I had an ultrasound this week to check on my low lying placenta. Baby girl clocked in at 2.5 pounds. The 27 week average is 1.93 pounds so she’s gaining nicely. I was given a new due date of Sept 17th rather than the 22nd, but they stressed that it’s only an estimate at best. Actually come to think of it, I think my previous ultrasounds said Sept 17th rather than the 22nd. My grandpa got a kick out of this because his birthday is the 17th of September. It’ll be interesting to see when she decides to make her debut! Only she knows when it’s time…
Just for fun, here’s a side by side comparison of 14 weeks vs. 27 weeks. Oh she grows!
The other good news is that she is no longer breech and is positioned head down. Of course, this can still change (I heard babies can even flip during labour), but it’s a step in the right direction.
Oh and guess where her foot was? Nestled up in my right ribs. Tickle me not the least bit surprised! Last night we were sitting on the couch and I yipped in pain because little ninja’s kicks to my ribs were so strong.
This week’s cravings:
- Kirkland slow-roasted organic tomatoes from Costco. OMG. They are phenomenal on toast with hummus and basil! I also suspect they would make a wicked summer pesto.
- Chocolate smoothies (I have a killer recipe coming up on the blog this summer)
- My raw chocolate hazelnut buckwheat porridge (with raspberries!)
- Coffee Shop Worthy Caramel Vanilla Bean Hazelnut Milk (it’s the best in tea/coffee and chocolate smoothies!)
- Almond butter + raspberry chia seed jam toast
- Bananas spread with drippy almond butter
- Fav fruit of the week = raspberries. Why can’t they be sold by the bucket rather than those tiny trays? Eric keeps saying I’m going to eat us out of house and home! hah.
Exercise: Still loving my daily morning walks! I haven’t been doing much strength training lately due to my rib/back pain.
How I’m Feeling: I can definitely tell that I’m slowing down a bit more. Where I once had energy to keep up with the house and be active in the evenings, I now find that I need a lot more rest than I used to. Part of this has to do with the rib pain intensifying over the course of the day, but I also just think my body needs more rest as the months go by. Oddly enough, my sleep has been worse than ever which I’m sure has contributed to feeling less energetic. I’ve been sleeping with a small pillow between my legs up until this point, but I think I might buy a pregnancy pillow for more support because I wake up with all kinds of aches and pains. I’m starting to feel like the bump is curving my back forward so it might be nice to have a bump wedge for support. Any tips from the pros?
Currently wearing: Old Navy maternity tanks + tees + t-shirt dress (best purchases so far!), my Lulu wonder under crops (they sit so nicely under the bump), maxi dresses, and a few cute shirts from Pink Blush. I still need to figure out what I’m going to wear for my baby shower next month…
Memorable moment of the week: I was on a morning walk and passed a lady who I’ve seen on the trail before and as she passed by she smiled and said, “Good morning. Your bump sure is coming along nicely!” This unexpected kindness from a stranger honestly made my whole day (I’m sure I had a big smile on my face the rest of the walk) and it reminded me the power of spreading positive vibes. I’m a shy person naturally, but I’m going to try to compliment strangers more often! Thank you sweet lady for making this pregnant ladies day.
Next stop: The Third Trimester!
When I started getting further along, I found that resting my belly on a small pillow helped a lot with comfort. I’d even bring it out to the sofa when I was watching TV. I think by the end, I had a pillow underneath just about everything! :-)
I remember having one of those days when I was just starting to show, and was feeling kind of gross and frumpy, and a woman behind me at the grocery store just said “You look great!” and smiled. It made my day, and a year or so later, it still makes me smile.
I’m totally laughing about “having a pillow under everything” – I tried folding up a towel under my bump in bed last night (which wasn’t overly comfy), but I’ll have to try the pillow idea. ;)
Yes, those compliments from people when you aren’t feeling your best are so nice! It’s a good reminder of how hard we can be on ourselves.
try the Snoogle pillow!!! It saved my nights from about 28 weeks and beyond!
A pregnancy pillow is a must-have!!! I don’t know how I would have made it thru my pregnancy without my bump nest pillow.
Angela,
You are looking SUPER!!! I love your website. Have a GREAT day.
This was a splurge item for me but i loved my snoogle pillow when i was pregnant. After i got it , i would look forward to going to bed cause it was that comfy :)
I think a special pillow would help. I have the Boppy one, and although I’m still figuring out how it will work for me, things are a LOT better since the days I was using small random pillows.
Just getting to the point (I’ll be 18 weeks this weekend) that I can’t really hide this bump anymore… I’ve just given up. So people *know* immediately what’s going on, and it’s definitely a strange feeling. I think being told “congratulations” is like a compliment to me, though!
thanks ladies!! I’m off to look up some pillows now… :)
This pillow is totally worth it. Made laying down so much more comfortable when I was pregnant! It was helpful during the first week or two after delivery as well. I even had my husband bring it to the hospital for me to use in the bed there ;)
boppy.com/shop/boppy-custom-fit-total-body-pillow/
They also make a wedge pillow that was good for laying on the couch.
boppy.com/shop/boppy-pregnancy-wedge/
I had that same pain in my ribs too. It did start to ease up a little towards the end as he started to shift further down. Hope it eases up a bit for you too!
I’ll second the Boppy body pillow! I had the older one-piece version and loved it, but the new one looks much more versatile. Like Ashley, I used mine in the hospital during a long labor as well as during recovery. Worth every penny, and I hope to use it for a second pregnancy, should we be blessed with one.
I understand about the rib pain–it’s excruciating, especially when you have to stay seated for awhile. Try to avoid any long drives or flights. I had the same Sept. 22 due date with my daughter two years ago, and my pain finally started to ease up in August. I hope it happens for you sooner!
