TW: Talking from a perspective of experiencing pregnancy loss & mention of bleeding.

I'm writing this while 30 weeks pregnant although I'm sure you'll read this much later. If you haven't heard I prepped a lot of posts for the few weeks I wouldn't be writing right after Hayden was born. I wanted to be able to take time off to love on and focus on my sweet boy but as an independent business owner and writer it's hard to just “take off”. Hence, the prepping.

Anyways, I actually had a lot of friends get pregnant in the few months following my own positive. It was really fun to be able to walk a few weeks ahead of them and give advice as I went through things myself. Every pregnancy is so different but there are a lot of things that do coincide and as someone who loves to give advice, I was happy to.

I'm a natural prepper, duh, but when it came to what I was going to be experiencing during pregnancy I let a lot of it come as it did. I didn't know too much until I was actually in the thick of it. I chalk this up to my two miscarriages and the fact that when you do finally get pregnant you're terrified during a lot of moments and so you just don't want to get attached to any outcomes or possibilities. Instead you praise God as you make it through each moment and milestone.

What I did love was once I was pregnant I'd research a little bit for every upcoming milestone. That's why I've been doing my trimester recap videos on Cinnamon for the types of people who just want an overall “what to expect”. But I really wanted to share a few personal details, just things I wish I had known before getting pregnant. These are things that are great for my friends who are trying or thinking about trying or maybe who are newly expecting and just trying to get a handle on everything. Some of these may seem a bit obvious but hear me out.

Your body is about to change.

A lot. Like a heck of a lot. Try to embrace it for what it is and realize that this is temporary and it's for a greater purpose. Some days you're going to feel very annoyed with your body but do your best to love on it, it's doing a lot right now. Focus on comfort and staying comfortable. Way easier said than done but it's temporary. Even if you've had a loss and feel like you need to be “loving” every moment of pregnancy it's okay to not. Pregnancy itself is very hard on the body. Your organs are being shifted around, your back is carrying much more weight between your abdomen and your chest, your feet are carrying more weight, your body is retaining more liquids and pumping way more blood than normal, your skin is dealing with an overload of hormones and is being stretched every which way. No wonder things are going to look and feel different. Take all the naps, eat what you need to support yourself, drink as much water as you can and don't push yourself too hard.

You can feel what you need to feel without judgment.

If you've experienced pregnancy loss or any kind of loss of a child and you're pregnant it's very normal for you to have trauma that you're still holding onto. It's normal to hold back from falling in love with your baby and feeling a lack of connection with them, it's your body's way of trying to protect you from getting hurt even more. It's okay if you're sad sometimes that you missed out on moments with your other baby(ies). It's okay if you find yourself happy and overjoyed about little moments with the baby you're currently carrying. Let yourself feel whatever you need to feel and don't let anyone tell you that what you're feeling is right or wrong.

Prenatal depression is a thing.

I wasn't prepared for this one at all. I was prepping for postpartum depression but I came to find out early in my second trimester that prenatal depression is also a thing. I got my prenatals changed and started moving more and drinking a ton more water and that helped, but I still go through bouts of feeling like I'm not good enough, I'm not prepared and like I'm going to be a horrible mother. I get overcome with fear and anxiety and sadness. Just know that if you're going through this that it's normal and it's okay to feel how you feel. Even if you've experienced a loss and you feel like you should be overjoyed during every waking moment, realize that the pain and the discomfort of pregnancy and the raging hormones are going to make you feel however you feel. And that's okay. Talk to your doctor, talk about your diet and how you can better support your system and try to spend time doing things that make you happy. Keep in mind that some women experience this all the way up until delivery and even after. Every situation is different so don't judge yourself, just lots and lots of grace.

Gender disappointment is very real.

