pregnancy

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Baby 3: 38 Weeks

How far along: 38 weeks. I can hardly believe that I have made it this far. This is the longest I have ever been pregnant, and I have no idea what is happening.

Sex of Baby W: At the ultrasound, it was confirmed that this one is still coming out male.

Weight gain: I have gained 15 pounds total.

Size of Baby W: He is the size of a Pomeranian or spaghetti squash. At the ultrasound I had last week, they shared that he was 6 lbs and 6 oz, and he is measuring a week ahead. (His head is measuring a couple weeks ahead so not sure how I feel about that.) Daphne was exactly this when she was born, and George was 5 lbs 14 oz, so it looks like little man may end up being my biggest baby yet.

Maternity clothes: Seriously, why don’t they make all clothes this stretchy?

Baby items: Nothing else is needed, but I have few things I am still eyeing that may make our lives easier in the upcoming months.

Stretch marks: I have some but for the most part it seems that my skin has stretched out nicely.

Belly button in or out:  I officially have an outie.

Sleep: Sleep hasn’t been as awful this past couple weeks. I don’t know if I am just so exhausted that I am phasing out the pain or what. I will say that I am sleeping in that half sleep phase where I am not ever fully asleep. And when the kids climb into our bed it is even worse.

Best moment the past few weeks: I had a surprise baby sprinkle at work. It was such a funny and special moment to see so many people pop into the virtual celebration. It was truly a surprise, and I was really overwhelmed by it.

Worst moment the past few weeks: We lost all of our chickens this last week due to a variety of predators. George took it really hard, and is convinced that his favorite chicken just moved next door. After a couple years of fresh eggs, it is so hard to go back to store bought eggs.

Miss anything: Being able to stand up without a sudden urge to pee. I am making the list of things I want to eat that first week: corn dogs, sushi, coffee, and a deli sandwich to just name a few.

Cravings/Aversions: I haven’t really had many cravings that I can recall. Although, being 9 months pregnant during Thanksgiving was pretty amazing. I had three thanksgiving meals in a matter of 5 hours.

Movement: He moves a lot in the morning and evenings. I have been trying to get a video so I have documentation of his crazy movements, but it’s like he knows he is being recorded every time I try.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I definitely am feeling 9 months pregnant. Just this week, I have had bouts of nausea. I am having contractions periodically through the day. At my appointment earlier this week, I was still only dilated to a 3, but it feels like things are happening. Today, the lower back pain arrived. I do feel really silly though that I have no idea what to expect. Here I am round three, and I am clueless like I am a new mom on what gradual labor looks like. Because of that, I have been getting a lot of anxiety that I will miss the signs. I am really trying not to freak out, but it’s becoming increasingly more difficult with each day to not just hang out on the nurses line with every twinge.

Looking forward to: Having this baby in my arms!

I don’t have any updates from the other kids since at this point they were already born!

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Baby 3: 36 Weeks

How far along: 36 weeks. This very well could be my last update.

Sex of Baby W: I think we have a middle name. Also hearing Daphne say the baby’s name is seriously the cutest thing ever.

Weight gain: I have gained 14 pounds total.

Size of Baby W: a chihuahua or a papaya

Maternity clothes: I am basically in maternity yoga pants all the time.

Baby items: We got the last few things we needed over the last few weeks. This weekend is really prep time though. We have to set up the crib again, install baby monitors, and reconfigure the car seat situation. I also need to pull out the diaper bag and pack that as well as our hospital bag. When the weekend is over we should be completely ready for this baby to be here.

Stretch marks: nothing new in this department, but the dark vertical line has shown up below my belly button.

Belly button in or out:  It is officially popping out! It is such a weird thing to see your belly button completely transform.

Sleep: is really the worst. I just cannot get comfortable at all. This week, I have started getting charlie horses in my calves. It is so painful. On the plus side, I am not having issues with needing to pee interrupting my sleep. I can usually make it through the night. I just can’t get in a decent position.

Best moment the past few weeks: getting our maternity pictures back was great. We didn’t officially get pictures done with the other two, so this was really special. Usually I dread trying to get our family pictures done, but we actually had a good time. And I just love them. We also put up the Christmas tree, and it is so peaceful and beautiful.

Worst moment the past few weeks: As far as things go, it’s been a pretty low key couple of weeks. Nothing really significant to say that has been horrible.

Miss anything: a good night sleep.

Cravings/Aversions: I have been wanting cosmic brownies.

