Pregnancy Update: 30 Weeks

How far along?  30 Weeks

Baby size?  Cantaloupe!  Which they say means he's about 17 inches long and weighing about 3.5 pounds now.

Baby progress?  That hair that covered Little Man's body?  The lanugo?  It's beginning to fall off this week as he can now regulate his own temperature and as he puts on more fat to help keep him warm and.  He should begin putting on half a pound a week now!! YIKES!  He will continue to rotate towards the birth position (head down, facing my spine) but won't stay there as he still has plenty of room to move around (especially with his "large swimming" pool, aka my polyhydramnios.)  He is also now strong enough to grasp a finger!!!  It makes me excited to think about being here and holding onto mine or Nick's finger :)  That little brain of his is now starting to look like a real brain with all the wrinkles and grooves it's getting.  He is also now forming red blood cells in his marrow (I think this cool, but I'm a nerd when it comes to the human body).  Fluid is also now present in the air sacs in his lungs to help him take his first breath at birth.  

Weight gain?  I'm up 26 pounds.  But thankfully we found out this sudden increase is not just me being a fatty, but instead, a new issue I have :(

Sleep?   Same story.  No sleep.  Maybe a total of 2-4 hours a night.  But still not really tired throughout the day so that's good!

Symptoms?  Nothing new.  Back and hip pain, extreme (vomiting inducing) acid reflux, and lots of Braxton Hicks.  I guess my feet are now noticeably achy too.  I haven't really had that.  I'm sure it's all the extra weight I'm carrying and the fact that professional shoes are not made with support or comfort.  My poor feet are miserable all week at work :(

Emotionally, I've been struggling with how big I am.  I feel like I've grown very suddenly and people have been making comments to me that I look like I'm close to the end (35+ weeks along).  It's upsetting and has really been getting to me.  But this week, we learned that my belly is a little bigger than normal and there is a reason.  Below is comparison picture.  I'm in the same dress (and obviously a better camera, lighting, and makeup in the first one), but the first photo was taken four weeks ago.  Four week difference.  That's insane!

Cravings?  Nothing really.  Random times I crave something, but as soon as I eat it, I don't want it again.  But that was me pre-pregnancy so I don't really think that counts as a pregnancy craving, more so just a Melanie craving.  What can I say, I love food!

Movement?  Lots and lots!  Nick can very easily feel it now.  And my co-workers notice the bump moving during meetings.  It's so weird and creepy, but so amazing at the same time.  I already find myself getting emotional knowing these days of feeling him move inside are coming closer to an end.  There truly is no way to describe this feeling, but it's by far one of the best out there.  

Workouts & Activity?  I feel like I have more energy and I've been using it!  We took the dogs for an almost two hour hike with our friends and doggie friends.  We've been going on walks with the dogs more frequently.  Sure, it's not vigorous exercise, but it sure is a lot more activity than my body has seen in a LONG time!  

How are you feeling?   Pretty good, physically.  We just found out I have polyhydramnios so I'm pretty anxious about that but we don't find out more until next week when we see the high-risk doctors.  (click here to read about this experience).

Best moment this week?   Getting to see him again.  Even if he did hide his face.  During my ultrasound, the sonographer was kind enough to attempt a 3D ultrasound so we could see him (they normally charge extra for this).  But of course, he was hiding.  This is all we saw of him...his back side, side of his face, and ear.  He was shunning us.

Worst moment this week?  Find out about the polyhydramnios.  This puts me at risk to deliver early (as in any moment) so I'm a little upset.  I'll feel better once we know WHY it's happened and if we can fix it.  Thankfully, as far as we can tell, Baby Obie is doing great!

What do you miss?   Beer.  So so so badly.  So much so that I caved and bought O'Douls for a barbecue we went to.  And you know what?  It wasn't that bad!!!!  It tasted much more similar to beer (Budlight) than I thought it would.  It definitely helped my craving quite a bit!!

Things that suck?  
Baby's orientation.  He's head down, which is great.  Except, he now has a lot of space due to the excess fluid and has plenty of time and space to move so that doesn't mean he'll stay head down.  But what sucks is because of this, he has his feet crammed up behind my ribs, right underneath my right boob.  It HURTS!!!  The only way to get a little relief is to arch my back and shoulder backwards, but this then means I'm sticking my chest and belly out.  It's not cute.  So I don't do it when I'm at home or with my door shut in my office.  And I can't sit like that long because it's really not comfortable.  
It also sucks that I'm running out of clothes.  When I outgrew my size small shirts, I began wearing Nick's shirts.  He isn't much larger than me, so he wears size medium.  And now those t-shirts are a little snug on my belly!

