*2 weeks in one again, and I'm still totally ok with it. A lot went on and I was just too busy, and too puny feeling, to do 2 separate posts.*
How far along? Finishing up 35 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Well, it's tricky for this post. See, in the first week (week 34) I actually gained 3.8lbs, which put me at a total gain of 9.6lbs (I think?). But then this week (week 35) I lost 8.4lbs. Yes. That's correct. No typo. The two weeks before this I also gained 9lbs. Then gained 3.8 more. But this week, yes, ONE WEEK, I lost 8.4lbs. That puts me at a total gain of only 1.2lbs from my start weight. What's up with all of the CRAZY fluctuations you ask? Well... let's move on to symptoms to explain....
Symptoms: In the weeks that I gained 9 lbs there was major constipation. Yeah. That's probably TMI, but this is a pregnancy blog, and it's a normal part of that, so whatever. I also had some MASSIVE mounts of swelling in my hands and feet so a lot of that was probably water weight.
Well, in the past week I had a MASSIVE stomach bug. We're talking MASSIVE. It was so bad that on Wednesday morning I was sitting naked in the bathroom floor hysterically crying and being quite serious when I say that I thought I was either dying or going into labor. I've never done either one of those things before and the way I was feeling was nothing that I'd ever felt. I had a solid 2-3 hours of vomiting so badly every 30 minutes that I couldn't even keep down a few sips of Powerade. Those few hours were followed up with about 3-4 more hours of... other... stomach... issues. We'll leave it at that. This all started at 4am so I had to wait until 8:30 to hear from my doctor about what I could do/take. Fortunately they called in a prescription for Zofran, and that stuff is made out of baby angel wings and has magical healing powers. I was never sick again after I took my Zofran, and we can all say halleluiah and AMEN for that.
I was so sick that I unfortunately had to take one of my oh so precious and sacred sick days that I've been hoarding to use for my maternity leave. I was NOT thrilled with that, but ultimately it needed to happen. JD was a bit reluctant to leave me at home and go to work, especially after my declarations of either death or labor. Fortunately, my parents were already planning on coming in town that afternoon, but they weren't going to leave ATL until about 10am. Let's just that say a 5:30am hysterical phone call to my mom got them on the road a little bit sooner and they were here by noon. They came bearing another magical healing potion... Zacadoos ice! Can't keep anything down and the doctor wants you to try to at least have some ice chips but you don't have a fancy crushed ice setting? Get you some Zacadoos ice. Magical stuff. "Ballpark ice" as I always grew up calling it!
By the next morning I felt like a completely different person and was back at work. Thursday and Friday were fine... until Friday night. Friday night some of my tummy troubles came back and continued on until Monday morning. Unfortunately they were the kind of tummy troubles that Zofran doesn't necessarily help with and I just had to stick it out. I had ZERO appetite most of Saturday and Sunday and was having to even force myself to eat or drink anything. I eventually broke down and got some Pedialyte, which wasn't awful, but even having water in my mouth made me feel like death. By the time Monday morning rolled around and I did my weekly weigh in I was shocked to see that I had lost over 8lbs. I know that most of it was just fluid loss and water weight, but I still couldn't help but feel a little bit concerned about losing sooooo much so quickly, and I'm a little anxious to see what, if anything, my doctor says about it at tomorrrow's appointment.
So, on to symptoms. Was all of that just a stomach bug? Was it a stomach bug AND a normal bout of pregnancy related third trimester tummy woes? I don't know. But that's been a big thing. Some other smaller symptoms... Exhaustion. Mood swings. Heartburn. The usual. BUT. The other big symptom...
CONTRACTIONS!!!! But keep reading to Labor Signs to hear more about that...
