Monitoring My Third Trimester With Bloomlife Pregnancy Tracker

Thank you to Bloomlife for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions remain my own. 

With my first two pregnancies I can always remember the doctor asking me towards the end, during my weekly visits, if I was feeling any contractions yet. That was a confusing question for me to answer, because I didn't really know if I knew what a contraction felt like. Forget about Braxton Hicks contractions, because to be honest, I'm not sure if I've ever had one of those.

Let's rewind for a minute. I never got around to sharing my birth stories for A and little nugget, but once baby boy #3 is here I hope to share all of them at some point. Here's a little back story about each of them. With my first pregnancy I was originally due 9/23. That date came and went. We hit October and A was still not here. You can image all the constant texts and calls I got, asking is he here yet, and comments like, when's that baby coming. I know everyone means well, but it can be very frustrating to deal with. I was set to be induced on 10/3 but was terrified because I always heard such horror stories. Sure enough, the morning of 10/2 I felt something weird going on and had to constantly go to the bathroom. My back hurt me more than anything and I finally realized I was in labor. I had a lot of back contractions, and now looking back at that day, I know we were not timing them right. Little man decided to come super fast and by the time I got to the hospital I was 8cm dilated and he was there within three hours.

Let's skip to little nugget and a very similar situation. I was past my due date again, hopefully this won't be a pattern, and set to be induced with him on 8/13. I went to my Doctor at 6pm that night for a regular checkup and was only 2cm dilated with no real signs of anything going on. Well it turns out baby boy had other plans and by 8pm I was having full blown contractions. And they were fast. So fast that we weren't timing them right again because it was just one after another. We made our way to the hospital around 9pm and I was dilated even more so then with A. All of the nurses were telling me not to move too quickly because if my water broke with being that far along, I wouldn't have been able to get an epidural. Luckily I was able to get one but it didn't even really have time to kick in. He was born before midnight on 8/12.

It's important to remember that each pregnancy is unique and different in their own way which is why I love that I have Bloomlife to use this time around. We clearly didn't have our act together with timing contractions before. Now with having two little guys in the house that add enough distractions, having a pregnancy tracker like this is so helpful. Bloomlife has the world's first clinically validated wearable contraction monitor and I love how it provides me with easy to interrupt and personalized information about my body.

How It Works: 

There are three parts to the Bloomlife tracker: app, sensor, and reusable patch. 

It also comes with a charger that has a pretty long battery life. You snap the sensor onto the reusable patches that can be worn multiple times, usually for a week until they start to get tacky or lose their stick. 

You download the app that's available in the app store, but of course it won't provide any information without you wearing the sensor.

Bloomlife is 100% passive and does not send any energy into the body (unlike ultrasound or doppler). It  has passed both FCC and CE certification well below standards and proven safe for continuous use.

Bloomlife is completely non-invasive and measures uterine activity with electrophysiology (the same technology used when doctors measure your heart rhythm with EKG).

Common Questions:

How often should I wear Bloomlife? I typically wear it for an hour each night when I can sit down and relax, but you can wear it as often as you like.

Will Bloomlife work with twins? Yes, Bloomlife works just as well with multiples as it does for a single pregnancy.

Do I need to pay for more patches? No, if you run low on your patches more will be shipped to you for the length of your rental.

How do I get Bloomlife? It's available through the Bloomlife website (www.bloomlife.com). You can request an immediate ship date or reserve a specific one for later on in your pregnancy.

How much does it cost? Bloomlife is a $20 per week rental but for my community you can use code BeautifullyCandid10 for 10% off weekly rentals. 

I really like how Bloomlife has provided me with more peace of mind and will allow me to make a confident decision in knowing the information at hand. I also like how this has become a family thing for us and how it allows my husband to be involved and know the changes that are going on with my body. The boys also think it's fun to see the information and will ask, is the baby ready yet? I just keep telling them, soon enough my little loves.