Going along with the running out clothes that fit, pre-pregnancy my camis were size small and extra-small.  Now, those tank tops are smashing my poor girls and squeezing the crap out of them.  It's not cute and it's uncomfortable.  I have bought a few medium and large camis and just rotate through them (I have no shame in admitting I wear them more than once before washing them).  I'm just too frugal to go drop a lot on them when my boobs might grow some more.  Same with bras.  My now DD boobs are still squeezing into my C cup bra.  It doesn't hurt but I am not going to keep buying new bras when they're going to keep growing.  Bras are expensive!  Many have suggested sports bras and nursing bras, but I have yet to find quality nursing bras that I'm willing to spend the money on now, knowing I won't fit into them soon.  I still work fulltime and have to dress professionally.  With boobs this large, you can tell when I'm wearing a cheap bra.  Sports bras are out for work.  That wouldn't fly.  So for now, I'll keep wearing my supportive, looks good in professional attire C cup bras and buy new ones when my milk comes in.  Or at least when he arrives.  But like I said, I can't see dropping more money on bras to outgrow them in 4-6 weeks.

(Don't worry, I changed out of that cami on the left.  I wasn't going to leave the house with very visible quad-boob going on.)

Things that don't suck?  Making strides in the nursery.  It's cleaned out, other than the guest bed, which means it's ready for paint and decorating.  We actually went to Babies R Us this week and purchased all the furniture!!!  It should hopefully arrive next week!!!  I can't wait to start getting it put together, especially now knowing he might make his debut sooner.  

Looking forward to?   Getting some answers about this polyhydramnios.  I just want my baby to be okay and pray that he is good and stays put!!!  I just want to get to my appointment with the high-risk doctors so I can get some answers and, hopefully, some peace of mind.  

Polyhydramnios Diagnosis

Last week, I was diagnosed with polyhydramnios.   What this means is that I have an excess of amniotic fluid.  It occurs in about 1% of pregnancies (my body sure likes to fall into that 1% category of things, doesn't it {Less than 1% of those with cancer have my type of cancer.}  Clearly odds just aren't in my favor.)  Of those with polyhydramnios, about 65% of the time, there is no known cause.  The other 35%, they can nail down a cause.

But before I jump into all of that.  Let me start from the beginning.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to post about this, but now that I have "answers" and more clarification, (and the few who know have posted things on my wall and I couldn't delete them before others saw), I decided I can make it known.  Sorry some of you are finding out this way.  But I assure you it's not awful.  It's just a long story that I do not have time to retell many, many times, especially since I really only have two-ish hours of free time a day.  (I'm writing this at 1am during an insomnia spell).

I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for about three weeks.  When I saw my doctor, I told her about them and it was then that she informed me that I was having too many an hour.  They say less than 5 an hour is okay and normal, but I was having, on average, about 8 an hour.  My OB told me the next time it was happening that frequently, to pop in and they'd monitor me and baby.  At this appointment, she also informed me that my cervix is on the short end.  It could have been short to begin with, but their concern was also that my contractions might be shortening it.  (What does a short cervix mean?  Risk of pre-term labor.  She explained it like this:  Think of a lifesaver.  When you first put it in your mouth, it's hard and thick.  But over time, it grows thinner and weaker.  That's what a shortening cervix does.  Once it becomes too short, it's too weak to hold baby in because there's no cushion anymore)

Fast forward about a week, and I drove the half a mile down the road to the hospital and went up to my OB's office.  First they measured my cervix (this is done via transvaginal ultrasound.  Let me say, having three of these in 3 weeks is not fun!).  Thankfully my cervix hasn't changed since the last visit which is great news!  They also did an abdominal ultrasound to check on Baby Obie and make sure things were still looking good with him.  And they were :)  :)   He appeared as perfect as could be.  He's now head down, (which made getting a good measurement of the cervix difficult.  He did NOT like her poking his head.  But I'll admit, it was cute the way he'd turn his head and kind of look down (or up for him since he was upside down) at my cervix, where the pressure was coming from.)  She then informed me that he had his hands up near his face.  I told her that I'm not surprised because at 27 weeks, we did a 3D ultrasound and he hid his face the entire time with his feet and hands.  She responded, "Oh no!  So you never saw his face?"  Nope, not really.  She then said, "let's see if we can get you a peek" and switched transducers, flipped on the 3D and attempted to look at his face!  My office charges extra for these 3D scans but she did it free of charge.  She made my day!!!  Sadly, he remained hidden.  He kept shunning us.  This was all we saw....his shoulder, ear, side of his face (and that's his blurry arm creating a shadow and hiding his face.  But I appreciated her trying (if you live in Jacksonville, FL, I cannot recommend my OB practice enough!)  And who am I to deny watching my little miracle for an additional 15 minutes?!

