Tag Archives: pregnancy

A Month of Love & Thanks 

11 Wednesday Nov 2015

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October was hands down my favorite month so far of pregnancy! The whole month had us smothered in love and laughter and celebrations. Being able to share the first few weeks of our last trimester with family and friends truly meant the world to us. It also made us realize how truly blessed not only we are but how truly blessed Cash is [already].

October covered weeks 28 through 32 which means we are officially in the last trimester of our first pregnancy, how this is even possible — I have no idea! If my belly wasn’t so big I wouldn’t believe it BUT baby boy makes that kinda hard with his non-stop kicking and punching and moving and growing. It’s so fun to be able to feel him all the time now and to never have to worry if he’s doing ok in there. If I want to know all I have to do is place a hand on my tummy and within minutes he lets me know he’s doing just fine. The connection we continue to grow every day just takes my breath away. He already seems so strong and so resilient and I just can’t wait to hold him. Thinking about looking into his eyes for the very first time just puts me into an immediate tail spin of giggles and butterflies.

Ok enough of me swooning over Cash and back to swooning over October. I will also add that pregnancy has made me a total sap. I’ve never been one to get overly emotional about anything but lately forget about it, I will see a sad or heartwarming commercial on tv and I’m toast. So with that you can imagine how overwhelming it was to have a month completely surrounded by love and family.

We kicked off the month with Ashley and our friend Jaye flying in from California. October 10th was our set baby shower(s) and of course it wouldn’t have been complete without sister Stew in town to celebrate. They flew in a few days early which was great since I was on fall break so we had plenty of time to relax and play tourist before the festivities of the baby shower weekend began! They also got to come with me to my specialist appointment to see Cash which was so special for me since up until then only Colt and I had been able to experience that.

Ashley meeting the baby bump for the first time

Playing tourist all over the island


By Thursday baby shower mode was in full effect. Anu and Ashley were working hard on putting together an amazing morning brunch of just close girlfriends while my family was working hard on our co-ed Baby Stew Brew BaBy-Q. I knew my mom, dad, sister, Mike, Deni, Amelia and Meghan were all flying in from Oahu for the fun and festivities but what I didn’t realize was that my best friend Kristen was planning the biggest surprise ever and flying in from Florida to be here. I knew she had been helping out a ton with the shower but we had talked about her coming and we decided that it was too much for her to come twice and that I really just needed her to be here to meet Cash after he was born. We were both (or so I thought) really sad and jammed up about it but little did I know she had been plotting and planning on being here for months and I had NO clue.

Thursday night my parents flew in and the next morning the rest of my Oahu family. We were was so excited to have my parents, sister, Mike, Deni, Amelia and Meg all here for the shower. They all got straight to work on Friday with shopping and crafting and baking and cooking while Colt and I had to go to work. Clueless I went to my afternoon shift feeling eager and anxious to get off so I could get back home to enjoy my weekend with my family! Little did I know that as I ended my first class I would look up to find Colt watching me with a girl standing beside him. At first I couldn’t register that it was Kristen standing in Maui at my school but then my brain caught up to my eyes and I lost it!! It was her!! Kristen was here in Maui! I couldn’t believe it as I ran over to give her the biggest hug, it was honestly a dream come true to have her here.

Kristen loving the baby bump for the first time

…and the fun never stopped

    

The weekend kicked off and both showers were absolutely without a doubt perfection. The love, hard work, time and attention to detail that went into both of them was felt on every single level. We couldn’t have asked for a more magically perfect day for our baby boy. We were surrounded by so much love near and far and we are so thankful to each and every one of you for loving us and Cash so much.

   

These two, hostess with the mostest. You girls really out did yourselves.

  

We absolutely loved all the video messages sent from all of our family members and friends, it truly meant the world to us to see and hear your voices on such a special day



 
  
    
  
Brunch was amazing and having all of my favorite girls in one place to celebrate Cash was so surreal. Thank you Anu for opening up your home and turning it into a baby shower wonderland, I’m so grateful for all the time and love that was put in to every single detail to make it so very special!

