I’m currently 31 weeks and wow are the weeks just flying by! I just realized it’s been a minute since my last bumpdate. In April, we went on a last-minute babymoon to Scottsdale and Sedona, and it was so nice to unplug for a week! While we were there, I also took some maternity photos I can’t wait to share. I’m currently working on a babymoon recap, so stay tuned for more details on our trip. You can see what I packed for it here.

Since my last update, I passed my glucose test and switched my prenatal vitamins to Ritual, which is going so much better for me! I also got together with friends and family to celebrate Baby J for a baby shower this past weekend.

I’m still using this belly oil and love it! I’ll be honest, I’m usually really bad about applying lotions to my skin because I hate how they feel, but I’ve been able to stay compliant with this throughout my pregnancy because it’s so quick and easy to apply. It’s also not super greasy on the skin and smells nice (in a. natural way). So far no stretch marks have shown up, but I know that’s primarily caused by genetics and rapid weight gain. But still, it’s nice to keep your belly moisturized to help with itchiness as it stretches.

31 Week Bumpdate!

new symptoms:

Change in baby J’s movements

Now that she’s getting bigger in there, I’ve noticed a big change in her movements recently. During the second trimester, her kicks were quick and direct, whereas now they feel like slow rolls and stretches. My belly will also move so around so much more with her movements. She’s also had little hiccups lately. I can tell she’s still not head down at the moment, but hopefully as her due date approaches she will make her way to the right position.

Periodic pelvic pain

The last few weeks I started to notice a little pelvic and low back pain, especially when I sit for too long and initially get up. I swear I had low back pain out of nowhere yesterday and today due to all the thunderstorms in the area, which is common for joint pain. But I’ve also been sitting at my desk more than normal the last few days, too. I’m currently sitting with a heating pad on low and a supportive lumbar pillow, but getting up frequently helps.

Fatigue

I have noticed increased fatigue this last week, which I was warned about earlier on in pregnancy. I’ve also started waking up at times in the night from repositioning in my pregnancy pillow, being hungry, or just random to-do’s and thoughts running in my head (this morning I woke up stressed about needing to pick carpet, lol). But overall, I’m still sleeping well through the night and don’t have to get up to pee constantly, so I’m not complaining!

Current to-do’s

The home updates we’re currently working on are a little stalled at the moment while we wait on a few things, but I need to order quite a bit in the meantime! Our bathroom renovation will finish up once we get the new countertop installed in 3-4 weeks (yikes), and the next big thing I’m deciding on is picking a new carpet and getting those replaced. I will feel so much better once that’s done so things can start going where they belong in the house 🙂 But here are some of the main things currently on my personal to-do list.

• Take a breastfeeding course – I probably sound a little crazy admitting this but to me breastfeeding and life after labor sounds way more intimidating than actual labor. Sure, I have my worries about how that will go, but I know it’s relatively short-lived and out of my control.
• Pack my hospital bag
• Pick a pediatrician
• Finish the nursery (we’re still in limbo until the carpets are done)
• I want to get a massage membership this month to focus on my personal self-care a little more. I wish I did this sooner to be honest!
• Things to purchase:
  • curtains for our bedroom and nursery
  • her Ikea closet (so excited for this little makeover)
  • stroller
  • car seat
  • diaper bag
  • new couch – yes, this is still on the list haha!
  • Postpartum essentials and clothing
  • All the daily baby needs – stock up on medicines, diapering station, laundry detergent, bath essentials, etc

Recent purchases

Compression Socks – it’s amazing how much relief these give your legs and feet! I don’t wear them all the time, but when I’m sitting at my desk all day or riding in the car for a long time I like to wear them for support. You can use code AMANDAJOHNxSPANX for 10% off your spanx order.

Belly Band – I just got in this new belly band to try out and see if it offers some support on our daily walks. I went with this one because it’s lightweight and was pretty affordable.

Pill organizer – this is so random, but I swear it’s made taking all the things daily so much easier to manage!

Workout shorts – ok, can we talk about how limited maternity wear is?? What the heck! I looked for hours one day trying to find workout shorts for our trip to Arizona and finally landed on these since I have a pair pre-pregnancy that still work. They have a looser fit in the legs and I still wear my normal size below the belly. A few of you recommended these on Amazon, which are a bestseller on there I may try!

Baby J Clothes – I’ve actually surprised myself by how little clothing I’ve purchased for her so far, especially since my life revolves around clothes, haha. But I wanted to wait until after the baby shower to see what she would need. I recently ordered a bunch of knotted gowns for her to wear in the very beginning because I’ve heard the easier it is to change them, the better! I ordered a few on Amazon linked above, along with a few from Lou Lou and Company that I’ve heard good things about.

