Lace Trimmed Dress: BCBG (Non-maternity) |Pointed ankle boots: Zara (sold out, similar herehere and here) |Suede Jacket: Forever 21 (sold out, but I like this one and this one) | Bag: Saint Laurent Betty or this striped consignment option
Just got home from my 8 month checkup– excited to update you guys!
BUT FIRST…
The outfit details, because THIS DRESS IS EVERYTHING!
If you’ve been reading the blog over the past 8 months, you’ll already know that my strategy for dressing the ever growing bump has been to avoid actual “maternity clothes”, for a couple reasons– expensive, not a huge selection, often too “girly” or matronly- and just size up or buy stretchy dresses in my normal size and from my pre-pregnancy lines and stores. This dress, from BCBG, called the “Livi Dress”, I got to wear to NYFW events, with combat boots and a shearling coat. I LOVE the lace trim– it’s really the reason I bought this dress to begin with. I love layering cozy sweaters over a lace trimmed, slip-inspired dress in the wintertime with tights and boots– kinda grungy-chic. Once the weather warmed up this week, I remixed the dress with this light suede moto jacket and went bare-legged with black ankle boots. The best part is– THIS DRESS ISN’T MATERNITY! So botH YOU mamas to be and non-pregs gals out there need to pick this number up ASAP! Priced under $150 and pretty classic while still having visual interest, this long sleeved dress can work for a wedding or cocktail party, work (in a creative environment like mine) or even with, you guessed it, sneaks for errands, shopping and brunch. Beyond versatile!
Sidenote, but not really– I recently scored a major wishlist item for myself, kinda as a “wow you are doing GREAT with this pregnancy” reward to myself– the Saint Laurent “Betty” bag 🙂 I love the simple, clean, sharp lines; the medium size and light weight leather are perfection. The strap can be worn double and short or single and long– I’m seriously obsessed. I linked her above, at both NEW and CONSIGNMENT prices!
Ok, now for the pregnancy update!
At officially 8 months now, two notions sum up this first timer’s pregnancy:
1)It was not as bad as I thought it would be.
2)The time FLEW BY!
I do count myself lucky, because one of the most surprising aspects of this pregnancy for me as been how normal (for the most part- I’d say 90% of the time) and like myself I’ve felt. Now I don’t want to attribute this to those old wives tales of having a boy or anything– I think, as my husband says, I just happen to be a) a lucky person and b) a “fast healer” .
Food/Cravings/Aversions:
The first few months were tough in terms of eating– I wasn’t hungry at all, and felt full after a few bites…I couldn’t stand the thought/sight/smell/taste of melted cheese or pizza, that being my biggest aversion. My one and only real “craving” has been lemonade or orange juice– anything citrusy really, which won’t surprise those of you who know me lol. Once I hit about 3-4 months, I started getting a somewhat normal appetite back, although I def feel fuller more quickly– I attribute this to being “full of baby” lol.
Weight Gain:
I’ve always tended to be a pretty healthy eater in general, and I’ve also never been one to fluctuate weight wise– pre-pregnancy, I’d hit the gym once or twice a week, and stay active in other fun ways like bike riding or just plain walking around exploring. Once I got pregnant, I really haven’t gymmed it (at all!) …as a teacher, running around my school building in my normal way and not letting people dote on or do physical things for me (my mom is making the tsk tsk sound as you read this and wagging a finger at me!), which I really think has kept me from over gaining. At 32 weeks, I’ve gained 18 pounds, and my doc says I’ll prob have gained around 25 total by the end- again, I’ve never been one to obsess, or really ever keep track of my weight– as long as my clothes fit and I feel healthy, I’m happy!
Sleep:
Again, (hate me) but sleeping really hasn’t been that bad– around 5 months, I started creating what Tim lovingly calls “the pillow nest” in the bed — one in front and one in back of me as I sleep on my side– and these have really been fine in terms of keeping me and the bump happy and comfy– out of pure stubbornness, I refused to buy a “pregnancy pillow”, just because sometimes I’m a jerk like that and like to challenge myself lol. As a person who drinks a lot of water/liquids, I was shocked to not be getting up really more than once to use the bathroom at night!
Skin/Hair/Nails/Boobs/other bodily changes:
My skin has been extra clear and easy to deal with during this pregnancy (thank god!)– no blemishes or dark spots like I’ve heard can appear. I def feel that my hair is thicker and holds a wave better though– an awesome pregnancy perk! Nails are growing faster, which is annoying, because I actually hate sitting for manicures lol. My boobs HAVEN’T gotten bigger (insert hands up emoji here!), which is fabulous for me, as a petite person with a 34 D pre pregnancy, I’m happy to report no growth– they even seem a bit smaller! All regular bras still fit. Also, no swelling yet in hands or feet (ew I’m starting to hate myself just reading this over– I almost (almost) feel guilty that I haven’t had really any negative effects so far!)
Mood:
Pretty much the same; I think I’ve had two or three crying sessions that seemed uncharacteristic of me- nothing major. In fact, I was just saying to Tim the other day how I feel like I have MORE energy now– waking up isn’t hard and I’m not passing out on the couch at 9 pm like before– weird, right?
Let’s hope my symptoms stay this way guys! Fingers crossed!
Feel free to share your pregnancy experiences below in the comments! I’d love to hear what your different journeys have been like!
Have a great weekend!
xo, ❤
Christine
thelittlegoldmix 