After the morning brunch we transitioned right over into BaBy-Q mode and got ready for our co-ed shower. My dad and sister and mom had spent all day Friday cooking and setting up and baking to get ready for the day. The boys woke up early to go set up the tent and tables and hold the area. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful set up. Every detail was exactly Colt & I’s style and it was just so amazing to be surrounded by all of our closest family and friends.

My mom made a clothesline of handmade onesies as a decoration and they were so awesome! Anu’s brother in law let us use his heavy duty tent set up which was a lifesaver with the wind!
  

Deni made us this awesome and crafty diaper cake it was so perfect and so special

Kristen got these awesome koozies made for party favors they were a huge hit

The day was filled with great food, yummy drinks, baby blue desserts, fun games and lots of laughs.

One of the best parts of the day was when my Mom busted out these bean bag sperms that she made for cornhole! They were so awesome!

We are so grateful to my Mom and Sister for all their hard work and planning. Also to my Dad, Mike, Mark, Sam, Joe, Meg, Kristen & Deni for all your help with set up and break down. And of course to Amelia for being the easiest & happiest baby in the world!

As the day came to an end we were blessed with a perfectly magical Maui sunset! It was a great ending to a beautiful day!


We honestly can’t say “thank you” enough. With both showers along with all the presents we are receiving in the mail daily we are officially ready to start checking a lot of items off our list and we couldn’t be more excited or grateful! Next up operation nursery but not before a few days of some much needed rest!

Baby Stew Monthly Recap

12 Saturday Sep 2015

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Month:

August 


Baby’s Size:

Weeks 20 – 23 

Banana, carrot, spaghetti squash, bunch of grapes 


I’m feeling:

Really pregnant! Weeks 20 through 23 have certainly been a transition. I can feel the shift in my body weight and balance and I’m having to be much more self aware and mindful of the things I do and how I move my body (bending over, lifting etc.,) 

Food I love:

My appetite has officially come full circle and I feel like most of my cravings have subsided. I’m also noticing that I tend to snack more now and eat smaller meals / portions. 

Food I hate:

Still never had any aversions regarding food. 


Pros of August: 

  • We hired a Doula and I am seriously so so so excited & ecstatic about her! Her name is Kris and she is just what I was looking for! She has 19 years of experience on Maui with both at home and hospital births. She is humble in her experience but very much knows her stuff. She is way more affordable then what I was thinking which was a huge factor since insurance does not cover the cost! We also just felt a really good connection with her which of course was most important. The other thing that I really loved about her was that she was all about Colt coaching me through the birth and her coaching Colt (which I absolutely love and I was so happy about because I wasn’t sure I would be able to sell Colt on the idea of hiring someone) She’s also 100% on board with what I want with my natural birth plan but she is also open minded if I do decide I want pain management. She is also willing to have unlimited meetings with us over these next 4 months to prepare us for labor and delivery as well as unlimited postpartum visits after the baby is here to ensure we are all transitioning into our new roles which is great because a lot of other doulas have a set number of visits!  I’m seriously so obsessed and I just really, really love the idea of her being on our team. We are so blessed! 
  • All of my tests came back normal for risks of abnormalities or defects. Thank you Jesus. 
  • Both of my cervix length tests were normal which means my body is doing exactly what it needs to do to make room for him to grow. 
  • Our appointment with our specialist was great and everything still looks normal and his growth is 100% on track. 
  • We started the nursery! Colt is seriously a Mr. Etsy / Pinterest next level dream boat. He is so creative and can turn any idea into a reality. He built this amazing bookshelf and redesigned the whole closet space. We also ordered two dressers and put those together! It’s coming along so nice and now that we have our vision we can’t wait for after our baby shower to finish it all up. 

   
    
    
   

  • I found out that the breast pump that I really wanted is 100% covered by my insurance and that all my doctor has to do is call it in so I can pick it up — stoked! 
  • We celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary at the Grand Wailea and I got my second prenatal massage while Colt got a deep tissue which was heavenly!!

