Waiting Well: Week 14-17 Update

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a Waiting Well update, so today I’m catching you up on weeks 14, 15, 16, and 17 of this pregnancy.

And the biggest update, literally and metaphorically, is… me. I am bigger. The bump is out. Clothes don’t fit. And honestly, this pregnancy feels like it is going at the speed of light.

If I’m honest, August still feels really far away. But when I think back to finding out we were pregnant in mid-December, that somehow feels like years ago and yesterday at the same time. I have a strong suspicion that the next 22 weeks are going to go by just as fast as the first 18 have.

One of the biggest things lately has been figuring out what to wear. I was getting a little discouraged because less and less of my normal clothes fit or even feel comfortable anymore, so I recently went through my closet and purged all the things I know I just cannot wear right now. And honestly, that helped my mental health tremendously. Now when I look in my closet, I only see things that are actually options for me, and that has made getting dressed feel so much less frustrating.

I also got the green light from Martin to purchase some maternity-friendly clothes, which has been amazing. But I do have to say, I am a little shocked by the lack of maternity clothes available in stores these days. They just really don’t sell them anymore. I think Walmart had maybe half a shelf—like two pairs of jeans and a couple shirts—but beyond that, everything is online now.

And that is fine… except maternity clothes can be so oddly fitting sometimes. It would be really nice to actually go into a store, try things on, and find clothes that feel good and look good in this season. Before the gender reveal party, I went on a complete goose chase trying to find some cute pants. I called Old Navy, Target, Kohl’s—nobody had maternity clothes in store. It’s wild.

And I kept looking around thinking, there are a lot of pregnant ladies in this world. Where are all of these people getting their clothes?! Now, I will say, many of them were significantly younger than me and looked adorable with their bellies hanging out. I don’t think I’ll be going that route… but I do have a long hot summer ahead of me, so never say never. Desperation can really lower your standards.

Thankfully, Amazon exists, and I have actually had really good luck there. I’ve ordered several things, and honestly, they’ve all worked out great. So at some point, I definitely want to do a maternity clothes Amazon haul or roundup, because I know there are other pregnant women out there struggling to find cute, comfortable clothes. And who knows—maybe someone will Google how to find maternity clothes and end up here, and I can help make that search a little easier.

As for symptoms, I really don’t have many right now, which I’m so thankful for. My exhaustion is better. I’m not getting sick anymore. I never really feel queasy now. Earlier in pregnancy, I felt like I had to eat every hour just to keep the nausea away, but now I can space out my meals and eat more normally, which has been really nice.

I’ve also been trying to walk more and slowly start lifting weights again, which feels encouraging. I will say, the lactic acid is real, so I’m trying to ease back into it with bodyweight workouts and lighter weights. My goal isn’t to lift super heavy right now, but I would love to keep feeling strong and hopefully build back up a little as spring turns into summer.

Sleep has actually been pretty good too, although I am still having some bizarre dreams. My most recent one involved going on a hike in Kansas and being stalked by two tigers, which feels… unlikely, but okay. Pregnancy dreams continue to be absolutely unhinged.

The kids are still so excited about their baby sister, and that has probably been one of my favorite parts of this season. I can feel little flutters now, and I am so excited for the day they’ll be able to feel her moving from the outside. Baker especially loves massaging my belly and trying to find where she’s at. He says she feels like a little hard ball in my stomach, and he gets so excited trying to find her. Madley still gives her sister lots of kisses through my belly, which is just the sweetest thing.

I already know I’m going to have to fight for time to hold this baby when she gets here, because the kids keep talking about who gets to hold her first, how long each turn should be, and how we’re going to make it fair. It is so sweet… and also definitely sounds like a future parenting challenge I’ll be navigating.

I have had one doctor’s appointment since my last update, and it went really well. It was super short—just a quick check-in, listening for the heartbeat, and everything looked great. Her heart rate was easy to find, and it was strong and steady. I’ve gained some weight too—imagine that—and overall I’m just so thankful that everything has been smooth.

Honestly, “boring” is kind of the dream word in pregnancy. If your body is being boring, that is usually a very good thing. And I’m so grateful that things have continued to be uneventful in the best possible way.

In a couple of weeks, we have our big anatomy scan. I’ll actually be 21 weeks when we go, and I would truly love your prayers that everything looks great and that baby girl is growing exactly the way she should. I’m fully aware that God is knitting her together in my womb, and I have complete confidence that He is doing a perfect job with our sweet baby girl.

Thanks for checking in on me and baby girl Miller. We’re so glad you’re here.

See you back here on Kari Miller Blog soon.