Bumpdate #12 (19 weeks)

Woohoo! Things are finally all coming together for us. We move into a place of our own in a couple days. I am so glad that everything is looking up. It alleviates so much of my stress. Now if I could just find a job for me, then everything would be done.

Rainbow:

This week is definitely brain week for you. Your brain has started to develop specialized zones for all five senses, and your motor neurons are making so many more connections. Bring on the conscious movements! Maybe now you'll start jumping around for foods that make sense instead of yawning for juice and getting excited about vegetables XD. You're also officially half a pound now and the size of a heirloom tomato!

Me:

I have finally come to terms with the fact that pregnancy makes my hair dry and gross. I really thought it was just that Colorado climate, but now that it has been a month since we've been there and my hair still looks like straw, it's definitely just pregnancy. Exhaustion still comes and goes. Nausea has been making an appearance again, but no throwing up recently. With my boobs being visibly uneven, I'm probably going to be asking the midwife about breast pump shields to try to figure out what sizes to get for each boob. Also, I really don't look pregnant at all. Still just look like I ate too much at Christmas and haven't stopped being bloated. I just want to be able to plan for my maternity pictures!

Anyone have any tips for home hair treatments? When did you start showing with your first? What are some of the foods that you remember your LO getting excited for in utero? And did he/she still like that food out in the world?

What I Eat In A Day (Vegan Pregnancy Edition)

I'm sure everyone is wondering one of those age old questions we vegans get frequently, "But where do you get your protein??" And in answer, pre-pregnancy, that wasn't a concern at all. My midwife told me that pregnant women need 75-100 grams of protein everyday, though, and no lie, that was scary to me. The high end of that is almost double my normal protein intake. Luckily, she said getting 75 grams a day is fine, so that has been my goal. I have since taken a week to track my protein intake, and it actually hasn't been as daunting as I thought it would be!

I tracked from January 18-25, and my numbers were 85g, 75g, 91.5g, 83g, 77g, 77g, 75g, and 98g. So I'm averaging about 82.5 grams a day. On to a million food pics to explain how I did it!

Breakfast
For breakfast, I usually have this smoothie: one cup of soy milk (8g), one banana (1g), two tablespoons of peanut butter (7g), sevenish frozen strawberries (0g), and one scoop of protein powder (20g). Sometimes I'll also add in flax or chia seeds which can add another 3-5g, but normally, this smoothie has me at 36g of protein! If I want a hot breakfast instead, I'll do oatmeal: 3/4 a cup of oats (7g), a cup of soy milk (8g), two tablespoons of peanut butter (7g), two tablespoons of whole flax seed (4g), and two tablespoons of chocolate chips (2g). Plus a banana which has 1g. That gives me 29g. One thing to look out for if you are going to be using a protein powder is if you are also taking a prenatal vitamin, you need to pick a protein with very little vitamin A. You don't want to get too much as it causes birth defects.

36g

29g

Yay, no vitamin A!

I've tried chocolate and vanilla. They're both fantastic.

 Lunch/Dinner
I pretty much do the same types of meals for lunch and dinner. Almost always I have a home cooked meal/leftovers for one and then a fake meat meal for the other. I didn't really crave fake meats much pre-pregnancy, but I have definitely been craving them a lot now which is what really helps me meet my protein goals. If you follow me on Instagram, these may look familiar. For the nachos: chips (8g), Minimalist Baker's queso (7g), black beans (10g), sauteed green bell peppers and red onions (2g), guacamole (.5g), and salsa (1.5g). For eggplant marinara: pasta (16g), marinara sauce (4g), beefy crumbles (13g), eggplant (1g), and green beans (1g). For cheesy pasta: pasta (16g), soy milk (2g), and nooch (8g). I have also made this pasta with Gardein chick'n strips which would add another 14g. I love the Boca burgers. I eat two at a time. My favorite way to eat them is with Just Mayo, ketchup, mustard (I know, I love condiments), spinach, bread and butter pickles, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. For the burgers: patties (26g), buns (8g), and all the toppings (2g). Lastly, something I love to get as a treat is those Gardein pizza pockets. I eat two at a time so it's not the cheapest, but they are so delicious! Only 18g of protein for two, though.