I didn't actually know about this until I was experiencing it. I even did a Cinnamon video on it. But it is very real and it's okay if you're feeling it, even if you've experienced pregnancy loss. When we first see that positive a lot of us start imagining and dreaming up what our baby is going to be like and we subconsciously assign them a gender. We start daydreaming of the things we're going to do with them and a lot of times those things are gender specific. In my case I had always dreamed of having a girl and so it was hard for me to grasp onto the idea of having a boy. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to connect with him and that he wouldn't love me the way he loved his dad. What's important to remember in this case is that it's okay to feel whatever you're feeling. Feeling this way doesn't mean that your baby isn't just as loved or wanted. Allow yourself all the time you need to process and then when you're done mourning the baby that you're letting go of, start to get to know the baby that's growing inside of you. It'll get easier the longer they're in there, the more they start to kick and move around and when you see the farther along ultrasounds where they're distinctly formed. I promise it will get better and you don't have to allow anybody to make you feel guilty for feeling what you're feeling.

Bleeding doesn't automatically mean it's over.

This is scary and as someone who has experienced two miscarriages bleeding was my worst nightmare. I was five or six weeks pregnant when I started bleeding, turns out it was implantation bleeding. I was unaware of this until it happened but apparently this can occur all the way up to like eight weeks, it's not just immediately following fertilization like most women believe. As soon as that bleeding stopped around seven or eight weeks I had a bad bloody episode. I thought for sure I was having a miscarriage because there was a lot of really dark red blood and that's not usually good. After calling the 24/7 midwife line that I had access to at the time I was informed that I wasn't automatically “out” and that we needed to monitor the bleeding and come in for an ultrasound the next day. That was the scariest night of my life and I pleaded with God to let me keep this baby. The next morning we went in and she immediately found Hayden's heartbeat. She then spotted the cause of the bleeding, a Subchorionic Hematoma. Basically I had a pocket of blood between my uterine lining and the placenta. As he started to grow and move around it “popped” that little pocket and I bled. It was explained to me that as long as I didn't have a ton of cramping and the blood started to lessen up that everything was most likely going to be okay. Within two weeks the bleeding stopped completely and Hayden was unharmed. All of that to say, I know bleeding is terrifying and it's the last thing you want to see when you're pregnant but don't completely give up until you know for sure what the root cause of it is. My affirmation during early pregnancy when I was the most scared was “Until a doctor blatantly tells me that there is something wrong with me or my baby I am safe, they are safe and my body is strong and capable”.

You are your best and most likely only advocate.

I'm going to give more examples below in a few points but you need to know that you are your best and most likely only advocate. When it comes to getting appointments, getting your doctors to listen to you, getting into physically see your doctor (thanks Covid), getting more information if you think something is wrong and learning about the choices you have throughout your pregnancy and labor and delivery, it's on you. You need to educate yourself, make your choices known and advocate for yourself.

Your relationship is going to be tested.

Even if your pregnancy was planned and you were trying your relationship is still going to be tested. Pregnancy, as exciting as it is, can be very stressful. Your body is going through a lot of changes and you're trying to figure things out. You're 100% focused on prepping for the baby and sometimes you can start to drift away from your partner into baby land. They may be excited but their connection with the baby just isn't the same as yours is. Give each other grace to feel what you're feeling, give each other patience as you figure things out and love on one another as much as possible. Talk through expectations for labor and delivery and postpartum. Let your expectations be known and invite your partner to learn with you. They should know what's coming and what you're going to need from them. Especially if this is your first it's the last time it'll ever just be the two of you. Don't take that for granted.

Time is going to be weird.

The first trimester will crawl, the second will fly and the third will feel like an eternity but at the same time you blinked and it's done. Treasure every moment you have while it's still just you and your partner. Enjoy the moments you have left to yourself. You'll still have some after the baby is here, it's just going to be different, in a good way. Life is always changing and evolving and although we know that it can be hard not to get caught in the middle of nostalgia and “who am I?”. That's why I encourage you to treasure the time that you have while you're in this season. Don't rush it.

There is a lot to research.

