32 week update

New this week: It is so funny to go back and read my '32 weeks' posts from when I was pregnant with Grace and Edith. Even with my last pregnancy and having been through it once already, I still sound sooo naive! Especially knowing now I was pregnant with another girl but kept trying to point out all the "differences" between my pregnancies. Has there been anything new? Not really! There haven't been any real anomalies, even down to my weight gain which has been about the same each time.

Baby purchases: Just one! I'm kind of proud of myself. In fact, I've sold alot of things! That double stroller I went on and on about last pregnancy? I did end up loving it. It was great and I had no complaints. I ended up actually buying 4 (FOUR!!) double strollers lol (in addition to the single stroller which I kept, and will continue to keep cus we actually use that more now than any of the doubles). And I guess this recent baby purchase (another double) makes it 5. Oops. What I realized is each double has its own purpose. Would you wear wedges to go for a run? Or hiking boots to church? So strollers are the same lol. I ended up getting:

1. Peg Perego Book for Two - I called this one my Cadillac. It was my most expensive, "luxurious" stroller. I used it for places I knew were going to have gravel, dirt, and pavement. Basically farmers markets and that's it. I loved that stroller but once Grace started wanting to walk more, I just couldn't justify keeping it. (Even though, yes, it can be used for baby #3...I actually got the 5th double for that purpose recently). Sold this one.
2. Zoe Double - As much as I loved the Book for Two, it was heavy and not practical for quick in and out of the store trips. My mom has kept this stroller for the majority of the time because it doesn't take up much room in the car and is perfectly practical. Keeping this one.
3. A big box brand tandem - I honestly don't remember what brand it was. It was discontinued and I searched the nation for it because it looked like a City Select Lux dupe (came with 2 seats, one could be removed to reveal a bench seat, and had a riding board). It seemed practical and I guess after all my research, I still wasn't completely sold a side by side vs a tandem was better. It was used just a few times around my parents' neighborhood and the push was awful. I hate that I had this shipped used from TX because I thought I was being savvy lol. But there's a reason this stroller was discontinued! Sold this one.
4. City Select Lux - My recent purchase; this replaced my Book for Two. It has so many configurations, and the one I expect to use the most, is baby #3 in one seat, and leaving the bench seat open for whichever kid wants to sit. It also has a small foot stand, so if need be, one can stand, one can sit on the bench, and baby in the seat! It's pretty heavy too, but I hope I love using this stroller more than the big box tandem I ended up selling.
5. Double Bob - You can't run with any of these other doubles. For the few times I feel like running with 2 children, this is a GREAT stroller. It's hard to get in and out of the car cus it's a beast, so it stays open in the garage and is used for neighborhood strolls.

Nursery prep: So we are moving along with the upstairs reno! The carpet has been ripped up, the closet has been framed and drywall started. Just need to finish out the closet and pick flooring which will go down next month. We decided on going with a mini-split...it'll ultimately bring the highest value to the house once we go to sell (not anytime soon). That'll be installed here in 2 weeks! After floors are down, I think it'll be move-in ready for Bee and we can start on the baby's nursery. I really only need to scrape the ceiling...if I can get the closet built out with shelves too, that would be nice...but non-necessity!

Moment of the week: This didn't just occur this week, but the "public announcement" was made...Mathias's youngest brother is gonna be a dad!! We are so excited for Nate and Beth..and all summer I kept saying how much I hoped they had a baby soon. I guess 2020 did give us some things we asked for! They are due 4 months after us.

Up next: We should be getting our Christmas family photos back in the next 2 weeks. Just in time to get Christmas cards out. I'm so excited to see them! The girls were being very cute...it'll be hard to choose between favorites to fit on the card!

28 weeks - "It'll be fine," and other famous last words

It's so funny how I ended my last post highly convinced I'd pass my glucose test. I've never had to take the 3hr test and my 1hr initial test, I thought was going splendid.

Until it didn't. "If you get a call in the next 48 hours, that means you didn't pass."

Ring, Ring!

I don't wish this 3hr test on anyone! But word of advice, bring something to keep you busy and your mind off the time or the fact that you're hungry/thirsty. I thought I'd at least be able to drink water while I waited. But I had Edith's Halloween costume to make, so it honestly wasn't that bad at all.

Movement: I felt hiccups! It's only happened once or twice, but it was much later in the game with both Grace and Edith, before I could feel them.

