I haven’t been blogging much lately. Things have been so busy at work that I’m typically pretty tired by the time I get home and ready to eat dinner, watch a couple of shows and go to bed. I love being busy at work though, so no complaints here. Even though I have four months left at work, I feel like I’m trying to get as much done as possible before I leave for 12 weeks, so that may be a part of it too.
UPDATE: I had a few ladies ask in the comments what I do with my hair on days I don’t wash it. When I shower, I wrap my hair in a towel, turban-style, so that I avoid getting it wet in the shower and also because the cotton is breathable whereas a plastic shower cap is not, and can cause frizz. I take pretty short showers (a few minutes) just to wash my body, so this trick works perfectly for me.
The other thing I was asked about was what I do with my hair when I sleep. I use a clip to secure it into a big ballerina bun on top of my head. I make it loose so it’s comfortable. I find that wearing your hair high on your head as you sleeps helps keep volume intact. I actually used to sleep with it down, but I noticed when I clipped it up my style seemed to remain intact better and it was more comfortable overall.
How far along? 22 weeks (I do these a week behind as a recap of the previous week, so I’m actually 23 weeks today.)
Total weight gain/loss: About 5 lbs so far. I will find out my total weight gain so far at my 24 week appointment.
Maternity clothes? I’m still wearing maternity pants and my regular clothes. Now that it’s warming up, I can’t wait to start wearing dresses and skirts again. I have been avoiding them for the last couple of months because I hate wearing tights now. Even the non-control top ones feel uncomfortable after a couple of hours. Once I can go bare-legged, I’m breaking out the dresses and skirts again (whichever ones still fit, that is, haha).
Stretch marks? I’m continuing to use Belli’s Elasticity Belly Oil, Mamma Mio Tummy Rub and Mustela double-action stretch mark cream in rotation, at night only.
Symptoms: I felt good this week. A little tired, but overall I’m feeling good.
Sleep: Still using my Snoogle and have been sleeping pretty well this week, save a few nights.
Best moment this week: Getting our first baby furniture delivery. Our dresser arrived and we are so happy with it! I can’t wait to order the rest of room’s furniture and accessories and start putting it all together.
Have you told family and friends: Yes!
Miss Anything? Not having to pee all the time.
Movement: Still feeling movement daily—I always notice she kicks around the same times everyday.
Food cravings: Ice cream, butterfingers (and butterfingers mixed into ice cream)…mmmmmmm…….
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really.
Have you started to show yet: Definitely! I haven’t noticed a lot of change in my belly size this week though.
Baby is a: Girl!
Belly Button in or out? Still in.
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy—though still the occasional cranky morning.
Looking forward to: Hitting the 24-week mark and painting the nursery (we are going to tape it off this weekend!)
Thank you for reading and for all of my pregnant readers, please feel free to check in below as well and let me know how your pregnancy is going 🙂 I also welcome everyone’s advice and comments about pregnancy!
pretty little things says
love your hair routine — this is something that I should really set for myself to streamline my mornings and save myself time! thanks for sharing this! xo
https://allthingsprettyandlittle.blogspot.com/
Jen says
Thanks for sharing! When you say you "trained" your hair to not be so oily – can you elaborate more on that or point me to an old post? My hair gets really oily if I don't wash it every day and if I could avoid that I would love to. I have a two year old and a six month old, so less hair routine would be really great! I try to let my girls sleep as long as possible in the mornings and I get ready while they sleep. That also means I'm up at 5:45, but its the only quiet I have in my day.
Shadowy Lady says
Hi Veronica! Like you, I've been washing my hair about 2 times a week for years now. I used to spend more time styling it though…Now, I have a 5 months old 😀 So what I do is I french braid my hair the day I wash it so it gets wavier (my hair is fine but has waves to it). Then the next day, I wear it down. Third day I tease the top and either do a high pony or a side bun style. Then the 3rd day I wash and repeat step one….I alternate the styles of bus and poneys though…
You look awesome! Hope all is going well 🙂 I was so looking forward to mat leave near the end; even though I loved my challenging and rewarding job. We get a year mat leave here in Canada though so I'm very lucky that way.
[email protected] says
The link to the other post is already in this post 🙂
Cate O says
I'm 27 weeks pregnant and jealous of how well you've retained your pre-baby shape. I didn't wear dresses much during my first pregnancy but since discovering these tights, I've been finding dresses much more comfortable this time around:
https://www.amazon.com/ASSETS-Blakely-Marvelous-Terrific-Tights/dp/B002XKHMHO
KellyMarie says
Your belly is so cute!
I wish I could go for that long in-between washes. I can barely go every other day as it is!
