I’m so excited to be sharing this second pregnancy journey with you!
As I mentioned in my announcement post this pregnancy is technically a “geriatric” or “advanced maternal age” pregnancy so my experience is definitely going to vary from my first. Obviously, all pregnancies are different, but medically speaking there will be additional tests and likely some close monitoring to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery for both of us.
Just like with my first pregnancy, I plan to write these trimester update posts almost like long form diary entries to myself, but I also want to share my experience with you in case you are also pregnant, TTC (trying to conceive), or are just generally curious — especially about what you can expect from a [fairly average] pregnancy after turning 35.
And fair warning: these posts might get a little TMI (that’s the thing about pregnancy… you have to quickly get comfortable with all kinds of body functions), but I promise I won’t get too graphic in sharing my details. 😜 (That said, I’m an open book and happy to share anything you want to know if you send me a DM on Instagram!)
MATERNITY PHOTOS
I’ve shared about our incredible photographer so many times before, but if you need a refresher, Brittany has been the absolute best for all of our professional photography needs. She and her husband (the team behind Blue Rose Photography) have been capturing our special memories since our engagement session in 2017. Since then, they have photographed: our wedding, our first pregnancy announcement, my first pregnancy, Sophie’s newborn photos, Mommy & Me sessions and our annual holiday family photos for our holiday cards! If you’d like to see more images from this maternity session I shared some more favorite photos here!
I love working with Brittany because she not only helps me feel comfortable in front of the camera (which is nearly impossible for me), but she also helps give me a little guidance on the tweaks to make the image its best, such as which angle to meet the light, a shift of weight or to turn my body slightly, hand placement, or she’ll even smooth crazy hairs so that I don’t look completely feral. 😂 It’s never TOO styled, all very organic, but those kinds of minor tweaks are what take a good photo and turn it into a great photo — I truly appreciate her efforts.
Capturing maternity photos is something I encourage all pregnant people to do, even if you never put them on display in a frame, in an album or share them with anyone. Do it for yourself; you won’t regret it — this is such an amazing time and I never want to forget any of it. Feeling the kicks and twirls in my belly will never get old; it’s the most reassuring thing in the world. I can’t thank Brittany enough for helping me feel beautiful and for capturing this miraculous time in my life.
It’s so bittersweet to say goodbye to this chapter, knowing that this will be our last baby. Our family will feel totally complete once baby arrives, but I can’t help but mourn the fact that this is the last time that I will experience the incredible journey that is pregnancy / birth. Closing this chapter feels right, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t be a little sad about it ending.
…
BLOOD PRESSURE UPDATE
Unfortunately, my blood pressure was slightly elevated at a few of my checkups (like 120/80) during like Week 31–Week 34. It hasn’t been anything crazy serious, but certainly worth keeping an eye on. So as a part of this blood pressure monitoring, my fetal / maternal specialist team has put me on a schedule of additional fetal growth scans every few weeks as well as weekly non-stress tests (NSTs) starting at 32 Weeks.
I had a few high blood pressure readings at my doctor appts at 34 Weeks which made my OB a little nervous. The nurse had taken the measurements manually and she must have miscounted / miscalculated because the numbers she got were dangerously high (like, immediate-hospitalization-necessary kind of high), but when they double checked me on a mechanized BP reader it was only slightly elevated beyond what it has been at (125/85 instead of 120/80).
Because my BP has continued to creep up and my labs reflected that I am on the borderline of the higher protein levels that can indicate preeclampsia (data provided via blood / urine labs), my OB decided that it would be best to start me on a low dose of blood pressure medication so I began taking that during Week 34. This meant that I would need to schedule an induction date with the hospital for Week 38/39.
*I also want to note that you can take the blood pressure medication with or without food, but I personally found that it made me feel a bit lightheaded if I took it without food so I planned my daily doses around meals.
During my Week 36 NST baby girl wasn’t reacting the way that my doctor wanted so she ordered an additional BPP screening. Everything was confirmed to look just fine (amniotic fluid levels, baby was behaving normally, etc.) AND the nurse gave me some printed(!) photos of baby afterward! Apparently the BP medication that I am on can cause baby to be a bit sleepier / less active so this behavior was pretty expected, but I’m still grateful that my medical team took the extra effort to check on baby to make sure everything was okay.
…
Admittedly, I wasn’t thrilled about the whole situation (I was actually pretty stressed about it if I’m totally honest, which isn’t great for keeping your blood pressure low 🥴), but I was happy to comply with extra monitoring and taking meds if they would keep my heart functioning at a more level rate for the final few weeks of pregnancy. Especially if that meant keeping us both safe and that I could keep baby in utero for as along as possible (within reason, of course).
