On Pregnancy, Priorities, and Planning What's Next

Hi, everyone! These past five months have been the longest break from this blog by far. It's partially because I've been working on a new and exciting project- making a baby! If you haven't been keeping up with my Instagram, here's the lowdown: I found out in mid-September that I was pregnant and I'm now into my third trimester, nearly 33 weeks! Baby girl is due mid-late May and my hubby and I could not be happier. 

At my baby shower in February at 28 weeks

The fact that my blogging abruptly stopped about a month into my pregnancy was a little curious to me- yes, I had some big news on my mind and lots of time was dedicated to research and revelling in my new reality. That said, blogging has always been a source of fun and passion for me, so I've been mildly disappointed that I wasn't able to keep it up. In the end, I've decided to be patient with myself and let it come back organically- no pressure. So here we are with an update and we'll see where it goes from here! 

Belly at 30 weeks

When people ask how my pregnancy has been, I say it's been a mixed bag. I spent the first 4 months of it pretty much constantly nauseous with very little appetite. It was a pretty nasty time! Come January the tides began to turn and the second trimester brought some relief. I never experienced the burst of energy and productivity that some mamas experience at this time, but the nausea faded and I was able to get some tangible confirmation of my baby in there (aside from a sick stomach): she started kicking! I have to say that feeling her move around in my belly with increasing gusto and regularity has been the most amazing experience ever. I'd always thought I'd be totally freaked out by those sensations (like a total Alien moment, which isn't fully off sometimes), but it's turned out to be such a magical and incredible way to interact with her. Some days I would be completely content to just lay down and feel my belly wiggle all day long. Other mamas know what I mean?

Now that I'm in the third trimester (the home stretch- eek!) things have gotten a bit tougher in terms of mobility, aches, and sleeping, but overall I feel quite lucky that I've largely been feeling well. 

Latest belly shot at 32 weeks

Speaking of large, I've had such an interesting reaction to the bodily changes that have come along with pregnancy. It may seem opposite to many mamas' responses to a growing body, but for the longest time I was concerned that my belly wasn't big enough! Seeing pictures of other moms to be at the same stages of me left me looking at my stomach and thinking "where is she?". I actually lost some weight during the first trimester because of the nausea and was somewhat concerned that these factors combined were preventing baby from growing the way she needed to. Luckily my midwives have confirmed that baby's growth is right on track and that all baby bumps look different, so not to worry. This experience has led to a whole new flavour of body acceptance work on my part and I'm happy that it's let me love and be patient with my body in a whole new way! Plus (as you can see from the photo above), she has now totally made an appearance :)

A lovey side effect of pregnancy (from the second trimester on, anyways), is that my typically fussy skin has been uncharacteristically calm and clear. The pregnancy glow is real, people! I have found some beautiful skin care that I'm sure is helping (check it, below), but something about those hormones (and I'd like to think the joy I've been feeling) has been giving my skin life from the inside out. No complaints! 

Though pregnancy disrupted my blogging flow, it in no way halted my ever-present skin care obsession. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't using pregnancy as an excuse to treat myself, but pampering my skin has been an essential part of my self-care routine (especially on those extra yucky days) that I plan to keep up after baby arrives. I've been particularly committed to my favourite green beauty brands, loving staples like Pai and May Lindstrom and discovering new-to-me, beautiful ranges like Leahlani, Osea, Wildcraft Care, and The Organic Pharmacy. All so heavenly! 

While I still wear makeup on the regular, I've found that my consumption of new makeup has gone done notably. My money has been going to skin care and that's generally cool with me because my makeup stash is way intense. One notable exception is that Springtime has revived my love of fresh, vibrant, dewy cheek and lip colour. I've been easily able to satisfy these cravings via some beautiful natural makeup brands like Rituel de Fille, Kosas, and Lilah B. Holt Renfrew has just launched an amazing collection of clean beauty brands and I've been happy to delve into some killer formulas that are leaving me feeling super glowy. I'm especially smitten right now with the Lilah B. Divine Duo Lip and Cheek Colours, as the shades are fun and vivid and the texture is buildable and long-wearing. So dreamy! 

Wearing Lilah B. Divine Duo in B.Sassy

The Holt Renfrew Clean Beauty Bag and my haul from Kosas and Lilah B. 

As I conclude this post, I'm even more curious than you about what is next for this blog. It is definitely something I want to keep in my life, but time will tell what pace and content will keep me passionate. 

I'd love to hear what kinds of topics you'd like to see! In the short-term, would you be interested in my pregnancy skin care routine? More about my pregnancy experience? Natural makeup products to look out for?

In the longer term- I never saw myself as the "mommy blogger" type, but I can totally see the benefit of sharing my experiences with motherhood and everything (from cute clothes to less glamorous moments) that comes along with it. Would you be on board with that? I'd also love a return to posting about yoga and body positivity, as those topics will always remain passions of mine. 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Let me know what you'd love to see next. It's great to be back! xo

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