Tag: pregnant

  • Back Like I Never Left, Meet My Son

    Back Like I Never Left, Meet My Son

    If you haven’t noticed, Ive been on a hiatus for a lil’ bit over a month now.  I’ve missed keeping you all posted so much.  I hope that you have missed reading Fashion Not Fear as much as I’ve missed writing it.

    Now, that Ive gotten that out of the way.  Let’s get to the reason why I’ve been missing in action.  Well, because I had my baby boy!!!!  He was born about one month ago.  And it has been the best time of my life!!  

    Although…it started out as the scariest time of my life.

    You see, I had a c-section scheduled because he was breech.  So, I felt comfort in knowing the day and approximate time that he’s supposed to be born.  Per my doctors request, I went to the hospital about 1 week before the scheduled date to take a COVID-19 test.  Then left, with a long list in my head off all of the things I had to do before he was born.  

    Unfortunately, that list didn’t last long.

    Two days after taking the test, I’m laying in the bed with my fiancé and my water broke.  It literally woke me out of my sleep.  “My water broke!”   I tell him.  He jumps out of bed, completely disregards the hospital bag we already packed, and starts running around the room.  While I’m standing in the hallway, leaking, he’s looking of clothes, shoes, calling my Mom…this is the first time I’ve seen him shook.  But it won’t be the last time.  

    We finally make it to the hospital sans pants.  Yep, I rode all the way to the hospital wearing only a t-shirt while sitting on a towel.  So I found myself trying to put on a pair of my fiancé sweatpants quickly before the nurse that was bringing out a wheelchair made it to the car.  Not to mention that my mom, nephew, brother, and sister-in-law beat us to the hospital.  So,  they were there with their cameras out as we pulled up.  They were not allowed inside due to COVID-19 so that was the most they could be involved.    

    After that, things happened so fast or so it seemed.

    I was so anxious about the pain to come.  Thankfully, I didn’t feel any contractions.  The nurses told me that I was having some but I didn’t feel a thing.  A couple of hours after we arrived, my doctor came in the room, gave me an exam and said, “Okay, we are going to get you ready for a c-section.”

    Heading to get a c-section

    They walk me into the operating room for an epidural.  The last thing I remember before the baby arrived was holding my fiance hand asking, “Am I holding onto your hand too tight?”  The next thing I know,  I wake up with the baby laying in a bassinet beside me while my fiancé was sleeping on the couch.  Once he woke up he gave me all of the ghory details about my surgery and what he saw.  He was shook.  Yet again.  

    Im not gonna lie, healing through a c-section has been hard.  Simple things like getting up from a chair and picking up the baby has been difficult because Im so independent.  But my fiancé has been amazing and very patient.  My mother has been a great help, too.

    We are just so grateful that he’s here.  The pain from surgery, sleepless nights, trying to decode his crying spells, constantly wondering if he’s okay, figuring out breastfeeding…its all worth it!  None of it matters when I look at him.  I just want to love on him all day.   He really is the best thing I’ve ever made!

    So, today starts my first day back from maternity leave.  Im back to creating content, sewing, building up Blue Labels Boutique and my fashion brand.  All of that while being a top notch mother to my son.  I know it won’t be easy but nothing ever is and I love a challenge.

    Now, without further ado…meet my son, Aayan.

    Aayan baby pic
    4 Days Old!

    Any tips on balancing it all?  Let me know in the comments…

    Stay Fearless 💋  

  • 4 Things I’ve Learned About Myself Since Finding Out I Was Pregnant

    4 Things I’ve Learned About Myself Since Finding Out I Was Pregnant

    At this exact moment, I am 27 weeks and 5 days pregnant.  Before getting pregnant, I had so many ideas of what it would be like.  Unfortunately, none of them were really positive.      I’ve gone through pregnancy with some of my cousins and sister in law.  For some reason, I thought I knew what it would it be like based on their experiences.

    I thought I would just walk around for 9 months being fat, grouchy while eating everything.  I couldn’t drink or do anything I was used to doing.  In addition to the fact that I would be tired all of the time.  It seemed like much fun.  Boy was I wrong!

