So, while I have not blogged regularly and am currently playing catchup (almost done!), I wanted to be sure to post a current pregnancy update before baby came. Well, right now it is 4am on July 23rd and while I am not positive I am in labor, I have been awake for two hours with contractions. They started low and are now rising up into my stomach. While I sit here and type, I plan to actually time them. Anyways, I thought since I can't sleep anyways, I might as well get up and type this pregnancy post.
So, we were so happy to get pregnant when we did. We really wanted to have 4 children, but knew that since I was already 34 (when we were trying to get pregnant), that I didn't want to wait too many years, if we could, to have baby #4. It took two rounds of Femara to help my body get on track to ovulate (TMI, but I want to remember this stuff!:)), but then we were pregnant.
My pregnancy has been good and pretty consistent with my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies. I start out nauseous for the first 3 months, but take Zofran every single night and sometimes an extra one during the day when it would hit me and it certainly helped with the actual throwing up. I would still find that if I skipped a night of my medicine, I was sicker the next morning until I took that little precious pill again. I don't think it's common to take it all pregnancy, but my doctor didn't mind prescribing it and even if it was part mental sometimes, I loved having it. As always, I was pretty tired the first 3-4 months and that may or may not have been when I let Everly REALLY get to know Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with extra shows while I would crawl into a ball on the couch to get through the nausea and exhaustion.
But, as time went on, that exhaustion went away and didn't come back until the last 10 weeks of pregnancy. I told you already about my fall on my birthday, but otherwise, I did not have any other hard parts. I had a TERRIBLE stomach bug in the first trimester and that is just miserable anytime, but especially then. My cravings have been mostly cold food - any sandwich, salad, potato salad, pasta salad but mostly of all, FRUIT! I have eaten so many watermelons and cantaloupes since they have been in season. And peaches and grapes have been so good lately. And many times I cannot get enough water, but as soon as I need something else...I want a Dr. Pepper. Sometimes, I just want the taste. Unsweet tea is my favorite drink but at times, all I wanted was that ice cold water.
Once my 3rd trimester started, we were in full swing of baseball, t-ball, dance, and end of year activities and my body was getting tired by the end of every day. So, I was really glad when summer hit. We had a couple of weeks of swim lessons at noon and VBS and Sports Camp at night, but since then, for the most part, we have been home. The kids have been wonderful this summer to just play and relax and not beg to be out doing things. I love summer and I want to just be home with the kids because that is when we can all rest and be ourselves and do what we want to do. I have loved the outings we have had to swim and go to the library and some other fun weekend activities with Vic. But, mostly, it has been the best because we have been home.
Summer, however, is hot! I feel for Ana, who is due at the end of September. I hope it starts cooling off for her last 3-4 weeks because I know that I am just hot. If I do not go outside all day and don't do lots of running around the house, I can stay pretty cool. But, even one outing outside keeps me hot all day long. So many people have told me to just stay in the swimming pool and while that has definitely kept me cool the rest of the day, it is a lot of work with Everly so I have not done that but one time by myself. But, it's just amazing how hot I am and what being pregnant in the summer feels like. And it's one of those things where I know I am not in control of my own body, so I can't push it. I don't want to pass out from heat or overdo my body, so I have had no problem mostly staying in the a/c at the house as much as possible.
I also have great kids at great ages. Atticus and Grace are so helpful when I ask them to do things for me or help Everly. Many times, I sit on the ground with Everly to play. Well, once I'm down, I don't want to hop up very often, so they will do anything I ask. And when I do get up - it's having to roll over onto all fours and then find ways to climb up! It's happened in the other pregnancies but you forget how hard it can be to get up without cramping a muscle or getting a ligament pain and you know you look ridiculous! And although I have to pick Everly up to put her to bed, change her, put her in her high chair, etc., for the most part she is mobile and sufficient enough to be helpful too.
So, as far as my body, here are things that are easy to forget until you are in the moment, but are so important to remember. It's just amazing how much your body goes through. I know women have been having babies since the beginning of time, but it's still work to carry sweet babies. I know God made our bodies just right to do all of this work and I am always grateful and never like to voice any real complaints about being pregnant. I am glad to do this job. But, it is amazing how BIG you get and how hard that stomach is. Every week that I think I surely can't grow any more and my stomach can not get any tighter, it does. The aches and pains change every week or sometimes day, so just when I think certain pains are just getting too tough, they change and I get relief. Otherwise, I have been lucky with other symptoms. I have never had heartburn during pregnancy and not usually in general, which is why I had no idea that I was having gall bladder attacks instead of heartburn after I had Grace. I just didn't know. But, this time I did have two different cases of what I believe was heartburn, but they went away and it hasn't been a problem. I also had one random week of terrible swelling in my feet - the kind that hurts to walk. That usually doesn't happen until after I deliver, but I had a bad week of it and then it just went away. And just a couple of weeks ago, I had the worst ligament pains that lasted a full week and would cause such pain every time I took a step. Then, I woke up one morning and they were gone.
But, besides the aches and pains, I want to remember what carrying a baby feels like. It's hard to really remember after time passes, but I love feeling her and the other kids move inside me. I love the end where you can pinpoint that a leg or foot is kicking your insides. At night, when I lay on my side and she is just punching and it feels like she must be making dents in the mattress where I lay is just amazing. I like feeling her from the top of my stomach to the bottom of my stomach stretch out or move all at once. I love the quote I've read that says "you are the only one that knows what my heart sounds like on the inside" because it's true! This baby knows my heartbeat and my voice and is just waiting to grow big enough to come out and meet us. I can get emotional very quickly thinking about this.
Anyways, I just wanted to do a quick pregnancy summary and say that I am so excited to meet this baby girl! We still do not have a name picked out - but we have several that we will try out at the hospital once she does arrive. Then, we can choose the perfect name for her.
While I am only 38 weeks and 2 days right now, I may have just been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions for the last two hours, because guess what? I have not had ONE since I sat down to type this 25 minutes ago. That is ok; I have not had but about an hour and a half of sleep (because I took a nap this afternoon and that always makes it hard for me to go to sleep at night and then I woke up with contractions), so maybe I can go lay down and sleep for a couple of hours now. But, if I lay down and have more contractions, then I will wonder if we are going into labor soon! Oh my - the waiting game. Side note: usually when contractions start for me, it's go time and labor is starting. But, two weeks ago, I sat in bed watching TV with Vic and had 6 contractions in 2 hours. Then, nothing else. So, this one might be different.
Another side note: As I typed that last sentence, I had a mild contraction last only about 30 seconds. So, I have no idea what is happening right now. Headed back to bed to see if they continue and if so, I might as well get up and shower at least. Just in case. Then, I will start prepping for a babysitter. I hope someone is available early this morning or I will be calling friends here in a few hours to come watch kids! Seriously, I have no idea what is going to happen. But, this is my update!
Update at 4:35ish: another very mild contraction 5 minutes after that last one. Hmmm...
Morning 8am Update: No more contractions after 5pm; I fell asleep (hooray!) and woke up with nothing else. So, we will keep watching!
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