18 weeks pregnant

A Purified Pregnancy | Weeks 17 & 18 | Gender Reveal

amandanicolesmithExperiences, Lifestyle, Pregnancy Leave a Comment

This week we found out the gender and my wish of an enjoyable pregnancy has finally come true. I am very thankful nausea and severe heartburn are a thing of the past, something I try to forget, now hunger is always present, even after just eating, so I just keep eating.

Thankfully I have been living a purified lifestyle for quite some time now, making healthy choices a no-brainer, just a way of life. I’m happy that I built this foundation because I don’t think I could have revamped my entire lifestyle while pregnant, I have already had so many changes to make to cope with symptoms.

For me a purified lifestyle means fresh local farmer food, a bunch of fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and animal meat that was raised properly; basically wholesome food. The only processed foods I’ve been eating are pretzels, and chia quinoa corn chips. They may be organic but I still label them as processed, and keep them to a minimum. Why? Because these foods don’t fill me up like real foods do, they’re just snacks.

Gender Reveal

“It’s a Girl!” And we shall name her Adriana. I always knew I would pick that name, I just love it, and luckily Dominick loves it too! 

While looking for ideas on how to share the news, I had seen a lot of reoccurring themes, balloons in a box, squirt guns, silly string, spray paint, baby shoes, ultrasound edits, and more. I wanted to think of something I could make using things I already had in my craft box, I had this big white piece of fabric and decided to just color on it with some markers. I then took fake flowers and hot glued them to the fabric to make a bouquet. Then Dominick and I went for our regular hike, set up the tripod and unraveled the news. 

I truly thought it was a boy, but my intuition was definitely clouded by my desire. I’m not sure why I wanted a boy so much. I think the main reason was, I always wanted a big brother to look out for me, I just liked the idea of that family dynamic. I was an older sister and Dominick had an older sister, so I think we were both looking for a different dynamic from the ones we grew up with. Plus I was tom boy, so I was always into sports and on the boy’s wrestling team, I thought I would probably be able to relate to a boy better.

However now that I think about having a girl, it makes me excited to think about having a dance, and craft buddy, if she’s into it of course. I imagine taking her to gymnastics, teaching her how to do aerial acrobatics, and doing art projects with her like painting, making jewelry and so much more. Of course I could do this with a boy, but I don’t want to make him a girly boy, unless that’s what he wanted to be.

I think the hardest part about being a new parent will be trying not to force my hobbies and ideals on my children, and letting them find what they love to do, and what their good at. Or perhaps it will be easy, just show them all the possibilities and see where their natural talent comes in. I’m so excited to see what kind of person she’ll be, and what kind of parents we’ll be!

Growing Baby Bump, First Kicks & Stretch Mark Prevention

I’m at the point where people are saying I’m finally starting to show, rather then “It looks like you just ate too much”. I feel like I popped out at 17 weeks and have been growing at a much faster rate these days. The stretching feels different, not too crampy, but reminiscent of aunt flow. I mainly feel achey, and tingly, not sure how to best describe the sensation. I have also felt a few minor kicks, feels like someone is poking you from the inside, I’m also pretty sure I’ve felt some rolls, gives me butterflies and feels like I’m on a kiddie rollercoaster.

To keep my skin hydrated and reduce the chances of stretch marks, I have been drinking as much water as possible, and using unrefined oils and butters; including almond oil, coconut oil, olive oil, and my all-time favorite raw shea butter. So far I have yet to get any stretch marks, even on my burgeoning breasts, fingers crossed. I think that as long as you keep hydrated, your skin should be able to stretch no problem.

Shea Butter & Coconut Oil 

Food

Fruits in the morning, nut-milkshakes for snack, salads for lunch, chips and salsa for afternoon snack, and protein heavy meals for dinner wether it’s beans, lentils, mushrooms, or animal meat as the main source. That is my general guidelines, and I always try to go in the order to prevent poor food combinations which leads to indigestion, heartburn, gas, or constipation. This won’t work for everyone, so I always recommend finding a routine that works best for you by experimenting and journaling your experiences.

 

Fitness

My workouts have definitely increased in intensity since my nausea went away, but they’re still not as intense as pre-pregnancy. I’ve been going into the studio a bit earlier on the days I teach to play around, and then I teach and demonstrate for 3 hours which gets me nice and exhausted, perfect for a great night’s sleep. My eating schedule changes slightly on these days, with lunches being my dinner and dinner becoming my lunches and snacks. For instance I’ll bring a bag of vegetables, instead of a salad, a big jar of nuts and dried fruits, pretzels, a quart of spirulina and water or kombucha, and a quart of plain water. This way I have fully digested the heavy protein meal by the time I start working out 3-4 hours later. And while I’m working out I eat one of the snacks every 30 minutes to an hour, and try to drink water every 15-20 minutes. If I ate heavy right before working out I’d experience indigestion, heartburn and gas, which is no fun!

The present challenge is still trying not to use my abs, and over compensate with my other core muscles. For instance when doing a pull-up on the lyra, I have to think about relaxing my abs, engage my back and transverse abs, and use my arm muscles more than ever before. Oh yeah and breath! Not only do I have to think about my muscles constantly, I also have to remember not to arch my lower back and keep good posture while doing everything, acrobatic tricks or even just standing.

Thinking About My Routine with Baby

My goal has been to take as many nature walks as possible to get in my meditation time and Chico-dog time. I keep envisioning what the process will be like with a child. I’m definitely considering a bunch of different wraps to carry her in, I don’t particularly like the idea of lugging around a stroller, except for when we’re shopping so I can use the bottom as a cart. I keep trying to envision all my routines with a baby, and how I could rearrange things to work smoothly, but I think it’s one of those things you just have to experience to really nail the perfect routine. I’m excited, but a little nervous, changing my routine is always a tedious task, but I’m confident with my Purified Lifestyle website being able to help me organize everything from meal plans, shopping lists, to remembering my I am and gratitude statements, and more. 

Dominick’s Role

Dominick has been super helpful, lifting the heavy purified water jugs to pour them into the pitcher, back rubs, helping with chores, coming to doctor’s appointments and so much more. He’s definitely already feeling the changes and feeling more confident as the baby gear starts filling up the baby/storage room at the moment. He’s been such a wonderful partner, I’m happy to give him his props, and wish that every woman gets to experience pregnancy with a supportive partner. 

Dominick has been expresseing how excited and joyful he is, as well as how new and challenging he suspects this new chapter will be. He has also started thinking about baby number 2 and wants up to 4 kids! I think in my first trimester, when I felt awful, I was like ha yeah right, 1 is good, but now that I’m well into my second trimester I feel like I could do it again. I’ll update you once we have our first baby on wether we’re still thinking more. 😉

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