Pamela says
I am so jealous of your hair – I want to train my hair that way – I wash it every other day and it was still a struggle to do that. I also sweat so much when I workout and sometimes I feel like it is gross to go through 2 sweaty workouts and not wash my hair but I know that I need to train it that way. I use oscar blandi dry shampoo and it is awesome. What texture cream do you use? I am trying to apply less heat to my hair and maybe that will help with overnight heatless curls. Thanks! 🙂
– Pam
https://yesitiskevin.blogspot.com/
Steph Sterjovski says
The cutest bump V!! & love your hair 🙂
natasha {schue love} says
I can't wait to see how the nursery turns out! And I want your hair…it's gorgeous!
Kelly says
Such a silly question but how do you keep your hair dry in the shower? My hair is curly and frizzy plus I now have to deal with the baby hairs all around the scalp after having my son (postpartum hair is a whole new ball game). Anyways no matter what I always get parts of my hair wet even when using a shower cap so I was wondering if you have any tips. Thanks!
[email protected] says
@kelly—when I shower just to wash my body (on days I don't wash my hair), I wrap my hair in a towel, turban-style while I shower. That way no water gets on my hair and the cotton towel is breatheable. I take pretty fast showers. I wash my face in the sink afterwards so that I don't get my hair wet in the shower.
Beautygirl24 says
I've always admired your hair V! I can't believe how low maintainence for you it is too. It always looks like you got it professionally done! What curling iron do you use again? I don't even own one anymore, and I need a tip 😉 Brand and size would be super helpful!
[email protected] says
@beautygirl—I use a Hot Tools 1 1/2 inch curling iron. Absolutely love that brand—it actually cuts down on time too because you can adjust the heat setting on it, thus you don't have to hold it on your hair as long like some of the cheaper curling irons. I used to have a Conair one and I had to hold it on one section forever for it to hold the curl and the curl would still fall out. With this one, it's quick and the curls last for days (sometimes with a little retouching, but overall hair maintains a nice shape even after being brushed out).
Mollyk says
We must have the same exact type of hair! Because your routine is almost the same as mine. I wish I could get outta the shower and just go but my hair is thick and wavy so something has to be done to it. Ahhh the things you go through for good hair! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
[email protected] says
@Pamela—I like Bumble and Bumble texture cream and also Johnathan "dirt" texture cream. Both give good results. I have a video on my YouTube channel that shows how I apply the bumble and bumble product to revive my curls.
Rebecca says
I love your hair! I wash my hair every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and like you, I thought I would have to start doing a night routine when I went back to work. Luckily, my daughter began sleeping through the night at just under 3 months so the morning routine still works best since she's still sleeping. 🙂 I also agree with you that a professional hairdryer will save lots of time!
Meg O. says
Love love love your hair. I wish my hair was more resilient to holding style and texture. I wash every 2-3 days (less in the winter). I do it at night. I'll blowdry and set at night to cut down on ready time in the morning. Since Kennedy goes down around 7, it's better to do as much "me stuff" and prep work for the next day in the evenings! Love the belly too!
Mrs. E says
It's so cool to have one of my fav bloggers going through pregnancy "with" me. I'm 25 weeks today!
Our hair routine is very similar, except I don't always go that fourth day (it really depends how it looks). Some days on the wash day if I'm just around the house (I'm a SAHW about to be mom) I'll half blowdry it, and put it in a top knot braid while I clean etc instead of fully styling it.
Thanks for the update =]
Nessa @ Isle Style Living says
6-7 minutes to curl your hair?!
I wish! I have so much hair it takes me at least twice as long. Which is probably why I don't do it very often.
Like a previous commentor said- post partum hair is a different ball game for me! I have what they call a "Mom Halo" where the hair around my face fell out after birth and is now growing back. So I have about 2-inch layers framing my entire face. AWESOME.
I think I may have to pick up Velcro rollers this weekend- I'm assuming you use the large size? I hope your technique works with my unruly mane! Thanks for sharing =)
Keli says
What brands of dry shampoo do you like? Thanks!!
Di says
I probably wash my hair three times a week. Every other day during the week and then on the weekends I just use dry shampoo and am out the door with the kiddo. I tried to go longer between washes but my hair just felt greasy by the end of day three and the buildup of oil would make me breakout.
Keli says
What brands of dry shampoo do you like? Thanks!
TinaV says
I had a serious problem washing my hair daily, awful right? It would just feel sooo greasy I couldn't stand it! Happy to say, I have been using your hair routine for the past few months. I am on day 3 hair today without problems. I think investing in a new blow dryer will save me even more time.
