Maternity Monday : Pregnancy Update

Before I jump into today’s style, I figured I’d share with you a pregnancy update, as it’s been a while since I’ve done so…

How far along am I now?

35+ weeks (!!!)

When am I due? 

Officially, my due date is 7.7.17. However, given the high risk nature of my pregnancy, my doctor’s plan is to induce a week early. So, it’s looking like our baby girl will make her debut around the end of June – meaning that we are less than four weeks away from meeting her!

I can’t believe I just typed that! Yes, it’s only a matter of days at this point. So crazy.

How is the baby? 

She seems to be doing great! Thanks to all of you who ask. If you recall, there were concerns about her being very small for quite a while. But we seem to have made up some ground there, so that is great news.

I now have biophysical profile (BPP) ultrasounds each week. In case you have no idea what that means (as was the case with me just a few weeks ago – ha), the BPP ultrasound measures the health of the baby. In other words, the purpose is to make sure she is doing all the things she should be doing — strong heartbeat, proper breathing, adequate movement, appropriate amount of amniotic fluid, etc.

At last week’s ultrasound, I got a fun treat… It turns out she had the hiccups during the ultrasound! It was so funny to not only feel the hiccups, but to also watch her little body bounce up and down with each hiccup.

How am I feeling?

Well, I’m doing okay… Physically, as I’ve noted before, it’s been a rough pregnancy with nausea throughout, plus an unpleasant gall bladder complication. All of that is still there. In addition, I’ve reached that point of just being uncomfortable. It feels as if she grows day by day (which is a wonderful thing!), but there’s not much room for anything else in there right now. And, in general, mobility is a bit more limited. Let’s just say that leaning over to tie my shoes requires help at this point.

On the emotional front, I’m both eager and anxious! Funny side note: I have a grammar pet peeve when people mix up eager and anxious. Eager insinuates excitement, while anxious tends to insinuate uneasiness or nervousness. Well, I can accurately say that my current state of being is a mixture of both eagerness and anxiousness!

Undoubtedly, my life has changed in huge ways already in the last nine months – and she’s not even here yet. I’m both so excited and so nervous about the next phase.

My First Foray (Finally) Into Maternity Wear

Well, it finally happened… Yep, at 35 weeks I finally have delved into the realm of wearing clothes officially dubbed “maternity” wear. You see, up until this point, I’ve been fortunate. The combination of being a dress lover and being pregnant during the warmer months has allowed me the luxury of just sizing up in “normal” (aka non maternity) dresses. Yes, I’ve had to be cognizant of the silhouettes that would work with my burgeoning belly. But in general, I’ve still been able to wear regular clothes.

However, at this point, the belly is protruding more and more. And normal silhouettes don’t necessarily fit those changing proportions in the most flattering way. So, when it came time to finally try out maternity wear, I turned to the brand I had heard about most: Hatch. You might even remember both my friend Morgan and my friend Valerie mentioned Hatch in this article. (In fact, Morgan carries the Hatch line in her online store.)

Hatch is a chic line of clothing meant to carry you through pregnancy and beyond. Truly, Hatch recognizes that even as your body changes for the best of reasons, it can rock your sense of style a bit. So, they created silhouettes that will grow and adapt with you throughout the process.

Indeed, I find that Hatch offers a fresh take on maternity clothes. They shun a lot of the traditional, dare-I-say dowdy takes on maternity wear. For example, take this dress I’m wearing… The off the shoulder silhouette is on-trend, plus the flounce hem gives it a fun feeling. Simply put, I feel good wearing this! And trust me, that’s super important at this stage. With the cream and black color palette, I’ll be able to accessorize this in a number of ways – although, as you may have noticed, I am currently partial to pink.

For reference, you can shop for Hatch label clothing at Buru, Net-a-Porter, and Shopbop, to name a few of my favorite online shopping destinations.

A Few Final Notes

So, what do you think? Do you agree that Hatch breathes a fresh air into maternity wear? We’d love to hear your thoughts and tips on maternity wear.

And finally, a couple notes in closing… (1) Be sure to check out the boutique! We’ve updated it with all new selections for summer. (2) And as always, be sure to see Carrie Curates, about halfway down on the home page – my weekly top ten picks.

Now, go out and make it a great day! Xo

Photos by Maritere Rice; wall details coming very soon to our Wall Wanderings : Houston Mural Guide