Finding The Right Maternity Jeans

Ok, so let's talk maternity jeans. Actually, let's talk jeans in general Regardless if you're pregnant, wanting to have kids, don't want kids at all, or you're past that stage, I think we can all agree that when you find a good fitting pair of jeans it makes all the difference. 

There's something about finding a fit that hugs in all the right places, hides areas we don't want to emphasize, yet accentuates those areas we do want to show off. Yup, those jeans aren't always easy to come by but we probably all have a few tried and true pairs. You know, those ones you usually reach for in your closet.

For me, finding a good fitting pair of maternity jeans makes such a difference. I think there are some maternity staples that you just can't go without, and pants are one of them. I never really needed them when I had A because he was born in the beginning of October and little nugget was born in August. I did get two pairs of jeans for those cooler summer nights but I went the cheaper route and found my belly band slipping down and uncomfortable, or the side panels losing their grip and I was constantly pulling them up. I was not attempting some rubber band trick and I had a separate belly band that I wore my first trimester over my regular pants, but after that, you need to give in a buy maternity pants. I actually did wear my jeans after I had both boys because let's be honest here, if I don't have to deal with zippers, snaps, and a constricted waistline after having kids, then I want to wear these jeans for as long as I can.

It's probably no surprise around here if you've been following this little space of mine (always a huge thank you to this wonderful community) that PinkBlush has been my go-to for not only maternity clothes but clothes in general. I really like that their site gives the models measurements so I can better gauge my sizing. When I first ordered these jeans I went a size up because mama's hips have not been lying over here and I am just praying they are going to somehow retract after this little boy comes out. Even though I thought I needed to size up, they were just too big and the fit was off. Their customer service was amazing and helped me get the right size so I could feel even more confident in them. And you know what, changing that size made such a difference. The big difference with their jeans too was the belly band. You can tell the quality and the difference when you put them on. I also love the distressed look and the frayed hem at the bottom, so this was a win, win all around.

Jeans: c/o {here also love here and here} | Non-Maternity Jeans {here and here} | Top: c/o {here} | Shoes: {here} | Sunnies: {here}

Essentials For A Summer Pregnancy

With this being my third pregnancy going through majority of my time in the summer, I've learned a thing or two about what works best for me during this season. Some will argue that the summer is the worst time to be pregnant and some will argue that it's a good time to be pregnant. I can only speak to what I know, and I would say it's not as bad as you would think. 

I'm sure each season has it's up and downs, but the summer for me feels convenient. I'm actually a little nervous that baby boy is due in the fall because I'm not sure how it will be wearing a jacket or trying to fit into boots and jeans when that time comes. But for now, I'm sharing some summer essentials that have helped me beat the heat and keep my baby bump staying cool. 

1. STAY HYDRATED:

I learned early on that I need to keep water with me for whenever I need it. Especially if I'm going to be outside, that's just a no brainer. But even so, it's come in handy when I'm out running errands, driving in the car, where ever, really. I like to drink mine out of a stainless steel cup because I have this thing with plastic, and I happen to think it keeps it cooler longer.

2. ALWAYS LOCATE A BATHROOM:

I've been in too many situations where I've resorted back to my toddler days of doing the potty dance and needing to go, like right away. If you're out and about it's a good idea to scope out the bathrooms and know where the nearest one is. If you'll be in the car for awhile it's a good idea to know when a rest stop is coming up or a place where you can stop off and use the facilities. Trust me, especially if you are towards the end of your pregnancy, you will be going a lot more often.

3. SUNSCREEN: 

This one is also a no brainer to me but you'd be surprised at how many people I've talked to recently that don't wear sunscreen. It just blows my mind. In general we try to use products with less chemicals and it's something I've always paid more attention to especially when I'm pregnant. I'm not one to typically burn, but my hormones change when carrying a baby and I tend to burn a lot easier than I ever would. I even keep some in my car and in our stroller just in case I need some unexpectedly while we are out. 

