Q&A MOMMYHOOD & PREGNANCY

hope you all had an awesome week! i’m sure we’re all looking forward to the weekend.. however, for me, i unfortunately work all weekend! granted i did have most of the week off so i can’t complain! i think i’ve been saying this for like the last two weeks but i have been soooo exhausted lately… yet i have such a hard time sleeping early and staying asleep longer.. its a vicious cycle.. and probably a pregnancy related issue.. darn those hormones and changes haha! 

anywho, today i’m sharing something special — my first maternity photo session! i wasn’t sure what i was going to do for my maternity shoot this time around but i know i wanted it to be something different for me. this kind of maternity photo sesh isn’t totally out of the ordinary, i actually think it’s been popular lately but i thought it was sweet and beautiful. 

so this milk maternity bath photo session was actually pretty easy to do – – all you need is a bathtub, free standing tub i think works better, and luckily we were able to go over to my friend’s new beautiful home to shoot this pics! then all you need are flowers and greenery that you like, pick a color scheme you like — i went with whites and pinks — and then milk! of course you’ll find a dress you like and feel comfortable with — i think maternity lace dresses are perfect for this setting or any kind of maternity gown that opens up at your bump so you can show it off! i also loved adding a flower crown just gives a nice, girly, angelic touch — don’tcha think? hehe! would love to hear your thoughts on this maternity shoot !

now for a little Q&A on motherhood and pregnancy! i asked on my instagram stories for my followers to ask me anything that is motherhood and/or pregnancy related to share here!

so let’s get started!

Q: What is your go-to when you are experiencing nausea?

    A. I definitely had lots of nausea with both pregnancies, with this one it lasted a few weeks longer,   and if you’re pregnant or been pregnant with morning sickness, you know it can be really awful, and let me tell you, its even worse with a toddler running around because you can’t just lay in bed all day.. with that being said, my go-to remedies for nausea are ginger lemon tea (ginger is great for nausea, i am not a fan of ginger at all, but ginger lemon tea isn’t terrible and for me it really helped), mints, any kind of peppermints, i love the life saver mints or altoids; pregger pops – these helped me a lot during my first pregnancy, they’re like a sweet/tart hard candy; also liked sour patch kids, or any sour candy made me feel better ha! also trying to eat small snacks, like pretzels or saltines helped too, and adding a little splash of something flavored in my water because water made me sick the first few weeks, so i would add like a splash of lemon-lime gatorade or lemonade. Another thing that i hear helps really well with nausea and morning sickness is vitamin B6, i never tried it but friends of mine that have say it works wonders. and of course if you can just getting plenty of rest and trying to sleep. i remember with my first baby, i would just be like, i’m going to bed, so i don’t feel the nausea. haha

Q: Is this pregnancy feeling the same as the last (another popular question)?

    A. yes and no. it feels the same in that i had morning sickness and nausea both times. i feel like i am carrying the baby the same even though this time i’m having a boy — i carry both really out and low — which in this stage of pregnancy can be pretty uncomfortable especially after working all day. ways that it feels different — cravings – terrible!! i am having way more cravings that i cannot control. with my daughter i had no intense cravings so it was a lot easier to keep myself in check and not go crazy, definitely way harder this time; also different is this baby moves a TON so it just feels weird because my daughter moved specific times of the say and sometimes i really had to focus, where as this baby boy feels like hes on the move all the time! also this time around, not sure if it’s because i have a toddler, but i am wayyyyyyyy MORE EXHAUSTED! i am literally tired all the time no matter what and that’s the one thing right now i am having a hard time with — just not feeling like i have energy to do anything but there is so much to do! ha! 

Q: (kinda goes with previous question) did you feel sick or nauseous during yout first trimester? how did you manage to stay active?

   A. so seen from the first question, YES i definitely felt sick and super nauseous with this pregnancy from the time i was six weeks til about 18-19 weeks. because i have a toddler and because i felt awful the first trimester and into the second, i was definitely not that active in the first four months of my pregnancy. i am also really careful in the beginning of my pregnancy with working out because i went into preterm labor with my daughter and was having some issues early on with this pregnancy (all good now), so i definitely rested more those first 18 weeks.

