OMG!!! We’re days away from December, and even more insane, we’re days away from meeting our little potato babe. I can not BELIEVE how fast these last (almost) 10 months have gone!
This is my absolute favourite time of year. It always has been, ever since I was a kid. Mom and Dad always made Christmas time so special for us. My mom is such a kid at heart and adores decorating for the holidays. Every holiday, but especially Christmas. She spends weeks getting ready, the house always looks amazing, she has ornaments and decorations from when I was just a baby… It’s really the best! So for us to be welcoming our first babe jut weeks before Christmas, seems fitting and also super surreal.
So a couple things… I’ve really been diggin the alcohol free beer I found at one of the mom shows… Partake IPA! Honestly, really not bad for a booze free bevie, and at only 10 cals per can (YES that’s right… 10!) you can’t go wrong!!
Also, the animals have really stepped up their cuddling game.
Pedro and Hoolie in particular. Hoolie seems to hop onto my belly at least once a night to say hey to babe. It’s ADORBs.
WHAT HAS BABE BEEN UP TO?
Lots of movement still… jabs. Lots of jabs! My poor mom keeps trying to catch baby in a kick or punch but she never seems to catch it! haha She’s got to feel a foot kicked out once or twice, but no actual ‘kicking’ which is upsetting her. haha Baby has definitely dropped, too… the midwife says the head is SUPER low into my pelvis, and actually sent us for an ultrasound to make sure everything looked okay (since I was measuring a little small at last weeks appointment). Everything showed up just fine… confirmed the head is super low, they’re guessing baby is on the small side, but nothing to worry about. I do have another ultrasound scheduled a day before my due date (assuming I’m still pregnant) to ensure all looks good still and baby is growing! Babe also seems to respond when Greggie reads or talks to him/her. It’s cute!!!
CRAVINGS:
Baked goods are becoming a problem. The holidays don’t help with that, and also the people I follow on instagram that make amazing, delicious, vegan recipes that I see pics of and feel like I have to have right away. Over all, my eating is still quite healthy, but I’m allowing WAY more treats that I would normally. I am still having lots and lots of fruit and fruit based things, but my veggie intake has been good too! Lots of carrots/celery and hummus… I am still reallyyyyy diggin the Glutino pretzels, and I am still having my protein muffin each morning before our workout. It’s the perfect small, dense protein treat before out workouts. I ALWAYS wake up SO hungry so this is a perfect quick snack.
HOW I’VE BEEN FEELING:
Really really good! Can’t believe we only have 10 days left until due date. I am definitely feeling more pelvic pressure these days. I mean, seeing as they confirmed babe is laying super low, it makes sense there is more pressure in that area. I posted a couple instagram videos (@andreagnys) talking about ‘Lightning Crotch’ and offering some suggestions for some exercises and relief… I definitely can’t complain as this has only happened to me for short stints and not super often. But I HAVE experienced it now, and it is no joke! Greg laughs because sometimes we’ll be working out and I stop to just crab my crotch for a second, then move on! haha
I’ve also started to feel Braxton Hicks contractions a little bit. I hadn’t up until the last week or so, and now I definitely know what they feel like. Again, certainly can’t complain because it’s been very minimal. Apparently everyone experiences Braxton Hicks, just not everyone actually feels them. Interesting!
HYPNOBIRTHING SUMMARY:
I should do a full post on this, because it really was awesome… but for now, I will just say we did it through Hamilton Hypnobirthing, Lara! And she was fabulous. So informative, so helpful and clearly very passionate about what she does. OBviously I can’t speak to how it worked for me during labour (yet!) so I will do an updated post after baby comes. But really, it’s focused on some of the basics of final stages of pregnancy, labour itself, and then post baby… Breastfeeding, first days etc etc. Then of course there is the ‘hypno’ part, which focuses on breath work + meditation mainly. Just being in tune with your mind, your body and your breathing! Stay tuned… I’ll let ya know how it goes!!!
Check out our growth progress:
Oh, I’ve also been trying to get my 6 dates a day in … apparently they’re really good for you in the last 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. They contain the following beneficial things (found on www.mamanatural.com)
- Natural sugars (fructose) that easily break down in the body and won’t spike blood sugar levels but will offer high energy, which makes dates during pregnancy or labor an excellent choice.
- Fiber – Helps you stay full, relieves constipation, and lowers your risk for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia.
- Potassium – One of the best electrolytes. It helps maintain water/salt balance which helps regulate blood pressure.
- Magnesium – Support muscular health and helps to alleviate muscle spasms and cramps in pregnancy.
- Folate – Getting enough folate will ensure that your baby’s spinal cord matures properly, avoiding neural tube defects.
- Vitamin K – maintains proper blood clotting and healthy bones.
The same site showed there was a study done showing women that consumed 6 dates a day for the 4 weeks leading up to due date were:
- 74% more dilated than non-date eaters at admission to birthplace
- 38% more likely to have intact membranes
- 21% more likely to spontaneously go into labor
- 28% less likely to use prostin/oxytocin to induce labor
Additionally, the date eaters had 77% shorter first stage of labor!! That’s a win!
Anyway, I am not a huge fan of dates on their own, so eating 6 a day didn’t really appeal to me. I’ve been making smoothies with them, and tonight, I made a hot chocolate of sorts with the 6 dates, walnuts, and a bunch of other delicious things! 
I couldn’t finish this post without sharing one of the recipes I made this week. OMG. So Chocolate Covered Katie has gotten me in real trouble… she has DELICIOUS looking recipes… like all of them, you see the pic and you think I NEED THAT< right now. Which is what happened to me when I saw these chocolate chip blondie bars. Honestly… not pregnant, I’m not a huge sweets person. I more prefer my cheats to be on salty things. Chips, french fries… those are more my go tos. But lately, I’ve been making healthy(ish) baked treats and LOVING them. These were a REAL hit. I planned to freeze some, and they didn’t make it that far! haha Check them out here. They disappeared so fast, I didn’t even take my own pics… so the pic here is right from the blog post itself… Borrowed and in NO way my own!
(Pic from Chocolate Covered Katie’s original post)
Anyway, that about sums up the last month or so. Won’t be long now, little one!
Thanks so much for following along in our journey… it means a lot to us!
xxx
Andrea