4. A GOOD PAIR OF SANDALS: 

For me sandals are my bff in the summer and an even bigger bonus when I'm pregnant. Thankfully I haven't really experienced swollen feet, but I know it can happen. Who wants to try and stuff their feet into restricting shoes. I also think it's good to have a sturdy pair of sandals with straps, because I don't know about you, but I can get clumsy when I'm waddling this belly around. 

5. COMFORTABLE DRESSES: 

This is a huge one for me. This is where the convenient part of being pregnant in the summer comes in. You can just throw on a comfortable cotton dress (mine is c/o of PinkBlush) and put on your sandals and you are good to go. I also love pieces that can easily transition from my office to a weekend look. A maxi dress like this one is also perfect and can still leave you feeling stylish and summery. For me, sometimes when I'm pregnant I feel more confident in form fitting dresses instead of everything feeling baggy and extra. PinkBlush has so many different options for everyone that it's my go-to shop for maternity wear. 

6. A GOOD PAIR OF MATERNITY SHORTS: 

I say a good pair of shorts because I've gone on the cheaper side with them before and they left me nothing but uncomfortable and constantly pulling them and the belly panel up. A lot of the comfort of shorts rests in the elastic waistband which can make all of the difference. I have been living in these shorts (c/o of PinkBlush) and can't say enough good things about them. When you find a pair that is comfortable and hugs in all of the right places, it's a total win. I still love jeans with a good distressed look and think these are the perfect mix of maternity and trend.  

7. GET IN THAT WATER: 

It's no surprise over here that we are a family that loves being by the water. I think that's another reason why the summer doesn't bother me as much when being pregnant. If you have access to a pool, lake, or beach, take advantage of it. I get it, you might not want to jumping for joy to get in a swimsuit with your body feeling different than you're used to (it's not always easy for me either), but it's the summer, rock that body and get in that water. 

8. A PEDICURE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE: 

I need to take my own advice here because I have been slacking with keeping up with getting pedicures. I have been doing them on my own lately because as of now I can still reach my toes somewhat comfortably. Once that changes, I will be getting pedicures more often. There's something about having a fun or bright color on your toes for the summer that makes those sandal and flip flop days even better. 

20 Week Update And When Things Don't Always Go As Planned

This is one of those posts I've been sitting on for a few weeks now. I'm having a hard time hitting publish but I also know those are the moments we grow and challenge ourselves. It's not always easy to put it out there instead of keeping it within my own little bubble. There's something about hitting publish that makes it become more of a reality. As I sit here with my eyes filled with tears, I've already erased what I've typed out twice. I'm not sure what direction I want this post to go in, or how it will actually turn out, but I'm just going to roll with it and open up my heart. 

You see, I think often times as bloggers we get misunderstood. Many people I've talked with who aren't apart of the blogging community only think we're in it to make money, get invited to events, or brag about how fun our families are. While that might be the case for some, there are also those moments, those real life moments, when some of us let our guard down and get back to just connecting with people. 

This isn't going to be a typical bump update about what I'm craving (because I've actually never had a craving with any of my pregnancies), or how I'm sleeping (does anyone really care?). That's not to put those posts down, I read them, and enjoy them, but that's just not where I'm at right now. 

Let me back up a bit, there has been a lot going on with this pregnancy that I haven't shared about yet. Coming off of a loss it hasn't been the easiest for us. We knew that our family didn't feel complete and prayed hard for another child. I was so thankful we were able to get pregnant again, and relatively quick. Those first few weeks things were going fine and I was thankful to have some of those typical pregnancy symptoms. Fast forward to a few weeks in and my heart sank. After calling my doctor frantic and going in right away for a visit, I learned that I had a hematoma in my uterus. Some sort of bleeding during the first trimester affects about 25% of pregnancies, but a subchorionic hematoma only affects about 3%. Basically I spotted all throughout my first trimester and some days were really scary and worse than others. Of course I let my mind wander and many times thought the worst. I was monitored weekly and even out of work for sometime, but thankfully every time we went in for an ultrasound the baby was bouncing around as if nothing was going on. The goal and prayer was that this would resolve itself before the second trimester or it could bring on some major problems. I cannot express how thankful I am that it all worked out and that it did resolve itself. I'm not going to lie, those first few weeks were rough, and I was so scared. It felt like during a time that we should have been celebrating and happy, I was instead terrified to even go to the bathroom. I prayed so hard, I shed a lot of tears, but with each appointment and week that passed I had more and more hope. There was always some sort of little sign that would give me peace in that moment that all would be ok.