Q: Do you workout while pregnant? (this was a popular question)

    A. read part of my answer from previous question — now that i am 30 weeks, the answer is yes. i started getting back into a normal workout routine around 20 weeks when i started feeling better and the dr cleared me of any issues. with this pregnancy, and with my first, i have GDM (gestational diabetes) which really sucks when you’re pregnant and having a ton of random cravings. i basically have to follow a diabetic diet and try to stay as active as possible. so yes i do workout.. before getting pregnant i did more intense workouts, i was a big fan of BBG which i was doing up until i got pregnant and i have to say i was in really good shape. however now i cannot do those types of workouts — too much jumping and intense cardio was too much on me and my belly. so what i do for workouts are walking, lots of walking. i try to walk or do some type of cardio that i can do at home after my meals and then i usually add on some kind of strength training or yoga from Tone It Up. i love the Tone It Up app because they have their daily moves which is like 15 minutes to get through and i think that with walking everyday is a great workout for me. i also love that they have other workout videos that are under 20 minutes i can do at home — makes it super easy! 

Q: Fave maternity jeans and tops?

    A. I actually don’t wear a lot of maternity clothes because i think it’s kind of a waste of money to sepnd for just a few months. most of what i wear is normal clothing and i might go up one size which is ok because i will use it postpartum for a little while too. but i just like my normal clothes better so i kinda stick with that. however i try to get tops that are flowy and long that will look good without a baby bump too. i also love fitted dresses that accentuate the bump but are still flatterting, this ONE is my favorite and i think it’s everyone’s favorite! if you don’t own one, pregnant or not, you need ONE asap! it’s literally the best. i have three, just ordered another one and they come in twelve colors. its perfect!! i also use a BELLY BAND for my jeans and leave my jeans unzipped and unbuttoned. this is the best. i used it for my last pregnancy and have been using it for this one when i want to wear jeans or denim shorts. other than that i stick to my favorite piece of clothing – joggers! if it’s not too hot you will most likely find me in joggers, i wear my normal size depending on the retailer, and i will just fold down the band below my baby bump and its perfect. i also love plain tees and henleys that have just a little bit of stretch. there are so many great options out there, there isn’t really a huge need to buy maternity clothes unless you feel more comfortable. also dresses! flowy dresses, especially in the summer are so easy!!

Q: Being a nurse…if the pregnancy is healthy..is a glass of red wine allowed?

    A. ahhhh this is a hard one. if you don’t know this about me, i am a labor and delivery nurse by day. i have been for almost seven years.. and there are conflicting thoughts and research on this and i wish i had mroe time to research this for you, but here are my thoughts. if you’re pregnancy is healthy and you are about full term or late preterm, like 34-35 weeks pregnant to full term 37 weeks+, i would say a glass of wine is ok. your baby is pretty much fully developed at this time and i don’t think a glass of wine will hurt you or the baby. i definitely don’t think you should have a glass of wine every night from the time your 35 weeks to delivering your baby, but one glass or half a glass here and there when your full term is most likely ok. again, i am not a doctor or an expert in the matter, so make sure any questions you have about this you take up with your doctor. 🙂

Q: Are you scared about how baby C is going to react to the new baby?

   A. i am a little bit scared because i don’t know how she will react and i want her to adjust nicely but of course i can’t control that and that’s what i am nervous about, not having complete control over how she will react. baby c is young, when the baby arrives she will be just under two and even though she sees my belly and we talk about it, she still doesn’t quite understand what it means. but baby c is also a very happy and sweet little girl, so after some time i’m sure she will adjust nicely to her new role as a bis sister. 

Q: What are you doing to prepare your daughter to be a big sister?