Next up: Halloween is tomorrow! Grace decided two months ago that she wanted to be a cat. As quickly as she changes her mind about things she wants to wear, I held off getting any costume supplies until the last minute, but she stuck to cat, so what goes better with a cat than a mouse? It will actually be Edith's second Halloween she's been a mouse, but the first one was Gus from Sleeping Beauty and she had no idea what was going on lol!!

I honestly think this is the first Halloween I haven't planned a costume. I actually still do have the one I wore when I was pregnant with Grace, which has now found its way into the interwebs (scroll down towards the bottom..oh heeeeey). My college self would be super disappointed in my lack of creativity!

Now that I'm in my 3rd trimester (what?!) my appointments increase to every 2 weeks. I can't believe we're already here!

24 weeks - Hell Hole

Hell Hole 5k at 24 weeks

 Yes, that's a real gator head!

Exercise: Oddly never touched on this subject because..well..I haven't really exercised in past pregnancies. But I realize now that I can't just depend on my body to snap back on its own after baby's arrival. What I do now will certainly help in the process, and I don't want to have to work twice as hard come February to get back in shape because (thanks to COVID) my first race of last season was deferred, and will now be in May 2021! I started the Move Your Bump program and really love it so far. You get a 7 day free trial, plus I had a 50% off code for my first month so it makes it pretty inexpensive! I hope I can keep up with it. I've been eating alot of fast food lately because pregnancy cravings don't normally strike til 9am and thus, I've never been a meal planner. So I did outsource this and have 3 companies I'm testing out, so I'll report back when I've found my favorite, or a combination of them.

I also decided to run a 5k. 4 days prior to a race. When I haven't run but twice this year (once in January, and again in April). But as you can see, the awards were highly convincing, and with no one else in my age group, I obviously had to participate.

Movement: Feeling some pretty strong kicks over here! Some nights when baby is really active and I'm falling asleep, I'll curl up to Mathias so he can feel the baby kicking his back and we can experience it together. It really is the sweetest thing and although it's no new feeling, it sure doesn't get old.

Grace even got to feel the baby kick a few times! She likes when I press her hand into my belly...the first time she felt a kick, she was watching my stomach then her eyes shot up at me with this happy surprised look on her face. It's like a connection was made and she thought, "Oh OK, I thought I understood before. But now I really get it." And she asked me, "How's the baby come out?" 😂 I asked her, "How do you think you and Edith got out?" And she said, "I don't know. Maybe I crawled out." 

Yes, something like that.

Maternity wear: I finally caved and started wearing maternity shirts and pants to work this week. As much as I like flashing Kate and Amanda with my rubberband pants, it was time to embrace the comfort of stretchy panels. I don't know why I've put it off...perhaps because wearing maternity clothes makes you look pregnant. Right, not like a growing bump doesn't, but I hate the 20 questions I've gotten from patients in the past: "Yes, I'm having another baby. Yes, the youngest one is already 2." So far, only two patients have even noticed, which I'm kinda proud of, but I keep waiting for that well-meaning comment, you just keep poppin' them out! But no one's ever actually said this to me and I'm obviously projecting lol!

On the horizon: Glucose test to rule out gestational diabetes. I don't dread this test. I actually think the drink tastes good! And I do think I'll pass. I've never been a huge consumer of sweets, and although I do like a small bowl of ice cream here and there, it's not every night like with Grace (who I barely passed the test with).

20 weeks - HALFWAY there!

I can't believe we're already halfway there! I'd take a bumpdate picture, but I think I look exactly the same, feel about the same, and gained about the same weight (5lb) as I have before at 20 weeks. Does that mean it's another girl??

Maternity wear: Since my first pregnancy, I've gone up a size or 2 in pants, so they have fitted a little looser post-partum, giving me room to stay in them until now. My current pants are still fitting with a Maeband which has been great! The shirt situation is gonna get dicey here soon so I will definitely have to break out the Fall/Winter maternity wardrobe I wore with Grace.

Anatomy scan: We have one stubborn baby on our hands! Each ultrasound, little babe has refused to roll over from laying on its belly so it was a little tough to get a good view of the face. But once we finally did, our US tech says, "Oooh! Looks angry." 😒 Phenomenal. Baby otherwise looks healthy!!

Movement: Yes! So I started feeling Grace and Edith kick around week 18 - placenta was between me and baby so this is pretty common to not feel kicks until later in pregnancy. But this time around, placenta is behind the baby so I was hoping I'd feel kicks sooner...and I did, by one week. Feeling reassuring kicks against my hand might be my favorite part of pregnancy. That, and kicks so hard Mathias can feel them...which may be happening in the next week or so!