30g

35g

26g

14g

18g

36g

Snacks
When it comes to snacking, I didn't really start being hungry enough to snack until this week. I really love sweets. It's kind of a problem. But I try to limit all my fruit intake to breakfast since I'm only supposed to be having 1-2 servings of fruit through this pregnancy. Instead, I try to make different snacks like cinnamon toast (6g), or I'll eat a bagel (8g) or bowl of cereal: two cups of cereal (12g), one cup of soy milk (8g). For the cinnamon toast and the bagel, if I know I've had a low protein day, I'll beef them up a little by adding peanut butter which adds 7g making them 13g and 15g respectively. Occasionally, I'll snack on chips and salsa (5g) or hummus and crackers/veggies (5-8g). (Neither of those are pictured)

6g as pictured

8g as pictured

20g

And that's that! Some days I do better than others, but so long as I'm averaging where I need to be, I'm not worried. What are your favorite go-to snacks? Any one else tackled a tricky diet through pregnancy? Any other vegans out there got some yummy recommendations?

Bumpdate #11 (18 weeks)

I started tracking my protein intake this week. I'll be releasing a "What I Eat" post sometime this week to show what diet in a vegan pregnancy can look like. Also got my blood work results back from the midwife. The only nutrient I am truly lacking is Vitamin D (my level was at 6 when it should be over 30). It's just too cold for me to hang out outside so I'm going to have to start supplementing. On to the good stuff!

Rainbow:

Sweet potato baby! You're getting so big! And your bones are getting much more solid so we'll definitely start feeling more of you. What's the coolest thing for you this week is your inner ear bones are solidifying, too! Daddy's got all kinds of stories to tell you, Little One.

Me:

The biggest news I have for you all is I started lactating last night (17w6d)! Blew my own mind. I had no idea FTMs who are not around crying babies could lactate this early. Starting to feel flutters and taps most days now. My dreams are getting more insane, but they're making me even more excited and protective of this baby.

For all the mommies, when did you start lactating? When did you feel your first flutters? First kicks?

Daddies Matter, Too!

Yes, my last name is spelled wrong XD

I don't know how or why I got so lucky, or if I should even consider it luck, but my husband is one of those guys who actually goes to all the appointments and has a vested interest in the pregnancy, not just what comes out after it's all pretty and fun. Let me just say, it has been amazing. I couldn't imagine having a hands-off partner. Of course there are situations when someone might have to do it alone (military anyone?), but if you have the opportunity, having a partner with whom you can share as much of the journey as fits your needs and lifestyle makes the whole experience that much sweeter.

If you read Bumpdate #10, you know we had an appointment on Monday. It was an elective ultrasound since Husband didn't want to be Team Green with me. He promises to keep it a secret from me so we can both have what we want. Which is another thing for which I'm unbelievably grateful, support no matter our difference of opinion. But that's a post for another time. Back to the story, we go to this ultrasound place, baby is being difficult (already taking after me XD), and he was so elated. When I had my eyes covered to make sure I didn't see anything by mistake, he was letting me know about yawns and stretches. The whole ultrasound was more for him than me, and he definitely got a lot out of it.

We both know that the actual birth is going to be a little tricky for him since it's going to be a home water birth, but encourage your partners to be involved in the ways that mean the most to you. For me, that's going to appointments together and trying to go through as much of this whole process together. Maybe you would rather do the baby shopping with your mommy friends to get the best advice, or you want your aunt to be labor support. Whatever works best for you, go for it! Just make sure that you aren't leaving out your partner even though a lot of growing a baby is going to be about you.

