Happy first day of spring to you and happy 33 weeks pregnant to me! We are officially in the under 50 days territory.
Here’s a photo from my maternity shoot with my friend Wanda Koch last week. 🙂
PLANS FOR MATERNITY LEAVE + BLOGGING AND MOTHERHOOD
Since my due date is fast-approaching, I thought this week would be a good one to touch on what my plans are for maternity leave and also blogging after baby.
MATERNITY LEAVE
Being self-employed is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to having a baby. On the one hand, I feel extremely fortunate to have the flexibility self-employment offers when it comes to how long of a leave to take and how and when to dive back into work. On the other hand, when I don’t work…I don’t get paid so there is some pressure to get back to it sooner rather than later. Also, being insured through the Health Insurance Marketplace does not make for a kind out-of-pocket cost for all things pregnancy and delivery but we were prepared for that.
As of right now, my plan is to work and teach for as long as I can prior to delivery. Once the baby comes home, my hope (I say hope because WHO KNOWS!?) is to continue blogging but on a reduced scale of probably posting 3-4 times a week and to take 2-3 months off of teaching and most of my behind the scenes management work for Y2 Yoga.
I really want to focus on bonding with baby boy and breastfeeding during this time and I’m in no rush whatsoever to get back to teaching or working out. I want to give myself a lot of grace and space around returning to work because this is a really special time in life that is so short. I also just have no idea how I’ll feel and what I’ll feel up to once he’s here. I do hope to blog because I’d love to document the experience of being a new mom for myself and others.
Tanner plans to take around 2 weeks of paternity leave and has also told me that the studio will pay me a maternity leave, which I am grateful for because I don’t think either of us wants me to feel pressured to go back before I’m ready. After his paternity leave, Tanner also plans to take advantage of having a flexible schedule and to be home a good bit during the day to help out and get to know baby boy.
The beautiful thing about going back to teaching is that I don’t have to go back to 10 classes a week. I can start with two if that feels like what I’m ready for and slowly add in. I also have so much flexibility with times of day that I can teach as we have classes from 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. so I can arrange my schedule around the baby’s schedule. I’m also working on an outside yoga project that will hopefully allow me to spend less time teaching in-person so get excited about that people! 🙂
BLOGGING AFTER BABY
I’ve done a lot of thinking about how I want my blog to evolve after baby and here’s where I’ve landed. For the most part, things will continue as normal around here…but with a baby in the mix!
I have no plans to turn my blog into a “mom blog” (nothing against them but not the direction I want to head). Instead, I plan to keep the blog focused on my life instead of his and focus on how I balance cooking and eating well, working out, my career and taking care of my overall well-being while also being a mom.
Obviously, there will be baby on my blog. How could there not be!? But I can assure you it won’t be the primary focus. In the eight years that I’ve been documenting my life on a public blog, I have come to learn that it’s a huge decision to do so and that it comes with many good things and some drawbacks. It’s just not a decision that I feel comfortable making for another person. I don’t want him to have his whole childhood documented on the internet without his consent. That might sound silly to some but I hope it makes sense for the most part.
33 WEEKS PREGNANCY UPDATE
And now to the official update. I’ll keep it brief since I wrote so much above!
- Baby weighs between 4.2 and 5.8 pounds and measures 17.2 to 18.7 inches.
- Baby now keeps his eyes open when he’s awake and can sense light and dark through my stretching stomach. His pupils can constrict and dilate in response to light.
- He’s drinking up to a pint of amniotic fluid every day.
- Baby’s lungs are much more developed and he’s entering a period of big growth for the final few weeks.
HOW I’M FEELING AT 33 WEEKS PREGNANT
Body changes/weight gain: just about at that 20 pound mark. Everyone keeps telling me that I popped again. Haha.
Overall, I’m feeling good in my body but I am starting to get uncomfortable. Bending over is not comfortable at all nor is trying to lie down or get up…oh and putting on shoes…not fun! I’m even having to sit down to do things like folding the laundry these days. 🙂
Workouts/workout modifications: still moving most days. Lots of walking. A couple strength workouts. One hot yoga practice. Let me tell you, it’s getting real on my yoga mat. Mama’s not getting around like she used to…which is totally to be expected. I feel lucky to have made it to this point before experiencing discomfort.
Symptoms: honestly I cannot complain. I am really lucky to be feeling great at this stage in pregnancy. Oh my doctor did assure me that the incidences of pelvic pain that I’ve had upon rising from a seated position are normal and due to baby’s head down position and just pressing on some nerves.