Movement: He is moving a lot right after I eat, especially fruits. I usually feel a foot on my right side. He does some big tumbling now, and I feel hiccups at least once a day.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: Up until this week, I have been feeling good. Just this week though, I have started feeling really uncomfortable. It feels like I have a broken rib. I asked my doctor about it, and she explained that the cartilage between my ribs are expanding so it can be painful. It hurts really bad, and it’s not that he is kicking up there at all. They definitely are tender to touch and hurt like the dickens. It hurts worse throughout the day after sitting at my computer. It is like my belly pushes up on my ribs when I am sitting. I also have to pee ALL THE TIME. At my appointment this week, my doctor did say that I am three centimeters dilated and the tightness I have been feeling are actually the start of contractions. That was a huge wake up call! I have completely stopped working out to slow that down a bit. My doctor says that I could be at this stage for weeks, but she also said she would love it if I made it another week. I for sure would like to make it until next week to wrap up a few more things work wise. She did order another ultrasound to be on the safe side next week. As I mentioned in my other post this week, it was weird to talk through what to expect for labor since I have been induced with the other two. I am used to contractions starting at a 10, and this whole gradual thing is a foreign concept to me. So I feel like I am going into the unknown here with these last few weeks. Prayers are definitely welcome that everything is safe and healthy for us.

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving! It is my favorite holiday, so I am hopeful we are able to have a peaceful food-filled day.

You can read about George at 36 weeks here and Daphne here.

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Baby 3: 33 Weeks

How far along: 33 weeks. Hard to believe we are in the final stretch.

Sex of Baby W: We still have no middle name for mister man.

Weight gain: I have gained 9 pounds total. I feel like this baby is just going straight out. I am starting to get the looks and comments with shock that I still have 7 weeks to go.

Size of Baby W: a ferret or cauliflower blossom

Maternity clothes: It’s all maternity clothes. I really only dress it up a couple days a week since I am still working remote most of the time. I am still able to wear my fall coats, but I don’t think my winter coat is going to work…

Baby items: We have gotten a few things from family members to help us get ready. I am going to be looking here in the next week to get the final few items like a pack and play. We need to put the toddler bed back to the crib setting, but other than that the nursery is pretty ready.

Stretch marks: nothing new in this department, but I am not sure how this belly will stretch out any further.

Belly button in or out:  It is bumping out a little bit past flat. I feel like this is the first pregnancy that it has looked or felt like this.

Sleep: I wake up in a panic almost every night because I have kicked all the pillows around so I can be asleep on my back. I am just so uncomfortable when sleeping. I think I have restless leg syndrome, and I have shooting pains in my left leg. I also don’t feel like I am ever fully asleep.

Best moment the past few weeks: I feel like I am starting to finally get in the groove of teaching virtually. I have had some one on one meetings with my students, and they have given me really great feedback and compliments about how they are enjoying the class and getting a lot out of it. It has been a bright spot because teaching virtually has been a really creative challenge for me.

Worst moment the past few weeks: Work has been a challenge lately. My supervisor of the last three years left the institution onto her next career stop. We have had so many transitions in the past year, and then to lose a spot where I had stability was really emotional. While there are definitely opportunities for me to grow in my position here, it has just been a lot to take in recently.

Miss anything: Hot dogs and deli meat. I am glad that summer is over because I don’t feel like they will be in my face as much. Although Tom keeps buying corn dogs, which might have to be my first meal after this baby is out.

Cravings/Aversions: I have craved beef jerky which is something I eat maybe once every couple years.

Movement: He moves a lot in the morning now. His tumbling is getting a little more aggressive each day. He likes to stick his butt up right around my belly button and on the right side, just like his older siblings did. He also has the hiccups pretty much every day.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have been feeling great. I have been able to keep up with my workouts, which I don’t think I did with the other two. I am tired all the time, but that is to be expected when you have two kids already and your body is trying to make bones and brains for another one. My belly itches ALL the time. I have tried different balms, lotions, oils and cremes to help soothe that, but I think it just is what it is with my belly getting bigger. I am not having any of the symptoms that I had with George and Daph and pre-eclampsia. I also have no swelling. Just carrying around a basketball kind of uncomfortableness.

Looking forward to: We have our maternity pictures this week. It is supposed to snow this week, so we’ll see how it goes. We have never had official pictures taken of any pregnancy, so I am really hoping that it goes smoothly!

You can read about George at 33 weeks here and Daphne here.

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Baby 3: 30 Weeks

How far along: Something about making it to 30 weeks is really a kick in the pants to get ready for this baby. I delivered Daph at 36 weeks, so that is my timeline I am trying to prepare myself for.

Sex of Baby W: Baby boy has a first name but no middle name yet.

Weight gain: I have gained 5 pounds total.

Size of Baby W: My app says that he is the size of a motorcycle helmet which seems highly unlikely, so let’s go with the other options of platypus or cantaloupe.

Maternity clothes: It is interesting to start trying to dress this bump for cooler weather. I have never been this far pregnant during cold weather. I pretty much live in the same maternity sweats for most of the week.

