Mother's Day - 9 Thoughts in 9 Months

Hi, I'm Lauren + I'm the Community Manager at Gigi Pip. I currently am 35 weeks pregnant with my first baby. The last 9 months have been filled with a lot of things - happy tears, sad tears, popsicles, doctor's appointments, stretchy pants, love, + learning. Here are 9 things that I've learned, loved, and loathed throughout this wild journey of pregnancy!  

Swollen Feet - Loathe! About 7 months into my pregnancy, I took my boots off and there it was - perfect indentations in my legs. My boots were off but there was a perfect line of where the top of the boot was. Horrifying! My legs were so swollen. When I woke up the next day, I saw no ankles but tree stumps for legs and feet. This is the moment compression socks came into my life. Who knew compression socks would be my Spring fashion must? 

Eating Nothing to Eating Everything - Food is such an interesting thing when you're pregnant. I was so sick in my first trimester that eating a saltine didn't even seem possible. Even the scent of meat sent me in a nauseous whirlwind. Fast forward to my third trimester and I'm making multiple stops on my way home from work - pizza, check! soda, check! reese's blizzard, check! 

Pregnancy Brain Is Real - Can't quite remember what I was gonna write for this...

People Who Ask To Touch The Belly Are Heroes - Strangers touching the belly...LOATHE! Apparently a grown belly is an invitation for anyone and everyone to touch it. No thank you! Although it's so kind that they are so excited for me + my growing babe, it's just weird. The people asking if they can touch my belly - those are the real MVP's. 

Connection Takes Time - I never felt connected to my baby until like...now. I am not one of the gals who felt connected at the moment of conception. Through sickness, uneasiness at seeing my body slowly change, emotional highs and lows, it wasn't until recently that I realized that there's actually a tiny girl growing inside me. My connection to my baby wasn't instant but it's now here + it's infinite! 

Google Did Not Go To Medical School - Turns out Google is not an MD. I've learned to simply put down the Google search + call my doctor for questions/concerns. My doctor has a whole chart on my pregnancy, knows me best + has actual answers! 

ASOS Is a Lifesaver - LOVE! ASOS has the best maternity clothing. I don't feel like an absolute potato after my package arrives. Look no further - this is the maternity OOTD go to!  

Unsolicited Advice - Oh the unsolictied advice - can we say LOATHE, LOVE, + LESSONS LEARNED? So many opinions and methods in such little time. Some advice has been beneficial and some has been well - I could have gone without. But mostly what I've learned is one) just smile and nod + two) these people truly want the best for me + my tiny human.

All the Feels - One of my final thoughts in the last 9 months has been "all the feels". Hormones have catalyzed this thought. I feel all the things! Good, bad, sad, happy and everything in between. But mostly I've felt so grateful for this experience. I've had the opportunity to conceive, carry and will be giving birth in a few weeks. It's the most unreal, beautiful thing I've done and I couldn't be more grateful.