Nursery: Edith was moved into Grace's room when she was about 3 or 4 months old after I went back to work, and the switch was pretty smooth. We don't plan on putting the baby in the "big girls" room...their closet/dresser is already overflowing and I don't want a bunkbed + crib situation in there. Instead, new baby is moving into Bee's room, and Bee is moving into the FROG. Thing is, we have ALOT of renovations to do upstairs before that can happen. You know how much I love a major reno project while I'm pregnant...

Things that need to be done by the end of the year, or at least in the next 6 months:

• Clear out existing furniture/boxes/THINGS so we can tear the carpet up
• Build out a closet 
• Paint bookshelf white
• Install a mini-split (AC unit + heater)
• Install new flooring, likely a snap/luxury vinyl that looks like dark wood

I'd love to also do an(other) attic clean-out, re-do the insulation during the coldest months, and replace the banister with a cabling...but if I can get 2 out of 3, I'll be happy! 

16 week update - We saw something on the ultrasound...again.

We are 16 weeks along! I haven't got much of a baby bump to show...maybe next post 😉

What's new: At our 13 week ultrasound, my doctor had some concerns. "We saw something on the ultrasound." Again??

I'd been through this before, with Grace. We ended up doing genetic testing at 19 weeks with her to rule out genetic abnormalities, notably Down's Syndrome. Genetic testing came back clear, and the abnormality (a bright spot on her heart indicating an echogenic intracardiac focus), had closed by the time she was born.

This time, the concern was thickness of the nuchal fold, the back of the neck. It was still within the normal range, just on the higher end of normal. Again, my doctor urged me not to worry. So of course I did. And she didn't tell me not to do too much internet research this time, probably because she knew I would. I did. And what I found actually eased my anxiety. Lots of lots of cases where the nuchal fold was much thicker and baby was born perfectly healthy.

At any rate, it was an easy decision to move forward with genetic testing again, and luckily it took far less than 8 days this time to receive the results. All clear!

Any symptoms? The headaches keep coming! Every few days, I'll feel one start to come on, and it will last for 2-3 days. I'd finally had it and scheduled myself a prenatal massage with the same masseuse I used with Grace and Edith. It was amazing and I haven't had a major headache since. I also started drinking more water. I knew the cause of my headaches was not only holding tension in my neck, but because I drink like a hummingbird. So I got one of those bottles that tell you how much you should've had to drink by a certain time of day. It came to no surprise that I've been drinking about 25% of the amount of water a pregnant person should be drinking. And whatdoyaknow....no more headaches.

I also switched up my Prenatal vitamins. It took alot of convincing on my part because I've used these same vitamins through 2 healthy pregnancies and I didn't want to change what wasn't broken. But seriously, if you've only been pooping every 4 days for 4 months straight, you're willing to try anything. So I've:

• switched my prenatals to something that contains no Iron, since Iron is the cause for the slow in digestion. I still get it from other sources, but damn if the switch has not helped one bit. Still irregular.
• started taking Metamucil. I feel like a 75 year old woman. But I honestly think it tastes good lol, so this has not been a problem for me. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be helping.
• even drinking more water or eating more fiber rich fruit hasn't seemed to help!

Any more suggestions?? I'm all ears.

Food cravings: My food aversions definitely eased up as I entered my 2nd trimester. My appetite seems to be back to normal, and I don't think I'm craving anything in particular. It really is appearing more similar to my second pregnancy than my first. Admittedly, I have been more liberal on food restrictions. I was pretty strict about not eating cold deli meat or raw sushi when I've been pregnant before. But when I truly trust my source, it hasn't stopped me from eating salmon or the once-in-a-blue-moon cold cut. Still, I've been extremely picky about how often I'm doing this (I think so far only 2 or 3 times).

Million dollar question- do we think it's a boy or girl? I am still leaning towards boy because my trusty Chinese calendar haha! I can't even say that it's because this pregnancy feels different, because my pregnancies have been sooo wildly different and this feels like my second. My grandmother is also set on boy, and Mathias is also leaning towards boy. Grace, on the other hand, has formed an opinion.

Me: Do you think mommy's having a boy or a girl?

G: Umm...a girl.

Me: A girl? You think you're getting another little sister?

G: Well I hope so!