Sleep: it’s been a few weeks since I’ve updated on sleep and it’s been better! While I wake up MULTIPLE times a night to go to the bathroom and also just to hoist my body from side to side, I’ve had less insomnia and more restful sleep. I think I woke up 4-5 times last night. Twice to pee, twice just because I was uncomfortable and trying to get comfortable. I think at one point I said to myself, “I can’t believe he’s going to get even bigger.” Definitely feeling a bit smushed these days.
Food aversions and cravings: I’m fully back in a good place with salad and most veggies. I even ate salmon last week for dinner for the first time in months and enjoyed it. There’s nothing that I’m strongly averse to but I’m craving all things bread-like, sweets (anything with frosting especially!) and lots of fresh fruit and smoothies.
Fun shares:
- I got a jogging stroller! This was a gift that I was extra pumped to receive and we immediately put it together and I took it for a spin!
- My intimate friends and family baby shower is this weekend!!!
- My mom gets here tomorrow and will be here for the next 3 weeks or so to help me prepare for baby.
- We took our last childbirth education class at the hospital last night. In this one we talked a lot about C-sections and newborn care. Y’all I cried through the whole entire bringing home your newborn video that we watched. We also did some practice diapering and swaddling.
QUESTIONS
Tell me about your maternity leave. How long did you take? Where you ready to go back? Any general insight or advice?
Any favorite resources for crib bedding? I ordered a set from Wayfair but I’ve been eying some stuff on Etsy too. Also, crib mattresses…any recommendations? Is this something you were picky about? I don’t know how far down the rabbit hole of organic/pvc-free/etc to go.
You look great – he will be here before you know it! I took 13 weeks and 12 weeks with my kids – it was hard to go back after the first baby as I didn’t know what to expect, what would be the new routine, leaving her with someone ALL day, etc. But we have a wonderful daycare and my kids are happy, healthy and have learned so much! I bought bedding through Carousel Designs and loved it although I didn’t use bumper pads. I used the mesh bumper pad with both kids.
Your pictures are great. You will make Beautiful Mom!!
You look amazing! I had C-sections with both of my boys! The first time around I did too much too fast, as well as suffered from post-partum depression! I was too proud as a first time mom to ask for help or confide in anyone about what I was experiencing. Its so much more common than most woman realize. Ease back into things and don’t push yourself! Take in each moment and mile stone. You will be an amazing mom! My boys are my greatest achievement. Bob jogger hands down the best!! Looking forward to following your journey!!
I was off from work for only 10 weeks after my twin boys were born. (They were delivered via c-section just one day after 34 weeks, for medical reasons.) While I would say that I was 90% physically recovered from their birth by that time, I would have liked to be off for at least another 3-4 weeks.
Alas, in the position I had at that time, I would have had to quit my job to make that happen. Given that I earned more than half of our household income at that time, quitting my job was not an option.
It all worked out fine, as my husband was able to take a paid 12-week FMLA leave, due to his long tenure at his job and good government employee benefits, but more time with the babies would have been nice.
I was off fully for 13 weeks (all unpaid ?) and then went back part-time. I was part-time 2 more months before I went back full-time. Very grateful I was able to do the part time, both that my manager allowed it and that it was financially possible, because it felt very manageable for my life and I was happy to be back! Granted I did have a good sleeper of a baby. Going back full time was much harder. We got our organic mattress from target!
I took 10.5 weeks off and it wasn’t nearly enough. I also only worked 4 days a week for my first 2 months back. I wish I could have cut back to 50% time and kept a reduced schedule for longer, but I am still grateful for the I was able to take off! So many women get even less than I did.
The only real crib bedding you need is a few crib sheets and waterproof mattress covers! A crib skirt is nice to dress it up, too. A lot of sets come with a quilt or blanket but you can’t actually let the baby sleep with blankets until they’re much older so it ends up draped over a glider or something instead of in the crib. As for the mattress, we got the Colgate Eco Classica iii Dual firmness crib mattress. I wanted something more eco-friendly and it got great reviews. We’re happy with it so far!
Ditto what Kaitlin said! You don’t need a crib bedding set. They are cute, but a waste of money since you can’t use them until 18 months. Anything in the crib besides a tight sheet is a risk. Until then, the footed PJs and velcro swaddles, then moving to a sleep sack after baby can roll. I also have the Colgate Eco Classica dual firnness matress.
You are glowing and those pictures are INCREDIBLE!! What a great update and cannot believe Baby G is arriving so soon – I look forward to reading about him and your “new normal” life once he makes his appearance! 🙂
You look great!