Well, in the past week I had a MASSIVE stomach bug. We're talking MASSIVE. It was so bad that on Wednesday morning I was sitting naked in the bathroom floor hysterically crying and being quite serious when I say that I thought I was either dying or going into labor. I've never done either one of those things before and the way I was feeling was nothing that I'd ever felt. I had a solid 2-3 hours of vomiting so badly every 30 minutes that I couldn't even keep down a few sips of Powerade. Those few hours were followed up with about 3-4 more hours of... other... stomach... issues. We'll leave it at that. This all started at 4am so I had to wait until 8:30 to hear from my doctor about what I could do/take. Fortunately they called in a prescription for Zofran, and that stuff is made out of baby angel wings and has magical healing powers. I was never sick again after I took my Zofran, and we can all say halleluiah and AMEN for that.
I was so sick that I unfortunately had to take one of my oh so precious and sacred sick days that I've been hoarding to use for my maternity leave. I was NOT thrilled with that, but ultimately it needed to happen. JD was a bit reluctant to leave me at home and go to work, especially after my declarations of either death or labor. Fortunately, my parents were already planning on coming in town that afternoon, but they weren't going to leave ATL until about 10am. Let's just that say a 5:30am hysterical phone call to my mom got them on the road a little bit sooner and they were here by noon. They came bearing another magical healing potion... Zacadoos ice! Can't keep anything down and the doctor wants you to try to at least have some ice chips but you don't have a fancy crushed ice setting? Get you some Zacadoos ice. Magical stuff. "Ballpark ice" as I always grew up calling it!
By the next morning I felt like a completely different person and was back at work. Thursday and Friday were fine... until Friday night. Friday night some of my tummy troubles came back and continued on until Monday morning. Unfortunately they were the kind of tummy troubles that Zofran doesn't necessarily help with and I just had to stick it out. I had ZERO appetite most of Saturday and Sunday and was having to even force myself to eat or drink anything. I eventually broke down and got some Pedialyte, which wasn't awful, but even having water in my mouth made me feel like death. By the time Monday morning rolled around and I did my weekly weigh in I was shocked to see that I had lost over 8lbs. I know that most of it was just fluid loss and water weight, but I still couldn't help but feel a little bit concerned about losing sooooo much so quickly, and I'm a little anxious to see what, if anything, my doctor says about it at tomorrrow's appointment.
So, on to symptoms. Was all of that just a stomach bug? Was it a stomach bug AND a normal bout of pregnancy related third trimester tummy woes? I don't know. But that's been a big thing. Some other smaller symptoms... Exhaustion. Mood swings. Heartburn. The usual. BUT. The other big symptom...
CONTRACTIONS!!!! But keep reading to Labor Signs to hear more about that...
Wedding rings on or off? Off. They're permanently on my necklace now.
Belly Button in or out? It's about as flat as I think it can/will get.
Sleep: Meh. Not good or bad. Just meh. Some nights are better/worse than others.
Food cravings: I know I had a few "get this NOW" moments, but I honestly don't remember them now. That stomach bug just did such a number it's all I can think about.
Anything making you queasy or sick: HA! See above :) One of those days I did have some minor "morning sickness" type symptoms with the weird smells bothering me, but I think I was just jacked up in general.
Miss anything? Sleeping on my belly. Not being exhausted. A glass of wine. Being able to fit through smaller spaces without bumping my belly into everything.
Happy, Moody, or Emotional most of the time: Definitely a little bit of everything. Hormones/emotions are all over the place these days. Grey's Anatomy. DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON GREY'S ANATOMY. OMG.
Workouts: I was officially told no more workouts once I was 34 weeks 2 days. My soul died a little bit inside. Because of some preterm labor symptoms and a weekend of modified bed rest (see below for more...) I was told that I'm definitely not allowed to workout until 37 weeks. If we make it to 37 weeks and there's still no baby then she said she will probably let me work out again if I feel like it, but she doubts that I'll feel like it. She must not know me very well! I officially hate when JD leaves to go workout on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I'm just here at home by myself. If it wasn't so cold I'd probably go just so I could sit out there for the social aspect. I miss my friends!
