I Had No Clue I Was Pregnant

You've seen the shows about women going into labor and exclaiming "I had NO idea I was pregnant!" and we all roll our eyes and say "Ya right! How could you not know?"

Yes, I was one of those women judging and mocking those poor women..... until it happened to me.

You'd think after 3 pregnancies I'd be a pro and know the very second my body conceived but I'm here to admit this is not the case LOL I'm just glad I wasn't one of the ladies who found out while in labor.

I was not feeling too well. I have a bladder disease and often feel like I'm having a UTI even when I don't. The symptoms were getting more and more uncomfortable so I decided to go in to make sure it was just my regular issue and not a UTI. On my way out the door, my husband says "Have them do a pregnancy test" to which I responded "No, thanks I'm cool."

As I sat in a paper gown in the ice cold examination room waiting for my results, pregnancy was by far the last thing on my mind. I was almost 38. My youngest and last child (so I thought) was 7. There was a lot of stress in my life. My father had just had a major stroke and my husband had recently become unemployed. Pregnancy was the last thing I could imagine. So you could imagine my shock when the doctor walked in and said ""Did you know you're pregnant?"

I said "Wait WHAT?!?" as I recollected back in slow motion what my husband said to me as I left the house "Haaaaaavvvveeee tttthhhheeeemmm doooo aaa ppprrreeegggnnnaanncccyyy ttteeesssttt"

That bastard jinxed me!!!!

I really couldn't believe it. My next shock would be when I found out how far along I was.

The next week I went in for an ultrasound. I was thinking I'd be 8 weeks tops. "19 WEEKS??? WHAT  DO YOU MEAN 19 WEEKS???" Panic set in. I was so not ready for this.

Then came "Do you want to find out the sex?" I had already had enough surprises I wasn't going to wait until delivery to find out the sex of the baby. "It's a girl!" the tech said. I looked over at my husband and his eyes were welling up. I was still in mass shock. It didn't feel real.

Now that she's here it feels quite real LOL

By now you're thinking the most infamous question "how did you not know?" Well, I actually thought I was going through perimenopause. I had been spotting for months prior to and a little during pregnancy.TMI? Sorry. I had no idea I was pregnant. I was still in my regular clothes and didn't have any of the pregnancy symptoms I had with my other pregnancies. No migraines, no nausea and no unusual mood swings. I was just my normal day to day self.

So in the future if you're watching one of those shows don't mock the ladies and scoff at them or the "No clue I was pregnant" karma will hit you too

*My husband just informed me that he wasn't welling up; he had something in his eye and he also said don't listen to me about the lack of mood swings :-/

Fashion for the Frugal/Postpartum

One thing you'll learn about me if you stick around here long enough is that I'm ridiculously frugal (or if you want to be rude about it... cheap). I live for a bargain. It's a passion LOL

Once I found out I was pregnant, I searched all over the net and in stores for low priced maternity clothes because I knew they'd be short lived. I bought most of my clothes at Ross, Burlington Coat Factory and Target and still bitched they were too expensive LOL

But what was I going to do once I had the baby and was in those pesky in between sizes that usually cause me to wear my husbands t-shirts and flannel jammie pants? There was NO way I was going to buy anything expensive knowing...er...hoping that I was going to keep going down in size.

Thus began my new mission. Find cute, non-husband jammie clothes that make me feel like myself.

One of the first sites I came across was http://www.10dollarmall.com/
I absolutely love this site. They constantly have new merchandise(to include shoes WOO HOO!) and the shipping is fast. I also had questions and the customer service was outstanding. They have a rewards program that knocks a percentage off your order for reviewing items or making a purchase. I will definitely continue to order from them.

The next place  found was http://www.clothingunder10.com/index.asp They too have cute clothes at a great price. Shipping is reasonable but sadly they don't have shoes :(

 

 

The best priced place I found was https://www.599fashion.com/ I got several basic tops and leggings and even a jacket for an insanely low price. Get this, THEY HAVE SHOES!!!

All of the items pictured I have personally purchased(and some) and not only am I impressed by the price, I'm impressed with the quality. I will for sure continue to shop these stores.

Do you have any stores that are your go to for postpartum fashion or just fashion in general? I'd love to hear about them! Leave me a comment in the comments section below!

DROP THE FOLIC ACID!!!!

