26 Weeks Pregnant Chalkboard + Pregnancy Brain

By Kate Horney

How far along? 26 Weeks, 2 Days

Maternity clothes? Still no real official “maternity” clothes except the ever so handy bella band… and of course my usual yoga pants. (#yogapantsforlife)

Best moment this week: Celebrating Father’s Day and thinking about how BLESSED my boy(s) are to have such a wonderful dad. I love being a boy mom and watching Jackson follow in his daddy’s footsteps. I can’t wait to have another little dude running around imitating Patrick as well.

Miss Anything? When I was pregnant with Jackson, I said that if I had a dollar for every night my poor arm has gone completely numb after being smashed by my giant belly…. I’d be rich. Well.. it’s started to happen again. Sleeping on my side is great, but I do miss the days when I didn’t wake up flapping my arm around like a lunatic at 3am because it’s “fallen asleep.”

Movement: Lots of squirming and flipping in the evenings- (hoping he’ll transition into less of a night owl once he’s here!) and lots of movement after I eat as well!

Food cravings: This week I’ve been craving some Mexican. Thankful for healthy  taco salads, and chicken quesadillas on some flat out wraps. I’ve also developed desire for some ice cream (maybe it’s the 90 degree temps out) so I’m glad for artic zero and some cold refreshing protein shakes!

Looking forward to: HOLDING OUR SON!! I can’t wait to have him here and to see the way Jackson interacts with his new little brother!  I wonder if he’ll be more interested in him than he is in this pic… lol 

Biggest Struggle this week: Pregnancy Brain!

Seriously… can’t remember where I left the car keys and a million other moments in which Patrick has to respond with “we just talked about that!”

Pregnancy forgetfulness is REAL, people!

I looked up some research and believe it or not, studies show that that the brain cell volume of pregnant women actually decreases during the third trimester of pregnancy. So we’re actually not imagining the crazy pregnancy brain.

But is there anything we can do to minimize the effects of our so-called placenta brain?

Solution: Studies show that choline. helps improve brain function and is the building block for a memory-forming brain chemical called acetylcholine.

And what’s even better, is that choline doesn’t only benefit moms…

It plays a crucial role in the development of your baby’s brain as well!

As we approach the 3rd trimester, baby’s brain is growing rapidly, and researchers theorize that getting plenty of this brain boosting mineral during pregnancy can boost the cognitive function of both your baby, and you!

Doctor’s recommend that expectant moms get 450 mg of choline each day.

You may be able to get some from your prenatal vitamin (check the label), but it doesn’t hurt to get some extra from your diet.

Here are some choline rich foods that I’m focusing on right now:

• egg yolks
• broccoli
• salmon
• bacon
• beef & chicken
• citrus fruits
•  nuts

(And don’t stop once your baby’s born, especially if you’re breastfeeding. Not only because you’ll need all the memory help you can get , but also because nursing mothers need even more choline in their breastfeeding diet about 550 mg per day. So keep the choline coming, Mamas!)

 [hr] P.S. Are you a fellow pregnant mama?  

Healthy babies come from healthy moms!  

Your baby is a REASON to make a healthy choices priority… not an excuse for why you can’t!

If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to a FIT PREGNANCY, join us over at the BeyondFit Life Club where I upload all of my personal workouts (100% safe during pregnancy) and share all the best fit mom recipes, tips & tricks!