I can’t believe my last update was at 28 weeks! Yikes! A LOT has been going on since then {like traveling to this conference and my husband being gone for half of the month of February in Israel}! So I haven’t had a lot of time to sit down and dish on all things baby. But I’m itching to fill you in before she makes her way into this world, so here it goes…warning: lots of words ahead.

Symptoms

Fatigue

I was feeling sooo tired….but then after a few routine blood draws my doctor told me I was anemic. This is nothing new for me. I have been on the slightly anemic side during every pregnancy, however this time the results were pretty significant so I was instructed to start taking an iron supplement.

If you don’t know, iron supplements can cause constipation, something I am SO not interested in dealing with right now. So I did my research and decided to start taking this MegaFood Blood Builder instead of a synthetic form of iron. Let me tell you…TOTAL difference. I am seriously so glad I started taking this I may never stop! Plus no unpleasant side effects because it’s made with real food ingredients! Yay!

Aches and Pains

{warning, possible TMI ahead}!

Holy moly folks baby #4 has been a wild ride. I am sore all. the time. And I’m not talking my back or neck or anything like that. I’m talking about my lady parts. There are certain things you don’t know are possible until they happen to you…like varicose veins in certain places {um YEAH}, the feeling that you are simultaneously being hit with a hammer and being lit on fire, and being convinced that your uterus could literally fall out of your body at any moment {among other things}! I want to reiterate that I am NOT complaining…just informing. I consider it joy to feel so many things…because it means I have the privilege of growing a sweet life inside of my body. Most of these more extreme symptoms didn’t occur until late in pregnancy #3 {I seriously felt amazing until the day I delivered with my first two kids}, but they happened much sooner and feel much more painful with #4!

My solution? Keep on keeping on. I ice as much as possible throughout the day {usually before the kids wake up, during nap time and after they’re in bed}! I definitely have had to slow down more this time than I ever have before, and rely on others for help, and that’s OK!

Movement

This sweet girl is definitely a mover and a shaker. The kids sometimes just sit near me and watch my belly change shape. I think it kind of freaks Gabe out, but he can’t look away! LOL! It’s so fun that they can be part of her sweet life already!

Milk Production 

This is something that a lot of people don’t tell you about! But it’s totally normal for your body to start producing milk before your baby is born. This has happened to me with every pregnancy. I remember when I was pregnant with Bethany (baby #1) I FREAKED out because I didn’t know it was a thing! My mind immediately went to the worst possible scenario and I thought it was a sign that I was going to go into early labor {I was only 6 months along}!

I have been super fortunate and haven’t had any issues nursing my kids. I like to think of this little early surprise as a sign that I’ll have a great milk supply to feed my little ones!

Cravings

Mediterranean food. I could eat falafel, tzatziki, hummus, gyro, and kalamata olives every single day. I also am really loving fresh fruit and berries right now!

Exercise

I go to the gym 5 days a week, but it’s definitely getting harder. I’ve had to cut back on the workout videos {jumping jacks and burpees are NOT my friends anymore, and won’t be for quite some time}! I’ve found that getting my heart rate up on the elliptical is much easier on my body than going for a walk outside!

DATE NIGHTS! 

OK! To all my ladies out there this is so so SO important! Date. Your. Husband. before your baby comes! We have a date night scheduled once every week from now until I’m due!  I arranged the same schedule when I was pregnant with Naomi and it was wonderful. I am not someone who likes to leave my newborn…like ever. So even when we do go on dates the first few months after having a new baby, I always bring her with. So, before we welcome a new addition to our family we LIVE. IT. UP {as much as two people who eat dinner at 5 PM can lol}!

I love going on dates with Ritch. Especially when I am feeling all sorts of emotions and find it super difficult to talk about them with three little ones running around. It is fun to be able to enjoy this sweet time!

 Preparing for Labor

I have a few things I have done during every pregnancy once I hit the 35/36 week mark to prepare for labor!

Evening Primrose Oil and Pineapple: Yes I’m one of those crazy ladies who eats copious amounts of pineapple and takes evening primrose oil to start preparing my body for labor. I’m all about natural ways to prepare your body for the beautiful yet taxing experience of bringing another human being into the world! If it can’t hurt why not give yourself the best possible advantage?

The Bradley Method: Truth be told, I never took a birthing class. I just read this book: Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way and have had 3 wonderful, natural labors {and hoping for #4}! That being said, it’s important to remember that the ultimate goal of labor and delivery is a healthy baby and a healthy mom {not a specific type of delivery}. As long as those two things happen nothing else matters. 

You definitely need to have an idea of how you want your birth to go, but remember….there is absolutely zero room for any one of us to look down on one another because we chose to bring our children into the world differently. Zero. Room.

My thoughts

NAME!

I think our last date night was the most productive evening ever because I think we finally decided on a name for this sweet baby girl! We don’t share our baby’s names until they are born for lots of reasons. 1) If we like it we don’t care if you don’t. 2) What if we change it when they’re born! 3) It’s fun to keep a secret…just because!

I feel so much relief knowing we have a name that we agree on and like well enough that I can’t even tell you! I’ve been stressing about this since we found out we were having a girl at Month 4!!! YIKES!

My other kids

They are starting to realize that having a new baby is really going to happen…like soon. They have a long list of names they like…Belle, Rosetta, Silvermist {seriously}, Ashley, Destiny, Abigail. LOL LOL they are so funny! Thankfully our final two contenders are on their list too…so they won’t be too disappointed they don’t have a baby sister named Belle Elsa Silvermist Sandford.

Nesting

Since Gabe was born at 37 weeks, I am in full blown nesting mode. We still haven’t transitioned Naomi out of her crib into a bed yet. Whomp Whomp. I’m not really looking forward to that because I think she’s going to be a tough cookie. She will be sharing a room with Bethany and Gabe, so that will add another element to the difficulty. Let’s just say she’s not our most obedient child, and she’s younger than the other two were when we took them out of their crib.

Ritch is actually building her toddler bed this weekend {to match the bunk bed and dresser he built in the kids’ room already}! So as soon as it’s finished we’ll make the change!

Wearing

I’m all about maxi dresses right now! I love this black Merona dress from Target {not maternity} but it’s no longer available for purchase! Here’s a similar one though better suited for summer! I love that I can wear this pregnant or not!

Also, I borrowed a pair of these maternity jeggings from my neighbor and HAD to buy them! I abhor jeans {pregnant or not} but these are SO soft and comfy and look super cute with ankle boots! I bought them with only 6 weeks left in this pregnancy, knowing full well that if we go on to have baby #5 I will need them. And if we don’t, I can bless another pregnant momma with them because they ROCK!

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