Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

Key Pieces

DRESS: 'WONDER YEARS' MAXI DRESSΒ (I ALSO LOVE THIS ONE) Β | Β LIPS: ESTEE LAUDER LIPSTICK

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I am already 24 weeks pregnant! What a freaking blessing and miracle all rolled into one. At first I felt like the weeks were rolling by soooooo slowly, but then, once I truly felt like we were out of the danger zone - that we were FOR SURE having this baby, I feel like time started to speed up a bit more. And now, I am officially six months pregnant! Holy cow! How cool is that?!

I have been updating you all over on my Instagram stories each week on how things are going, but I wanted to give you all a little "bumpdate" here. And also, for myself... because, one day I will want to look back on this whole incredible journey and soak in it's splendor.

So without further adieu, here is how my pregnancy has been going...

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

24 week pregnancy bumpdate

How big our baby is

Right now, our sweet little babe is the length of an ear of corn, and weighs a darling 1.25 pounds. How cute is that? I can't believe the baby is still so tiny and making all that ruckus in there haha.

It's been so fun tracking our pumpkins progress on my favorite sites and apps. Right now, I am usually checking babycenter.com as well as utilizing my Ovia app on my iPhone. I usually read them aloud to Ben or screenshot and send the updates to him so he can follow along as well. I have also been reading about ten books (no joke) and usually just go chapter by chapter to follow along with our baby's progress. I feel like I can't swallow enough information about our precious little babe.

how much weight I've gained

I mean, if we're counting since we started IVF then seriously I want to cry haha. Because, true life: IVF is hard. And it's no easy task to pick the gym back up after it's been on the "no-go" list for so long... and while I was really good about (fast) walking with Wookie everyday about two miles, I recently lost it because it got too dang hot in Arizona. Anyway, I am ranting.

As far as how much weight I've gained so far this pregnancy... as of today, I have gained 11.6 pounds. In the first trimester I gained about five pounds. Then it started creeping on a little faster around 14 weeks, I feel like. I would ideally like to keep the scale down as low as possible, while still maintaining a healthy weight for baby to grow. But only time will tell. Mamas out there, any tips for me?

Cravings

This pregnancy I have been allllllll about the nachos. Like, nachos everyday. Sometimes for lunch and for dinner haha! But really, chips in general (maybe I just want salty foods?). Chips and guac, chips and salsa, chips and cream cheese with salsa haha. So good. When we went on our cruise to the U.K. and my trip to Jackson Hole I was legit worried about not having access to nachos lol.

Symptoms

Morning Sickness
So far I will say that I have been super lucky this pregnancy. When I was pregnant with both sets of twins the two times I was pregnant before, I was sick as a freaking dog. Like, I couldn't leave the couch or get food in my tummy fast enough in the mornings to help me feel better. But I feel like since we are pregnant with just one precious little babe this time, my body is like, "I got this."

In the first trimester, I definitely would get lightheaded and slightly nauseous (and utterly ravenous) everyday around 11am (I call them my "elevenses"). But a little snack would always do the trick.

Exhaustion
Ok legit, being pregnancy tired is on a whole other level of exhaustion. In my first trimester, I literally took a three hour nap every single day. And it would take me about an hour to "come out of it." And then I was in bed again a few hours later around 6pm. Zonked.

Thankfully, my second trimester has eased up a bit... but man, when I don't get enough sleep, the next day I feel like I have literally been hit by a train. Imagine the worst hangover you've had, and that's how I will feel. One morning I had to take Ben to the airport at 5am and the rest of the day I was down and out for the count haha. Worthless to the world. Baby needs it's sleep haha.

Charlie Horses
I have never been one to get that many charlie horses, but I swear, I get them in my feet like all the time when I am laying in bed. What's up with that?

Lower Back Pain
Oh man, I am tall and have a fairly curved back so I have always had a bit of back pain (and these 34D's don't help much either). But jeez, my lower back kills if I am on my feet for too long. I have had to lean over and kind of round it out (cat style) to get a little relief.

