Week 29

Another week has come and gone….almost in the 30’s. :)

Really?!  And I still have 11 weeks to go?

The results of my gestational diabetes/blood work came back.  Fortunately I do NOT have diabetes (like I need any extra “help” to make this baby BIGGER), but I do have mild anemia.  It’s very common at this stage of the game, considering pregnancy increases your blood volume by 50%.  All that extra blood volume means an enormous amount of iron is needed to produce hemoglobin. (The component of blood that carries the oxygen).  Without adequate iron stores (or supplementation), red blood-cell production slows, along with energy boosting oxygen supply.  The result?  One tired mama-to-be.   I did begin supplementation about 3 days ago and feel a tiny bit better, although I think it’ll take a week to really notice a difference.  (The time it takes to churn out a new batch of red blood cells)

My Doctor’s appointments have increased in frequency to every 2 weeks, so I had a visit with Dr. Daisy this week.  Again, not much to discuss.  I like to think I’m a “low maintenance” patient.  ;) lol  Once again, she measured my fundal height which was right on target at 29.  My belly must shrink a little when I lay on my back, because it looks like it would surely measure bigger when I’m standing up!!  I mentioned to her about my 40” waistline and she laughed…saying (just like my Mom) that everything is stretched from last time and it’s completely normal. 

This time I paid attention to the scale and I’m up about 29lbs.  Gulp!  According to the “recommendations”,  if your pre-pregnancy weight was in the healthy range for your height, you should gain between 25 and 35 pounds. (1 to 5 pounds in the first trimester and about 1 pound per week for the rest of your pregnancy) By my calculations, I should ONLY be up 21lbs at most by now!  :s  Well let’s hope some of it is water weight!  ;)  AND who makes these recommendations anyways….probably a MAN!

What’s happening with baby this week? “Your baby now weighs about 2 3/4 pounds (about the size of an eggplant) and is a tad over 15.3 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.  Your baby's very active now. Your healthcare provider may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks. Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion. Sluggish digestion can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation.”  (LOVELY!) :)

Week 28

Welcome to the 3^rd trimester.  Where has the time gone?!    The countdown is on…this is really going to happen!  lol   Luckily everything is in place for Aiden’s arrival…but don’t come too early little one.  The nursery is complete, all of his tiny clothes are washed and folded, even beginning to pack our bags for the hospital.  It will be nice to just relax in those last few weeks before his arrival with nothing to worry about!

My Mom, Sister, Bryce, and I are going to “The Baby Show” this weekend.  Looking forward to seeing what new baby gadgets are on the market…as well as sourcing out someone to encapsulate my placenta.  I know…Gross!  But I really want to see if there is any truth to the advertised benefits.  My concern – how do you know you got your OWN placenta back?!  ;)

I have been feeling quite “large” these last few weeks, and have received shocked expressions from people when I tell them I still have ~3 months to go!  (Mom tries to make me feel better by saying it’s only because things are stretched from last time!  Haha) SO, I measured the circumference of my belly and……I’m 40 inches ALREADY!  I looked back to Bryce’s blog and discovered that I was 42.5 inches at 36 weeks.  Can’t imagine what number I’ll be THIS time at 36 weeks.  ;)  Well they say that #2 is usually larger.  Gulp!

Since we’re comparing, I thought I’d do another side by side this week.  Unfortunately, I didn’t keep the black maternity dress….as I didn’t expect to be blessed with a second pregnancy. In any event, it gives you an idea of then and now.  I appear to be “rounder” this time!

Bryce               &           Aiden

Otherwise, I’ve been feeling great…a little dizzy/weak in the mornings as I rush around to get us out the door on time.  I’m supposed to go today at lunch to do another iron check (maybe a little anemic NOW) and also have my Glucose tolerance test.  It should have been done between weeks 24-28, but I kinda left it to the very last minute.  The only time I get really uncomfortable is while sleeping.  I find my back and pelvis get achy after being in one position for too long.  Rolling over at night is a bit of a chore and the first few steps in the morning are a little painful.  But nothing like the first pregnancy with the sciatica and sacroiliac joint issues.  I do find myself waking up in the wee hours...and just enjoying the feel of Aiden’s movements.  I know this will be my last pregnancy and I really want to cherish these moments.