   
    
    
    
    
    
 

Cons of August:

  • I pulled a muscle in my upper back / shoulder. It had me in so much pain for nearly a week. The day that it happened I honestly thought I was dying. I’ve never felt so much pain in one isolated area from a pull or strain. Of course there wasn’t anything I could do for it but rest (which hurt even more because laying down escalated the pain). Luckily (for me, not for her) my cousin Chrissie had a similar experience with pulling a muscle in her lower back during her second pregnancy and I remember her telling me about it. Knowing she had a similar experience really helped get me through the pain when all I could think about was how the pain was never going to stop, of course it eventually did. 
  • Because of my pulled muscle I really wasn’t able to work out as much as I have been which sucked. I had to take almost 2 weeks off from the gym to heal and rest which was hard for me because I’m really trying to stay as active and as healthy as possible. 
  • Even with 2 ultrasounds we were never able to get a really clear look or picture of baby boy. The first ultra sound the quality was just low and the second one with our specialist he was breech (whelp) and pushed up against my placenta so we only got a peak of the side of his face, which was still adorable of course! I’m really, really hoping that our next appointment in October will be better (especially since our sister Ashley will be here for it, ekkkkkk!!)

 

 

Currently living in: 

My Birthday suit this heat has just been too much so if I’m at home you guessed it I’m naked and tummy butter is the only thing you’ll see on me. 

Looking forward to: 

Finishing the nursery 

Dreaming about:

Having most of our family here for our baby shower in October! 

Milestone: 

We officially announced Baby Stews name (drumroll)….

Cash Olden Stewart 

We are so in love and we couldn’t have thought of a better way to have announced the news then while celebrating our 3 year wedding anniversary (6 years together) at the Grand Wailea — our most favorite place on earth!! 

 

The Halfway Point 

15 Saturday Aug 2015

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I can’t believe we are officially at the halfway point (20 weeks) into my pregnancy. Most days it literally still feels like I just got the news and I’m standing there in a haze of disbelief staring at those two pink lines, but then I look down at my belly and remember those days are long gone. 

  
The last 3 weeks have been pretty mellow in regards to pregnancy symptoms and changes. This second trimester has truly been a God-send and I still feel really really good most days. School has officially begun again here on Maui so my coaching schedule is getting busier and busier by the week. I am really excited to start my third year of coaching since I absolutely love my job but I also know how quickly the time is going to go now, game over!  

This past week has been a little tougher on me as I did catch a little something and I’m still not sure if it was bad allergies, a summer cold, the flu or just the stress of my schedule picking up but it had me down for the count. It’s honestly the worst that I’ve felt so far through this pregnancy process (which I know is a blessing in itself) but I’m also so glad that I’m back on the up and up and feeling better, thank goodness! 

August so far has been fun because we hit the jack pot of ultrasound appointments. We will have 4 by the time the month is over which means so many Baby Stew viewings! We had our “gender” ultra sound on August 4th which revealed that baby Stew is indeed a BOY! Haha, we got lucky that we got to find out earlier with the specialist but it was also such a nice relief to hear yet again that he is indeed a boy, happy danceeeeee! 

  

  
The following day August 5th I had my 19 week check up with my doctor. She confirmed (again) that baby was a boy and that all of our tests for abnormalities, down syndrome etc, had come back normal thank you Jesus! I also had a cervix test to measure the length of my cervix to septum and it was normal length which means my cervix is stretching with baby and making room for him to grow, which is the best case scenario. I have another cervix length test scheduled for next week and then I see my specialist again on the 25th to check that growth is still on track! So far all is checking out, and my pregnancy is still considered “normal” which we are feeling very blessed about. 