After my cervix and baby were checked, they hooked me up to the NST machine to monitor my contractions, as well as how baby does during them.  After about 45 minutes, my doctor came in to tell me that while I am having quite a few contractions, baby and I are doing just fine during them.  Because of this, she has no major concerns.  She just told me to be careful and watch for signs of true labor.  She also warned me that while they aren't an issue now, things in pregnancy can change in 24 hours so they will monitor me a little more closely.  But I am approaching the point where I have an appointment every two weeks, instead of every four, so they won't order additional tests or scans.

So back to work I went and feeling much more relieved.

Fast forward six days to this past Thursday.  I went in for my normal routine visit.  They checked my cervix again just to make sure it's not shortening and they again took another look at Little Man.  Once I was back in the exam room, the nurse practitioner came in and said, "Baby looks great!  Your cervix is the same as last week, which is good!  But, we have a pretty big concern.  You have polyhydramnios, which is an excess of amniotic fluid.  When you came in last Friday, we noticed it was a little above average, but we didn't mention it to you.  Some times women's levels are high for a day due to too much water and we didn't want to freak you out over nothing so we decided to wait and see how it was today since we knew we were seeing you in less than a week.  But today, it's risen significantly.  And you've gained a few pounds in those six days."

She then told me that more than half the time, they don't know the cause and the other half, they do.  I asked what the causes were and she went through them:
-  Fetal anemia, which would mean he would need to get a blood transfusion, in utero.
-  Genetic disorders, most commonly Downs Syndrome.  However, she said she didn't think this was the case.  My risk factors for genetic disorders came back so low after I had all the blood work done in the first trimester.  Not to mention, we've seen him many times and his measurements are perfect and right on track for where he should be.
-  Birth defects in the digestive tract, such as cleft palate, cleft lip, or an obstruction in his esophagus, all of which would cause him to have issues swallowing the amniotic fluid.  Thankfully, we've seen his mouth and know that he doesn't have cleft lip or palate.  She was confident he didn't have an issue with his esophagus, but she said the high-risk doctors would take a look and confirm that.
-  Gestational diabetes.  She's almost positive this isn't the case.  I had the test done a little under two weeks ago and my levels came back almost as low as can be.  She said she'd never seen anyone suddenly reach diabetic levels or the levels needed to cause this in just two weeks.
-  Kidney issues.  It could be that his kidneys are not functioning properly, but again, the high-risk doctors would look into this.
-  A virus, but she said one severe enough to cause this, I would have been very symptomatic.  And I haven't been sick at all this pregnancy so we ruled that out.

Unfortunately, once you're flagged with polyhydramnios, you have to go through the entire checklist again to rule things out and find a cause.  So I have to get all the blood work done for genetic disorders.  I have to repeat the one-hour blood sugar test.  I will go back to the high-risk doctors  (even though I'm still concerned a high-risk pregnancy, it was going so smoothly that they didn't make me see both them and my regular OB.).  The high-risk docs have better machines and can get a better look at him.

I asked my OB what this all means for me, and she said it puts me at a great risk for pre-term labor.  It also puts me at risk for umbilical cord prolapse once I'm in labor (that is when the umbilical cord slips out of the cervix ahead of baby and will require an emergency c-section) and it also puts me at risk for placental abruption.   She said it can also cause increased back pain, abdominal pain, and more intense/painful (false labor) contractions.
Of course then she told me to get things in order (nursery, birth plan, hospital bag, etc) and we went over signs of true labor.
Cue my freak out!!!!  I'm only 29 weeks (at that point.)  She could see the tears in my eyes and told me to stay calm.  She informed me that she's pretty certain I'll fall into the "unknown cause" category, which is good because the other ones mean something is wrong with baby.  She also informed me plenty of women have this and see no side effects from it and carry to term.  But that she has to be honest and prepare me in case I do go early or something is wrong.
Lastly, she measured my belly and while baby is measuring on track, my belly is a little bigger than normal for this week.  I was in week 29, almost week 30 but my belly was measuring week 32.  But she said that (and the huge jump in weight in 6 days) is due to the rise in amniotic fluid.


That Thursday to Tuesday was a long wait to see the high-risk specialists.  Thank goodness Nick was with me for this appointment (and thank goodness for a very family-oriented and understanding squadron.  They changed him to flying late that night instead of earlier in the day so he could come to this appointment with me.)