What’s happening with baby this week?  “This is it — you're two-thirds to the finish line at 28 weeks pregnant, as you enter the third trimester! And what a difference a trimester makes. Gone are the days when you could call pregnancy "comfortable".  These days, your baby's kicking (or lack of) is keeping you up at night and worried during the day, your feet are swollen, you're getting tired all over again and your backache is a pain that just won't quit.   Your little work in progress is now about 2.5 pounds and almost 15 inches long (measured head to toe). He's busy these days blinking. That skill is just one of an already impressive repertoire of tricks he's working on, like coughing, more intense sucking, hiccupping and, perhaps most important, better breathing. Dreaming about your baby at 28 weeks pregnant? Your baby may be dreaming about you, too. Brain wave activity measured in a developing fetus shows different sleep cycles, including the rapid eye movement phase — the stage when dreaming occurs.”

Week 27

I think I’ve been blogging a week behind throughout this pregnancy.  I suppose when you are 27w+1day, you are ACTUALLY in your 28^th week.  So this is my “catch-up” entry.

We had the most wonderful experience at the 3D Miracles ultrasound clinic yesterday.  To actually see his little face, his lips, nose, and chubby cheeks….instead of a 2D black and white skeleton, was AMAZING!    I can’t imagine I’d get excited over a “regular” ultrasound again?!  Technology sure has come a LONG way.  Maybe in the future, we’ll just have viewing windows implanted into our tummies.  We’d be like a walking fish bowl!!  Lol

My Mom, Sister and “Daddy” joined me at the clinic, with Papa, and another family friend joining us via a live internet feed.  That’s right - they broadcasted the 30 min ultrasound procedure online in real time for those to watch who couldn’t join us. The suite was equipped with 3 couches that would accommodate 9 or more people, and a large plasma screen TV for our viewing pleasure.  The only thing missing was popcorn!  I should suggest a canteen set-up?!  :)

The pictures were amazing, and Aiden was very much awake and putting on a show.  Lots of different facial expressions like yawns and grimaces, some neck stretching, and lots of kicking.  He seemed to be quite comfortable with his wee little head resting against my placenta like a soft pillow.  Wonder if he can hear my heartbeat better that way?  It was also so cute how he had his arms/hands up by his face, and I think we caught a picture of him sucking his thumb.  The Ultrasound tech told us he was head down (locked & loaded) with his back running up my left side and his legs/feet tucked up under my right ribs.



Aiden (27 weeks in Utero) & Bryce (1 week old)

The images were so clear and detailed that I saw a resemblance to Bryce almost instantly.  Same nose, little cupid lips, and NO hair.  I sent a copy of the side by side picture back to Melissa at 3D miracles and she agrees that I have a set of twins (albeit 3 years apart) on my hands!  

What’s happening with baby this week? “Your not-so-tiny-anymore baby (2 pounds and 14.5 inches long!) is slowly rotating in preparation to “head out” for the grand entrance on their birthday! Now obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight, but when you start to feel a new sort of pressure "down there" (aka your cervix), you’ll know you’ve got a fully flipped locked-n-loaded womb-fruit waiting for the countdown to launch!

Impressive physical developments of the week: your child's lungs are already capable of breathing air as their vascular system can now handle oxygen/carbon exchange and their brain stem can now regulate rhythmic breathing as well as their basal body temperature!  For what it’s worth, at this point in a healthy pregnancy - if you were to give birth prematurely, your tiny fighter could easily win on the show: “Survivor: The Early Years.”  Go ahead, give your belly a gentle hi-five!”

About 90 days to go!!

Week 26

Oh hello Heartburn, I didn’t think I’d have the pleasure to make your acquaintance while pregnant. Lol  Turns out something as benign as a chocolate chip cookie, CAN cause the most uncomfortable burning sensation in the upper chest.  Perhaps punishment for eating the cookie in the first place?!  Looks like those pesky pregnancy hormones relax the esophageal sphincter, letting stomach acid bubble up where it shouldn’t be.  That, and the increasing pressure on the stomach as baby expands his home!!  Argh.  There is an old wives tale about the correlation between heartburn and hair.  Maybe Aiden won’t be born a “cue ball” like Bryce?!