The Bump: I'm pretty sure I bruised my belly button from running into so many things! It's always in the way and I forget how far it sticks out there!
Have you started to show yet?: Um. Yes.
Stretch marks? I'm still very proud to say none on my belly!!!
Maternity Clothes? Absolutely.
Gender: BOY! Oh boy oh boy!!!
Any Names Picked Out Yet: Charlie!
Labor Signs: Remember how last post I said that things felt "different" down lower and two of my friends said that they thought I looked like I had dropped? Well, they were right! When I went in for my 34 week appointment I described to my doctor all of those different feelings and how I had noticed an increase in frequency and intensity of my Braxton Hicks contractions. I was having 5-10 a day and some were strong enough to catch my breath and/or put me on the ground. She wasn't planning on checking me until 36 weeks but decided to go ahead since she could tell I was worried about it and just felt "off." She was very surprised to find that I was already 1cm, 50% effaced, and he was at a -2 station.
Quick lesson for those of you that don't know babies... 1st times moms generally efface (thin out) before they dilate (um... dilate). Many people can walk around at 1cm dilated for weeks, but many can go from 1cm-10cm in just days or even hours (people like my own mother!). However, the number that had her more concerned I think was my effacement and his station. The station is how low he has dropped in my pelvis. He was "very low" to only be 34 weeks and the contractions weren't making things any better. As she put it "He could be here this week, or he could be here in a month, but I don't think you're going to make it another 6 weeks to your due date. You might want to go ahead and start packing your hospital bag." Awesome....
Being that I was only 34 weeks I was farther along than she would have liked at that point. A baby is considered full term at 37 weeks, and though he would likely have been fine if he was born at 34 weeks, she wanted me to try to make it to 37 weeks. She went ahead and gave me a progesterone shot to "slow things down" and put me on modified bed rest. Essentially that meant stay sitting or laying down as much as possible and only get vertical if absolutely necessary. That's the point when I was told no more workouts and to "take it easy." I was about to have a 4 day weekend ahead of me so she agreed to let me go to work on Friday as long as I promised to sit ALL DAY and then get off of my feet for the rest of the weekend. She wanted to see me again first thing Tuesday morning to recheck me and see how things had progressed, or hopefully stalled/regressed.
I did exactly as I was told and went to work the next day and only stood up 3 times from 7:30-3:30. I'm so thankful for an understanding team that stepped in to get my kids from place to place! I then went home and rested as much as possible throughout the weekend, only getting up to walk a short distance around the house or from the car into a restaurant. The timing couldn't have been more perfect since I had the weekend plus the two days off of work for winter break.
Thankfully the "bed rest" worked! When I went back in for my 35 week appointment that Tuesday morning I hadn't had any more contractions since getting the shot. Pressure, yes, but contractions, no. I was still at 1cm, but was back down to 25% and he had backed back in to a -3 station. The doctor was pleased with this regression and cleared me from bed rest! Thank goodness! I still have to "take it easy" in order to get to 37 weeks at which point they won't do anything to stop labor if it starts up.
It was pretty crazy for a while there, and I had a whole slew of reactions from people. Some acted like it was a big deal that I was already "that far along" while others brushed it off because they were at __ cm for __ weeks. I just had to keep reminding myself that EVERY woman's body is different and that their story might not be MY story! If my doctor was concerned enough to give me the shot then I was going to take it seriously. Things got very real very quickly when we started to think about just how soon we might be parents! WOAH!!!
Quick lesson for those of you that don't know babies... 1st times moms generally efface (thin out) before they dilate (um... dilate). Many people can walk around at 1cm dilated for weeks, but many can go from 1cm-10cm in just days or even hours (people like my own mother!). However, the number that had her more concerned I think was my effacement and his station. The station is how low he has dropped in my pelvis. He was "very low" to only be 34 weeks and the contractions weren't making things any better. As she put it "He could be here this week, or he could be here in a month, but I don't think you're going to make it another 6 weeks to your due date. You might want to go ahead and start packing your hospital bag." Awesome....
