25 Weeks Bumpdate

This pregnancy is starting to slow down a bit for me. I think that just comes with the territory the bigger you get!

Over the last four weeks, I’ve struggled with some discouragement over the discomforts and the extra weight I’m holding onto. But, I’m still maintaining a positive outlook and not giving up.

(Belly at 22 Weeks)

Exercise, by far, is the thing that has helped me the most. I’m walking 2.5 to 5 miles a day, made convenient by my son’s school being so close and the added incentive of knowing the walk helps him as well. Some days I forego walking in the afternoons if the temperature or humidity is high. The trip to school is all up-hill and very little shade, so right now I’m drawing the line about 82 degrees.

I’ve also found myself using walking on days when I feel depressed and unmotivated. A few Saturdays ago, Russ was working and I was left at home with Ezra. I was overwhelmed by pregnancy brain fog and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to make it through the day. I took Ezra to the Y, dropped him off in childcare, and walked while listening to encouraging music. My goal was to do 3 miles but I ended up walking 5 miles – the first time I’ve ever walked that far in one shot!

So far, everything is going smoothly health-wise. While I have gained 27 pounds so far, far above what I want and above “normal,” the midwives remain more concerned about my health and signs and symptoms of problems with me and baby (of which there have been none) than they are concerned about the numbers on the scale. I gained a lot of weight when I was pregnant with Ezra, so I’m starting to believe that my body just holds a lot of weight and water when pregnant, in spite of the lifestyle changes I have made in the last five years.

I opted into an early glucose test at 21 weeks (which sort of shocked the nurse), but it came back normal. I will be taking another one at 28 weeks. My blood pressure remains normal. Baby is measuring about 2 weeks ahead, just like Ezra did, and my ultrasound indicated fluid levels on the higher end of normal. This *could* be an indicator of early labor, but I’m not holding my breath on that one, at all.

(22 Weeks)

They referred me to a cardiologist because of the episodes of ventricle tachycardia that I had two years ago. They performed another echo ultrasound which showed that everything was strong and normal both in structure and function. I’m wearing a heart monitor for the next 30 days (fun fun), but I’m not expecting that to show problems.

I realized that I was having symptoms of low blood pressure while lying down, but the doctors are saying that can happen in pregnancy and don’t seem concerned about that either. I got a wedge pillow that I use sometimes (in addition to the Snoogle and other pillows I use) to prop me up if I feel lightheaded, but most nights it gets ditched partway through.

I’ve started seeing my chiropractor weekly instead of bi-monthly, which has helped so much with all of the aches and pains that have been bothering me. She works on my round ligaments and my pubic symphysis as well as all of the other things she normally does. It’s nice to not have such intense pain.

I’ve also upped my water intake to help with swelling in the heat and humidity. I got two new 40 ounce water bottles so am now aiming for 80 ounces of water today, on top of drinking milk throughout the day and kombucha and pregnancy tea throughout the week.

Little Brother is amazing. He is active nearly all the time. Not an hour or two goes by during the day that I don’t feel some movement, and he’s often active throughout the night as well. This does not bode well for the future of my sleep habits. Ezra also hasn’t been sleeping well, so between the two of them, I may never sleep well again.

Little Brother is also loving the exact same spot that Ezra loved to hang in, moving around between ROA, ROT, and ROP position. I’m trying not to stress or obsess about the positioning, but I’m still doing a lot of Spinning Babies exercises and trying to stay mindful of my posture regardless. It’s mind-boggling and hilarious that these boys are SO much alike already. They even look alike!

My mind has been very focused on birth preparation. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to podcasts, meditating on positive affirmations and scriptures, and practicing guided relaxation. I have also had extended conversations with my birth doula and one of the midwives in the practice about what I can expect going into this birth as far as hospital policies. I’m thinking through a lot of things and learning a lot about my options so that this time around, regardless of the outcome, I can feel more informed and prepared.

(24 Weeks – getting ready to walk to school)

I’m also doing a lot of writing about my thoughts and emotions this pregnancy. Contrary to my norm, I have not been sharing this publicly because 1) I don’t feel like it and 2) I’ve decided to put some of these things together into a “Preparing for VBAC” series which I will publish after the baby is born. Look for more details on that to come!

(24 Weeks 4 days, Mother’s Day 2015)

In other news, Little Brother’s nursery is all set up! Aside from stripping diapers, I have very little left to do to prepare to welcome him into our home!

Ezra remains very excited about the baby, although he often expresses thoughts and fears about the changes by saying that he doesn’t want to be a big brother or a big boy, or that he scared of the new baby coming. I love that he’s so expressive about his emotions and that we can help allay his fears. (Apparently, he thought that when the baby comes he’s actually going to grow big like Daddy right away!)

Just a few more weeks and we will be into the third trimester!