On a side note, It's too bad you only have 12 weeks off work. I can't imagine going back to work that quickly. I am in Canada, new mothers can take between 17-52 weeks off, depending on hours worked etc. Every mother should have the same options.
Amber says
I've started showering and styling my hair at night when my husband is with the baby, things in the morning can be hectic (I'm working from home which helps but when I do have a morning meeting it takes about an extra hour to leave the house).
Elizabeth Martin says
I think the morning routine will depend on baby's schedule when you go back to work. My schedule now with Jett (he is now 2) is different from when I went back to work when he was 12 weeks old. Typically in the morning when he was very young. I would nurse him about 7 am. Then I would pass him off to DH because his work schedule is flexible so he takes care of taking him to day care as well. It was an adjustment at first because we did not have a routine like that. Now it just like clock work. After I stopped nursing in the morning I would give him a bottle, which bought me some time on getting ready. I showered the night before and got everything ready the night before. because you never know what the morning brings. Good Luck with everything. It is a fun adjustment. 🙂
SD Tank says
How tall are you if you don't mind me asking?
Your tops always seem to be the perfect length and you look pretty tall. I am 5'9 and struggle to find shirts that are long enough!
beautyandadreamer says
Hi Veronika, really enjoying your updates 🙂 Do you still use the prime style extender by living proof? I got it after reading your review and some others but it doesn't seem to be working 🙁 Theres no real indication on the packaging of how much of the product you should actually use – I have about the same hair length as you, maybe a little shorter, so wondered if you could shed some light? Thanks 😉
NicoleNoelle says
Hey V! Your hair is gorgeous and your bump is seriously adorable. Love the pics!
https://nninwonderland.blogspot.com/
[email protected] says
@keli- I like suave and serge normant—both are reviewed on my blog if you check the search tool 🙂
@Tina V- yes, I am Canadian and familiar with the policies there but now that I live in the US that's just not how it works here. People don't pay into the system to have that kind of leaves and I am not sure it would work for a population as large as ours. I would LOVE to have a year off, but for most mothers here, it's just not a possibility.
@SD Tank- I am 5'10
@beautydaydreamer- I used quite a generous amount, probably larger than quarter size. I apply it first, before any other product and before blowdrying.
CarolynG675 says
What shampoo and conditioner do you use? I think that makes a difference (in grease factor) and am looking for a new one. We seem to have similar hair types. Thank you!
Amanda says
Your baby bump is so adorable and I absolutely love your hair! I really want to try out your hair routine because as much as I LOVE having beautiful hair, I hate spending time on it! I don't have a baby, but with work, gym and Uni… there just isn't enough time in a day for all this! I'm so curious as to how you manage to workout and still go four days without washing your hair? Man I'd be a happy camper if I could ditch doing my hair every day/every second day!
Andrea Clare says
your bump is SO cute!! I didn't realize you were planning to take only 12 weeks off work…will your hubby take time off as well?
the hair jealousy continues…its gorgeous in that first picture! wouldnt it be nice if we could wake up with hair like that? haha
-Andrea
http://www.andrea-clare.blogspot.com
Amanda says
I love that striped cardigan you're wearing in the last picture! Where is it from?
[email protected] says
@andrea– we don't get maternity leave in the US—so only 12 weeks is actually the standard FMLA. Some people only get 6 or 8 weeks, that's just how it is here, sadly. My husband will take some time off after I go back.
@amanda2- it's from Banana Republic a few months ago
@amanda1- well, I don't work out anymore, but when I was working out, I never sweated a ton in my hair/hairline. I would get home after my workout and use a hairdryer on the cool setting to dry my roots, if needed, and use baby powder or dry shampoo. If you sweat a ton in your hair during a workout, you have to wash more often, unfortunately. Even when I was working out a lot though, I still only washed twice a week and didn't notice a huge difference in what my hair looked like.
[email protected] says
@carolyn— try a volumizing formula like Alterna bamboo volume. Right now I am using Ojon damage therapy and I love it. For conditioner–it doesn't matter what you use—just ONLY apply it to your ends, never ever on the roots of your hair.
Diana says
I have to say, I never had to shorten my morning routine after my son was born. I would put him in the baby bouncer (we had the Bright Starts Automatic bouncer – a must have. Really. It is the only way I could get things done!) on the bathroom floor while I showered and the bouncing and sound of the shower would lull him to sleep so I never needed to rush through my shower for a crying baby. He would stay in there and sleep and I was always able to get my hair and makeup done same as before I had him. Even the hair dryer would keep him asleep! Now at 9.5 months he is content sitting in his playpen while I shower or dry my hair. Sometimes I do my makeup downstairs while he jumps around in his entertainer or plays with toys in his playroom. Maybe I just have a very easygoing baby because having a baby has never interfered with my usual getting ready routine. Hope you are able to have the same luck with your baby girl!