Her answer used to waver. But now she's definitely Team Girl! 

 

 

Round 3: "You're like a camel!"

A new little baby will be joining our family in January, which will make us Hickman party of FIVE! I don't think it's really hit me yet. I'll have 3 under 4. I'll have to hashtag everything #3Under4. OR #pandemicbaby. 

Speaking of pandemic. Was now a good time? Should people hold off on trying to get pregnant now? I say...don't let it stop you. Circumstances are always changing and there is never going to be a perfect time. If you're waiting until life is perfect and all the stars are flawlessly aligned, you might be waiting a long time. And tomorrow is never promised. My humble advice: if it's the right time in your heart and between you and your partner, GO FOR IT!

Ok so I say there's no perfect time, but if you're slightly superstitious, then maybe there is. You see, the Chinese calendar was correct in predicting both genders of our girls (if you remember, both were kept a surprise)...and according to the Chinese calendar, there were only a few months this year where we could've conceived a boy. Bear with me...

Do I think superstitious people are a little crazy? Yes. 

Do I think we're having a boy because the Chinese calendar says we should? Also yes.

How do you feel? Generally unwell. My mind is tired and my body is tired-er. I have had zero appetite, my food aversions are aplenty, I'm getting really frequent headaches that often last for days, I have to force myself to eat breakfast or dinner, and (sorry, you must be new here if this is TMI) I only poop every 4 days. Which sounds pretty identical to my first trimester with Edith. She is very independent about her play time, and doesn't seem to need me as much as Grace. I'm sometimes able to nap when Edith naps in the afternoon, but that leaves one 3 year old who is craving my attention. It's so sad when she asks me to play with her and I feel so tired and nauseated that I can't. She wants to go to the beach, or the pool, or the playground, or to chase her...and I can't. I really hope I get some energy back this month cus I don't want her to remember this side of me 😩

Baby bump: I was able to catch the baby's heartbeat on our at-home doppler but Grace was less than impressed haha. Maybe once she sees my belly growing again, it will become more real. You can't really see a baby bump, but I can feel it when I try to lay on my belly. I haven't gained any weight yet, probably because I never got quite down to pre-pregnancy weight, and I definitely never lost the extra fluff so baby must be just suckin' up the reserves. Like a camel. My mom even thought she saw a little baby bump. But I had to admit, no that's actually the small spare tire I've been carrying around since I had Edith 😐 I need to bring my maternity clothes down from the attic, but hopefully I have another month before I need them again.

Other new news: I may be updating every 4 weeks just like I did during our second pregnancy. And I may just bring back the Wordless Wednesday posts! There's a "catch all" post I made at the end of each pregnancy so I can go back quickly and compare them all: Grace / Edith

Also, I've merged the old blog with this new one to keep it on one platform that is MUCH more user friendly! It's so much easier to read and to navigate, I'm not sure why I didn't do this sooner.

The Birth Story

Just to recap: Pregnancy announcement / 16 weeks / 20 weeks / 24 weeks / 29 weeks / 32 weeks / 36 weeks / 39 weeks / What I packed in my hospital bag

As soon as we decided to try for baby #2, the first gender specific purchase I made was a blue Templeton Silver paci clip. I already had a pink one for Grace and I just knew that this baby was going to be a boy.

40 wks 2017 vs 40 wks 2018

Throughout my pregnancy, I constantly pointed out the stark differences. With Grace, I had to have ice cream every night. This time, my cravings were all over the place. I also gained less weight but my belly appeared much bigger. I was less emotional, less forgetful, my skin and hair completely changed from oily to very dry, I had less heartburn, and I carried differently. Initial feeling after that first ultrasound was pointing towards boy. Given a due date of Thursday, August 23rd, I just always had a feeling that this baby would be early. Not by much, but a little early. Like, Tuesday.

Even nature was on my side with predictions. 3 weeks before due date, I was already 1cm dilated. Something I wasn't with Grace until labor actually started. Then 2 weeks before due date, I was 50% effaced! We had Grace take a couple photos with a pink hydrangea in case it was a girl, and a blue one in case it was a boy as our birth announcement. She didn't smile (I'd even call it a frown) in a single pink hydrangea picture. Well, it has to be a boy then!

A few friends and family had dreams it was a boy. One so specific that it was not only a boy, but coming at night. I also had the same exact dream. I don't know if it was out of persuasion, hope, or genuine feeling, but even Mathias was sure we were having a boy. With nature and my husband on "my side," I went into nesting phase with the decision not to wash any of the girl specific clothes. You won't need those, I validated.

