Surprise! My little family is getting a little bigger. I am so excited to soon be meeting my new son or daughter.

 

A little briefing:

I am almost halfway done with my pregnancy.

Morning sickness has finally subsided.

I do not want to know the gender of the baby because I am having a gender-reveal party.

I am continuing my vegan diet throughout this pregnancy.

I have started exercising again after a few months of terrible morning sickness.

 

What are my plans?

To have a healthy pregnancy- Of course! As for my delivery, I am leaning towards getting an epidural. I would love to have drug-free labor and delivery, but that is might not be the best idea. Considering the was born a big baby and I unexpectedly had an almost 10-pound baby (I know, I know, I was pretty pissed the doctors had no clue or even a hunch that this would be a big baby).

Other than that, I want to have a pretty natural pregnancy.

 

What am I taking?

I am obsessed with these VEGAN prenatal gummies. YES! Gummies! I am stoked to talk about this because my first pregnancy was a little complicated with my diet. I hated and could never swallow pills my entire life. To make things worse, most vegan prenatal vitamins were huge and did not help with my morning sickness. I wish I could say I took my vitamins every day but I couldn’t. I tried my best with what I could keep down, and that’s all a mom can do.

This pregnancy is so much easier! I am older and wiser when it comes to health and nutrition. But, what has really helped me out the most are these gummies. Fun fact –and I didn’t know this until I thoroughly read the back side of the bottle– they were made by Alicia Silverstone. She’s been an incredible and aspiring advocate for healthy eating and animal rights. She made freaking prenatal gummies that are vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, and they don’t taste bad! I was ecstatic when I found them at my health store for only 20 dollars( I thought it would be more since it was such a rare find). You can purchase them online on Thrive Market here. I recommend this to not just vegan mommies but any health-conscious mommy out there. You don’t have to feel like you’re taking medication every day. But also don’t have to feel like you’re eating children’s gummies filled with nothing but sugar.

 

Things I (unfortunately) had to give up:

Working as much as I did. I am not working full-time as of right now because of my back.

Boxing. This one hurt. I loved going to boxing class almost every day. I felt amazing and had this upper-body strength I never had before. But I checked out temporarily the moment I found out I was pregnant. My coach wanted me to continue with no contact with other boxers, but I didn’t feel like I would thoroughly enjoy it as much. Instead, I am adding even more yoga and implemented some pilates (which I haven’t done in a long time). And now I have returned to the gym for as long as I can.

Late night eating. This was also difficult. I have always eaten more at dinner than I did for breakfast. Especially if I worked late. But, I had the worst heartburn, ever. I would go to sleep feeling like total crap and wanting to throw up after I satisfied my cravings.

Staying out or working late. I have to be home by 7pm the very latest. I get so tired earlier in the day now. And if I stay home, then I always take a nap in the afternoon. I am always tired! I like sleeping earlier. But I do regularly wake up at random times of the night to pee.

Certain makeup products. I always get the most natural and organic stuff when it comes to cleaning or putting anything on my body. When It comes to makeup, all of my products I buy are vegan, but that doesn’t mean they’re healthy. I think about 80 percent of what I put on my face is entirely safe. When I got pregnant, I read about how harmful certain chemicals found in these products could be for the fetus. So I switched out my mascara, eyeliner, and concealer. I also limit my lipsticks, only using natural and organic and tinted lip balms. I found it to be even more expensive than what I would get at Sephora or Ulta, but it’s worth the peace of mind you get for your baby.

I have also had to take a sort of break from acting and modeling. With my morning sickness, but, most importantly, my stress. I am trying not to stress or put myself in stressful situations. This is mostly due to the drive to Downtown I have to take during rush hour to make it to auditions. It’s not something I’m ready to get back into as of yet. And when I am ready, it will be something I do for fun and when I have the time and patience. Prioritizing things that make my life easier.

 

Welp, there you have it! I am so excited to meet this little critter. Sending everyone much love and happiness as this year is already heading off to a good start!