I took 12 weeks off with both of my boys. It was great bonding time, and nice to be so relaxed and leisurely but I did forward to going back to work. I am a nurse and missed my work as well as my amazing coworkers. Nice to be back to adult interaction and a regular routine. It gets crazy with getting Littles to daycare and to work to punch the clock by 7am though! My baby is 16 weeks now so we are back in a decent routine. Baby is up about 3x/night to nurse and/or diaper change so it’s a lot to adjust to. I now go to bed about 8pm so I can get as much sleep as possible. I have found both times that that the anticipation of going back to work is way worse than actually going. It can be really sad to think about leaving your baby that you have been with 24/7 for so many weeks!
I agree that you only need maybe 3 crib sheets total! There are nice organic cotton ones but babies just pee and puke on them so no need to spend lots! My babes are always in my room until closer to 1yr old also. The crib is just decoration 😉 As for mattresses, get whatever you feel comfortable with. I am big into eco-friendly nontoxic lives, but I just have a regular crib mattress. I would air it out to prevent offgassing if you get a new one.
So fun preparing for your little one! You truly only need about 5% of what items you think you need LOL! Most moms don’t even realize this until the next baby! Diapers (we do cloth), bottles, a handful of sleepers because babies don’t really need clothes and jammies are way easier for the million diaper changes! 😉
I love Woolf With Me bedding. It’s so soft and had held up great through two babies.
Your pictures are beautiful! I took 12 weeks of maternity leave with my first baby and only 6 weeks with my second. For me, 12 weeks was just too long. I missed human interaction and getting out of the house. I also struggled with some postpartum depression and it felt much better once I went back to work. It sounds like you really have the flexibility to do what feels right, which is great. Take advantage of Tanner being home for those first 2 weeks and really rest up, it will make your recovery so much faster.
As far as the crib mattress, I went with a $40 one from amazon. Works perfect. I recommend a few waterproof covers and crib sheets!
We just got the Colgate eco classica iii. I wasn’t sure how far to go down the rabbit hole either! It’s firm, and has great reviews, and wasn’t the most or least expensive of the top 5 reviewed that I found.
For bedding we are only doing a waterproof mattress pad and crib sheet. We got fitted crib sheets from both pottery barn and Burt’s bees.
I’m self imploded, but scaled back to part time hours a few weeks before my due date with my first. I think I worked up until 2 days before. (I was induced, so I knew it was time) I was also part time with my second, I worked the day my water broke, but baby wasn’t actually born until the next day. I took the week after both to stay home, but returned to working a few hours the week after. I was lucky and was in a position where I could bring them with me. When they’re new they sleep most of the time (if something isn’t upsetting them) so they weren’t too much of a distraction. I didn’t return to full time until after a year. I’m very lucky, but it was important to me, so we made it work. Plus, where we live I would have Only just broken even putting the girls in child care so it didn’t really make sense to rush back to full time.
I made sheets for our cradle because I couldn’t find any that fit. However both ended up in bed with me most nights. We have an organic wool mattress, mostly out of necessity due to sensitivities. It makes me feel better knowing I don’ t have to worry about toxins.
Not entirely related, but sleep sacks are amazing for nap time, or if you luck out and get a great sleeper.
First baby I started working out right away – don’t do that! Now I have leaking and all sorts of other problems down there. Not fun if you like to run and be active. Let your body heal even though you might feel physically able to do anything. Maternity leave is awesome….
Jen, I am so excited for you and Tanner! I finally figured out Amazon Baby Gift Registery and planning to order you a goodie or two! I feel like I know you and I could not be happier for you!
You are truly an inspiration!!!
New reader – you look great! I took the standard 12 weeks with each of my boys. To be honest, I wasn’t ready to return yet and I really struggled both times, but love don’t pay the bills and all. In retrospect though it worked out great and we love our daycare. It was way harder on me than them (it wasn’t even hard on them actually). With #3 due in June I’m aiming to be take a leave of absence all next school year (middle school teacher). Unpaid but I’m sooo excited to have the time with my kids. It’s great that you have flexibility to work things out depending how you feel!
I’m lazy on crib bedding and probably just ordered from amazon when my babies were newborns, I don’t even remember. My youngest is still currently occupying the crib so this baby isn’t even getting one for awhile!
We just had 2-3 crib sheets and a mesh crib liner since blankets and bumpers are SIDS risk and not recommended for use in baby’s sleeping space and used swaddles instead. I love the Copper Pearl brand’s prints for sheets.
I hit enter too soon! We have two naturepedic organic mattresses and love them. My daughter slept on her’s for almost 3 years and it looks brand new.