There is so much to learn about your pregnancy, tests and choices made in pregnancy, labor and delivery, postpartum and how to care for your baby from the moment they enter the world. It's a lot and it can be really overwhelming. But here's the deal, you don't have to figure it out all in the beginning, break it up piece by piece. You have roughly 9 months from the time you find out you're pregnant, if you find out early, before you deliver. I recommend that in your first trimester you research choices that you need to make towards the end of your first trimester/beginning of your second trimester. These include pregnancy vaccinations, the glucose test, diet choices, scans and genetic testing. I also recommend that you start researching baby products towards the end of your first trimester. This can help you when you're feeling absolutely awful and wondering how on earth you'll make it through. I promise it gets better and the awe of looking at baby things will make life better. Your second trimester is when you can start your registry and start researching how you want to do your nursery/baby space and this is a great time to start researching for your birth plan. Look into where you want to birth, your support team, choices you'll make during labor and where you want to labor and for how long. You can look into medication and coping alternatives, choices you'll make for your body and your baby's immediately after labor. Near the end of your second trimester or beginning of your third is a good time to start researching pediatricians and choosing one. I recommend waiting until the beginning of your third trimester to research sleep cycles and schedules/options, breastfeeding and pumping, baby care and learning the actual techniques to get you through each stage of your labor. This is when you can also finalize your work plans, leave and do anything that you want done before the baby. I recommend waiting on those big things until the third trimester because that's when they'll be the most fresh in your mind. Create notes on your phone to refer back to during labor and immediately following delivery if you want to!

You're going to want a doula.

Remember how I said you're your best advocate? Well when you're in labor you're going to need someone else. That's where a doula comes in. Your birthing partner should be there to support you entirely and it can be difficult for them to remind you of what you wanted to do when you're in immense pain or when they're arguing with a nurse over a choice in your birth plan. Even if your hospital or birthing center is in support of your birth plan and the right to choose, a doula can help you cope through the hard moments, be another rock of support when your partner needs a break and be there to remind both of you what you're there to do. Covid has taken away the choice to have more than one family member in the room with you but a lot of hospitals specifically are allowing doulas to be present in addition to your partner. I've already learned so much from my doula and I am 10x more confident going into birth with two support members than I was with just Dustin. I am choosing very delayed cord clamping, to not wipe the vernix off and immediate skin to skin for at least an hour with an attempt to latch within the first hour. I want Dustin to be able to be there and be present with me in these moments and for neither of us to have to remind the nurses of any of these options. That's where my doula can come in and communicate what we're choosing to do and defend any choices we're making if there is any opposition.

Education is so very important.

You're going to want to educate yourself on sleep and feeding schedules. Learn about breastfeeding and how to do it and troubleshooting issues. Learn about pumping and the pros and cons. Learn about common issues babies have like reflux. Learn about the care that you're going to receive in a hospital vs birthing center vs a home birth. Learn about procedures so that you know that you can have birth preferences and know which ones you want to choose. Write out your birth plan, write out reminders and tips that you can refer back to about breastfeeding and sleep and various care tips in the first few days.

No means no. It's also a complete sentence.

Like I said above, once you have your birth plan and know what you want, that's your choice. You can choose to change that at any time but it must be YOUR choice. Your doctor works for you and it's up to you to work with them to maintain the standard of informed consent. If you don't want a specific procedure done, like having your membrane swept or doing cervical checks before being admitted to the hospital, that's your prerogative. If you want an hour+ of skin to skin immediately after birth with delayed cord cutting until it's done pulsing and white, that's your choice. If you do not want to put Glucola into your system for your glucose test, you can find another option and choose that. A good doctor will inform you that you have choices and give you those choices. But unfortunately we are incredibly behind with maternal care and because of how many patients are smushed in your OB's schedule and maybe their lack of education beyond their medical school training, you have to advocate for yourself. You have the right to question any and all procedures, tests and choices being made about your body and your baby. If you're not comfortable with something you have the right to ask for an alternative or simply to say “no, thank you”. If they argue you have the right to walk away or if you'd like and you have the education to back yourself up, you can present the facts behind your choice and that's that. We have got to stop the cycle of medical abuse- that includes coercion, manipulation and verbal condemnation for not just “going with it”. You have the right to choose.