My monthly appointment went well.  Usually a quick visit as I’m not very chatty. Dr. Daisy measured my “fundal height” (distance between pubic bone and top of uterus) and I was measuring on target for 26 weeks.  Which floors me because I feel huge!!!  She also pulled out the Doppler, which isn’t nearly as thrilling since I have my own!  Heart rate was strong at 140. AND the scale is still creeping up. I haven’t been making the best food choices the past couple of weeks and I’m sure it was reflected on the scale. I avoided eye contact with the nurse who weighed me, and didn’t even ask for the number! :s  That being said, Dr. Daisy didn’t mention it so I must be “O.K.”!  Maybe this newly acquired heartburn will assist in better food choice?! 

  

 

I also inquired about how “progressive” the Civic Hospital is in terms of labour/birthing positions.  She said she finds the Civic more geared towards natural labour and birth in comparison to the QCH.  (Where I delivered my first)  She said the Civic has birthing balls, stools, and a squat bar.  Dr. Daisy said she’ll facilitate my delivery in any position I feel comfortable in…but she refuses to put on a swimsuit and jump in a pool!  lol 

Speaking of monthly appointment, Dr. Daisy informed me of a new “Mommy & Baby” clinic affiliated with her medical practice that has the potential to shorten my hospital stay to only ~6 hours postpartum. (As long as there are no complications)  That is a huge relief since I was stressed about the logistics of leaving Bryce for 2 days.  This clinic will see Aiden and I the following day, and perform the blood work and hearing tests that are normally done in hospital. They also act as a support and referral centre for things like breastfeeding ect. http://www.monarchcentre.ca/

What’s happening with baby this week? “At long last your little swimmer can see!  For the first time ever, your wee baby’s eyelids have finally opened (remember: they were fused shut previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this.  In addition to taking in their first visual impressions of their comfy amniotic-filled studio, your little human-bean recently acquired the ability to move their head around.  That's right, if your child were clever enough (which they're not - yet), they could engage in that most basic of non-verbal communication - the head shake/nod.  In further developments: your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow in!  Who knows, maybe a cute little cowlick or two is springing into position right now - the first of years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head. Your wee piggy's toenails have recently grown in and they're still slowly piling up fat beneath their still-loose-n-wrinkly skin.  Most importantly, their brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity, which will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first eight years of childhood!"

BTW, Aiden should be about 1.6lbs and 14” long now.  Just about to begin my 3^rd trimester.

Week 25

I haven’t been feeling very creative or motivated to write this week. Things are really busy at work, and my evenings/weekends are full of Bryce.  :)  Not too much to report in terms of the pregnancy.

Things are moving along well, and I have another monthly appointment in a few days.  I guess with the second, you don’t have as much time to focus on “being” pregnant?! 

Aiden moves a lot though.  That sure reminds me I'm pregnant!  I notice his movements mostly first thing in the morning (might be from the coffee :s),  later in the evening, and often in the middle of the night.  He gets irritated if I lay on my right side, I think because his head gets smooshed.  :s  I have a feeling he’s going to be a big boy like his brother, as he seems to have run out of space in there already.

I know one little guy that is going to be REALLY happy once Momma isn't pregnant anymore.  I'm pretty sure Bryce is getting sick of hearing “Mommy can’t do that because of her belly”.  “Mommy can’t do somersaults, or bounce on the trampoline, or give horsey back rides, or jump off the couch into a pile of pillows”.  Basically Mommy just walks really fast and pretends to give chase!! 