What ways have you included your partner? What are some of your favorite moments of watching your partner embrace parenthood? Any fun (or not so fun) compromises you've had to make?

Bumpdate #10 (17 weeks)

Ugh everytime I start to get really excited about what all is going on in my uterus, I have a panic about some aspect of it, and the excitement goes away. But this happens a couple days before each appointment so since we have one tomorrow, that's really to be expected. I guess I'm just preparing for the worst in case we get bad news. But anywho, onward!

Rainbow:

You've grown to be the size of an onion, and you're learning so much this week. You've mastered sucking, blinking, and swallowing! They say you can start having hiccups this week, but who knows when I'll be able to notice that. You've started accumulating fat under your skin so you're going to look fabulous at our ultrasound tomorrow.

Me:

I started out the week with heartburn everyday and ended with headaches and a surprise bout of morning sickness. I've definitely noticed that the bloating I had around weeks 10 and 11 has gone down, and I haven't noticed gravity having as profound an effect on my bump as it did in the earlier weeks. Felt an actual kick 2 days ago instead of just heaviness and a moving sensation.

What is the one thing that you couldn't live without? I want to make sure I've got the essentials on my registry. Also, anyone have a breast pump they absolutely love? We're going to be changing insurances soon, so I'm not sure which one will be covered. Or if the new insurance will cover one at all. I've heard great things about Medela and Spectra S2.

Bumpdate #9 (16 weeks)

As much as the interview with our midwife went well, she ended up filling the spot before we got all the details worked out. I was so stressed out thinking I was going to have to have a hospital birth (some people absolutely loved their hospital births, it just isn't for me) until I stumbled across the one other midwife who serves our area and was available. And she is AH-MAY-ZING!! Ladies near Stillwater, Oklahoma, I very highly recommend Cathy Morton to be your midwife. She is so low-key and relaxing to be around, very knowledgeable, and extra crunchy ;) She even brought a doppler to our interview so we could check on baby after 6 weeks of nothing even though we weren't her clients at the time. We're measuring closer to 18 weeks (I knew you were a fast grower), and heartbeat was at 149-152 bpm. But I keep having dreams that when we go in for our 20 week scan, the baby's legs are splayed wide open, and I can't help but see the gender. I want to be Team Green so badly!!!!

Rainbow:

Calcium is starting to deposit into your bones so your limbs are becoming more elongated and defined as a real skeleton! You're getting more body to practice and refine those motor skills. And you're now the size of my favorite overt fat, an avocado!

Me:

Found a new pregnancy symptom: lightheadedness. That was a fun couple hours. Thankfully that only happened one day. I really don't feel very pregnant anymore. All symptoms have vanished after that bout of lightheadedness. But hey, heartbeat was strong, so I guess it's time to bask in that second trimester glory.

Bumpdate #8 (15 weeks)

Holy hormones! This week has been crazy for me. I hope everyone had a fun and safe New Year's Eve. We stayed up playing Nuts with another married couple. The wife is pregnant, too, so we were in the same no alcohol boat together. It was a blast. No resolutions for me. I do better with gradual life change than trying to do something all at once and getting burned out on it. But if anyone needs an accountability partner for their resolutions, let me know!

Rainbow:

You're the size of a navel orange now! Holy cow, look at you grow! You're also starting to work on growing the rest of your head hair and your lanugo. Hopefully you come out with as much hair as I did *fingers crossed*. Your skin is still translucent and thin so your blood vessels would actually be visible if we could see you. You're also working on those motor skills even more, and you may even have started sucking your thumb!

Me:

I have been emotional like no one's business this week. My belly button is starting to stick out which is going to look pretty interesting with my belly ring as we continue to grow! Additionally, I can really feel my uterus now, no maybe's. It's a crazy feeling, but I guess I've been feeling like they're all crazy feelings this week XD

That's all for now! What did you do for New Year's Eve? Do you have any resolutions you want to share?