I save all the baby items from clothes to baby gear that cross my eye here!

Spice Bottle Labels – I’m totally blaming nesting on this one, but for whatever reason, I had the urge to organize our spices this week, lol. So I ordered these labels, these containers, and this drawer organizer to work on that project next week which will open up some room in our kitchen cabinets for baby necessities down the road. You can’t make this stuff up, but I felt it needed to be done lol.

What’s in my Amazon Cart – This is starting to fill up with random postpartum and baby necessities but I’ll probably wait a few weeks to purchase just so we don’t have excess clutter in the house while we finish up some renovations.

Also wanted to mention I noticed Amazon was having a sale on select items where you save $20 off your qualified purchase of $100. So since discovering that I added a few more things to my cart, lol. I’m not sure when it ends, it just says for a limited time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have you picked her name yet?

Not yet! I wasn’t ever the girl that had all her baby names picked out in HS, although I sorta wish I was right now haha. We have a long list of names we like and maybe 2-3 top names, it’s just hard to picture using a name without meeting her. So we will likely wait to decide when she arrives.

How are you doing emotionally?

Thank you for asking! I’m doing pretty well physically and mentally. It’s no secret I’ve been pretty overwhelmed with everything going on around the house and prepping for Baby J, but I’m sure that’s totally normal. There are so many new things to research and prepare for. I also put a lot of pressure on myself when it comes to my business and always feel like I can be doing more – something I really hope I get a better handle on once Baby J makes her arrival 🙂 But other than that, I’m thankful that so far, this pregnancy has been a great first experience.

Are you still working a 9-5 job?

I’ve been running Strawberry Chic full-time for over a year now. I wrote about the transition and my decision here if you want to read more.

Can you share what’s on your registry?

I’m registered at Babylist and since you can just search for it, I’ll link it here. I’ll definitely be sharing baby favorites and things I was recommended for my registry, but of course, as a first-time mom, I really have no idea what I’m doing lol. I made my registry-based off of your feedback and my friends must have recommendations.

One of you told me about this website that handles getting your breast pump through insurance, so I recently did that and loved how easy the process was! I’m getting this breast pump because it was free through my insurance.

What stroller did you go with?

I haven’t purchased a stroller just yet, but I’m going with the Uppa Baby Vista. I love how smooth it was, the additional accessories to go with it, and that it can convert to two children when that time comes. I know it’s an investment, but I’ve heard from a few friends that they wish they purchased this one initially because they have had to buy additional strollers as their family grew. I’m still doing research on the car seat and potentially the Doona. Has anyone ever used the Doona as a car seat and the Uppa Baby bassinet for the stroller initially? I’m trying to decide if I need an additional car seat if I get the Doona.

In general, I haven’t purchased very much yet because like I mentioned earlier, our house is a little overwhelmed at the moment until I check off the new carpets.

I’d love if you could round up some baby bag options!

I originally bought this tote as a baby bag option, but after using it I don’t think it’s ideal because things can get lost pretty easily inside since it’s so unstructured. It’s a very comfortable travel bag, though! I’m leaning towards a backpack option so I can be hands-free. These are the few I’ve been looking at.

Have you whitened your teeth while pregnant?

I haven’t whitened my teeth since my wedding in 2016! I used crest white strips back then, which have always worked well for me. But ever since, I’ve just brushed with this toothpaste and toothbrush which have kept them clean and white naturally!

Did you get the covid vaccine?

I wanted to throw this question in here because lately, it’s been a very frequent question in my DM’s. I personally feel it’s important as an influencer to set boundaries on what I could potentially influence others on. And while I’m flattered so many value my opinion on topics like this, I feel it’s far out of my scope to discuss and influence others in their decision-making processes when to comes to these topics. I’m not comfortable having any sort of influence on personal decisions when it comes to your body, health, who you vote for, etc. I’m very protective of sharing things like what I eat, supplements, heck even skincare sometimes because I’m not an expert. That’s why I’ll never hop on stories and be like OMGGG these are the BEST running shoes ever and you need them! As a PT, I know better 😉 I don’t want to go on a rant here, but it’s something that has crossed my mind so much over the last year especially.

I know I tend to overthink and plan for the worst (type 6 here), but I also know there are definitely boundaries being crossed on social media when it comes to influencers sharing products they have done no research on or without the proper disclosures in place. So be careful with who you allow to influence you. Remember, influencers are sharing their own experience and perspective, but that doesn’t mean it’s appropriate for everyone watching. It’s important to do your own research on what you see on social media, whether that’s a recent news article spreading like wildfire, or something as simple as a new skincare product recommended by your favorite influencer.

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Ok this post is getting long 🙂 I’m saving a few of your questions for my next bumpdate in a few weeks! You can browse my previous bumpdates here.