Almost 36 weeks ... rant

36 weeks tomorrow! One week away from what the books call full term and four weeks from my due date. Wowwwww. I can't believe she's almost here!

I love being pregnant, but I really miss my pre-pregnancy jeans. My old faithfuls, that's what I call them. I buy jeans rarely, so I spend a lot of money on them when I do. I have a weird torso, so I almost have to spare the extra cash for them. My favorite pair have been worn for two years and I'm not giving them up without a fight (thus the reason I wore them with a BeBand until about 25 weeks). So, the other day I just needed to put them on. My rear end and hips have acquired a little extra weight, so they don't look as good on me as they once did. Buuuut boy did it feel good. My maternity jeans are baggy on me and make me look like my butt is even bigger than it already is. & I am totally sick of my maternity shorts; I've been living in those. I just needed to lust after the good ole jeans. Thankfully other than obviously not buttoning, they fit pretty well. I can't wait until I can start wearing them again (the BeBand is for post pregnancy too and don't think I'm above wearing it during my transitional phase!). Or any of my pre-pregnancy clothes. I mean, I've been blessed with some really cute and affordable maternity clothes (because most cost an arm and a leg!). Buuut, I miss that end of my closet. :(

Little rant: I think that weight gain reccomendations should remain as what they're called - reccomendations! I understand for my pre-pregnancy weight, it was best that I only gain 25-35 pounds. My doctor specifically told me he only wanted me gaining 25! I also read I was supposed to gain a certain amount a week. There are actually websites that have weight gain down to a science, measuring how much we're supposed to gain down to the ounces! Once I became pregnant, I continued to eat as I did before pregnancy: I ate when I was hungry, which wasn't a lot of food! I was eating healthier, but other than that nothing changed. I didn't begin gaining weight until I was well into my second trimester and instead of the one pound a week the websites had predicted, I was gaining two! I thought something was seriously wrong with me, but I knew I wasn't over-indulging or anything of the sort. I exercised as much as I could, I was eating healthier than I ever had in my life, and I felt great! However, I felt so guilty and fat, because at the rate I was going, I was going to be going over the reccomendation my doctor gave me. I felt like a failure! Now that I am up 30 pounds at 36 weeks (which I realize is good, but my doctor wont be happy about it), I realize that my body is going to do what it feels like. I have read so many other experiences of women who are just like me and our stories are all the same. The reccomendations are great to give us goals and for us to keep in mind that we DO need to take care of ourselves during pregnancy. However, we shouldn't stress over being the exact number, because it's a waste of energy. I have spent so much energy during my pregnancy fretting over this and I wish I would have realized this sooner! My best advice for any newly pregnant woman is to eat healthy, stay in shape, take care of yourself, and allow your body to do what it will! (& Don't be afraid to indulge a little sometimes without feeling guilty!)

And for the record, I feel a million times better than I did before I got pregnant. I eat much better, I exercise more, and I don't let myself get dehydrated ever! So ... props to being healthy and feeling good! :) 

Pregnant girl rant over. :)