Swelling
My hands and ankles have definitely begun swelling a lot more lately. I had to actually cut off one of my all-time favorite rings the other week that Ben had given me while we were in law school. πŸ™ I was devastated. But we tried literally everything (and thanks to all you who sent your suggestions). Sadly, none of them worked and we had to go into the jeweler. It was a really thick ring and just one of those stubborn ones that didn't want to come off. So since then I have been keeping a careful watch on my fingers and taking off rings as necessary.

Things I am having a hard time with

Lately I have been having a really hard time sleeping on my sides. When you do IVF you have to get progesterone (oil) shots in your bum, alternating sides. I still have scar tissue and big bumps left over from all of the injections and so when I sleep on my sides I can like feel the lumps. It makes my hips tighten up a lot and get tired. So I find myself constantly waking up on my back (which is a no-no). And I am not normally a back-sleeper. So I am trying to make sure I don't end up on my back by keeping a pillow between my knees and behind my back (or I make Ben snuggle up behind me - he sleeps like a log and never moves haha).

I have also been having a hard time figuring out things that I will need when baby arrives. Like, I know I need onesies with feet covers and hand covers so they don't get cold or scratch their face - but like, what sizes do I need to order? How long do they wear those for? And what if our baby is super tall and doesn't even fit in the 0-3 month ones? Or what about breast pumps? Where to begin? Haha, so many questions...

Another thing? My boobs! Ugh! So far they have been the bane of my existence this pregnancy. They just keep growing. How the heck is this even possible to have this big of boobs? I started out as a 34D and I legit had to buy all new swimsuits because none of mine were fitting. I had to order a freaking 38F you guys! WHAT?! How scary! And I am not even in my third trimester and my milk hasn't even come in yet! I am scared for what's to come.

Stretch Marks

Oh, the ever-dreaded stretch marks! Ugh! I have been working my tail off to try and keep them at bay by applying coconut oil with my stretch mark prevention creams all over my tummy and boobs. And, so far so good on my tum, thank goodness. But just yesterday I started noticing a few on my boobs (see above haha). I am about ready to chop these things off. πŸ™

Linea Negra

Yup, that little dark vertical line is beginning to appear. At first I thought it was an indentation from the stitching on my underwear appearing from swelling a bit... but nope, it didn't go away haha. It's fairly faint though.

Belly Button

So far, it's still an "innie."

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

my favorite thing to wear

I have been all about the dresses this pregnancy, which, should come as no surprise really haha. But anything off-shoulder, form fitting through the upper-waist and maxi, is my jam (like this). But I have also been loving these cute a-line overalls I got for showing off my bump a little more.

When I feel our baby

Our sweet pea is totally active at night or when I am laying down (especially on my left side). Every now and then I would feel kicks while driving, but now I feel them all the time. Such an incredible feeling. It just lights my face up every single time without fail and I usually stop what I am doing and just put my hands on my tum.

My favorite moments of pregnancy so far

As I mentioned here, Ben photographed me for our pregnancy announcement and that was just so special to me (I started crying mid-shoot haha).

The first time we heard our baby's heartbeat at 6.4 weeks was such a little miracle. Ben was just squeezing my hand so hard and the tears were streaming down my face. It really is such an incredible moment hearing your littles heart for the first time. Something I will never forget.

The first time I felt our baby kick I was laying in bed next to Ben in the dark at 11pm. At first I thought they were gas bubbles haha, but then I soon realized it was our sweet little baby just saying "hi." Now, every time I feel our baby kick I say "hi" back aloud. That way, Ben knows too. πŸ™‚

Another incredible moment was the first time Ben got to feel our baby kick (which was just last week at week 23)! We were laying in bed (once again) and I had him put his hand on my lower left side and push down slightly... and boom. And boom again. He was totally taken aback. So cool to share that experience together. We snuggled the rest of the night with smiles on our faces.

