after Baby Girl Diamond arrives. While things are a work in progress, I will most likely still work from home most of the time. We are still working through options in regards to child care but our goal is to do a nanny share with one of the many couples we know who have either just had a child or are expecting in the next few weeks.  In regards to blogging, my plan is to continue blogging while I’m on maternity leave though the frequency will be based on how much time I have. My number one priority will of course be our growing family but I look forward to sharing so much with you all.

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