I’m a little bit stressed about the logistics of  labour and the Hospital stay.  It was much easier the first time around when all I had to worry about was Mdog!   Ideally, I’d like to go into labour on a Friday morning (~8:00am) after I've dropped Bryce off at school.  I’ll make it quick...Aiden will be born by 3pm, and my Mom or Sister can then go pick him up by days end.  They can have a sleepover weekend, and I’ll be back in business and home by Sunday afternoon!  I’ll let you all know how that works out!! Lol

What’s happening with baby this week? ‘Your little grower’s physical proportions are pretty much birth-ready and most of their remaining development will largely be weight gain and a ton of nervous system development. The good news is: if your child were to be born premature, they’d likely survive without much trauma as their lungs started producing “surfactant” last week, which means their tiny respiratory system is getting stronger with each passing day.

Yes, now’s a good time for a minor sigh of relief and a quick pat on the back. All that hard work and conscientious living is really getting your child prepared for a healthy delivery.  In mobile-fetus news: your baby should be scootching slowly out of the breech position (head upright, with their butt-n-legs down by your pelvis) and start rotating around for a head-first exit through the birth canal.  If all goes well, and your little womb hi-jacker isn't a contrary one, they'll be locked-n-loaded in the next few weeks!  Time is short (or really long, depending on who you ask) — just (still!) 14 weeks left before you can go back to being a single-resident human... with one tiny brand-spankin' new family member"!

Week 24

Baby is the size of a Cantaloupe this week, and my uterus is the size of a soccer ball now!  WHAT?!  That’s incredible!!  J

The dreaded 2^nd trimester leg cramps have arrived!  Last night, my left leg spasmed so hard and for so long that it actually pulled the muscle.   I remember having them with Bryce and never really found out the reason why.  I think they said it was from increased blood volume, or dehydration...or an electrolyte imbalance.  In any event, it’s just one more thing that keeps me awake at night.  (Between the bathroom trips, Bryce’s frequent wakings, and having a dog that often needs to pee at 4am)  Just preparing me for the year of sleepless nights to come.  :s

Enough is enough...and I finally got my ever expanding backside to the Gym.  I really have no excuse (except laziness) for not going...the Gym is right in my building - literally 30 steps from my desk. Not doing anything crazy (Mom), just walking on the treadmill and some light free weights.  Given my “jump” on the scale at the last appointment, I’d like to work hard and keep it in healthy check.  Besides, there a gazillion reasons why exercise is beneficial...especially while pregnant;  like boosting energy, sleeping better at night, preparing for childbirth, reducing stress, and the ever important improvement in self image.  (While feeling like a whale)   lol

Well, Aiden is officially “viable” this week.  God forbid he should come early, but if he did, modern medicine would be able to support his life outside my womb. It’s always around this time that I think back to a Paramedic call I did many years before becoming a Mother myself.  A 23 weeker that didn’t survive.  I can still picture him laying across the length of my palm as I attempted to ventilate his immature lungs, watching helplessly as his heart rate slowly faded to zero.  His baby shower had been that day...bags of gifts piled in the foyer.  Makes you appreciate that value and fragility of life.

What’s happening with baby this week? “It's another week full of exciting developments for your magical growing baby!  Just take a look at the checklist for this week: 1) ears: done; 2) fingernails: done; 3) (if you have a boy) testicles: taking their 3-4 day trip from the abdominal wall to the scrotum; and 4) lungs walls: secreting “surfactant”.  What’s surfactant? It's basically what it sounds like: a surface-activated fat that helps your baby's little lungs inflate (where inflate = fill with air not get more expensive for no understandable reason).  In the meantime, your submerged baby is still breathing in their amniotic fluid (and a bit of pee), preparing and rehearsing their lungs for an oxygen-filled life outside the womb. By the end of this week, your wee womb-squatter will be weighing in at a whopping 2 lbs and 14 inches long.  All this new weight means your tiny baby is actually starting to fill out their skin, but they're not anywhere near their adorable fat-baby potential.  Most of the fetal “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!

For fun, I used a "morphing" computer application to fuse Daddy's face with mine and create a picture of Aiden. Here is the result!  lol  Actually, if you add a little more "padding" to the cheeks and lighten/remove the hair....you'd have a spitting image of Bryce. BTW we have a 3D/4D scan scheduled for March 16 so stay tuned for real pics (hopefully) of Aiden’s handsome little face.