(I typed this up a bit ago but never posted it- so here it is!)
Well, I have been pretty terrible at keeping up with the pregnancy updates this time around!
My energy level has been pretty low, so anything in addition to caring for Henry or keeping up with typical house keeping to-do's has been on the back burner! Let me catch you up on how this pregnancy has been. :)
18 weeks- I finally felt better! No more sour stomach or nausea. I'm pretty lucky to only feel sick for the first half, and then the rest of the time (for the most part) I have few complaints!
2nd Trimester: I definitely got heartburn sooner this time around. I remember having it pretty bad with Henry, and it was one of my biggest complaints until I had him. Since it started earlier this time around (like 2-3 months earlier ) it had increased and was so bad that I was having a terrible time sleeping because of the burning in my throat- blech. I had tried taking zantec twice a day but it only lasted for about 4-5 hours for me before I was dying again. Tums helped for about 15 minutes but they made my stomach feel sick so I would only take them if I had no other option.
I had been able to keep up with Zumba twice a week, which had really helped with all of my body aches! Sometimes I'd miss here or there though, but I tried to make up for it and do it at home. Henry loves to dance with me, it's pretty adorable!
I often feel a little light headed in the mornings- my doctor thinks its from not eating all night. I have to make sure I eat enough for breakfast to restore all the nutrients etc my body lacked while I slept, and then I'm usually good. During the day I have to make sure I'm eating every 2-3 hours or else I feel sick and angry. :)
I didn't get Braxton Hicks with Henry, but I have definitely felt them this time around. If I do too much and don't rest enough my stomach gets hard and it is quite uncomfortable. I feel many more reminders from my body this time around to make sure I am not overdoing it.
Overall though, I felt pretty great in my second trimester!
3rd trimester: I finally asked my doctor about my heartburn issues and she told me I could take Omeprazole, which is one pill a day. It has been AMAZING!!! I occasionally still need to take a tums, but other than that my heartburn now hardly affects me, so that's been pretty great. :) If the wives tale is true, I'm hoping baby girl comes out with tons of hair!
I still feel light headed in the mornings if I don't eat enough for breakfast, but at least I know how to fix it!
I stopped doing Zumba at 32 weeks. I had hoped to go until 35, but I haven't been sleeping as well in this trimester and so my main reason for not going was because I was just too tired to get up. (and I'm blessed that Henry still sleeps in until 9 ish, so if I didn't absolutely have to wake up before then, I chose not to. :) ) At my 34 week appt I told my doctor I had been having contractions every once in awhile, especially when I do my Kegel exercises. My doctor told me that's a great sign that I need to be resting my body more. So, no more zumba for sure until I'm 6 weeks postpartum! (but to honest I was pretty grateful for her permission to stop, because I was feeling so guilty for not sticking with it!) Still, I'm pretty proud of myself that I did it until I was 7 months pregnant, especially since I didn't exercise at all with Henry's pregnancy! Hopefully I will jump right back into it after this girl is born and I get doctor's approval. It's my favorite form of exercise!
I'm so tired all the time. Even if I get a full 9 hours at night, I still need a nap in the afternoon and then feel ready for bed by 8/9pm.
I think I have the body of a 90 year old at this point! By the end of the day it's pretty hard to walk, and sometimes my hip and legs pop out of place. If I sit in one position for too long, I'm like the un-oiled tin man and take a few minutes to finally move like a normal human again. It's been pretty hilarious. It makes me grateful for the mobility I have when I'm not pregnant!
This girl moves ALL. THE. TIME! I love it. It's so fun to feel her kicking all over the place. I had an anterior placenta with Henry so I couldn't really feel him very well, but nothing is in this girl's way and she seems to love to stretch her legs. :) She often kicks me in two places at once, normally on the opposite sides of my belly, so she must be getting some good arm works out in as well. Sometimes she settles up in my ribs like Henry did (he was ALWAYS up in there!), but for the most part she seems to enjoy being low. She loves to snuggle deep into my side, which sometimes hurts because there is like no room over there, but I pretend it means she will be a cuddler when she's born, and that's just fine with me!
My legs started to retain water in this trimester. I do not love it. It happened with Henry too, but luckily all of that water weight left within a few weeks after he was born. Fingers crossed it leaves quickly this time around as well! I have been measuring exactly to the week of how far along I am this whole pregnancy (as I did with Hank), and the last few weeks I've actually been measuring a little smaller. I have cared 100% less about my weight this time around. With Henry I was so nervous about every single pound, but this time I only ever see my weight at the doctors office appointments. I've felt better about things since I was exercising regularly and making better food choices, so I think I've done what I can to keep things in check. When I have paid attention to my weight, I seem to be right on course with how I was with Henry.
I had to have a repeat ultrasound at 34 weeks to double check baby girls bowel. At my 20 week ultrasound they found a bright spot in her bowel, which could possibly indicate down syndrome or another genetic disorder. It only raises the chances by like 2-3%, and my doctor was so calm about it that I was able to not worry too much about it. I just tried not to think about it. At the 34 week ultrasound, the bright spot was completely gone (so it was probably just urine), and baby girl looked 100% healthy. Even if we are surprised with a health issue that they couldn't see in the ultrasounds, I'm not too worried about it. I know that Heavenly Father is in charge, and it will all work out just as He intends. I know it's easy to say that, but really, I feel very calm and like everything is going to work out just fine. :)
Well, there you go blog, you are all caught up!
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Henry came 2 weeks early, so I can't help but hope this girl will as well. I have this feeling she will be here before her due date by her own will, especially because I feel my body wearing down more and more, but I'll guess we'll see. :) My doctor mentioned inducing me at 39 weeks (so June 9) if she hasn't come on her own, and I am totally fine with that since a baby is considered full term at 37 weeks. So either way we are just a few weeks away from meeting this girl!
I've made my freezer meals, got the bassinet (and crib) all ready for her, and have finished various other projects to prepare for her arrival! I've even packed my hospital bag just in case! (I've heard too many stories of friends not having packed anything yet when they go into labor sooner than they thought!)
I seem to see adorable baby girls every where I go now, so I am feeling quite ready for my precious newborn and I can't wait to snuggle her!
20 week bump
30 weeks- definitely popped out bigger!
37 weeks- definitely smaller at this point than I was with Hank. From around 34 weeks I started to measure smaller than the week I was at, so I think baby girl started hugging closer to my back!