The week before my due date, I tied up all my loose ends at work, fully expecting Friday to be my last day. Contractions will start on a Monday and I'm having this baby Tuesday. It will be at night. And it will be a boy.

It's so funny how sure I was that day and how over the next week, I would completely give up on any premonitions I had. It's like that old Real World slogan, "You think you know...but you have no idea!"

Monday came and went, then Tuesday came. Every question of, "When are you having this baby?!" was answered with a sullen, "I don't know." What was SUPPOSED to be my last OB appointment, I walked into the office and surprised everybody just by being there. We decided then, that if the baby did not arrive on his or her own by due date, we would have one last Ultrasound on Monday to check fluids and make sure baby hadn't grown TOO big (at 40+4) and induce on Wednesday (at 40+6). Schedule it, but I won't be there. This baby is definitely coming before then. It might not be Tuesday, but it will be at night. And it will be a boy.

Well, Wednesday and Thursday came and went and the 2 week eviction notice went...unnoticed. I was officially overdue. Friday...Saturday...Sunday still no baby and still answering more questions with "I don't know." I had officially reached boiling point. I walked into work Monday feeling so defeated. Not mad to be overdue (I get it, babies come when they want to come), but upset because my "motherly intuition" appeared to be nonexistent and in a perpetual state of "I don't know." Surprising the staff at my OB appointment (again), I came out with an updated photo of our (fat and much heavier than Grace) baby. I'd finally accepted that this baby was completely content staying put. This baby wasn't coming early. And probably wasn't coming on a Tuesday. This baby was staying put til induction. Which was scheduled for 7:30AM.

A fellow overdue mom shared her experience with a scheduled induction, in that she showed up at the hospital and they had to turn her away! Several unexpected patients came in already in active labor the night before, and there were no beds available for her. OMG! Could that happen to me?? Sure enough, the hospital called me an hour before induction and told me there was no room at the inn. Are you serious??

I almost started crying but was too mad. We all know the feeling, the scary kind of anger that presents as cool and collected where all you can do is start nodding and agreeing with everything. Luckily, 45 min. later, they called back and said a pt was discharged and a bed had opened up for me! (I later found out of all the scheduled inductions, I was the only one who got to come in that day.)

At 9AM, the doctor broke my water. For the next 6 hours, I was given Pitocin and my contractions were very slow to progress. They were frequent enough but nowhere near painful. I'd had charlie horses more painful than these. Around 4PM, I was warned the anesthesiologist had 2 surgeries to head to and if I wanted an epidural, now would be the most ideal time to get one. Remembering my blinding contractions with Grace, I thought there's no way I want to experience that again and NOT have an anesthesiologist within an arm's reach. On the other hand, my pain level was only at a 2, sometimes 4. Better safe than sorry though...bring on the epidural! It was more painful than I remember. Probably because my pain was already at a 10 when I got it last time and it was more of a sweet release!

Again, for the next 6 hours, my contractions were slow to progress. I had only dilated to 6cm after 12 hours of labor. And was not a "soft" 6 at that. By now, the baby's heart rate was doing crazy things. They stopped my Pitocin and an Oxygen mask was put over my face. That must've looked so scary for Mathias! My doctor watched me closely over the next 2 hours before warning me that if baby's heart rate continued to look this concerning (and by this point, I was still only 7cm dilated), we would have to start considering a C-section. Something none of us wanted to happen.

Nothing about the pregnancy and labor had progressed as expected. What was one more thing? Although disappointed with my body, I just wanted baby to arrive safely, by any means necessary. But I also wanted to be able to pick up my toddler and hold her when I got home without the fear of ripping stitches.

The baby must've heard this internal struggle because in the literal 11th hour, baby's heart rate regulated and I dilated to that ideal "soft" 10 making it safe to finally push! After about 30 min of pushing, Mathias leaned over me and announced (after getting over his own initial shock), "It's a girl!" A girl??

So after all that, it made sense! As a parent, just when you think you've got it all figured out, you realize you don't! At 11:56pm, our Edith McPherson joined our little family of 3! McPherson, because it's my father's, grandfather's, great grandfather's, AND great great grandfather's middle name! Edith, because we just like it :-)

This baby has surprised me in every way possible! And has just been a reminder to humble myself, stop acting like I've got it all figured out, and embrace more of the "I don't know!"