Baby #3 (38 weeks)

I haven't documented this pregnancy at all. Which is a bummer, because I really struggle at remembering specifics if I don't have something to look to for a reference.  So, here's to better late than never!

March 2nd, 2017 we found out we were pregnant! We had been trying for this baby since October.  With Indie and Estelle I got pregnant first chance. So, we were thrown for a bit of a loop having to wait to get pregnant with this baby.  I was not expecting that. To be fair, I was still breastfeeding Estelle, which I think was the main contributor to the delay. 

Waiting to get pregnant was such a short amount of time (5 months) when compared to the thousands of couples who struggle with conceiving, but it was still hard.  I was surprised at how much it consumed me. It was a roller coaster of emotions every month.  Baby waiting woes were compounded by the fact that we were also waiting to hear back from a job during this time. This particular job would greatly change our path in life. Waiting, waiting, waiting.  It felt like our whole future was up in the air and out of our hands.  That was rough.

May 23 at 16 weeks we found out we were having a boy! That was my first OB appointment, so they did my dating ultrasound and it turned out I was measuring a week+ ahead of where I thought I was.  So, we switched my due date from the 14th to the 6th of November. 

 I asked the tech if we could check gender while we were at it. She quickly shook her head and said she wouldn't try. 'Nothing is developed enough.'  I countered that most elective places will let you know gender as early as 13 weeks. She shook her head again and said no.  I tried real hard not to roll my eyes because yes, they will. I understand 15 weeks is earlier than most traditional OB offices will tell you, and the tech may have just felt uncomfortable with stating gender earlier than 20 weeks.  So, I asked her if she could just show me the area and I'd see if I could tell. She hesitantly agreed but reiterated that she would not comment or contribute anything.

After all the measurements were finished she moved to the baby's little bum.  It was plain as day we had a little boy. I shouted out, That's a penis! probably a little louder than what was appropriate. I turned to Damon and told him we were going to have a boy and we both couldn't stop smiling. Mrs Tech-y-poo was smiling too.  However, true to form, refused to say anything.  She printed us out our nice crotch shot (among others) and we went on our way.  PS.  We showed the OB the pictures and he teased that he was going to have to give the tech a hard time for not calling it what it was. He also playfully called her a chicken for her silence.

If you are just looking at how my first trimester went, then this pregnancy would by far be my easiest. I had minimal sickness that didn't hit until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. All morning sickness had ended before 12 weeks.   

I didn't feel this baby until 18 weeks, which was a little disappointing. This baby's placenta was in the front of the uterus though, so I wondered if that was helping to cushion the blows. I always feel this little guy the most on the top left of my stomach.  He's super active everywhere, but especially there. 

I LOVE apples this pregnancy. Apples, and mint chocolate chip ice cream.

At 24 weeks, things really started getting fun. (heavy sarcasm)  I hit a bad wall of exhaustion. My legs started to swell, which is something I never really dealt with during my other pregnancies. I started getting painful, random contractions and intense ligament pain.

My hips/pelvis/pubic bone are so out of place at this point that every step I take literally feels like stabbing knifes. I can't roll over in bed without excruciating pain.  I did go to a physical therapist at one point, to try and help ease some of the displacement and torture.   I went to one appointment and gave up.  It wasn't a good fit and I ended up in a lot more pain than I had before I went. 

My biggest fear is that the pelvic issues will be exacerbated by labor and I'll end up with some sort of permanent damage.  I mean, I understand after two babies that to a degree my hips are never going to be the same...but being able to move without wanting to cry, for the rest of my life, would be cool.

About a month ago, Damon and I had a late night dash to the hospital due to extreme pain and all day vomiting.  The cause is still unknown, but we are all assuming another kidney stone is brewing. Boo. While at the hospital they gave me an IV push of pain meds.  It made me very loopy, but honestly, it was the most comfortable I'd felt in months.  It was a little insane to realize how out of sorts my body is.  Having all that discomfort taken away for a night was pretty rad and depressing at the same time.  

This is a horrible confession, but I never worked out with any of my pregnancies.  If I could do it again, I'd choose to stay on top of some sort of routine this time around.  I feel like my body wouldn't be struggling so much if I had. I've also gained about the same amount of weight I did with my other pregnancies (35-40lbs).  But being that Stellie and this baby are closer together, I started out a bit heavier than I would have liked.  I'm on team 'no clothes fit' right now.  I feel like a sausage casing in my garments haha. Ugh. Come on magical breastfeeding weight loss!  

We set an induction date for November 2nd.  There were a lot of small reasons, but the biggest push was wanting to make sure we got antibiotics on board before the baby is born. (I tested positive for Group B Strep) With a history of fast labors (Indie's was 6 hours, Stella's was 3), and being about an hour away from the hospital, we wanted to make sure we got at least one round of IV antibiotics on board before baby was born.  I've been taking a probiotic to help as well.  We know the chances of anything happening to baby are pretty teeny, but it's not worth the risk to me.  The negatives, although slim odds, are pretty devastating. 

There have been a handful of times this week that I've had pretty real and consistent contractions where I've wondered if it's go time. The contractions always stop short and fizzle out. I'm 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced.  Which really doesn't mean squat in terms of when baby is coming...but there it is. 

T-minus 9 days until baby is here.  Now if we could only decide on a name. Hopefully the girls transition beautifully to the new little runt.  Ps. If it were up to Indie this baby would be named 'Luna-the boy.'