Writing this post from the other side, I’m truly amazed by how incredibly normal I feel! Of course, I’m still healing from labor and delivery, but by the end of pregnancy, I was convinced that I would NEVER physically feel like myself again. Totally irrational, I know, but there’s no sugar coating it–the end of pregnancy was rough for me, and having Charlie on the outside trumps being pregnant by a million :) It already strangely feels like a long time ago, so before it’s too far in the past, here are a few of my reflections and favorites from the past three months.

From our maternity photos by Callie of Nancy Ray Photography

Highlights:

• June and July were so busy, but as soon as August arrived, Dave and I slowed down so much, and it was exactly what I needed. We settled into the house, finished the nursery, took classes at our hospital, and spent lots and lots of quality time together. Our Labor Day “staycation” in particular was a major favorite–we didn’t do anything too special, but it was so relaxing and enjoyable, and I noticed I felt much more emotionally ready for Charlie’s arrival after that weekend.
• Taking our maternity photos was such a special experience–you can see some of my favorites and read about why they mean so much to me here.
• Transitioning to working from home was a huge blessing. Not sleeping well, combined with a long commute and sitting in the same position at my desk all day when I went into the office started to take a toll on me, and being in the comfort of home made a huge difference in my focus and productivity for the last month. It was also so helpful to get some systems in place that I hope will make coming back from maternity leave in January a lot more seamless!

Hard parts:

• It seemed like as soon as I hit 30 weeks or so, everyday activities got a lot more difficult and uncomfortable, and so many more physical symptoms than I had experienced thus far popped up. I also struggled with feeling incredibly self-conscious about my body and fighting a lot of fear and anxiety about labor/delivery. On the bright side, I now think that many of these struggles were wrapped in all the unknowns, and am confident that they’ll be far lessened in future pregnancies.

King-sized pillows: I resisted buying a pregnancy pillow, and instead slept between two king-sized pillows. I liked being able to rearrange them in whatever way felt best that particular night.

Burt’s Bees Body Oil: My go-to gift for pregnant friends is officially going to be the Burt’s Bees Mama Bee collection, because I bought all three products over time! I picked this one up on a whim during an extra hot week when my skin was feeling dehydrated, and used it a couple of times a week after showering. It feels great and smells so refreshing!

Burt’s Bees Leg and Foot Creme: As I mentioned in one of my pregnancy updates, one of my weird symptoms was when my hands and feet started itching terribly. I took Benadryl for a few weeks, which worked, but my feet in particular ended up super dry. I loved using this lotion every night since then, and will probably keep using it from time to time post-pregnancy.

Jack Rogers Georgica Jelly sandals: I was reeeally hoping my feet wouldn’t swell, but around 36 weeks, my shoes all started feeling snug. These were my only shoes that stayed comfortable through the very end.

Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups: I developed quite a sweets craving in the third trimester, but having these tasty treats on hand in the fridge kept me from more serious calorie offenses…most of the time ;)

Heating pack: Between my lower back being sore most of the time and random pains from weird sleeping positions, I used my heating pack a ton. I have one from this Etsy shop and I don’t know what I’d do without it!

P.S. See my first trimester favorites here and second trimester favorites here. While I’m not going to share any postpartum care favorites (a little too personal for the internet to me :)), I am keeping a list for my personal future reference that I’d be happy to share via email if anyone is interested–please feel free to shoot me a message here or email me at lisa@somethingprettyblog.com :)