Baby items: We haven’t gotten anything new since the last update. We really have to start preparing things…There are still a few things we need, but mostly it is just organizing Daphne’s room back into a nursery, and making the house ready for a newborn.

Stretch marks: No new stretch marks. I am at that point though that it seems hard to believe this belly is going to get bigger.

Belly button in or out:  It is almost flat. I keep thinking that this will be the one that the belly button comes out.

Sleep: I pretty much try something new every night to figure out a more comfortable way to sleep. Almost every night, I find myself asleep on my back. I have also had some cramping in my calves during the night since I am not really moving much.

Best moment the past few weeks: Tom started back as a police officer here recently, and it has been so great to see him doing what he loves.

Worst moment the past few weeks: We had a trip to the ER a week ago. We thought that there was a possibility that my amniotic sac ruptured because I had a rush of fluid down there for about 30 minutes straight. I had a similar thing happen with George, so I wasn’t panicked and thought maybe it was just an extreme peeing my pants. However when we called the hospital they said the only way to rule it out was to come get checked out. It was stressful once we got there because they told us before the results came back from the tests that if I did rupture, I would have to stay in the hospital until I was 36 weeks. Both Tom and I were a little in shock with that statement, so thank goodness all came back ok. Never are you more glad that you just peed your pants…On the plus side, Tom got to hear the baby for the first time since he hasn’t been allowed at any of the appointments.

Miss anything: Allergy medicine. I can’t take any of my prescriptions, and Benedryl does nothing for me. I also miss hot dogs something fierce.

Cravings/Aversions: I haven’t really had any specific cravings. I am just hungry every couple hours. I still don’t want grilled chicken.

Movement: My doctor wants me to do a kick counter every day. I do not remember having to do that with every other kid, so I have been even more mindful of the movement going on. He still mostly moves at night time.

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have been feeling great. Most of the time I feel like I am not pregnant. I am still working out most days, and that makes me feel good in so many ways. I have started doing the pregnancy waddle. I also have severe period like cramps, which I feel like have gotten worse with each pregnancy. I also have to pee all the time.

Looking forward to: All the fall things. It’s my favorite time of year, and I feel like a lot of the activities are easy to do and social distance, so bring on all the apples and pumpkins!

You can read about George at 30 weeks here and Daphne here.

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Baby 3: 27 Weeks

How far along: 27 weeks and officially now in the third trimester

Sex of Baby W: Male

Weight gain: I have gained a couple more pounds. I have been doing well with my workouts. Out of the three pregnancies, I definitely feel the strongest with this one.

Size of Baby W: My app says that he is the size of a camping lantern which seems debatable. How about a bunch of bananas or a cauliflower blossom?

Maternity clothes: Maternity clothes are the best and why don’t we make all pants with elastic high waist bands and shirts that go long?

Baby items: I have been getting a few items off Facebook Marketplace. There are only a couple things we still need to be fully ready for little man. It’s hard to believe he will be here in only couple months! Yikes! While we don’t have to get much more, we do need to organize his room. We decided this last month to put Daph and George in the same room. I will be sure to share about that transition.

Stretch marks: Nothing new on the stretch marks, but you can see all kinds of veins.

Belly button in or out:  It is flattening out. I’ve never had mine pop completely out, so it will be interesting if over the next 10 weeks this one does or not.

Sleep: Sleep is still not the greatest, but I am making it work.

Best moment the past few weeks: Today I got to celebrate my best friend and her first baby. It was so great to shower her as a new parent-to-be. And our little boys are going to be great friends! It’s been so fun doing this pregnancy together!

Worst moment the past few weeks: School started in the last couple weeks. Everything about it was weird and taxing. We have been asked to do the impossible in higher ed. Teaching a freshmen seminar class is really challenging right now, and I have a lot of anxiety that I am not doing the class justice. So there were a little more bumps in the road to start this year.

Miss anything: being able to sleep on my back.

Cravings/Aversions: I haven’t really had any cravings over the past couple weeks. Just when I want to eat, I need to eat soon. I still am not a fan of broccoli or chicken quesadillas but that seems to be the only thing that I am avoiding.

Movement: I feel him every day now, but mostly at night. George has felt him, and he thinks it is so cool. Daphne doesn’t think

Symptoms/how I am feeling: I have been feeling really good lately. I do feel really bloated most afternoons/evenings. I am having to go to the bathroom all the time. But doing pretty good in general. I love this stage of pregnancy though where my belly is big enough to rest my arms on, and I am pretty much rubbing it all the time.

Looking forward to: Getting more settled into our school routine. George has been doing great with kindergarten. We have some other things happening around here that will change our schedule too, so more to come on that.

You can read about George at 27 weeks here and Daphne here.