WE'RE PREGNANT!

I've been dreaming of saying that sentence for YEARS, and it's hard to believe it is actually our reality! We have prayed dearly over our sweet baby P long before they were knit together in my womb.

This is a blog post I've been dying to write and share with all of you! I've had quite a few messages asking certain questions, so I wanted to create a blog with a Q&A format style. I know these types of blog posts are very personal (parents of mine- read with caution), but I feel that if an answer or insight I give can help just one couple, it will have been worth it.

I also know this type of blog post can be really sensitive for individuals who are on their TTC journey. If you are TTC or have experienced loss, know that I am praying dearly for you and pray that you receive your sweet baby soon.

Q: How did you prepare your body for pregnancy?

A: I read "It Starts With The Egg" and it helped ease my mind so much! It gave amazing insight into ways to up your chances of conception. A few of the takeaways that we used included removing all plastics from our food/water consumption IE glass only tupperware and glass only cups. I also started taking a higher caliber prenatal vitamin starting in April, increased my protein in July and August, and went gluten free for 2 months to reset my body.

Q: When did you get off of BC? A: My OB recommended I get off 3 months prior to starting, so I ditched the prescription back in April! It was super painful at first, and my body had no idea what to do without a pill i had taken daily for 10 years. My OB is not a fan of what BC pills can do to a womans body longterm, so I likely will not ever return to the pill.

Q: Did you track?

A: Yes! I used the Flo app and it was so helpful! I tried using the ovulation strips, but they stressed me out to the point of obsession so I tossed them and decided to just "try" every other day for the month and pray for the outcome we had dreamed of.

Q: How did you find out?

A: After our honeymoon in Austria, it was the waiting game (which gave me so much stress!). The whole week and a half after our trip I felt "off." I was really bloated, uncomfortable, and exhausted. My period date came and went, and I had 7 negative tests in front of me with tear stained eyes. I was so confused. I thought it would have happened sooner, and I thought we had done "all the right things" and I was still late. I decided to wait a few days before taking another test, and on the morning of September 17th, I had received my first positive. I was so shell shocked that I took 6 more JUST to be sure! Sure enough, baby P was on their way!

Q: How was first trimester?

A: Miserable for me. I thought I was going to be in the clear when I hit the 6 week mark, but sure enough, God had a wake up call for me! Week 6 day 3 I absolutely died. I was consistently miserable and so nauseous for 6.5 weeks straight. I went to bed at 2 pm-6 pm; ate carbs; got sick; went back to bed from 7 pm-6 am. So for any friends I abandoned for a month and a half, I'm sorry! Haha

Q: What helped with symptoms of nausea and sickness?

A: Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I couldn't eat anything but carbs, apples, or oranges for the entire first trimester without getting so sick. I avoided all foods that had too many spices or flavors, and healthy food besides salads were really hard. I also took B6 vitamins, Unisom (the only sleep aid safe for pregnancy), Preggie Pops, Ginger lozenges, ginger ale, Zofran (for second trimester), and just slept it off best I could. If you're in the thick of first tri, it does get better I promise!

Q: What books are you reading now that you're in second tri?

A: Nurture (a book my sister in law sent us and recommended! It's amazing so far) and the classic, What to Expect When You're Expecting. If you have any birth books or newborn books you recommend, please send them my way!

Q: Is your blog going to be fashion and style, or baby items and clothes?

A: I built my community and friends here from my style blog, so I plan on continuing to share style, beauty, small businesses- but also showcase mama life and baby items! I know not everyone on my blog is a mama or expecting, so I want to be sure I still cover the topics that bring me joy!

Q: Are you going to find out the gender?

A: Yes! Baby P is.......

BABY BOY PADGETT!

We were so shocked and surprised! All of my symptoms had pointed to girl (IE acne everywhere, quick weight gain, craving sugars and carbs, super nauseous!). So when we saw that rich blue confetti fly and cover us, we were really emotional and so excited. Baby Boy P is healthy, growing strong, and every day we get one step closer to seeing his sweet face.

Cheers to 15 incredible weeks of growing a human, cheers to 25 more incredible weeks of growth, development, and precious baby kicks!

XO,

Stephanie Padgett

Style and Steph