I picked up this green floral midi dress from Old Navy this season & I have already worn it a bunch of times. It has been so comfortable with a bump and will also work great for breastfeeding because the front unbuttons. It’s just a great dress to have in your wardrobe. These looks would really work with any midi dress you may have. Most of them would work well with a mini dress as well, I just like the midi length for extra warmth for winter. When styling these outfits, you could also add tights or stockings for more warmth as well!
midi dress, tote bag, & booties–super simple!
2. midi dress, fun detailed cardigan, & booties
3. midi dress, sweater layered over dress, & booties
4. midi dress, jacket (any type of jacket would work– jean, leather, etc.) boots (I am wearing it with chelsea rain boots here!)
I am well into my second trimester now (19 weeks) & feeling SO much better, but I was pretty sick almost my entire first semester. I scoured the internet and asked everyone I knew questions about what they used to make them feel better in the 1st trimester. I found some of these options through trial & error, and some through recommendations. I am going to give a quick run-down of what helped make the 1st trimester bearable for me. Keep in mind, I was still VERY sick, but these things helped. (disclaimer: I am not a doctor & this is not medical advice. Seek out your doctor if you have questions during pregnancy.)
Seabands I used these in my first pregnancy and in fact, I’m just stopped wearing these at 19 weeks. I wanted to make good & sure that I wasn’t nauseous anymore before I stop wearing them constantly! I wear them at all times during the day & take them off when I’m sleeping. The way they work is they have a small hard bead that sits on your wrist at your acupressure points & this pressure is supposed to relieve nausea/motion sickness,etc. They are quite tight when you first start wearing them, but they loosen up and get more comfortable with wear.
Magnesium Oil I also used this in my first pregnancy, more towards my 3rd trimester for restless legs. I was told by my doctor this time around that magnesium (taken orally or topically) can help with nausea so I began using it in my first trimester this time around. I would spray the back of my legs & bottoms of my feet in the mornings after showering & before bed each night. Call it a placebo, but I swear this really helped me. I could feel a difference in my nausea when I did use it vs. forgetting to use it.
Vitamin B-6 If you’ve ever had any type of severe nausea, I’m sure your OB has recommended a combination of Unisom & B6 to help. Well, I tried this & it definitely seemed to help, but the Unisom made me so drowsy & unable to function the next day. I slept great with it, but it was SO hard to get up in the morning & I felt so out of it. This was not ideal with a 3 year old to take care of, so my doctor suggested just the B6 which helped tremendously!
Epsom Salts Something I am doing in this pregnancy that I didn’t do even once last pregnancy is taking baths. At least weekly, sometimes more, I soak in the tub with some epsom salts to help ease the soreness from being pregnant. The round ligament pain, the sciatic pain, etc starts to build up & a nice relaxing bath always seems to help!
Eye Mask I had quite a few headaches in my first trimester & this eye mask (which I keep in the freezer for maximum effect) seemed to help take the edge off. For whatever reason most of my headaches were behind my eyes & made me sensitive to light so the coolness & the blocking of light really helped. It was like an instant relief as soon as I put this on.
Belly Butter I swear by this belly butter. It’s all I used in my first pregnancy on my growing bump and I got no stretch marks there. I know people say stretch marks are genetic but I’m not sure I believe that because I didn’t even think to put it on my thighs & butt & I got stretch marks in those places, but not even one on my stomach where I applied this daily. I am using it again this time around, in all the places I may be apt to get them! (side note: this belly butter IS a little greasy if you’re not into that. But I feel the greasiness helps it soak into the skin & my belly has never been itchy when I use it, which I know is a common complaint of pregnancy.)
Bath Thermometer With all the baths I’ve been taking, I wanted the peace of mind that I wasn’t getting the water too hot for the baby (because normally I love a HOT bath!), so I got this bath thermometer. I generally keep it under 102* & I never feel lightheaded or like it’s too much.
Other things that helped that I can’t link to are:
MintLifesavers I would suck on these after throwing up or when I just couldn’t get a bad taste out of my mouth.
Spearmint Gum I used gum for much of the same reason as above, or for chewing under my mask (wearing a mask has made me very nauseous).
Gatorade There was a period of time when I couldn’t keep water down for whatever reason, so gatorade is what kept me hydrated. My husband would also bring me a small glass of gatorade before I got out of bed in the morning to go with my bedside crackers so I’d have something in my stomach before getting up.
Buttery Round Crackers I know that a lot of people recommend saltines & I did eat those for awhile, but they tasted way too salty for me, so these are what I used as my “bedside crackers”. I would eat a few before I got up in the morning (along with my gatorade), and I would keep them in my purse or near me to have something in my stomach when feeling sick.
I am well into my second trimester now & feeling so much better, so there is hope! I hope that if you’re reading this, some of these things give you relief & you’re on your way to feeling better soon! ❤
you can’t tell in this photo, but this was a really difficult day in our marriage.
I know everyone has been posting about what a year it’s been & it’s been no different for us— it was certainly a YEAR. It started out wonderfully— In January we spent my birthday soaking up the sun in the Bahamas, my husband accepted a new job in February working for the local hospital system, & in March (right as the schools closed due to the pandemic) he began.
Then in April, due to the pandemic, my husband was furloughed for 3 months with the likelihood he’d be going back in June. We spent the spring/summer spending time as a family, I began to really put time & effort into my fashion Instagram (something I’d been wanting to do for a long time & a great creative outlet!), we started a garden, my husband built a shed, we painted some rooms in our house & we spent a lot of time outdoors.
At the end of June—all within one week—we found out I was pregnant, I lost the baby to an early miscarriage, & Sanford lost his job permanently. It was the week that broke us & July was spent stressing, praying, scrambling, & trying to figure things out. It was really not a fun time to be around either one of us— we were jaded, hurt, & upset about the events that had transpired. Other difficult things emerged as well & it all just seemed like too much to have to deal with at once. Sanford started frantically looking for jobs & I started looking for answers as to why it had taken us that amount of time to get pregnant & why we had lost the baby. I can’t say I really found those answers– but it did get me started into looking into my thyroid health & I am still on the journey of figuring that out. The beginning of August we celebrated our 5 year anniversary & spent lots of time talking & praying about what we were going to do. The pandemic-unemployment was running out & we had savings but we didn’t know how long we could live on that. Mid-August Sanford received a call from a local company about interviewing & within one week he interviewed, was offered the job, he accepted, & began. Everything about it, right down to his start date & salary, was a complete answer to prayer & we were ecstatic for the new opportunity.
Late September we found out I was pregnant again (I had a *feeling* & took a test a few days before I missed my period). I was excited but also quite anxious that it was going to turn into another loss. We got our septic system/leach field updated in early October which would turn out to be super important & just in the nick of time because I would be spending most of my time with my head in the toilet for the next 3-4 months (thank God for these little *actually big* things that work out just when they’re supposed to!).
October through December was a blur of me throwing up, sleeping, & feeling like I was just trying to survive. Sanford’s new job was wonderful & allowed him to flex his hours so he would be available to take care of me & our son during the morning hours & then go back to work after our son went to sleep at night. He took such amazing care of me & I thank God everyday for a man who puts his family first & takes care of us so well. He is back to normal hours now as I’m beginning to feel a little better everyday.
I know I should probably wrap this up with something like “we learned a lot, we’re grateful for it, we’ve grown, etc.” and we have & we are grateful for the blessings & lessons that came out of this past year, but I’d just be happy to never have to go through another year like that again, as I’m sure most would say about 2020.
We’re looking forward to a healthy baby in the spring & whatever else 2021 may bring! 🧡