Thankfully, I didn’t experience any vision changes, headaches, or crazy swelling in my hands, feet or face (which, when combined with elevated blood pressures, can be surefire signs that preeclampsia is developing).
I didn’t deal with any of these complications with my first pregnancy so navigating it all has been very new for me. I started this pregnancy at the same weight I did with my first pregnancy and I have been arguably more active during this pregnancy than during my first because I’ve been chasing a toddler around every day; the only main difference is that I am three years older than I was in my first pregnancy. By all counts I should have had a very routine pregnancy so I couldn’t help feeling shame and guilt around this whole blood pressure thing. It’s been challenging for me not to feel guilty like my body is failing our baby, which I knew was irrational, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling.
…
KICK COUNTING
It felt wild to re-download my kick counting app again… I can’t believe we’re in that time of pregnancy already! I’ve been so busy chasing Sophie around these days that I would genuinely forget to acknowledge most of baby girl’s movements throughout the day — it took a lot more effort to pay attention this time! 😅
I also love that there’s a web-based version of the app so that I could record baby’s kicks while using my laptop while using my phone as a monitor during Sophie’s nap! This function would come in especially handy if you work in an office setting and you aren’t able to have your phone out at your work station.
Making a point to pay attention to baby’s movements actually really helped me to savor what was left of my final pregnancy. The pregnancy experience certainly isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but I have sure loved the overall experience and I am beyond grateful to have been able to carry two healthy baby girls; it’s been a wild ride, but the experience of a lifetime… one that I was lucky enough to be able to have twice!
…
WHAT I’VE BEEN WEARING
The weather is changing! As things warm up, I’ve been pivoting my wardrobe to stay comfortable. It’s time for my annual cold-weather-to-warm-weather Wardrobe Rotation, but with some new additions to accommodate this baby bump!
I wrote a long form post that includes a lot of advice for building your maternity capsule wardrobe and then in another post I shared even more specific details on exactly what I chose for my summer pregnancy capsule wardrobe.
A few more honorable mentions that have been in heavy rotation lately:
My Hill House Ellie nap dresses have definitely been favorites. I adore how crisp and light they feel on the warmer days, they’re so easy to wear-and-go and feel effortlessly put together (plus, the ones with crepe fabric make them ideal for travel because it’s a wrinkle resistant material!).
Speaking of dresses, these anti-chafe shorts have been a godsend for wearing under my dresses. In some instances, my Megababe Thigh Rescue stick is all I need, but for many situations the only solution is a pair of over-the-belly thigh chafe preventative shorts. I also like to wear bike shorts under dresses for my NST appts in the interest of ease of belly access, but I’m still being modest and not just sitting in a chair in my underwear. 😆
As my belly has been increasing in size it’s been less and less fun to bend down to tie my shoes so these hands-free step-in sneakers by Kizik have come in so clutch. I wish I had owned a pair in my first pregnancy because they’re truly brilliant for anyone with limited mobility.
…
MISCELLANEOUS
Now that I have baby’s nursery pretty well situated and our formula station set up in the kitchen, I’ve moved on to packing my hospital bag. I have included everything that I will want / need, items for baby, as well as a final checklist of items that I will need to grab and put in last minute (wallet, keys, hairbrush, etc).
If you’d like my updated hospital bag packing list I recently shared everything that I included (as a second time mom) in this post.
…
HOSPITAL GIFT BASKETS
In addition to packing myself and for baby, I have also been collecting items and assembling our Nurse Appreciation Baskets to take with us to the hospital as a gesture to thank the Labor / Delivery & Recovery nurses for all of their care during our stay.
If you’re looking for ideas, I shared all the details of what’s in our baskets here.
…
I got my Tdap vaccine booster in addition to a couple of other overdue vaccinations (this year’s flu shot as well as COVID and HepB boosters). I know some people may not align with modern medicine and keeping up-to-date with vaccinations, but we’re big believers in protecting ourselves against preventable illnesses in our house so getting these was a priority for us (my husband also got his Tdap booster).
I have been poked and prodded so much during this pregnancy for all of the routine exams & labs / screenings as well as for additional tests… and I HATE needles, but Baby Girl is so worth all of it.
…
NEWBORN REFRESHER
It felt good to brush up on newborn care (things like bath time, etc) because even though it hasn’t been that long since we’ve had a newborn, our brains have completely shifted to toddler wrangling and each stage requires a totally different set of skills / level of care.
