Interview with 7-month pregnant Liz

1. When are you due again?
(I get this question a lot and don't expect anyone to remember even though I am counting each day.) I'm 29 1/2 weeks, which puts me at 7 months and the third trimester. I'm due December 18-22ish.

2. Do you have a birth plan? 

Yes! My plan is to give birth.

3. Are you taking a birthing class?
If I am, I don't know about it yet. [3 minutes later] I literally just signed up for a class at the hospital we're delivering at. This was a good reminder.

4. How much weight have you gained now? 
I've gained 19.2 lbs since I got pregnant. My husband is eagerly waiting for the day we are the same weight. I think his wish will 100% come true in the next month. I think he weighs around 155lbs and I'm at 152.7lbs now.

5. What? You still have morning sickness?

Yup. Also, a rant: I find "morning sickness" to be a fairly dismissive term. I call it "pregnancy illness" because I'm not only sick in the morning and in fact, a lot of women are sick at all hours of the day. In my first trimester, I was sick from the moment I woke up until I went to bed, not to mention depressed and miserable. And now I'm nauseous intermittently throughout the whole day. I usually feel "best" when I wake up before I eat breakfast because I often get nauseous immediately after I eat breakfast. Sadly, I'm still nauseous every day and it seems to have gotten worse after my second trimester. Nausea is limiting in a way I couldn't have imagined before I got pregnant. Some days I have the energy to just fight through it, but usually I have to submit and take it easy. When I am able to "fight through it," what I mean is that I'm still nauseous, but I just do whatever I need to while feeling bad, gagging, and sometimes vomiting.

6. Do you take any meds for your pregnancy illness?

I've been on unisom+vitamin b6 for five months now. I think it helps, but I'm thinking I need to up my dosage. Some have suggested going on prescription meds, but I have a real mental barrier to that idea, so I'm tolerating what is. 

7. So what's your belly button look like these days?

I wish I took a picture when it actually got bigger before it got smaller. My sister says it'll turn into a pancake! I'll have to report back as I get further along. It's not quite a pancake yet. See. (Whoa, my skin looks super discolored. Did that happen to any of you while pregnant?)

8. What's been a top priority this month in terms of preparing for baby's arrival? 

It's been getting our house in order. As in, we are in escrow to buy a home and it needs a little work before we can move in. I think when we get new flooring in and move all our stuff, I'll feel a bit more settled. At least I hope to be. We're sort of floating in transition right now and that's been a medium source of stress. 

9. What's your approach to getting baby stuff?
I'm basically getting a few essentials to survive the first three months and then planning on purchasing things (hopefully mostly used) on an as-needed basis. I've heard from many parents that you don't need a lot of stuff and you don't know what your kid is going to take to or not. Almost everything I've gotten so far (it's not a lot) is used. If you're curious what's informed my thinking, you can read this and this. I also asked some girlfriends to share their "must" list for baby related goods and that's been a helpful gauge.

Let me tell you, it is somewhat tempting to set up the perfect pinterest-worthy nursery, but from what I've gathered from mom experiences I've heard/read about, if something doesn't have to do with pooping, sleeping, or eating...forget about it. So that's what I'm doing: focusing on the stuff that will help me with baby's poop, sleep, and eat cycles.

10. Do you feel like a pregnant goddess lady? 
OMG. Have you heard that some pregnant women feel like a goddess? I don't know any of these supposed women and they seem as mythical to me as mermaids. Well, I thought AT LEAST the hair on my head would grow faster so I can finally have Joanna Gaines luscious locks, but it's still barely above my shoulders after a major haircut last fall. My hair growth seems to have come to a halt, except for my big toe hairs. They seem to be growing suspiciously long. Ew?

10.5. Did you really have to post such a large picture of your toe hairs?
Uh, yeah. How else would you believe me?

11. Speaking of...any unusual cravings?

I want SUSHI and KOREAN food every day. I guess this isn't unusual. Confession: This is totally pathetic, but when I wake up in the morning, I'm usually starving. But instead of fixing myself a meal, I'll look through my instagram feed and scroll through pictures of delicious foods primarily consisting of sushi, korean, breads/cakes (with puppies and babies sprinkled in between) until I can't handle it anymore and I have to rush to eat. Sadly, I just stuff some whatever I can into my mouth and then sit there nauseous for a while. I don't know why I torture myself like this. 

12. Any "whoa this is really happening" moments this month?

I think I had one, but I'm too nauseous to remember. 

13. What normal activities are getting harder to do? 

Leaning over to put on socks and shoes or scrubbing my feet in the shower. I finally realized today (10/5/16) that when I lean over/bend down, I get super nauseous and start gagging. I don't know why it took me so long to realize this, but now that I know...time to ask husband to help me put on my shoes and scrub my feet.