We did decide to get some early genetic testing done and also found out the sex of our baby. You can read more about our gender reveal here. While the boys reactions weren't exactly what we expected, we were just so happy to hear we had a healthy baby. It did hit me hard when the boys asked me several times why there wasn't a baby girl in my belly after they seemed to be so convinced they were getting a sister. I would just try to explain to them that maybe one day they would get the chance to be a daddy to an amazing little girl and that their little brother will be so amazing. It was also hard for me when some reactions from others were just like, oh yay another boy, or well at least you already have everything you need. And yes, while we do have most of what we need, I felt really bad deep down that baby boy didn't seem more celebrated. I think the boys also reacted the way they did because I'm sure as much as everyone would have loved to see a baby girl, people put things in their little heads by asking them over and over again if they wanted a baby sister. I know I'm pregnant and emotional, and people mean well, but these comments can have a bigger effect on things than people realize. People would even say to me, oh well you know, it takes a special woman to be a boy mom. I didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or to go off on them. I even had my moments of questioning and wondering if God sees me as this woman fit to raise a tribe of testosterone and what that actually means about me. But regardless, this isn't even the point, this little boy is meant to be apart of our family and we can't wait to love on him. 

Now with all of that behind us, everything seemed to be going as planned. I started feeling some movement which is always a big relief, and eventually was feeling those sweet kicks. We went in for our big ultrasound and even I could kind of tell something was up. I remember making a comment about his profile and why his nose looked different. The main doctor came in after what felt like the longest ultrasound ever, and wanted to take some 3D images to confirm his suspicions. I'm sorry, what did you just say, suspicions? I asked him if they were good or bad and he said that everything would be ok. We then learned that baby boy has a bilateral cleft lip and palate. Of course my heart sank because you never want to hear that your child is anything less than perfect. I was aware of what it was and immediately asked questions about how this happened. We learned that it happens between weeks 6 and 7 during development when the lip area doesn't fuse together properly. It's multi-factorial meaning it could be genetic, hereditary, or also environmental. We learned that he would need surgery and that there would be several doctors with us during the delivery to evaluate him after. We learned that it's a fairly common situation but you see it more prevalent in other countries because those little ones usually don't have surgery or get the treatment they need until much later on. In the US, most cases are taken care of within the first year so it's not as obvious. While we are so thankful this isn't a life threatening situation, it was still hard to take everything in. It felt like my mind was spinning a mile a minute.

The next few days were really rough on me and my heart just broke for him. I tried to remind myself to be thankful we have a fixable problem and that internally he's ok. I still have to prepare myself that he will look different and if it's really only cosmetic (which is what we are praying for) then we will get through this. I had my few moments of crying it out, then my let's deal with this attitude kicked in and how we can get him to where he needs to be. We met with the Chief of the Neonatal Unit at our hospital and he was amazing. He was one of those guys that after you talked to him you almost felt like you knew him for years. He took his time with us and made us feel so welcome. Even though this situation may seem minor to some in comparison to others, he never made us feel that we were less than worth anyone's time. I even had my moments of feeling guilty for feeling bad because at least we have a fixable problem. Walking through the neonatal ICU (which we are praying he never has to visit) really put things in perspective. Those tiny babies are in there fighting for their lives. The Doctor and both Eric were amazing and reassured me that if I didn't feel bad about this situation I probably wouldn't be human.