Oh man, I don’t think we would have survived Sophie’s birth, my postpartum period, and life with a newborn without the super helpful Tinyhood courses. They’re so educational and comprehensive… I definitely had to go back and refresh my memory as it’s been three years since we last did all of this!
…
HAIR CARE
I asked my stylist to darken my hair closer to my natural color, but also let her know I wouldn’t mind some brunette tones to provide some dimension; basically, I wanted to remove the super blonde element from my balayage. I made this request for two reasons: (1) even though my stylist does an amazing job, I have been getting bored with the blonde for a little while now, and (2) I know that after Baby Girl arrives it’s going to be quite a bit before I have the bandwidth to go for a multi-hour excursion to get my hair done so hopefully this minimizes the appearance of it looking too grown out.
I’m also preparing for the inevitable postpartum shedding (so traumatic! 😩). I’m thinking about really embracing my natural waves and trying to avoid heat tools in my postpartum life so I am making sure I have my products and tools stocked up for that (I’ll write a post if I find a good curly hair routine).
…
ACHES & PAINS
TMI, but just like my pregnancy with Sophie, I began experience random lightning crotch spasm(s) during Week 30. 🥴 Not my favorite experience; 0/10 — do NOT recommend. This is one element of the third trimester I could totally live without.
Another TMI: I had a hemorrhoid rupture for the first time in my life and that was SO alarming. 😳 My first instinct was that the blood in my underwear was related to baby (cue my full-blown PANIC), but after inspecting things and reading medical articles online I determined it was related to my existing (and painful) hemorrhoid. Thankfully, this catastrophe occurred just before a shower so I was able to properly clean myself up and form a gameplan before getting dressed. (I used a panty liner for any further leaks, strategically placed some Tucks pads on the affected area, and once things calmed down I applied some Preparation H cream. I have been utilizing sitz baths daily since the incident to help soothe the area as well). I sincerely hope that this never happens to any of you, but if it does I hope you feel less alone because it was momentarily terrifying.
I’ve also been exhausted to the point of actually being able to nap during Sophie’s naps and normally I can only nap when I’m super sick. it’s been almost the same level of fatigue as my first trimester, but not quite as intense. Normally, I would try to push through the exhaustion, but knowing that I have newborn postpartum life in my very near future I figure it can’t hurt to take advantage of actually getting some sleep now.
Just like my first pregnancy, it’s been a complete pain in the neck to do things like reach my feet to put socks on or shave my legs / bikini line. I expected these challenges for this pregnancy since I’ve gone through it before, but it doesn’t make them any easier to deal with. Lastly, I really miss sleeping on my belly and having the occasional margarita / glass of wine.
All of this to say: while I personally love being pregnant and I feel so fortunate to have had the experience (twice!), I also honor the fact that it’s not the most comfortable situation, especially toward the end of the third trimester. I’m genuinely sad to leave this chapter behind me, but I’m also looking forward to having my body back.
…
(photo by @blue.rosepictures)
SIBLING PREPARATION
We have been trying to make a point to discuss becoming a big sister with Sophie. We’ve been sharing about the baby in Mama’s belly (generally what’s happening in there and speculating if her eyes will be like Sophie’s, what color her hair will be…), referring to baby sister by her name, explaining what we can sort of expect when she arrives (sleepy infant + crying, but that’s the way baby tells us she needs something, etc.), and talking up what it’s going to be like as a big sister (you can hug and kiss baby, hold her hand, help Mama and Daddy to rock her and give her bottles, and so on). We’re really hoping to foster a lifelong friendship type of relationship between them so we hope that our efforts are setting a foundation for that.
All of those conversations have seemed to have done their job because Sophie will randomly bring the baby up on her own and she genuinely seems excited about her! We’ll see how it all goes after Baby Girl actually arrives and reality sets in… adding a family member is always a transition for everyone.
We’re super excited about our new little bundle, but I’ve been Sophie’s main caregiver for the past 3 years and it’s going to be a lot for all of us to adjust to the dynamic shift.
These are some resources we’ve referenced for transitioning to family of four:
ADVICE FOR PARENTS
Missing Your Firstborn
COACHING TODDLER BECOMING A SIBLING
Preparing Toddler
… and now we wait!
Thanks so much for joining me on this journey! Please let me know if you have any questions in the Comments section below; I’m happy to answer them as best as I can. 😊
Sending hugs!
xx, Natalie