When you first get pregnant you want to make sure you do everything right by your growing baby. One thing most moms do is rush out to get prenatal vitamins and most of the time they choose a supplement with synthetic folic acid.

Unfortunately, it has now been shown to up the possibility of breast cancer up to 35% in mothers and increases the risk for asthma up to 30% in the baby according to a recent Australian study.

Doctors and midwives are now suggesting prenatal vitamins containing folate not folic acid to decrease chances of spina bifida, smaller head circumference and certain cancers.

Not only has the US has been adding synthetic folic acid to prenatal vitamins, it has been adding it to many foods like rice, cereal, flours, and pastas thus causing an overdose effect leading to the major side effects listed above.

When I was pregnant I used Vitamin Code Raw Prenatal and am currently using as I am still breastfeeding.

It's important with EVERY pregnancy to research the current science findings as they are constantly changing. With each one of my pregnancies things had changed dramatically. It used to be laying your baby on their stomach, then it was their side and now it's their back. All that change in just 16 years time. So even if your kids are close in age, it's important to check new studies because a lot can change in a short period of time.

Super Cute Diaper Bags With Matching Wipes Case

*This is my personal review. I have not been paid to post this. All statements/opinions are my own

I have had four children. I've had three ugly diaper bags in the past. I didn't want to re-hash it again with the new baby. I wanted style and flair! Glitz and glamour and a little pizzazz. Something funky and not typical.

I found it.

While fiddling around Etsy, I came across this shop https://www.etsy.com/shop/BagsbyMaritza and fell in loooooovvvveee.  This was EXACTLY what I was looking for!

I chose the Cheetah Leopard bag with matching wipes case

I was a little worried about what the quality would be like but that was all put to rest when it arrived. The quality is superb and I constantly get compliments when I go out.

.Shipping was reasonably priced and it arrived lightning fast... within four days.

The bag has enough room for me to put diapers, toys, bottles, clothes, snacks and the wipes case with room to spare....now if only I could get my husband to carry it

Women's Magazines REALLY Irk Me!!

I won't say the names of the mags... they don't deserve any more notoriety than they already have. I'm sure there will be a few people who claim I am being petty but, whatever.

In today's society there's many women's magazines claiming "girl power" and that they want to boost women's self esteem but when you flip through the magazines you can see nothing could be further from the truth.

One particular magazine likes to put a censor bar over a woman's face while writing disparaging remarks about her outfit. You and I may not know who she is but SHE knows who she is and I can't imagine it feels good to have millions of people see your picture along with scathing remarks.

The problem with these magazines is that they don't even try to get to know her. Maybe she's dressed "frumpy" because she has spent the last week at the hospital by the bedside of a loved one.

Maybe she's just given birth and has been up all night...er...all month and is finally able to get out to buy new clothes because her maternity clothes aren't fitting any longer.

Or worse, maybe she's in a controlling relationship where her significant other won't allow her to dress a certain way.

Or maybe JUST MAYBE she likes how she dresses and is comfortable that way.
It's insane to presume she "doesn't know how to dress."

Then you have the "Who Wore It Better" which is essentially batting one woman against another and body shaming the loser.

I just don't ever want my daughters growing up feeling less than just because of an outfit they wore one day. It's ridiculous to think in this day and age we're STILL focusing and ridiculing people over outfits! Have we gained no substance in thousands of years?

You can't claim to be about empowering women and in the very next breath judge them and bully them.

Have I judged a woman by her clothes? Yes, I am guilty of it ....but then again I did grow up reading women's magazines 😜

Woo hoo! My first blog post!

Ok, now what the heck do I write? Hmmm maybe I should start off by saying a lil somethin' somethin' about myself.

Well, I am married and I'm a mama of 4 kids. 16, 10, 8 and 3 months old. Two boys and two girls.
I decided to start this blog because I have seen so many mommy blogs and well, I want in damn it! LOL

I'm straight forward and sarcastic and pretty much known for telling it like it is, so there will be no sugar coating here :)  After 16 years of being a mom I finally decided to write about some of the things I have learned.... and what I am still learning.

This is my outlet to discuss everything from kids to food to reviewing products and everything in between.

I am NOT a professional writer so please, no grammar Nazis. I realize I probably suck with punctuation and what not. Please don't scold me :)

Hope you enjoy reading about my journey. I can't wait to get to know all of you!


~The Mommy Trap