Being that I was only 34 weeks I was farther along than she would have liked at that point. A baby is considered full term at 37 weeks, and though he would likely have been fine if he was born at 34 weeks, she wanted me to try to make it to 37 weeks. She went ahead and gave me a progesterone shot to "slow things down" and put me on modified bed rest. Essentially that meant stay sitting or laying down as much as possible and only get vertical if absolutely necessary. That's the point when I was told no more workouts and to "take it easy." I was about to have a 4 day weekend ahead of me so she agreed to let me go to work on Friday as long as I promised to sit ALL DAY and then get off of my feet for the rest of the weekend. She wanted to see me again first thing Tuesday morning to recheck me and see how things had progressed, or hopefully stalled/regressed.
I did exactly as I was told and went to work the next day and only stood up 3 times from 7:30-3:30. I'm so thankful for an understanding team that stepped in to get my kids from place to place! I then went home and rested as much as possible throughout the weekend, only getting up to walk a short distance around the house or from the car into a restaurant. The timing couldn't have been more perfect since I had the weekend plus the two days off of work for winter break.
Thankfully the "bed rest" worked! When I went back in for my 35 week appointment that Tuesday morning I hadn't had any more contractions since getting the shot. Pressure, yes, but contractions, no. I was still at 1cm, but was back down to 25% and he had backed back in to a -3 station. The doctor was pleased with this regression and cleared me from bed rest! Thank goodness! I still have to "take it easy" in order to get to 37 weeks at which point they won't do anything to stop labor if it starts up.
It was pretty crazy for a while there, and I had a whole slew of reactions from people. Some acted like it was a big deal that I was already "that far along" while others brushed it off because they were at __ cm for __ weeks. I just had to keep reminding myself that EVERY woman's body is different and that their story might not be MY story! If my doctor was concerned enough to give me the shot then I was going to take it seriously. Things got very real very quickly when we started to think about just how soon we might be parents! WOAH!!!
Movement: He's getting pretty crammed in there so from what I understand it's normal to feel him less frequently, but my kick counts are still good. He definitely has his awake/sleeping patterns down. During those few days when I was so sick he made me pretty nervous because he was overly quiet, but honestly I think he was thirsty/hungry because I was getting rid of everything I was taking in (which wasn't very much) just as soon as it was there for him! All is well though. Baby Boy is a mover for sure :) I still love feeling his hiccups! I hate that it took this long to feel them!
Best moment this week: WOW. A lot happened. I was able to get Charlie signed up with my first choice daycare! This fall he will be attending Josiah Christian School! I've been checking in with them for about a month now about open enrollment and how many spots they would have and such. Well I showed up the very first morning that enrollment was open to the public and I was able to get him in one of only 2 open spots for his age group! Of all of the places in town Josiah came the most highly recommended and had the least negative comments. We have a TON of friends there which makes me feel really good to know that he will have a lot of little friends to play with, and that there will be other families around to check in on our little man! Checking things off of that to do list left and right!
I had two baby showers during these two weeks! One was a SUPER cute couple's shower at Wooden Nickle where each couple got one gift for the mommy-to-be and one for the daddy. They then had to explain what it was / why they got it / and how it would be useful for a new parent. TOO cute! I also had another one hosted by my sweet friends Nina, Emily, and Laura! This ended up being kind of my catch all shower! Since I had the two surprise showers hosted by my small group and then the couple's shower, this shower was for all of my church friends that hadn't already been to something :) We had so much fun, and it's always nice to have my momma be able to be involved!
While mom was here I delegated the task of cleaning out my linen closet. It's been on my to do list for *cough* years *cough* and just kept getting put off! Even with me feeling puny and just sitting on the couch supervising most of the time, Mom was able to empty it and fill two large black trash bags worth of stuff to clear out! She then went through all of my baby stuff and put away all of the towels, washcloths, and baby bath stuff! Before the picture below you couldn't even see the back wall and things would fall if you breathed on them the wrong way! That closet is the cleanest it's ever been since we moved in here over 6 years ago!
