Round 2: 27 weeks

How far along: 27 weeks- Third trimester!!!

Baby Size:  A rutabaga, a work glove or a double gulp.  

Weight:  Up 20lbs

Symptoms:   

• Restless legs - It was really bad this last week.  I was up until 2 am for several nights pacing.  I was exhausted
• Acid reflux - that lovely warm feeling in your stomach
• Gas - mostly results in burping, but not always.
• Bathroom trips are often
• So tired - could be from the restless leg incidents, but I'm just exhausted lately.
• Hungry constantly

Maternity Clothes: I tried wearing a regular t-shirt yesterday and it was pretty short.  So I'll probably stick with maternity tops.  Pants I can do non maternity if they are yoga/sweatpants or lularoe leggings (which they almost always are).  Otherwise they are maternity pants.

Sleep:  Not great; Restless legs will do that though.  To sleep I take half a unisom, use this sleepy spray made with essential oils and put a frozen water bottle under my sheets (I don't know if it really helps with the restless legs but I'm trying it)

Cravings/Food Aversions:  I want all the candy all the time. And have no will power to resist

Belly Button: I said last week it was out, but it kind of goes back and forth between being way out to kind of in

Rings on or off: On

Gender:  I've said before that I picture sisters, but I've had some boy visions this week.

Name:  Boy name is set, girl name is not but we have two choices and one sounds better with out last name so I lean towards that (and it was our girl name for the last few months anyway)

Movement: It's decreased a lot and I hate it.  Last night I was getting some movement for a little bit though while I sat on the computer. It wasn't a lot but it was more I've had in a small period of time in a while. 

Stretch Marks: Some from Eleanor that have darkened, 

Best moment:  Anytime the baby moves - because it's all about the reassurance.  

Looking forward to:  Hearing the heartbeat tomorrow and feeling reassured.

Nervous about: The actual birth.  I'm pretty okay with a c-section because I've prepared myself for that since havign Eleanor and going into it I know what to expect and what to do differently.  That being said I also want to be able to have a vaginal birth since this most likely is our last baby.  But I also don't want to go through labor and then still have the c-section.  So a planned one appeals to me and I feel guilty about that.  Plus I have to actually go into labor on my own to have a vaginal birth and while my water broke with Eleanor I never actually went into labor on my own. 

What I miss:  It's starting to be tough to bend over.


Labor signs: Nope

Appointments:  Tomorrow 

Misc.  I'm an anxious pregnant person.  I'm constantly worrying about things and movement and assuming the worst even when I have no reason to think anything is wrong.   I don't want to say no for sure to a third but not sure I can handle the anxiety again. 

I've done nothing to prep for this baby.  I mean not much needs to be done since the nursery is  but I have a list of things I want still. 

• A new glider- ours is fine, but it was a hand me down and the cushion is pretty thin.  I spent hundreds of hours in that thing feeding Eleanor so something else may be nice.  If I could do something with the cushion it would be fine though
• A video monitor.  One that isn't wifi because I didn't like when the internet out went out the monitor wouldn't work.  Plus the app had to be open for it to work.  So I'm thinking about moving that one to Eleanor's big girl room along with the cheap back up one we use mostly for sound.  I still need to see her when she's out of the crib.  So then I'll get a better/different one for the nursery.
• A ring sling.  This is a must for me.
• A double stroller.  This can probably wait until Spring though
• I don't intend on pumping much - hopefully anyway - but I need to replace some of the pump parts. 
• Newborn diapers.  I want to cloth diaper from the start but I don't think I will full time.  I didn't last time because of not having enough.  I used what we had and then did disposables which I might do again

27 Weeks With Eleanor

The Eleanor Update: 27 weeks

This was a crazy busy week for that sweet girl.

Last Monday Eleanor turned 6 months (read the update post here).  We visited the Fredrick Meijer gardens with my mom, niece, sister, nephew, my sisters sister in law (also Rob's bosses wife) and her 2 kids. Eleanor loved looking around at all the plants and watching the butterflies.

That night we have her solids for the first time (not counting the licks of stuff she's had from our fingers).  She's had carrots, carrot and pea blend as purees, bell peppers and baby carrots in a mesh feeder and oatmeal.

The next day she rolled over from back to belly.  She did it once the week before, but this was several times so I knew she had figured it out.  A few hours later we went to the doctor for her checkup.  She was 17 lbs 7 oz and 26' and her head was in the 95% (umm whoa!).  She also got her shots but she did well with them. 

2 days later I went to the store for a quick trip.  While I was gone she learned how to say 'dada' and has been saying it ever since. 

I know you all are thinking it... :)

We had this crazy freak flash no warning storm come through Saturday afternoon that left us without power until Sunday morning.  So we spent the night at my parents.  It was her first night not at home but she did okay.  

Breastfeeding:
I'm thrilled we made it to 6 months!  I wound up with a bruise on one side, but I nursed her in the cradle most of the weekend because we were gone so she was latching differently.  It's still there but I'm sure it will eventually go away. 

Sleep:
See any of my other updates because I'm always saying the same thing.

I've been reading all sorts of sleep books, and basically she needs a bedtime routine and to be put down drowsy but not asleep.  I have no consistency and she usually nurses to sleep.

Once she is down finally she will usually only wake up once a night.

I've been bed sharing a lot and am trying to break that habit.  Although I sleep better when she is in bed and she does too, I'm worried for when she starts to roll over.

My trip to the hospital

Saturday I started to feel a lot if stomach pressure. I first thought my jeans were to tight and put in sweatpants and that did sort of help.

But it didn't completely go away. It felt like gas pain/cramps. 

I spent all night in pain and thinking if i could just fart (I know that's exciting) I would feel so much better.

But at 6:30 Sunday I still didn't feel any better and called the on call doctor who said to go in to be checked out.  So I woke up rob and we went to the hospital about 30 minutes away.  

I actually felt a little better on the way but it didn't last long.  The doctor had called ahead and so they were waiting for me, which was nice.

They took a urine sample and hooked me up to a contraction monitor and a fetal heart rate monitor. 

Baby had a good heart rate and I was only having a few sporadic contractions.

They checked to see if I was dialated and I wasn't and the urine sample was fine.

So in the end I left with no real answers other than it wasn't preterm labor (which I never thought it was), and was just possibly ligaments stretching or dehydration or some other pregnancy thing. I knew it was going to be something silly, but the pain was that bad.

I spent the entire day in bed except for a bath which didn't do much for the pain but still felt nice.

I'll do what it takes but just laying there thinking about all the work that needed to be done was tough, especially waking up this morning and seeing it all still there.

Rob was awesome though, and really took care of me.  He almost didn't come home that night from my sister/brother in laws so I'm really happy he did so he could take me to the hospital.

I'm feeling a lot better this morning, still a little crampy, but not to the point it's affecting what I do, so I'm hoping that was it for pregnancy problems and that the next time that we go to the hospital we leave with baby girl.

I actually have a regular appointment scheduled for tomorrow any way so I'll just follow up with my doctor then.

Oh and I learned that I will not be having an un-medicated childbirth.  If I couldn't handle this pain, no way can I handle that.  Bring on the drugs!