Pregnancy in Review

It was way back in April when I introduced the latest and greatest project I'd been working on. Oh- how I loathed those months of morning all day sickness! I actually got my very first bedsore from all that time spent laying down!

What were my first symptoms?
 Increased appetite, like embarrassingly huge appetite, and extremely tired.
Who did I tell first? 
My husband. "No way. Babe!" I yelled from the bathroom, "Apparently we're pregnant."

At 15 weeks I thought I had a cute baby bump and could not get enough of sour patch kids candy, and tangy banana pepper rings! Oh, and zofran, big fan of that anti- nausea medicine too! 

 When June rolled around I reported a healthy baby ultrasound,

An incredible 3 D picture of babys legs, crossed at the ankles. So cute!

but held off on the gender reveal until family had all received their scratch tickets in the mail. 

 By end of July I couldn't take the hurt anymore and blogged a pitiful complaint about the round ligament pain I'd been experiencing. Second trimester was filled with lingering morning sickness, UTIs, bladder infections, and visits to the emergency room for dehydration and the labor and delivery ward for pre-term contractions. Third trimester started off less dramatic and consequently put me in the spirit of preparing for a baby boy! Quilts, onesies, car seat covers, and lots of maternity clothes...

 September brightened my spirits and I seized the opportunity to get the maternity photographs taken I'd been wanting- especially if this is going to be our last pregnancy. 

Then I hit 31 weeks and we had a big scare. Daily trips to the doctors office and/ or hospital resulted in corticosteroids to aid babys lungs, a prescription to stop contractions, and a bed rest recommendation to prevent preterm labor from happening! Despite the bleeding, baby boy is still healthy; he was playing with his toes by his head during the ultrasound!

32 weeks pregnant and I...

feel: Grateful! We are so healthy despite all the difficulties we've faced, but I also feel extremely hormonal and am more often than not either weepy or angry - or both!

crave: Butter. The more fat in the food the better, we've had a lot of hamburgers lately!
gained: 16 pounds so far. Which really is a miracle considering all that butter...
stretched: Of course. My daughter lifts up my shirt and sticks band aids on my "owies"
sleep: Hardly. Crazy dreams, bathroom visits, heartburn, and hot flashes keep me up at night though I have started enjoying afternoon naps while my toddler is sleeping.

33 weeks pregnant and my...

belly measures: 42 inches around.
favorite thing about pregnancy is: watching my husbands face as he rests his hand on my stomach and baby kicks and rolls around beneath it.
hospital bag must haves include: my birth plan, the camera and chocolate!

 34 weeks pregnant and...

I feel: Miserable! I was convinced we'd have a preemie so where is baby? Morning sickness has returned with a vengeance and  the heart burn never goes away! I am so sick of getting sick!
I eat: A lot of hot sauce! (I refuse to see a correlation between this and heart burn. In fact, my heart burn is always the worst after eating sweet, sugary treats.) My beloved hot sauce finds its way onto my hamburgers, spaghetti, tacos, chicken, salads... everything!

38 weeks pregnant and...

The doctor says: he cannot believe I'm still pregnant after all those contractions in weeks prior. 
I have gained: 27 pounds 
Babys position: Head down! 
Biggest complaint: Sciatica!  

Plan of action: Membrane stripping at 39 weeks and an induction scheduled the next day if needed. The end is in sight!

Overall, I am feeling: Excited! Cannot wait to see what this little boy looks like! Ok, that's true... But, really, I'm a nervous wreck. Ignorance was bliss last time, but this time around I know what labor and delivery is all about and I'm stressing big time. It's gonna hurt, it's gonna be messy, I'm going to be worried about how my daughter is doing at home with a sitter, I'm afraid of not being in control and not having my preferences honored by the medical staff... Oh gosh, I just want to get this over with! Fingers crossed for a speedy, not super painful recovery too and a sweet babe who gets nursing and isn't going to have colic like his sister did... Fingers AND toes crossed that I can actually handle having two kids all the sudden as well!

39 weeks pregnant and...

Belly measures: 45"

Final weight: 162 (exactly the same as with my daughter, how crazy is that?!)

Plan for labor: All natural.  

Here it goes!!!