You can switch doctors.

I know the stress of the rush to get a doctor as soon as you see those two little lines. It's overwhelming. But listen, I know it's a pain, but if you're unhappy you can switch. I just recommend getting into one immediately because when it comes to hormones and everything doing what it's supposed to sometimes you need a little bit of extra medicinal support to get those hormones up. If you advocate for yourself and get into a doctor immediately that will help you significantly. Life will throw you curveballs. Covid for example, huge curveball. That doesn't mean that you don't get to have solid care. You're entitled to good care. If your doctors aren't wanting to see you, insisting on making you wait and choosing to not prioritize your concerns and see you in person, get a new doctor.

Coming from someone who switched three times, it's a pain, but I refuse to settle for crappy care.

You shouldn't ask for advice unless you want it.

Those same people will assume they can then give you advice for anything and everything. Too many cooks in the kitchen can end with hurt feelings, confusion and a lot of frustration. Find your sources that you trust and stick with them. In the end you need to trust your gut and realize that you're the parent. Everyone will always have their two cents, it's up to you whether you pocket it or throw it in the fountain.

Your birthing experience is just as important as a healthy baby.

If I had a penny for every time I've heard “all that matters is a healthy baby” I could buy.. a lot of things . This statement is usually geared towards mamas who want to have an unmedicated, natural childbirth. For some reason people have it in their heads that this is a dangerous route and if you want to be smart you'll take the meds and do everything the doctors tell you to without questioning. This is a very skewed and biased way of thinking and it's unfair to the whole “choice” aspect of childbirth. It is your body and you have choices about what goes into it and how you get your baby out of your body. Don't let anybody tell you any differently. An alarming rate of women experience birth trauma and a lot of them experience it because they weren't educated or aware of how to advocate for themselves and their birth experience. It is in no way their fault but unfortunately with the way the medical system is set up you have to know what you want and do it. You will have so many people tell you to let go of all your plans and expectations and that you just need to roll with what the doctors tell you because they're in charge and they'll give you your healthy baby. This is absolute bs and once again, your doctors work for you not the other way around and you, the mama, you're in charge. This is also a very unhealthy way of thinking because what about the babies who aren't “healthy”? They're just as important and loved an incredible. This statement really needs to get thrown out the window and if someone says it to you, say something. Let them know that no, you matter too and the goal is for you and baby to have a positive and supported birthing experience. Your mental and physical health is not secondary to that and it's rude to say so.

I know that was a lot of information but I hope you found it encouraging and helpful. Just know that in the end every pregnancy is so different and you have to give yourself lots of grace. Try not to compare yourself and take it day by day.

You've got this.

xoxo – Ry

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! I hope that each and every one of you are having a lovely day celebrating with your families. I know that some of you may not be able to celebrate with your extended family this year and I know that's sad- my heart goes out to you.

I'm going to make this short and sweet because there are parades to watch on tv (I think?), lots of food to make and even if it's just you and a few close friends, people to love on.

This post actually goes out to all of my lovely subscribers because regardless of if you celebrate this American holiday, this is an important principle.

Are you thankful for yourself?

No really. Are you thankful for yourself?

Today when you go around the table stating things you're thankful for would it ever cross your mind to say yourself?

Outside of the fact that it's a little self-centered and haughty to right out say it, would you even think it?

People we've been through an extremely long year.

A worldwide pandemic.

More loss than we can fathom.

Failing mental health.

International tension.

A horrendous election.

It's safe to say we've had about 10 years worth of historical events packed into one hell of a year.

And here we are.

Here you are.

You've made it through.

You fought hard to get here.

