Months 7 and 8 of pregnancy were SPECIAL to say the least. The second trimester (mostly month 7) was magic. I had energy, I had a CUTE little bump, and I could still pretty much do whatever I wanted. Things definitely changed. I still think it’s important for me to share with y’all how I’m feeling at different points in my pregnancy. It also helps if you’re struggling with a timeline of when to do things- like I am. I’m definitely not doing things perfectly, but I am doing things as best as i can!
7 months
Maternity Shoot Done: At around 7.5 months, I had my maternity shoot. We do our photos ( the ones in this post) with Hello Baby Studios. Before setting up our appointment, Nichole (the owner and photographer) called me to go through any and all ideas I had regarding the maternity and newborn photo shoot. On the day of the shoot (Literally 4AM), I remembered I wanted some photos in a long sleeve black dress. I bought this one from Target and showed up to our shoot in it.
Nichole was amazing and ran with it! I intended to take photos with my husband in another outfit (hence his brown accessories), but I am OBSESSED with how classic these photos look. They’ll also look good framed in Baby Girl’s room and around out home.
Nichole recommended doing a maternity shoot around 6-7.5 months. Now, I can say I see 100% why she chose this time frame. At 8.5 months, I am now larger, more sluggish, and SWELL much easier than before. This is AMAZING advice and I had to share it with you.
Diaper Bag Ordered: I wanted to wait for someone to purchase our diaper bag for us, but felt a little guilty asking for such a bougie bag from someone. I hear nothing but wonderful things about freshly picked, so I went with their classic back in a Mickey Leopard print. If that doesn’t scream “Aly and the Baby” nothing else will. We did register for a separate bag for Miguel.
Crib Ordered: My mother-in-law was sweet enough to gift us with Baby Girl’s crib. We went with a simple white crib that converts into a day bad for when she’s a toddler/big girl! It does have gold legs- I couldn’t help myself! I am still pending a mattress, but I’m waiting for some Black Friday sales!
Registries done: I mostly finished my registries by the 7 month mark. As things were purchased, I made sure to add things within certain price ranges. I chose to register at Amazon, Buy Buy Baby, and Target. By far, the favorite amongst my friends and family has been Buy Buy Baby
Baby Showers: I had a total of three showers and they started at the end of the second trimester up until 8.5 months. The reason we didn’t have one big one is because we didn’t want a ton of people crammed into a room due to COVID. The way we split it up worked wonderfully! My only piece of advice is to make sure you have your showers early enough! I think around 30 weeks, I was my happiest!
8 months
This is kind of a guesstimate timeline, but I just remember things getting especially sticky in the third trimester. I’ve been so fortunate to not have many negative experiences throughout my pregnancy, but this new trimester has more trying.
More Back/Pelvic Pain: I shared this on my stories. Man, oh man. My pelvis and my baby were headed in two totally different directions at one point. I was struggling to walk and had to stay home from work a few days. My saving grace was a prenatal massage. I instantly loosened up and have been using the peloton app to do prenatal yoga on occasion. At this point, I’ve stopped sitting on my side and crossing my legs to avoid tossing my pelvic out again.
More Frequent Appointments : I started going to OB appointments every 2 weeks. At the start of this new frequency, I got my flu vaccine and the whooping cough vaccine. I had been hearing of these being offered to me and wondered when it would happen. It was easy to take care of in office.
I was also so lucky to hear baby girl have hiccups when they were checking her heartbeat. I never knew what was happening when I would feel those consistent little bumps in my belly! My PA confirmed they were hiccups and now I LOVE giggling when she has hiccups. It’s so cute.
Insomnia/Difficulty Sleeping/Heartburn: Sleeping has become SO SPECIAL, y’all. I’m sleeping a lot less and have a habit of waking up at 5 AM and trying to conquer my to-do list. I’ve also had to create a throne of pillows to sleep comfortably since I’ve been having shortness of breath when I lay down. Eating right before is not a good idea right now because heartburn has reared its ugly head for the first time. I have never been one to actually get heartburn. Indigestion, sure. Heartburn? No, thank you!
Swelling: If you followed along with my stories on the day of my last shower, you know that they swelling is real right now. It’s not bad and it’s only in my hands and feet, but it is significant enough that I am not able to wear heels. Yikes. Today, I tried on some flip-flops and those seemed off as well! I’m trying to rest as much as possible during this thanksgiving break to make sure that I don’t swell more. Once we’re back in school, it’ll be very interesting to see how I do!
I am hoping to start packing my hospital bag, but haven’t really committed to it. Maybe once I finish this post. Also, a huge THANK YOU to Hello baby studios for these gorgeous photos.I just got home from an appointment to see baby girl (confirmed again!) via ultrasound. She is doing well and measuring at a good weight! I cannot recommend her services enough! Any guesses at where she’s at?
Happy Thanksgiving Eve to y’all!
Love,
Aly