Mary-Irene says
Thanks for sharing your hair routine with us again. One thing I wish you had addressed was whether you did anything special at night for sleeping so it stays manageable in the morning. Also, for the mornings that you don't wash your hair, do you put it up in the shower and use a shower cap, or let some of it get wet and then dry and restyle those pieces? I find that to be the biggest dilemma for me in this process of not washing every day. Sometimes it looks better before I get in the shower, and then I seem to ruin it, even if it's just a quick shower.My other problem is weird cowlicks in the front of my hair that seem to get worse if I don't wash and blow them out. Thanks very much! As a Mom of 2 kids,I definitely would love to save time in the mornings. Good luck to you as you progress along in your pregnancy. You look great!
[email protected] says
@mary- thanks for pointing that out—I am going to go and edit the post to add that info in.
thank you!
Katie {Miss Dixie} says
I really want your hair! I have started washing my hair every other day to prep it to be as healthy as possible, with the possibility of hair loss after the baby is born. I had not heard of that side effect until after I was pregnant! I am reading all of your tips now to try and stretch my two days out longer 🙂 Have fun with the nursery- it is SO much fun!
Sixth Tractate says
Lovely post and blog! I'm your newest follower 🙂 Would you mind checking out our blog & following back via GFC and Bloglovin'? Let me know!
sixthtractate.blogspot.com
MissV says
Your hair is stunning! What do you do when you work out? I work out for an hour every morning and my hair is completely soacked with sweat when I am done so I have to wash it every day. I have a one year old so I am pretty quick with my routine. Wash, run some Moroccan oil onto the ends brush and air dry. Total of 30 seconds in hair prep after I get out of the shower.
Jennifer says
To be honest, I have no time in the morning to get ready. I go to work at 6 am, so I only get up at 5 to give myself at least some sleep.
When going out, I make hubby hold onto her while I quickly get ready. I don't look as great as I use to try to make myself look and heels are no longer in my wardrobe 🙁
Colleen says
These are great tips from moms and moms to be. I am not a Mommy (yet!) but it is making me feel better that there are so many moms who have successfully managed to have a baby and still take care of themselves. Seriously, that is something that make me so anxious!
Kristen says
yay for your bump!! I'm with you on low-maintenance hair care. I too only wash my hair once a week and my curls last a long time. I want to get some hot rollers because I figure that will help with volume and curls and will be relatively fast. I'll let you know how it goes!
Unknown says
just be careful about your "baby safe" products too! A good site to use is ewg.org Look at this post about Mama Mio: https://expectinginlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-chemical-you-should-know-about-during.html
Sorry! Hate to be a pill, but I can see you are making every effort to be safe!
Mary-Irene says
Hi Veronika! Thanks for addressing my questions and updating your post! Much appreciated!
Mary-Irene says
Oh, I also meant to comment about morning routines. I have two boys ages 7 and 4. Though I probably have altered the routine somewhat over the years, it is really not terribly hard to get ready for work with little ones. But, I am writing from the perspective of a person who has an incredibly helpful, and hands-on husband.Once we had children, we'd both basically get up at the same time, and take turns with caring for their needs while the other showered and got ready. Hubby has been excellent with the kids in the morning, and to this day is still the CMO (Chief Morning Officer) and keeps them moving along with teeth brushing, shoes and coats on, etc etc. Having said all of that, when I was home alone when my first was a newborn, on FMLA, I can recall being stressed out about not having any time for me anymore. The funny part is, that's actually when I discovered the world of blogging, because quietly being on the computer was about the only thing that didn't wake him up from a nap! It's an adjustment for sure. But, one we all seem to manage through and make things work by finding good balances for just about everything.You'll do great!!
Deanna says
Hi V, I love your makeup tips and learned a lot. I do have a question. I feel I need to wash my hair everyday especially when I workout everyday? How do you manage working out vs. washing vs. dy shampoo? Thanks!
[email protected] says
@deanna- check out the link in this post to my post about my hair washing routine where I address what I do when I work out. 🙂
Megan says
Thanks for sharing the link with me on Instagram (@ megawat)! I've been back at work full-time since Sofia was 2 months old, it was quite the adjustment with our new morning routine. I wish I could go a few days without washing my hair but I just can't, luck you! I did a day in our life post which includes my moring rush aka beauty routine 😉
https://hellonewlywedlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-day-in-our-life.html
Enjoy all of your maternity leave, Momma!
Jan says
I just found your blog and I it! I will be following it from now on.
Veronika says
thank you so much! 🙂