Enjoy your pregnancy and your sweet September baby! :)
You look fabulous! Your cravings are things that sound appealing to me morning, noon and night! And your hazelnut milk sounds out of this world!
I just use a regular pillow up against and slightly under my belly and another one between my knees. Works for me.
I hope your low lying placenta situation is resolving. I don’t want to bring up a sensitive subject. But I was just wondering if it was complete previa or just low lying and you still have a chance at a vaginal birth. Hoping for the best for you!!
I hope so too! I won’t hear until my next appointment if it has raised yet. It’s low lying – so not previa and he said it actually wasn’t as low as many he’s seen so I’m hoping that’s good news! My sis had low lying placenta and it didn’t raise for her until 32 weeks I think so who knows I could follow suit!
Hi Angela, you should get a raspberry bush for your garden. I love blueberries and so i got 2 blueberry bushes for my garden, since the store bought ones do not taste so great and are hard to get in organic quality.
There they are: howbigarethesmallthings.wordpress.com/2014/06/04/die-heidelbeeren-sind-gepflanzt/
The photo was taken 1 month ago – they are ripe now and taste great!
Franziska
howbigarethesmallthings.wordpress.com
It’s been so fun reading your blog while we are going through the same things pregnancy wise! I just hit 29 weeks :) I hear you on the fatigue coming back. Barre classes have been a nice low impact exercise for me, if I can drag myself off the couch. Post if you find a good pregnancy pillow! I’ve been looking at Amazon reviews but they are super overwhelming! Good luck :)
Congrats on your pregnancy Ashley! I had to laugh at the Amazon review comment…I was just reading a bunch today and they are so all over the place! I also didn’t want the full length ones because I love my memory pillow way too much to give it up for less support. Anyway, I ended up buying a Sealy pregnancy pillow from Walmart.ca because it was a good price, reviewed ok, and had free shipping. Here’s hoping it helps! If not I think I can return it in store. I’ll be sure to report back.
Yep, I’ve had the same issue with Amazon for my shower registry…something will have 600 five star reviews reviews – but then there are thirty one star reviews saying it is the worst product on the face of the planet. Who to believe?? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the pillow you got!
I’ve followed your blog since 2011 and when I saw that you were preggo, I was sooo happy! haha You look amazing!
thanks for your excitement Kelly!
I have been using just a simple body pillow from Target. The Snoogle seemed so pricey for something I might only use for 9 months. The body pillow has been a lifesaver though! I lie with my top leg slightly crossed in front of the pillow/bottom leg (does that make sense?) So I can slightly leaning forward,which takes some pressure off my hips.
I was born two weeks late and turned breech during labour. My parents say I’ve been indecisive as long as I’ve existed. You’re looking wonderful.
hah cute story Kari – from what I hear anything is possible during labour!
You look wonderful!!! That’s so awesome you got an ultrasound at 27 weeks. My next one is in 2 weeks at 36 weeks! I haven’t seen baby boy since 19 weeks. That’s so nice of the woman you passed walking. Definitely simple acts of kindness that make all the difference. Now you got me thinking about pesto. Can’t wait to hear about that chocolate shake!
so how is the placenta? has it moved up?
I will find out at my next OB appointment :)
Hi Angela! I’m 29 weeks along and have had the body pillow for quite some time now. I wrap the bottom portion between my legs then tuck the top portion slightly under my belly for support. It feels good to pull it towards me and snuggle the pillow a little. It feels like I’m supporting my whole body while I fall asleep. Now just the last two weeks or so I’ve also been wedging a regular pillow behind my back so I have support on both sides. I’ve never slept better in my life! lol My doctor said she loves her body pillows so much since her pregnancy that she still sleeps with them! And thank you for the protein post. I’m going to look into getting that protein powder for my smoothies. I struggle to get enough protein each day and resort to putting peanut butter on everything! Looking forward to more updates :)
You are glowing even more than usual :) And sleep during pregnancy is rough! By the third trimester, I swear I made a pillow castle each night to get a few hours of sleep. Afternoon naps were a necessity. I used a pillow under my ankles, one between my knees, one wedged under my belly and one wedged near my shoulders and one under my head. It was a bit ridiculous. It’s nice to be back down to a normal amount of pillows. Wish I could say the same for sleep, but my 5 month old still wakes up every 2 hours or less to eat. I dream of sleep :)
lol @ pillow castle! I can see myself getting to that point, heh.
Every 2 hours at 5 months? Wow, you are a trooper! Nice work :)
Dear Angela,
It is so comforting to read these messages of yours. We’re in the middle of preparing for a vegan pregnancy and reading up on yours reassures me in a way you won’t believe :)
I hope the rib pain will lessen now she has changed position!
Love from the Netherlands!
Glad to hear that Marielle :) Good luck with your goals!
Angela, it’s so great to follow you along! I am 23 weeks pregnant and also expecting a baby girl :-)
No rib pain for me but as I have a uterus duplex and apparently it’s also prone to contractions I’ve been on bedrest for the past week until my next appointment next week. Let’s hope that it gets better …until then please walk an extra few sreps for me on your morning walks, please ! I already miss being able to move!
Congrats on your pregnancy Marie-Sophie!
I’m sorry to hear about the uterus duplex. I hope the contractions pass quickly and you are back on your feet again. Just think about how strong your uterus will be come delivery…super powers!! Ok, I’m sure that doesn’t help, but sending you good vibes anyway. :)
You look beautiful Angela, enjoy this special time.
Sending good vibes your way! Your placenta WILL move and you will do great!!