I told a few friends about what was going on, and several of them who don't even know each other and all on different occasions, told me that if any parents had to go through this it made sense that it was Eric and I. In all honesty, I wanted to say to each of them, what in the heck is that supposed to mean? But after they all followed up by saying almost the exact same thing, I knew there had to be more behind it. They explained that they know our faith is strong, that Eric and I are such a good support system to each other, and that we are a family that can handle this. As much as it seemed like such an odd comment at the time, I also felt a wave of peace come over me. It was one of those moments that was God's way of reminding me that He is with us every step of the way and we will get through this. We believe He has big plans for this little guy's life and we know His hand will be upon him. I've since had moments of reassurance from small gestures such as friends stopping and praying for us, receiving a card in the mail at just the right time, and one of my sweet blogging friends who knew nothing about this situation reached out wanting to make something special for baby boy. It really is amazing how small acts of kindness can carry a person through their moments of struggle and doubt.

I share this not to look for sympathy, but to ask for your prayers and support through this time as we find out more about what we can expect. We will be meeting with surgeons to find out an approximate time frame for surgery (which I'm under the impression won't happen until around 6 months or so) and if it could be just one surgery or if it will need to be multiple. Unfortunately a lot of our questions won't be answered until he's actually here. I ask that you pray for me in my moments of weakness, for strength, for guidance, and that I will be the best mother I can be to my boys. For A and little nugget, that this will be a teachable moment for them to always show love and kindness even when others around us may look different. It can feel like such a catch 22 sometimes and such a faith struggle (if that's even a thing). Of course we are also praying and hoping for a medical miracle but at the same time I need to mentally prepare myself for what we could be faced with.

I also share this in case it might speak to or help someone else going through a tough time. Sometimes you never really know what's going on with someone until you put it out there. Pregnancy is such a beautiful gift and a great blessing, but it can also be an incredibly trying and scary time. As much as I know that we aren't supposed to be fearful, we are also human and perfectly imperfect. It makes me realize even more that even though my baby boy may have a physical deformity, he is still created perfect in every way and will be so loved. 

Adding Even More Love

If you caught my announcement on instagram (@beautifully_candid) then you might have seen we are so happy to be adding even more hugs and love to our little family come November! I am so overwhelmed by all of the love and support we received with our little announcement that just continues to show me how amazing this community is.

We are so excited to love on this babe, especially A. He wants the baby to be here like now. He's already started making welcome home banners and getting toys and things ready for them. It seems like he's matured over night and I really think he's going to be my big helper. Little nugget has been adorable too and keeps asking if the baby can hear him when he talks and loves giving my belly kisses. 

This hasn't been the easiest first trimester for me (but then again is it ever really easy) and I can see the toll it's taking on my body. But regardless, I'm extremely thankful and so grateful for this experience. I think there are a lot of things that happen during pregnancy that not everyone talks about, and that's ok. I'm not sure I want to dive into that right now, but sometimes when you don't hear about the things that happen outside of the norm, you can start to feel like you're the only one it happens to.

The crazy part is, it feels like not long ago I was announcing I was pregnant with little nugget. Time seriously flies. I'm trying my best, more so now than ever, to relax and really enjoy this time. Eric and I keep joking that we are going to be outnumbered and that things seem manageable now with two. You know, one for me, one for him—it's easier when we go out to keep an eye on them. Now, oh boy, I'm not sure we have enough hands to keep up with them. But one thing's for sure, I do know we have more than enough love to go around for each of them.

It's funny because before I had little nugget I was so worried about having enough love in my heart for both him and A. That seems so silly now looking back on it. Something amazing happens when that next little one comes into the world and a space in your heart opens up that you never even knew existed or thought you had room for. This time around I am more than confident the same thing will happen.

Throughout all of this, we have been continually reminded that God's timing is perfect and His plans are always higher than ours. We are so thankful for this beautiful blessing that we have prayed for and look forward to meeting our sweet little love.