I also took my doctor's advice and got the hospital bag all packed up! That was quite the undertaking, but after lots of advice from friends I feel really good about what I packed. I had already heard everything that everyone suggested to take, with the exception of one thing! Everything is now packed and neatly sitting in the nursery just waiting to have those few last minute toiletries thrown in before walking out the door!
(No, that won't all go in the hospital. The bag between the car seat and the pink bag is filled with the "leave in the car, but have it just in case" items)
AND I checked another thing off of my to do list... hospital goody bags! I love giving gifts (it's my love language) and will always take the opportunity to do something cute/crafty when it comes up! I wanted to have these little gifts as a small token of appreciation for anyone that in any way has anything to do with us while in the hospital - doctors, nurses, techs, anesthesia, lactation consultants, custodial staff, ANYONE. So if you're working in the hospital while we're there and you come see me there's a chance you'll get a little goody bag! As momma says, she knew she raised me to be a good hospitable southern woman ;)
OH! And the nursery is FINISHED. LIKE. FINISHED. OK not true... I still have to buy a changing pad since I never got one at any of my showers, and some mattress covers, but it LOOKS finished! YAY!!!!
AND his hospital hat came in! It's been a good two weeks :)
I had two baby showers during these two weeks! One was a SUPER cute couple's shower at Wooden Nickle where each couple got one gift for the mommy-to-be and one for the daddy. They then had to explain what it was / why they got it / and how it would be useful for a new parent. TOO cute! I also had another one hosted by my sweet friends Nina, Emily, and Laura! This ended up being kind of my catch all shower! Since I had the two surprise showers hosted by my small group and then the couple's shower, this shower was for all of my church friends that hadn't already been to something :) We had so much fun, and it's always nice to have my momma be able to be involved!
While mom was here I delegated the task of cleaning out my linen closet. It's been on my to do list for *cough* years *cough* and just kept getting put off! Even with me feeling puny and just sitting on the couch supervising most of the time, Mom was able to empty it and fill two large black trash bags worth of stuff to clear out! She then went through all of my baby stuff and put away all of the towels, washcloths, and baby bath stuff! Before the picture below you couldn't even see the back wall and things would fall if you breathed on them the wrong way! That closet is the cleanest it's ever been since we moved in here over 6 years ago!
I also took my doctor's advice and got the hospital bag all packed up! That was quite the undertaking, but after lots of advice from friends I feel really good about what I packed. I had already heard everything that everyone suggested to take, with the exception of one thing! Everything is now packed and neatly sitting in the nursery just waiting to have those few last minute toiletries thrown in before walking out the door!
AND I checked another thing off of my to do list... hospital goody bags! I love giving gifts (it's my love language) and will always take the opportunity to do something cute/crafty when it comes up! I wanted to have these little gifts as a small token of appreciation for anyone that in any way has anything to do with us while in the hospital - doctors, nurses, techs, anesthesia, lactation consultants, custodial staff, ANYONE. So if you're working in the hospital while we're there and you come see me there's a chance you'll get a little goody bag! As momma says, she knew she raised me to be a good hospitable southern woman ;)
AND his hospital hat came in! It's been a good two weeks :)
Looking forward to: Gosh. A million things. I still need to get a mani/pedi and my prenatal massage. I had to put those off when I went on bed rest. I'm also looking forward to MEETING MY BABY BOY! I'm so ready to have him, but I'm not ready for the actual ya know BIRTH part. I'm also not wishing away these precious last few days/weeks. JD and I are trying to take full advantage of our time as a family of two before our third comes along. This Friday we are going out for one last "fancy" date before the baby comes. Steel Magnolias in fancy clothes and maybe a movie after :) I'm pretty excited!
*End longest post EVER. If you made it this far then you deserve a freaking medal*
*End longest post EVER. If you made it this far then you deserve a freaking medal*