Everyone is different with maternity leave, I took 4 months and am so glad I did but was ready to go back when I did. Luckily, I was able to go back part-time and I think that was key. I was able to still spend a good amount of time with my son but also had adult interaction and some semblance of my life pre-baby. My best advice is just try not to do too much and ask for help when you need it. All phases with kids are just that phases, good or bad they don’t last forever. So soak in the sweet, snuggly newborn days and don’t despair over the still waking up during the night at year old – it won’t last forever. So happy for you!
I’m 2.5 weeks behind you, so still figuring a lot of things out! I too was wondering about how important a crib mattress is. We have ALOT to still get! We had our first shower this past weekend and got a lot of great items though! We have another one next month with her friends here in Denver. My work gives me 16 weeks and I can take extra PTO if I want after. I’m glad that our baby girl is due in the warmer months as I plan to take advantage of the nice weather! I think it would be hard to have a winter baby as you have to limit yourself with others since it’s flu season and it’s so cold outside. I’m a winter baby myself and always wished I could have a summer birthday to have a pool party or a party at the park, but was always limited to indoor activities and hoping that there wasn’t a snowstorm! Love your pictures!! You look beautiful!
You look amazing!! Love my Bob jogger, it has survived two kids, thousands of miles and hundreds of naps ?
I took 8 weeks with my First and 3 with my second. Both section babies! Not super fun but it was where I was in my medical training. No one wants to give the OB time off, it’s too hard to cover patients. But my husband stays home so it was all fine and we survived! Enjoy every single precious day and don’t worry about the laundry and floors, that was my biggest mistake. I couldn’t let it go!
Babies grow and change so quick. Similar to the wedding industry, the baby industry is a money maker. Within three years, you’ll be adjusting to a big boy bed. Skip the crib sets. Find 5-6 cute knit sheets from etsy or burt’s bees. Buy two that you love and 3-4 that are practical and cheaper. The knit material isn’t as cold on the baby as normal cotton sheets. I find my kids sleep better on knit than rolling over and having a cold sheet hit them…or while trying to lay them down. Also buy 2-3 mattress protectors. It seems like overkill but when your house gets the flu, you’ll truly appreciate the extra sets so you aren’t doing laundry 10 times a day! Use a mesh bumper once they are older and start rolling around to keep the pacis in the crib! I also love a foam mattress. They seem to hold up better than the regular spring mattress. Out of two foams I’ve purchased, this is my favorite from Amazon. Milliard Crib Mattress, Dual Comfort System, Firm Side For Baby and Soft Side For Toddler – 100% Cotton Cover Milliard
You’ll love that bob! They are the best. What an amazing gift!
I took 15 months, and my husband took 3 months, we were very lucky… but I was happy for the daycare after 15 months haha 🙂
I took 4 months of completely. I did not touch my blog at all! But I only blog about once a week as it is. Honestly, I would tell you to set a goal to blog once a week after the birth. It’s going to be chaos for 6-8 weeks. Good chaos!
I was not picky about bedding (ie. organic). In terms of amount? 4 crib sheets, 2 mattress pads (waterproof for pee), 3 baby blankets. You have to plan on at least 1 of each always being in the wash!
I took 12-14 weeks off with both of my kids. As much as I loved the time off, I was also somewhat ready to go back. It’s always hard to leave your baby when they seem so little, but it’s also nice to feel like you again. For you, I think that having the ability to pick up a class or two to teach as you feel ready will be a nice balance and transition.
My biggest advice to any mom who will be working out of the home is to start pumping and bottle feeding as early as possible and make sure to do it often. It’s a great way to get dad to bond with baby and involved in feeding. With my first I waited because I was so worried about “nipple confession” (which BTW I think is largely a myth) and because it is just so much easier to nurse when you’re home, and, oh my, it made getting my kid to take a bottle and the transition back to work or even the ability to go out to dinner with friends super stressful. With my second kid I pumped in the hospital and he got a bottle on day 2. It made life so much easier with him, and when I had to go out of town for a family emergency when he was 2 weeks old, I could easily leave him for the day knowing he would be fine; he took bottles all day and went back to the breast with no issue at all.
For crib bedding all you need is some sheets and maybe a crib skirt. Don’t waste your money on bumpers or even a quilt. You shouldn’t use bumpers for safety reasons and, from my experience, you will most likely never use the quilt. For mattress- go with foam because it is lighter and easier to lift the mattress to change the sheets.
You look great! I’m 10 weeks and hoping to make a couple of your prenatal classes before you go out!
Omg you look adorable! Have fun w mom. And its your blog, write whatever the heck you like! ?