You overcame each excruciating day.

You worked through the anxiety and the depression every time it hit like a ton of bricks.

You helped your family and your friends process and cope.

That's pretty amazing, whether you realize it or not.

Self love is something I talked a lot about earlier in the year when I was having a hard time being thankful for myself and cherishing who I am.

I think if I learned anything this year it's that God made me into an incredible being and through Him I am wonderful. And even when I don't deserve it, I need to be thankful for myself.

I need to be thankful for my body and how strong it is- I mean I carried a child this year, that's insane.

I need to be thankful for my mind and the way that it helps me decipher truth from untruth.

I need to be thankful for my heart and the way that it allows me to love others.

I need to be thankful for all of these things and appreciate them for what they're worth.

This may seem like a silly concept but if you look at it from the other side of things, not loving yourself and being truly thankful for yourself can cause a lot of damage.

We only have one life to live and as this year demonstrated, it's much shorter than we'd like to think.

Rather than spending the rest of your life miserable and letting your circumstances define your worth and ability to love yourself, choose to start now.

Do the work, even if it's as little as looking yourself in the mirror and saying “I am thankful for you”.

Happy thanksgiving my loves. When the time comes today to say what you're thankful for, even if you don't say it out loud, make sure to count yourself as the blessing you are.

xoxo – Ry

Relationships are hard. They take a lot of work to maintain and they take even more work to keep the spark alive. Sometimes we get so caught up in the mundane and the day to day that we are like ships passing in the night and we forget to really stop and connect.

It’s easy to feel like you wake up next to someone you don’t really know anymore and you wonder how you even ended up where you’re at. Every relationship has an ebb and flow and sometimes you caught up in the ebb a little too much, so how do you get out of it?

Well let’s go back to when you were dating. You were infatuated with one another. Every waking minute was spent thinking about the other person, talking to the other person or talking about that person. Whenever you could you were with them and you’d gush for hours about the little things they did. It’s a beautiful stage to be in, the initial discovery phase. I don’t like to call it the “honeymoon stage”, the “fun stage” or the “discovery phase” because every stage can be fun, the honeymoon concept is not fair for anyone because it sets unrealistic standards and truthfully, you’ll spend the rest of your life discovering and rediscovering each other. So let’s stick with initial discovery phase when you’re first getting to know them and you’re falling in love with their quirks and you’re discovering who they are. Every new piece of information leads you further into the cavern of their heart and you soon to start to make yourself right at home.

I assume by now you remember that phase and you may even be thinking about something you love that you learned in those early days. If you are, you’ve accomplished the first step to what you set out to do.

You see in order to get out of the ebb you have to remember how you first got into the flow in the first place. You have to go back to those early days, or special moments in time where you can be reminded of the love that you had for that person and what about them made you love them.

Daydreaming is a great way of doing this but looking back at mementos is even better. Looking through physical items such as your vows or letters you wrote to one another is beautiful. Going back through old clothes and wearing that sweater you wore on your first date can take you back. Even something as simple as looking through old photos or listening to a playlist you had on repeat during that time in your life can bring you back to those moments where you fell in love.

Sometimes we can get into a bad habit of not deeply appreciating or recognizing our partners. It’s important that we appreciate them for the little things they do around the house and in your life, but appreciating them for who they are is a completely different story. I encourage you, even if you’re not in a rough patch right now, go back through memories and turn a few pages back in time and spend a few minutes reminiscing. You may just find yourself feeling butterflies all over again and wanting to love all over your partner.

Love and Be loved,

xoxo – Ry

There are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to pregnancy and unfortunately they can put a lot of pressure on a pregnant mama. Which really, that's the last thing any pregnant woman needs.

I want to talk about four of the misconceptions that I've had the most issues with in hopes that I can relieve others from feeling the pressure and stress that accompany them.

Misconception #1:

If you’ve experienced loss you have to love every moment about your pregnancy.