At 16 weeks we went in for a 4D "HD Live" ultrasound and it was the coolest thing. We actually want to go back in a few weeks so we can see facial features because apparently they don't have enough baby fat in their face to really tell facial features at 16 weeks. But man, it was so incredible looking at our baby for what kind of felt like the first time. We brought my parents and it was their first ultrasound EVER (they didn't have ultrasound machines when my mom was having me and my siblings). The ultrasound technician kept shaking my tum to get our baby to move but apparently they really liked showing us their left side haha. Before that, I hadn't realized that I was that close to our baby... I thought they were wedged so deep down in there and didn't really know that they could feel me shaking my tummy. That was kind of cool.

What I am looking forward to

Other than finally meeting our sweet baby, I am really really looking forward to our next ultrasound (at 30 weeks). I haven't seen or heard our baby since week 20 and I am kind of dying over here. My next appointment is in four weeks though for my 28-week glucose test, so hopefully I at least get to hear our baby's heartbeat then.

Hearing and seeing our baby is like a drug. Every time I leave the doctors office I just want more. Our doctor was so incredibly nice to let me do an ultrasound every single week during our first trimester. He just knew how nervous I was about losing this baby and he was so kind to offer. That just made me cry and solidified that he was the right doctor for us. Our IVF clinic also monitors our baby closely for the first eleven weeks, so sometimes I even had some overlap and got to see our baby twice a week. Talk about spoiled.

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

What I am working on

My biggest task on my plate right now I feel like is just getting ready for our sweet little's arrival. I feel like we have so much to do. I still need to baby proof the house, find a CPR class so we can be prepared in the event anything terrible were to happen (God forbid), find a nursing class, find a pediatrician, and decorate the nursery. It's easy to start feeling overwhelmed so I am just taking one thing at a time.

What I am doing for myself

I am trying to take really good care of my skin. Since taking all of those pesky hormones during our four years of IVF, I had gotten really bad melasma (those awful dark patches from hormones known as the "mask of pregnancy"). I make sure to wear SPF every day (I even put it on first thing when I wake up because I like to eat breakfast outside). Just don't mind my awful suntan lines haha... I got those while hiking in San Diego (it was a cloudy day and I forgot my SPF on my chest). How silly of me.

It's also easy to break out with all these added hormones so I have been super careful to wash my skin morning and night and not to irritate it by being gentle.

I've also been loving getting my nails done, if only for the foot massage haha.

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

Nursery Update

So far I haven't bought anything (except my mama bought me a cute mobile for my birthday). Eek! It's actually making me really nervous haha. When we were pregnant the first time with our identical twins back in 2015, I had purchased two cribs (we returned one crib when we lost the babies since we knew we'd for sure someday have at least one), as well as a glider chair and changing table. Right now, I am on the hunt for a rug, crib sheets and decor.

Recent Purchases

Last week I would have said nothing haha. But in the last week I have gone totally crazy! I bought our little bean a few cute little outfits recently while shopping on Main Street in my hometown of Park City and it kind of ignited in me the desire to shop haha. Lately I've been all about the bloomers. And I also want to come back here to Utah for Christmas so I bought a few little winter outfits to keep the baby warm.

Other than that, I went totally bonkers on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale yesterday and today for our babe. Can you blame me? Haha. This year, I am all about buying for baby and could care less about myself. So far, I've bought these swaddling cloths, these moccasins, this blanket, this activity gym, this hooded towel, this baby monitor (it has wifi to connect to your phone) and these sippy cups (for later).

As for what's not on the sale, I got this baby carrier, this nursing pillow, this humidifier for the nursery, this stroller and car seat (thanks for all your suggestions you guys, so helpful), this highchair (anyone have this one?), this drying rack, this baby seat and these nail clippers.

Any other essentials I should add to my list?

Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate
Dash of Darling shares her 24 week pregnancy update in a bumpdate

Thank you to Kate Nelle Photography for these beautiful images.

Next Post