As the days continue to go by I’m feeling more and more connected to the process and I’m loving it more and more. I can feel baby boy moving pretty consistently now and it’s the most amazing and reassuring feeling in the world. The movements are still pretty light but Colt was able to feel his first official movement the other night before bed which was amazing. It was so awesome to see his face light up as he said “Jenn I swear I just felt it, was that it..” — indeed it was (happy heart) 

With the halfway point here and gone and the clock officially ticking we both have ourselves pretty emerged in the world of baby, parenting and birthing books. I love that we are slowly growing into “informed baby people” together one chapter, opinion and conversation at a time. I just know we are going to make a great team at this labor, birth and parenting thing!  

 

This week we have also officially launched the start to our baby registry which has been equally as fun as it has been overwhelming! I have also started my research on doulas! We are hoping we can start interviewing with a few soon so I can get my birth plan working. With that being said if anyone has any great advice or insight on doulas here on Maui please pass it along my way. 

With summer coming to an end (theoretically) the countdown is officially on and I can feel the list of “to do’s” piling up as I type. So much to do, so little time yet my main goal is to relax and enjoy the ride so with that I am off to yoga! 

Until next time…

We survived our first (and hopefully our only) visit to the ER! 

13 Monday Jul 2015

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We had our first official Baby scare last Sunday July 5th.

I woke up and like every other morning lately my allergies were already flaring out of control. I rolled over and sneezed and as I did the muscles in my stomach got really tight and painful. I laid there in pain for a few minutes and then the pain gradually lessened. I got up and went to the bathroom, I could still feel the pain but I figured I must have just pulled a muscle.

We had breakfast plans at Anu & Joe’s so I took a shower and got ready to go. We got to breakfast around 8 and Anu had a wonderful spread of strawberry and banana crepes. They were delicious and even though I was still in some pain and having discomfort I was able to eat. I was hoping eating would help but unfortunately it seemed to make it worse. I started thinking maybe I just had some really bad indigestion and that going to the bathroom would help — it didn’t!

We got home around 10 and I figured a nap might just do the trick! So I went and got all cozy in my pillow and passed out. I woke up around noon and the pain was gone. I was so happy and relieved until I got up to go pee. 

As soon as I went to the bathroom a huge amount of pain and pressure instantly washed over me but this time it was much stronger then before. I called for Colt who told me to call the doctors office.

Of course it being a Sunday my primary doctors office was closed but luckily I was able to get in touch with the on call nurse. I explained my situation from what had happened in the morning until now and she pretty much immediately suggested that I go to the ER and get checked. Her main points were one being the obvious that I was 15 weeks pregnant but also that since it was pain on my right side it could be anything from my appendix to gallstones to kidney stones. I hung up terrified and told Colt to get ready that we were going in.

The ride to the ER was the absolute worst not only because I was in a great deal of pain but also because at that point I was scared out of my mind. It was probably the most scared and out of control I’ve ever felt in my life. I just sat there crying and breathing and praying that the baby was going to be ok. 

We got to the hospital and of course it was packed. Not only was it the day after the 4th of July (I swear there was at least 5 people waiting with broken arms) but it was also a Sunday. I took a deep breath and prepared for the wait, I knew it was going to be a long one. As we waited to be called the pain was pretty constant between about a 4 to an 8 with the worst of it coming every time I would pee. 

After what seemed like forever (2+ hours) they finally called my name. We got in the room and went over everything with the nurse. She took my vitals and said the doctor would be in. At this point my pain had lessened and for that I was grateful. The doctor came in and ordered blood work, an IV hook up (just in case) and an ultra sound. 

They took me to the ultra sound area and wheeled me in. Unfortunately they wouldn’t allow Colt to come in the room with me. I was so anxious and panicked and just wanted to hear that the baby was ok. Whatever else it was with me could wait. 

The tech was an older lady. She was nice enough but still rough around the edges. She didn’t say much besides the usual small talk, “how many weeks was I,” “where was the pain,” “when did it start,” “any history of stones or appendicitis” I lay there still as she started and waited for her to confirm something, anything…what did she see. 