...and you better not complain about a second of it. Ooof. I have some thoughts on this one given that I have experienced two early losses of my own before this current pregnancy. I see things from both sides and so I hope that this encourages you. When you're going through a season of infertility or if you're just struggling with not getting pregnant right away or you've experienced a loss you will have a very hard time liking pregnant women. Whether they are complaining or not you will most likely not like them and not want to be around them. This is very normal. When I was in that season I vowed to be conscious of the things I said and who I said them in front of when I did one day end up pregnant. Now that I am in the season of being very pregnant, 31 weeks at the time of writing this, I understand that pregnancy is very uncomfortable, challenging and it's not all rainbows and sunshine. And guess what? That's okay too. Each season is different and it's okay to not enjoy every moment. Both seasons are hard for different reasons and those facts can co-exist. If you're pregnant and struggling it's okay to say so. Maybe don't go on a rant to your friend who is struggling to get pregnant or dealing with a recent loss, but talk to a family member or post it on your social media and ask for help. Chances are those who can't handle seeing pregnancy content right now muted or unfollowed you anyways. If you've experienced a loss and you're frustrated by how uncomfortable you are, that's okay. They were two different kinds of discomfort and you need to honor your body by allowing yourself to be right where you're at, just like how you needed to be where you were at when you were experiencing the loss. Just because something is uncomfortable and hard and you need to complain or vent about it doesn't mean that you aren't grateful. You can be both grateful and frustrated- again, they can co-exist with one another. Don't try to put on a face for anyone, including yourself.

Misconception #2:

If you’ve gained more or less weight than the chart your provider gave you said you could there’s something wrong with you.

First of all, that chart is absolute bs. One, the chart is based off of BMI which a ton of crap and literally needs to be gone away with. If you're interested in learning why, look up the history of the BMI, why it was created, who created it and why it's so inaccurate.

Second, that chart does not take into account your hormones, your stress levels, your financial circumstances, your access to chiropractic care and quality prenatals, your bone and muscle mass or the way your system reacts to certain foods.

Things that can impact your weight:

• Foods you can or cannot eat in your first trimester. Your body completely goes out of whack and sometimes people can eat absolutely nothing and lose a ton of weight and others can only manage to get carbs down.
• Stress levels when having a baby can go up significantly. This can cause some people to binge eat, gain a ton of weight from their body not processing food correctly or it can cause you to lose a ton of weight. They can also effect your hormones which are fluctuating a ton and cause weight gain.
• Access to chiropractic care and quality pre-natals and quality food is dependent on your financial status and all of these things can effect your body and how you gain weight.
• Your body automatically retains water, doubles your blood supply and your uterus is expanding. 10ish+ lbs alone are just your baby and all of those extra liquids.

So not only are they not starting off understanding your bone and muscle mass and your hormones and all of that, but they're not truly taking into account all of the things that will effect you during your pregnancy. This is unfair and it varies so much from woman to woman. At the end of the day you need to not compare yourself, do your best to take care of yourself- even if that means you eat popsicles for your entire first trimester, don't stress about working out and close your eyes when you step on the scale at the doctors office, you don't need that extra stress. And if your doctor brings up your weight, bring all of these things up and let them know how very unhelpful and inaccurate their comparison chart is.

Misconception #3:

You have to buy a whole new wardrobe.

