As you all know, I’m pregnant with Baby Boettcher No. 3 and I have to say, it feels different than both of my other pregnancies. Actually, each pregnancy has been different in its own way! Also different this time around, I have the good fortune of being pregnant right along with my friend Amy (of BalancedAmes), who is two weeks ahead of me in gestation. Amy is that mama that feels great even in the first trimester and is glowing and I’m the one who suffers from nausea, pimples and pregnancy complications, BUT we both LOVE that these little lives are growing inside of us despite those differences.
We’ve collaborated before, and are always cheering each other on in our blogs, so we loved the idea of sharing together again during this special phase of our lives. We really wanted to highlight our pregnancy differences + had the opportunity to work with some of our favorite maternity brands + take photos together. {Sounded perfect to me!} This particular Saturday morning was one we both savored – hot lattes, laughter, playing dress up and focusing on our sweet babes + bumps.
We hope you enjoy this post: A little Q&A with pregnant friends!
When is your due date + guess when the baby will actually arrive?
Amy: My due date is November 16th. With our firstborn Maxwell, I went to 40 weeks and 1 day. I’m guessing our second little love will come very close to his or her due date, so I’ll say November 15th.
Lisa: I’m due on Decmeber 1! This question is SO hard for me though since I have had all high(er) risk pregnancies with early deliveries. I delivered Maven in week 36 of pregnancy and Sylvie at 35 weeks. Amy jokes that I will have my baby before her even though she’s due sooner and then she’ll just be waiting and growing in the meantime, but I really have a good feeling about making it (close) to 40 weeks this time. So, my guess is on Thanksgiving! As for when the baby will actually arrive, I’m hoping no sooner than mid-November.
What are your feeling on body changes?
Amy: If you follow my blog and/or Instagram, you know that I have a lot of pregnancy, postpartum, and just overall body confidence. Pregnancy makes me feel empowered and excited. A few things go into this: 1) Throughout pregnancy I’m lucky enough to be able to work out 5 days a week. I say lucky because I didn’t have any morning sickness and have avoided aches and pains so far. I do 3 days of Expecting and Empowered (the pregnancy fitness guide that I’m launching with my sister!) per week and 2 cardio days. 2) I learned a lot from my first pregnancy and postpartum period. Namely, to tackle both with patience and grace. With Max I gained 40 pounds and I watched the scale inch up every week. This time around, I only get weighed at the OB’s office. This way I’m much more focused on working out and eating well, while being less focused on the number on the scale! That is my BIGGEST suggestion for other mama’s to be: the scale WILL go up because your baby is growing, instead of focusing on that focus on what you can do to make sure you are both healthy. 3) After Max, I was able to reach my goals and feel happy/confident with my mama body. Going through all that once, I definitely don’t have the questions “Will I be able to get to lose the baby weight and regain my strength?” This time, I KNOW I can.
All of that being said, I’m embracing the changes and I know that I’ll be able to reach my postpartum goals (patiently) when that time comes.
Lisa: Body image has always been something I’ve struggled with. (See this post Amy and I wrote together a while back on beauty.) The thing is though, there’s something about pregnancy that just makes me feel so much more beautiful. I’m growing and carrying a LIFE inside of me – two hearts beating in one – and there is absolutely nothing that could takeaway from this experience. I love and embrace my growing curves, and really feel like I do a better and better job about that each time around.
If you want some reality though, I’ll tell you this: In the first trimester, my body grows all awkwardly, kind of just bulging in places that you don’t necessarily want to bulge. When you don’t have a “real” bump yet, it’s sometimes harder to embrace. Plus, my first trimester seems to always be filled with nausea that literally turns me into a zombie. In the second trimester, when that bump starts popping, I actually feel like I can show it off. My body grows more into the pregnancy phase and I like it + feel better! Also, having boobs for once in my life is not a bad thing either. ? Third trimester, I’m not sure if I can even comment since I haven’t made it the full distance in pregnancy. Ha. But, it’s just so important to keep taking care of yourself and loving your body in this beautiful phase of life. Eating right and exercising (Yes! I’m doing the Expecting + Empowered guides, too!) really make a huge difference in how I feel all throughout the journey. Postpartum – I try to be as gentle on myself as possible. With Maven, my body like just went back to normal somehow SO quickly. With Sylvie, it took a while for my uterus to shrink down and for me to not feel or look pregnant anymore. With whatever happens this time around, I know that it takes time to grow a baby and will take time for my body to heal + return to its state of normalcy. Activity (appropriate for the time in postpartum period), fresh air, eating right and breastfeeding all help me feel better about that process.
Pregnancy cravings?
Amy: Tomatoes. I’ve honestly never loved them or snacked on them so much in my life. Add some fresh mozzarella cheese, balsamic dressing, and I’m done for! My regular non-pregnant cravings are just AMPLIFIED like chips and fro-yo. I’m sure to keep myself in check though and realize I’m eating for one plus a little bean NOT “eating for two.”
Lisa: Cherries! The rest of the time, I really just like foods more that I previously already have liked (i.e. chips, guac, Chipotle, peaches, etc.). My husband begs for me to crave sweets, but sorry babe – I just don’t want cheesecake or ice cream as much as you.
Biggest fear of bringing another child into the world?
Amy: In the beginning of this pregnancy, I was very fearful of miscarriage. I had a few close friends that had recently miscarried, so I think it was just front of mind. We were also SO overjoyed to get pregnant for the second time around, and I knew the blessing that a second baby would be. Worry brought me to tears on a few occasions. The beginning of pregnancy for a woman that doesn’t have any symptoms (that is a HUGE blessing, don’t get me wrong) can be a little bit worrisome. I would think, “Are you still in there?! Are you okay?”