After looking for at least 15 minutes and not saying a word I was in a full blown panic attack so I finally asked if my baby was ok, she replied “she hadn’t even gotten there yet” she was making sure my appendix wasn’t going to burst. I took a deep breath as the tears started to flow pretty uncontrollably and my anxiety hit an all time high — I just kept thinking please, please dear God please tell me that my baby is ok, please!!! My baby HAS to be ok. Nothing…

As I lay there waiting I hit my point where I knew I just couldn’t take even one more half a second without knowing, I was losing my mind and I knew I was about to pull a Vovo Manny (my very Portuguese grandfather) on this lady when suddenly there it was the most magical sound in the whole entire world, our babies heart beat — everything else fades away. 

She continued on for awhile without saying much. The whole ultra sound took over an hour. An hour doesn’t seem very long until your in pain and having extreme anxiety in which case it feels like 10 years. She eventually told me that the culprit of my pain was an enlarged ovary. She said it looked like it might also have some fluid around it which would have been consistant with a ruptured cyst which would explain the escalated pain. My appendix, kidneys and gallbladder all looked normal. She also said that the enlargement of the ovary, the pain etc., did not have any affect on the baby (thank you Lord) and then she flipped the screen and there it was my baby with big eye sockets, right there in front of me! 

Baby Stew was moving around like crazy showing off all kinds of new moves! I could see that the spine had developed as well as full eye sockets, arms and legs. She also showed me that Baby Stew had 5 fingers on each hand! I could not believe how clear the scan was and that I could actually see the tiniest, cutest and littlest thumbs ever! 

After letting me gawk and giggle for a bit she finally wheeled me out of the room where I was reunited with Colt, who at this point looked way worse than me. Poor guy had been sitting outside the ultra sound room just waiting to hear if we were ok — we were. I slowly watched as the blood come back into his face. 

Once the scans were read the doctor felt comfortable that the enlarged ovary was indeed the cause of the pain and he requested that I follow up with my doctor on Monday. We left the hospital exhausted but happy. Our baby was going to be ok! 

I followed up with my doctors office the following day but since I wasn’t in any more pain and I already had a scheduled appointment on Wednesday they said we could just go over everything then. 

Wednesday came and went and the appointment went well. It was another routine check up with no ultra sound (boooooo). She did order a blood test for my quad screening though to check for Down syndrome along with all other chromosomal abnormalities and neural tube defects like spina bifida. We also went over my ultra sound results from Sunday. She said she agreed with the fact that my ovary was enlarged but she thought the pain was most likely being caused by round ligament pain which is common in the second trimester especially in active pregnant woman rather than a cyst. She said either way she was just happy that the pain was gone, the baby was ok and that I had went in to the ER because it’s always better to be safe.

My next appointment is tomorrow the 14th with the specialist. I’m looking forward to finally getting some information and answers on the septum and condition. I just want to know every second of every day that our baby is ok. I never thought it would be possible to be so in love with someone that you’ve never even met! Or that it was possible to feel so happy and excited and scared and terrified all at the same time every single day for that person. We love you so much Baby Stew and we are so blessed to be your mommy and daddy! 

Until next time…  

July 4th beach bumming with the fam

  

Baby Stew Monthly Recap

11 Saturday Jul 2015

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Month:

June 

Baby Size: 

Weeks 11 – 14 

Brussel Sprout, Passion Fruit , Lemon, Beet 

I’m Feeling:

Overly excited and ridiculously happy 

 Food I love:

  • Watermelon 
  • Salad 
  • Cucumbers with apple cider vinegar and salt 
  • Red Meat 
  • Wendy’s junior bacon cheese burger with honey mustard 

Food I hate: 

Still no food aversions but I also haven’t been into sweets like cookies, brownies or ice cream 

Strong smells also still get me pretty gaggy! 

3 Pro’s of June:

  1. My energy is back to normal and most days I feel really really good! I love that I’m able to workout and that I found a good prenatal yoga class 
  2. I got to celebrate my first birthday pregnant – hello 31
  3. My friend Deni had her baby! Welcome to the world baby Amelia! 