Social media is really good at convincing us that we need to buy all of the maternity things. I mean I get it, but at the same time you can get by with just a few staples and adaptations to your current wardrobe. Reality is that most of us only wear a small percentage of our wardrobe so really if you're strategic with what you do buy, you'll be set. My first tip is to accept hand-me-downs from family if you like what they have. Liking it is key because pregnancy can make you feel gross as it is and if you're rotating between a few pieces it's important you have stuff that you like and feel confident in. If you're short on money or want to be more eco-friendly I also recommend thrifting. Children's thrift stores usually have a maternity section and you can find gently used items. My third tip is to narrow it down to the bare minimum. I had a primarily summer pregnancy given that it's hot from April-September in Tennessee. My first trimester I got away with leggings and stretchy shorts I already had. For the summer I bought two pairs of maternity shorts that have been faithful from week 11 through my third trimester. I didn't buy maternity t-shirts, instead I just used my oversized tees I already had and then I bought a couple of tank tops one size up that I could use when I'm breastfeeding and they also lasted me my entire pregnancy. I also lived in flowy dresses that I already had. Now that fall is finally here and the temperature is dropping I found a two pack of leggings and I sized up three times and they fit perfectly in my belly and they're not baggy in the legs since it's stretchy material. Paired with my oversized sweaters and sweatshirts I already have I'll be set for these last two months before he's born. As far as bras go, I went as long as I could without buying new ones and then I sized up a band size and two cup sizes and just bought nursing bras. They are a tiny bit big but they'll last me this trimester and then they'll get their fare share of use once my milk comes in. That comes to a total of 12 pieces I've bought, including three bras, my entire pregnancy. So really, when I say you can get away with not buying a whole new wardrobe, I mean it.

Misconception #4:

You need to have all of the things ready and bought for your baby’s first year.

I have really felt the pressure on this one because of all of the registry guides and the “nursery tours” and all of the things that YouTuber's post. But listen, let's think about this. Most people will have their babies in their bedroom for the recommended 3-6 months, if not longer, and you're probably not going to carry your baby to their perfectly set up changing table every time you need to change them. You're also probably not going to spend much time in their nursery when they're itty bitty, you're going to be in your bed or on the couch or sitting in your plushy rocker. Yes it's nice to have everything set up and ready to go, but sometimes that's just not financially feasible. Or in our case, moving four weeks before my due date, it's just not going to happen. At first I felt a lot of guilt and frustration about not having his nursery perfect and his high chair set up and all the stuff for BLW bought- until I realized that he's not going to need that high chair for 5+ months. He's not going to need an exersaucer or a play gym set up for a few months. He's not going to notice if everything in his nursery isn't set up perfectly and it's okay if I don't have the crib built when he's going to be in the bassinet in our room anyways. We have time and once he's here it doesn't mean that we won't be capable of doing anything anymore. I'll be able to set up his high chair when we need it. I'll be able to buy his sippy cups when he's ready for them. Dustin will be able to build his crib when I need to transition him. Things can be bought and built later and life will go on. It's going to be okay. So stop stressing. Easier said than done, I know, I'm a super control freak who doesn't like anything out of place, especially when it comes to something so major.

I hope that if you're struggling with any of these misconceptions that you realize you're not alone but that it's okay to let go of them. Pregnancy is all about growth and taking each moment day by day as you literally grow a human and grow a mama. Take care of yourself and try not to stress yourself out with all of the comparisons that you will inevitably come up against. It's not worth stealing the joy that you get to experience in this season.

Be encouraged,

xoxo – Ry

Jennifer Smestad has been my new favorite artist of 2020 by far. She is a country singer-songwriter and all of her music, even some of her older stuff is absolutely beautiful. She is such an inspiration because she's managed to get a ton of streams and views all on her own. I watched her Instagram stories about it and I can't remember if it was $0 or just a very small budget, but she didn't put much into advertising. Yet she broke over 3 million streams on Spotify and she's gone viral on TikTok with the sound.

The first time I heard it I cried because I wish it would've been around when I got married. It would've definitely made the cut for my daddy-daughter dance as the song reminds me of my own father. It will really melt your heart and I hope you enjoy my version. I don't think I could ever do it full justice so be sure to watch the precious music video she released as well- did I mention she's gotten over 3M views on this as well?! Also be sure to follow Jennifer on Instagram, she shares incredibly uplifting content and I just love following her journey as she's breaking into the scene.

xoxo – Ry

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=437697898264659588

https://youtu.be/Oqrn5cHrHZc