Things changed around 8 weeks when I decided that all the worry in the world wouldn’t change the outcome of this pregnancy or anything else for that matter. I decided I would give it up to God and immediately felt like he put his arms around me and said, “Finally Amy!”
Because our babies will be 18 months apart, we get a lot of “OH! You are going to be SO busy!” Honestly, we know that and my husband and I are ready to tackle it together. We’ve already talked about how we need to open our hearts to letting people help us even more. We also both know we have PLENTY of love in our hearts for another one and we will still make his or her older brother feel very, very loved. I know a lot of mamas worry that they won’t be able to love the second one as much, but I just know that I can.
Lisa: We suffered a loss during our process of trying to conceive baby number three. Due to that, it could be so easy and natural to tell you that I was fearful of another miscarriage. Especially since I was experiencing spotting during my first trimester! The thing is, after losing a tiny life, I really realized how much I had to let go and let God. So while I would never want to endure that loss again, I wasn’t as fearful as I would have thought myself to be. Honestly, I think I’m most fearful of the unknown – AKA – how I’m actually going to manage my life at home with three kids. Maven and Sylvie are OBSESSED with babies and while most people say “oh they will be so helpful!” it truly will be policing them around the baby for at least a while. They both want to do it all (diapers, feeding, you name it) and hold every baby they see. I also really want to make sure we continue making each child feel special and the unknown of adding one more to our little squad just makes me wonder how we will be able to do that + do it well. I have no doubt in my mind that my heart has the capacity to love on another child (it’s already madly in love with this babe inside me), so I think we will just have to work through the logistics once he or she arrives.
Biggest pregnancy annoyance?
Amy: This hasn’t ramped up yet, but I do remember that in the third trimester last time I did get some pretty annoying comments. I don’t like when people make comments that I KNOW they COULD figure out are not flattering. Like, “You look ready to pop!” Mainly because they would start saying that WAY early 😉 Or, “You are SO big!” Or, “You look further along than you are! You still have a long way to go!” I also don’t like when complete strangers touch my belly, which has already happened this pregnancy.
This time around I’m going to be much more ready to offer a pointed response, in a friendly manner. Like, “Wait, did you mean for that to be rude? I would be more careful what you say to pregnant people because that didn’t sound very nice.” To the complete stranger that palmed my belly like a basketball, I gently took her hand off my belly and said, “You cannot just touch a pregnant woman that you don’t know without her permission.” We chatted afterward and it was a friendly and educational exchange. ?
Lisa: Can I have more than one? ? This is actually quite hilarious, but it’s wearing underwear. I don’t know what it is about it, but every day I think to myself how annoying my underwear is. I’ve tried new kinds, new styles, new sizes and I just can’t get rid of that annoying feeling.
What is your favorite clothing to wear?
Amy: I do prefer fitted pregnancy clothes. For me, accentuating my bump makes me feel the most confident. Honestly, I do most of my mommin’ in athletic clothes and most of my regular ones can stretch to make it all the way to the end of pregnancy. Believe me, I TESTED them last time around 😉 I do believe in buying key pieces for your pregnancy.
My favorite workout gear: Bao Bei Maternity Bands are a game changer for me. I love wearing them for my runs!
Everyday wear: I live in Old Navy maternity dresses, and if I know the fit is right I will usually get it in 2 colors (like this one). I’m much more of a dress person during pregnancy than trying to put two pieces together. I just think dresses are easy peezy, flattering, and comfortable.
Dress up: I SO happy to collaborate with Sexy Mama Maternity this pregnancy. I have loved every.single.item. that I’ve received or purchased. I would highly, highly recommend getting yourself a piece or two because they just make you feel beautiful. I also have several PinkBlush dresses and robes that I love.
Lisa: Simple: pajamas. Buuut, I do get dressed everyday, so I tend to dress how I normally would without a bump and just work with the growing size. Some of my favorite pieces this summer have been staple, basic dresses and a pair of shorts overalls that some of my friends convinced me to buy (thankfully, because I wear them all them time). Some of my favorite places to shop for maternity clothes: PinkBlush, Old Navy, Target and new this time around, Sexy Mama Maternity. When finding favorite clothing to wear, I just try to get some basics and accessorize with clothing I already have (kimonos, vests, etc.). As for workout attire, I haven’t yet had to size up in what I currently own, so I’m just testing the stretch of my lululemon pants and my favorite North Face razorback tank.
What do you love most about being pregnant?
Amy: I absolutely love the baby moving and grooving in there. It starts out subtly and just gets stronger and stronger as pregnancy progresses. It is SO fun to have our baby strong enough to be seen on the outside, to be felt by his or her daddy, and I do have to smile when it is kicking his or her older brother as he snuggles with mama.
My husband and I also love waiting for the gender to be a surprise! Excitement has been ramping up on whether we will be parents of two boys or if a little girl will join our family.
I love pregnancy and love that as you get bigger, it just means you are closer to holding your little love.
Lisa: There’s just something so incredibly amazing about having another human growing inside of me! I think the awe of that is what I love the most. When I read about the weekly development, I’m simply awestruck in wonder that we, as mamas, get to experience this miracle. I also love feeling baby kicks and wiggles and hiccups and all of the movements. I seem to have gymnasts inside of me when I’m pregnant, so there is no lack of feeling those exciting moments.
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Stay tuned over on Instagram later today for an exciting continuation of this collaboration! ❤️
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All photos taken by: Jenna LeRoy Photography.
We would easily and highly recommend her! She is the sweetest and we’re both obsessed with the way these turned out.
Find her:
Website: jenna-leroy.com
On Instagram: @jennaleroyphoto
On Facebook: Jenna LeRoy Photography