27-ish Weeks

I had my most recent appointment with Sherry on Monday. She was using her little wheel thingy to calculate how far along I am, coming up with 26 weeks, 4 days . . . which seems off to me, since I figure that my "changeover day" (when I hit a new pregnancy week) is Tuesday--therefore, I think I hit 27 weeks yesterday. Whatever . . . it's only 2 or 3 days difference anyway. Just as long as that 2 or 3 day difference doesn't cause any problems if the baby decides to come right at 37 weeks (by my calculations). Any earlier than that, and I can't do a homebirth. I think Sherry would take that into account, though--since my due date is actually a Tuesday, and if you figure back from May 16, I would hit 37 weeks a little sooner than her wheel calculator says. Hmmm, reading back over this paragraph, I have no idea if it'll make any sense to my readers. :) Anyway, it is weird to think that this baby could show up anywhere from 10-14 weeks from now! We're starting to get close!

Everything went well at my appointment. My b/p was still good, around 102/80. Urine sample looked a lot better this time, too, now that I got rid of the UTI. Baby's heart rate is still in the 140s, with the occasional dip into the 130s. It's amazing how loud and strong it is now, and easy to find, compared with those first appointments. I'm measuring about a week behind, but that doesn't worry me because I consistently measured about a week behind with Sam, enough so that one of the midwives got concerned at my 36+ week checkup and ordered an ultrasound, to make sure everything was on track and they didn't have to push my due date back. However, he came along 4 days later, and was just fine--he was small, but healthy! So maybe I'm just the type to measure small with all my pregnancies. I asked Sherry if she could tell what position the baby's in yet, but it was a little early to tell for sure. She thought from the way I'm carrying, that the baby may be transverse right now, but there is still plenty of time for him/her to move around and get headed the right way. :) And as active as this one is, I bet the position changes several times a day! We also talked a bit about birth supplies--I had considered buying a birth kit online, but all the ones I've found seem to include a lot of stuff that I don't need (things that Sherry will already have with her, such as gloves, gauze, etc.), so I've decided to just buy the things I need locally. That way I don't end up with a bunch of stuff that won't get used. I'm still going back and forth on renting a birth tub . . . I THINK I would like to use one, but I'd hate to spend the money and then find out I don't like it . . . Since my only birth experience thus far was completely in a lying/half sitting position on a bed, I just don't know for sure what comfort positions, etc. I'm going to want to use this time around.

My weight gain is pretty good--18 lbs. thus far. I know that I'll probably pack on a lot more during the last trimester, though!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: (a silly one)--Did/does your belly button pop out while you were pregnant? With my first, it did pop out a little, mostly just the top of it. So far it looks like it will do the same this time around. It's one of those things that makes me laugh to look at it!

I want a Bella Band!!

My Old Navy jeans are giving me fits--I thought they would stay up better as my tummy expanded, but instead, they are falling down more and more! I have been really wanting to get a Bella Band. Have any of you ever used one? I think it would be worth the $$ in the long run, as it would save my hems from getting any more trodden on, plus I could use it for future pregnancies.

As far as baby goes, everything seems fine at 26+ weeks. I have my next appt. coming up on Monday, so I'll update again then.

25 Weeks--Here comes the heartburn

I had high hopes that I was going to avoid having heartburn with this pregnancy, since I had pretty much sailed through up to this point without experiencing much. But this week, as if right on cue, I started having problems with it. Thankfully, though, it isn't continual (so far) and I haven't had much trouble with it at night, thanks to my wonderful wedge-shaped foam pillow! Other than that, the pregnancy continues to progress without much discomfort.

It's hard to remember for sure, but it seems that this little one is more active than Sam was at this age. He or she is quite the wiggleworm! I'm feeling bigger and bigger, and am definitely continuing to gain weight, but a lot of people that I've seen lately have commented on how small I am for being this far along. I can't say as I mind--I will start to pop out and get huge all too soon! Sometimes it seems that May is ages and ages away, and then at other times it seems that it's right around the corner. I am very excited to meet the baby, but there is also a lot that I would like to get done before he/she makes an appearance! The main thing being to finish the kids' room! Jim is currently in the process of making a bunk bed for Sam, so we can hopefully get him used to it before the baby takes over his crib. :) It's coming along really well, and should be done before long. At this point, I plan to keep the baby in our room for a little while to start with, probably in the pack-and-play beside our bed. I think that will make it a lot easier for nighttime nursings, and also not be as distracting for Sam. When Sam was a newborn, that wasn't an option for us because there was no place in our room to squeeze him in, unless it was in bed with us, which made us a little more nervous. Now that I've had a little experience with a baby in our bed from time to time, I wouldn't mind doing it sometimes, but we also like our space, and I think having the baby right by the bed will work out best. Then in a few months, we can move him or her into Sam's room, which will then become their room!

My UTI is gone now, thanks to the amoxycillin, and I'm feeling a lot more energetic. Hooray! Having Jim home for the past 2 weeks has also been helpful, as he has graciously let me sleep in a lot while he gets up with Sam. The bad part is, I could get spoiled to this!

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: For those of you who have more than one child, did your different pregnancies "feel" different? I mean, did you seem to carry different ones differently, get sick with some and not with others, have heartburn, back pain, or whatever with different ones? Some people I've heard say they feel different with boys or girls--while some say they felt the same with each pregnancy. I have to say there are a few things that feel different this time around--heartburn definitely didn't start as early, and for some reason I feel prettier than I did while pregnant with Sam. That's probably just a mental thing, though. :) But overall, most things feel similar this time around. I'd love to hear others' experiences!