    A. so we haven’t done a whole lot to prepare her yet.. if you have any tips let me know. so far we got her a baby doll to play with and we talk about the baby, if the baby cries what to do, how to rock the baby, and that she’s the baby’s big sister. she likes playing with the baby doll, kinda, but like i said in the last question she still doesn’t completely understand. i also plan on getting her a Big Sister book and reading it to her a lot until the baby arrives. besides that were also teaching her some responsibility, like putting her toys away, patience is a big one, learning to wait her turn for something, things like that to prepare her for it not being all about her anymore. let me tell you — this is hard! especially for toddler.. so we’ll see what happens. 

Q: What’s your favorite part about being pregnant?

    A. I love being pregnant — even though it can be uncomfortable and exhausting — i love knowing that i am growing and nourshing a little human in there.. that at this moment in time we are kind of like one person. i also absolutely love feeling baby kicks and movements it just automatically gives you a special connection no one else can feel and its amazing. 

Q: Baby J. is teething. Any advice?

   A. teething!!! ahh this is another hard one. so we were pretty lucky with baby C, her teeth never seemed to bother her all that much until a couple months ago when her three molars came in and two other front teeth at the same time. she had maybe 1-2 really bad nights but some baby motrin and extran snuggles and she was ok and we all survived. so here’s my advice if your baby is six months or older, try baby tylenol or motrin before bed if you know they’re teething, i definitely think it helps with the pain and fevers from teething that might wake them up in the middle of the night. other than that, to me teething is one of those things like sleep regressions you kinda have to ride out a little bit. i am also a big fan of teether toys, i like to put them in the freezer because it feels good on the itchy gums, another trick a mom friend told me, is a frozen washcloth, the texture also feels good on the gums, and then there are natural pain reliever ointments you can rub on the gums that might help too!

Q: How are you feeling about having two babies close in age?

   A. i honestly don’t know how i feel yet. we definitely planned to have the kids this close in age. i wanted them to be about 2 years apart because i want them growing up close. there are definitely days where i am excited — i know it will be challenging but it will also be fun and nice to see them interact with each other and play with each other and be kind of in the same stage, once the baby isn’t a newborn anymore. but there are also days, like when baby c is whining for no reason or only wants to be held by me, that i think oh gosh how are we gonna do this with two littles ones. but you know what we can do it, one day at a time. it will definitely be challenging and i’m sure it will take some time to adjust but i’m ready for it!   

Q: Are you done having kids after this one?

    A. I am thinking NO!!! i am not done. i already talk about my third baby and i haven’t even had this baby yet. i definitely think i would love to have one more baby, even maybe two more, but we will see how i feel after the two. my hubby likes to tell me we are done after this one.. so he will need some convincing.. but i just don’t think i am done yet. haha only time will tell

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Q: What is your favorite thing about being a mom and is it what you expected it to be?

   A. just knowing that i have this huge impact on another person, that i am this little person’s role model and i get to be the one person to support them, love them unconditionally, and teach them how to be good people in the world. there is something very rewarding about that. it’s definitely hard and a lot days i wonder what the heck i’m doing but seeing them smile and seeing how happy they are when you read a book or hug them literally makes my heart melt. or when i come home and baby c runs to the door with a huge smile on her face — no matter what i do or don’t do she loves me and wants to be with me..haha sounds silly and may not always be like that, but for now its amazing. i love taking care of her and being that person for her. i am so excited to teach her new things and see her grow.. i love that about motherhood too — seeing your babies develop and grow — how different they become and how they evolve into these little people. it is so amazing. i feel like motherhood is kinda what i expected it be.. rewarding, happy, exhausting, hard, scary — at this point nothing really surprises me that much because i feel like motherhood is hard i never expected it to be easy — the only thing i sometimes have a hard time with is sometimes not having control over things, like how long your baby will nap, no matter what you do, you think you can change it easily but sometimes you can’t and that is something i didn’t think would bother me and sometimes it does. i have to say i love being a mom and i am so lucky i am one. best ‘job’ in the world. 

really hope you enjoyed these maternity shots and my little Q&A! 

if there is anything else you would like to know, please feel free to comment below! 

|| outfit details for maternity shoot ||

lace dress, other option herehere and here || flower crown, also here 

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HAVE AN AMAZING WEEKEND!!!

XO, steph