I am 37 weeks and 1 day pregnant today.... and SO ready for this baby to be born. I have had such a great pregnancy (PTL) but these last few weeks are CRAWLING. I think part of it has to do with a rash I have developed on my belly. I am going to be really honest here: I have HORRIBLE stretch marks. The only people that have seen them are my doctor, her nurses, Jer, my mom and my sister. The stretch marks under my belly button have somehow gotten irritated and itch like crazy!! I have taken oatmeal baths, lathered on the Cortizone cream and have been popping the Zyrtec every night (all doctor approved). This seems to be keeping the itching to a minimum, but sometimes I have to give in a scratch the crap out of my stomach.
My doctor says the stretch marks are not from my weight gain, I am actually right on track with that. But it's because Owen is a big boy and my skin just isn't very elastic. He is also low in my belly, so when he grows, he is stretching one part of my belly, not the whole belly. My sister, Amber, delivered an 8 pound baby boy and had the same stretch marks. Now her stretch marks are so tiny you can barely tell she had any. We have had such similar pregnancies, so i'm hoping mine are tiny afterwards.
Honestly, I could care less about the stretch marks, I'm just glad my biggest problem right now is cosmetic.
In other news, I have been keeping myself busy by returning duplicate gifts from Owen's showers, getting 'last minute' things for baby and shopping for clothes for my post Owen body. Here are some of my recent purchases:
These are both from Tucker for Target which I am loving and want one of everything. These two were my faves.
This sweater dress/tunic is LC by Lauren Conrad at Kohls:
I was perusing Zulily the other day and came across the cutest artwork by Lex Modern! I would love one of these for Owen's playroom later on:
This weekend was definitely a lazy one. A new mexican restaurant opened recently, so Jer and my parents and I tried it out on Friday night. It's called Las Alamedas and it was scrumptious and so gorgeous! I slept most of the day Saturday while Jer watched football, then woke up for the Tech vs. Texas game. Boo. Sunday my parents and Jer's mom came over for dinner and it was delicious! Jer and I have stopped making plans for the weekend since I am officially 'full term' now and he could come at any time. I do hope to have a movie date this weekend though. Hope everyone is having a great beginning to your week!
Oh yeah, if you need a little snack during the day, my friend Morgan always makes this to welcome Fall:
It is simply peanuts mixed with Candy Corn and is delectable! Enjoy!
XOXO Haley
Haley, I *TOTALLY* understand where you're coming from on the itchy stretch marks. I was exactly the same: I delivered an 8 pound, 9 ounce baby, and had the marks to show for it. My doctor, though, said a lot of it has to do with genes, some of us lucky women are more predisposed to stretch marks than others, thanks so much. Mine itched like crazy too. I used to slather them in Palmer's but not a lot helps, you're right. I used to sit around in the evenings with my pants pushed below my belly, with my shirt pulled up over it, just to let the belly have some air and no fabric contact.
ReplyDeleteHoping the last little bit of your pregnancy goes smoothly by. Sweet baby Owen will be here before you know it!!
Yay! You are so close! Good luck! Let me know how it goes:)
ReplyDeleteI have been EYEING the orange dress at Target already.. Thinking I could wear it to a friends wedding in Oct..
ReplyDeleteDon't get too discouraged about the stretch marks. Lizzie was 8lbs. 11oz. and I have the battle scars to prove it. I was really embarrassed by them, didn't even want Dwaine to see them at first.
ReplyDeleteRight after you deliver is when they'll look the worst. So just remember when you see them that they will never look any worse, and in time, much better!
I'm still self conscious about them, but looking back I can see they are much improved. I think it's a combination of taking care of your skin and healing them and acceptance that they are a permanent part of your body.
Oh, and BTW...the heartburn, itchy stomach, back pain, once he's out...instantly gone! Hang in there a couple more weeks. I delivered the day after I found out I was 1 cm, so it could go soon!!!!