    Here are 4 things I’ve learned about myself since I got a plus sign on the pregnancy test.

    pregnant belly
    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    1. Having a big belly isn’t that bad.  Before getting pregnant, I was a health maniac.  I spent 5 or 6 days in the gym for at least an hour working with weights and cardio.  I didn’t eat anything fried and you couldn’t pay me one million dollars to drink something that had calories (unless it was going to get me intoxicated.). But since getting pregnant I’ve learned to embrace my weight gain and new belly.  Yes please to the French fries and fried fish.  I love catching my side profile of my big round belly in the mirror.  I always stop, rub it, talk to him, and smile.  I’ve never been happier to gain weight in my life.

    pouring wine
    Photo by Posawee Suwannaphati on Pexels.com

    2. I’m not as addicted to wine as I thought I was.  Prior to getting pregnant, I made it my business to keep at least one bottle of wine on my bar cart.  Having at least a glass a day was kind of part of my ritual.  I had this idea that it was necessary for me to drink wine while I cooked, while sewing, or on the days that my fiancé and I made it a Netflix night.  It didn’t really matter the occasion to be quite honest.  I had every excuse in the book to enjoy a glass a day.  Now, that I can’t have it, I don’t miss it.  After finding out I was pregnant, it was one of the first things I thought I would miss the most.  But during the time I’ve been pregnant, I have been in lots of different scenarios where everyone is drinking.  Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years; to name a few.  You better believe that everyone around me was drinking.  I’ll admit, I was worried that I was gonna miss it but I didn’t.  I enjoyed myself just as much as I do any other time.  Plus, it really gave me a chance to sit back and recognize some things that were going on around me.  Things that I would have never noticed had I been drinking.  Being sober when everyone else isn’t has been very, very eye-opening.

    picking yellow flowers
    Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

    3. He loves me, he really loves me.  I grew up not knowing a damn thing about my Dad.  All I knew about him is what he looked like and that he was a liar.  (He proved himself to be that when I got a bit older, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.)  But being raised by a single mom put a fear in me that was always there and grew even more as I got older.  The fear was that I would tell my fiancé that I was pregnant and he would suddenly fall out of love with me and leave.  He never gave me any indication of that.  My fear was so strong that I actually prepared myself for it when I told him that I was pregnant.  But when I received a completely opposite response I was floored.  Completely shocked and felt unbelievably loved.  I mean, I’ve always felt loved, cherished, and respected by him.  But being pregnant has shown me just how much he really and truly loves me.  It has also helped me to accept that fact that I actually deserved the love he was giving me.  I really thought that my issues of being left by my birth father were behind me.  It really kind of surprised me how it came back after finding out that I was pregnant.  But to see that the father of my baby is completely opposite of how my dad was.  To see how protective he is of his son who hasn’t even gotten here yet fills my heart in a whole ‘other way.  He has no idea how much he helped me through my daddy issues.  I’m truly grateful.

    pregnant belly
    Photo by Kei Scampa on Pexels.com

    4. I have more patience than I realized.  Anyone who knows me, knows just how impatient I really am.  I don’t like waiting for people.  I like an immediate response when I ask questions.  I get anxious when planning things far out because I don’t like waiting to see how things go.   It’s bad.  But….pregnancy has taught me patience.  I couldn’t do anything about the throwing up I was happening every morning while brushing my teeth in the first trimester.  The heartburn that shows up in the middle of the night is just something that I have to go though.  Plus, there is no way to rush these 9 months.  I can only sit back and enjoy it.  And I’ve grown to be to be perfectly okay with it.

    Tomorrow is the first month in my final trimester.  And I can’t even explain to you how excited and emotional I am to meet my son.  It’s so bad that I spend time in the shower talking to him and crying.  This has truly been the most exciting time of my life.  Feels like I just got the best job I’ve ever has.  Being a mom.  Can’t wait to introduce him to you!

    What about you?  Learn anything while you were pregnant?  What was your experience like?  Please share with me in the comments…

    Stay Fearless 💋