3 Con’s of June:

  1. No ultra sounds so we didn’t get to see, peek in on or check up on Baby Stew 
  2. My allergies are out of control with minimal to no relief 
  3. Migraine number 2 

Currently living in:

Bikinis, Sports bras, Yoga pants, Sundresses  

Looking forward to:

My doctors appointment on the 8th of July 

Dreaming about:

Nursery designs and Baby Shopping 

Milestone:

The “bump-a-lution” 

Baby Stew is Growing! 

 

Week 11

  

Week 12

  

Week 13

  

Week 14

 

Last day of June

 
  

 

A Whole New World 

21 Thursday May 2015

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Finding out your pregnant, having your doctor confirm it and then hearing your babies first heartbeat has got to be one of the most exciting and scariest times in any woman’s life regardless if you “planned” it or not! With emotions (and hormones) running high all you can think is “this is it, ready or not here we go.”

Now before I go on, here is the part in my blog where I am going to give you an “out” on top of a disclaimer. This is your chance to read along on my journey or decide to sign off. With that being said if you don’t want to hear the good, the bad, the gross, the scary and everything else in between please discontinue reading.

Over the next 9 months I intend to document my pregnancy journey in all its raw and natural glory. I want to be able to come back here months or years from now and see how far we’ve come and how much changed from week to week and month to month. I also want our child to someday be able to come here and have an unedited look at his or her early life as it unfolded during these very special first 9 months.

Alright so if you’re still here welcome! I’m excited to have you along and I truly appreciate your love and support along this incredible, life changing journey!

My first nine weeks of pregnancy have been pretty “mild” in regards to the pregnancy scale. I ride the nausea train pretty much from morning to night with little relief however I have yet to throw up (not even once) which I hear is pretty incredible since I know a lot of woman are stuck in the bathroom for the first 3 months. For this I am grateful and it makes the nausea more manageable. I like to believe that baby Stew knows that my job and life require me to be active and that he or she is having some mercy on me while I adjust to my new state of self.

Some other noticeable changes so far have been exhaustion and I don’t mean the every day I’m so tired, so sleepy kind. I mean full on body-aching, can’t keep my eyes open, get me to the closest thing that looks like a bed right now. The only thing I can relate it to is when you are a kid in the summer and you come in after a long day at the beach and playing outside and you fall asleep in your dinner because your just done. Lights out.

Only most days I don’t even make it to dinner I’m typically napping by noon on my lunch break for at least 30 minutes if not 45 if I can sneak it in. The naps help and I do usually get a second wind but only until about 7:30 and then I’m passing out again trying like hell to stay awake until at least 8 (not going to happen).

On top of the nausea and exhaustion my boobs have officially turned into monster A and monster B. I always wanted to know how I would look with a boob job so if you’ve ever been curious just take a look at me now!

Whew, weeeee the growth on top of the soreness is enough for an entire blog post but I’ll spare you all those details for now and just say ouchy, they really hurt!

I can honestly say those are my three biggest symptoms so far. I also get extremely fatigue when I need to eat which causes me to have super, super low energy which is really hard for me since I’m usually going at about 200 mph. My stomach has also been an up and down roller-coaster but in all fairness that’s pretty much normal for me and I can’t blame it entirely on the pregnancy although I’m sure it does escalate it to some extent. I also pee at least 20 times a day and at least two to three times a night.

Other then those “normal” pregnancy symptoms and the fact that I just feel pregnant all the time the only thing that has been “abnormal” is a black spot that showed up on my uterus during my first ultra sound at 8 weeks. My doctor couldn’t get a good read on it so she’s sending me to an ultra sound doctor to get a better look at it. It’s a little nerve-wracking but at this point in my pregnancy what isn’t? We are just hoping and praying for the best.

Until next time… 


I forgot to post this picture on my last post so I’m posting it now. My first Mothers Day on Sunday May 10, 2015. Colt made my day so relaxing & special! 

We can’t wait to find out who you are Baby Stew. We love you SO much already. 

(p.s. – my boobs have doubled in size since this picture which was taken at 7 weeks and 2 days – ha!)