When I arrived, they took me right back for the ultrasound.  I still have an excess of amniotic fluid, but good news is that it isn't anymore than it was at my last visit.
Baby looked great!  He's measuring right on track (which also indicates no signs of genetic disorders) and weighs 3 pounds and 5 ounces, putting him in the 47th percentile, which is average and perfect!  He was moving all over (again, hiding is face most of the time.  We waited (and poked him) for a good 20 minutes to attempt to get him to move his hand from his face so she could measure his nasal bone. We have one stubborn child who takes after his father and hates photos.  I like to think he doesn't want his face seen until he has a name to go with the face.)
He was swallowing just fine and we could see nothing wrong with his digestive tract or esophagus, and his kidneys looked great!!!
Everything checked out great!!
As the doctor said, "Baby just likes a big swimming pool!"  Of course, it doesn't mean we're in the clear as I'm still at risk for pre-term labor.  But we are thrilled to know that he is healthy and nothing is wrong with him.  (I still have to get the blood work and redo the blood sugar test, but I'll do that at my next regular visit next week.)
And since nothing is wrong with Little Man, and it's just a lot of fluid for an unknown reason, I don't have to come back to the high-risk doctors for another four weeks :)

The ultrasound tech and student that did the ultrasound printed quite a few pictures for us, which we are thankful for.  AND we learned he now has hair!  It's light colored (hopefully blond or strawberry blonde and not Nick's Irish beard orange hair lol).   It's not much she said, but he has some now whereas at our 3D scan at 27 weeks, he was very bald!

He appears to have his mama's chin! Maybe?  I think so!

(Top left, his eyes and mouth are open and he looks a little (a lot) creepy.
Bottom right, that's the hair sticking off the back of his head!!!)


I am so relieved to know he's okay.  Of course, I'm concerned about going into labor early.  At this point, 30 weeks, his rate of survival is 95% which is awesome!  But I don't want him to come early. Sure, I'm anxious to meet him, but I want him to come when he's done cooking so that he can come home WITH us and not spend any additional time in the hospital.
Now we are working hard and fast to get his nursery done (furniture was ordered end of last week and paint samples are bought with the intentions of painting three of the walls this weekend!).  Yes, I know he won't be sleeping in it for a while, but I really don't want to worry about setting up a nursery once he's arrived.
Additionally, my hospital bag is now mostly packed, Nick's checklist for his bag is made, and I'm working on the very few things we'll take in Baby Obie's bag (still on the hunt for a good baby book if anyone has one they love and want to recommend!)  (OR if you have suggestions of things you were happy to have or wished you would have had in the hospital.  Yes, I know they provide everything you need, but I'd rather have my own things if it'll make me more comfortable.  I'd rather have it and not use it than not have it and wish I did have it, especially since we live about 30 minutes from the hospital).

I'd appreciate prayers (from you praying type) and good thoughts that Baby Obie stays put at least another 7 weeks and that we don't come across any issues and all goes well for us both!!!!  We're in the home stretch now, Little Man!  We got this!!!

Pregnancy Update: 29 Weeks

Guess who's a week behind again!!!!  THIS GIRL!!!

How far along?  29 Weeks

Baby size?   The size of a squash! 

Baby progress?   Not much is happening these days as he's just packing on the fat and continuing to work his organs and practice breathing, swallowing, etc so that they can function on his own at birth.  His movements are getting stronger and more fluid movements, than quick jabs.  His brain now controls his body temperature and breathing.  His irises respond to light be dilating and contracting (they save he'll move towards the light if we put a flashlight on my belly).  

Weight gain?  I'm a little bothered because I seem to be putting on weight more easily now.  I know you add more at the end, but at this rate, I'm going to add a total of 100 pounds!!!  I'm up another 2 pounds putting me at 20 pounds.  

(Pregnant crotches bring all the dogs to the yard....at least, that's how I'm singing it.  Yadi, and every other dog I'm around, must be able to smell this baby or something because they're all drawn to it.  I didn't even notice I caught Yadi on camera doing this until days later).

Sleep?   What's that?  Sleep does not happen.  I'm asleep around midnight, but wide awake between 1am-2am and then I don't go back to sleep until about 4am-5am.  At which point I only get another hour or so before getting up for work.  Pregnancy insomnia is no joke.  The only good thing is that I don't feel tired during the day so I'm able to function like a normal human being.  Although I'm sure one day that will catch up with me.

Symptoms?  

Same ones...acid reflux, hip and back pain, and baby brain.
I'm also having pain because Little Homie now has his feet tucked behind my ribs, under my right boob.  It's so painful.  The only way to get relief is to arch my back backwards, which means I'm sticking my belly and chest out.  It's not cute.  So I really only do that when I'm home or in my office with my door shut.  

Cravings?  None at the moment.

Movement?    It's all the time and it's STRONG!  Little Obie is one active fella!

Workouts & Activity?  I decided to embrace daylight savings and just force my body to get some exercise.  When I got home from work, I decided to take the dogs for a walk.  A random neighbor said I was insane for taking two large dogs on a walk by myself being "so big" but they're great walkers; they don't pull and do really well!  However, this walk was a bad move.  My belly contracted about 3 blocks into our walk.  About half a mile in, the skies opened up and it began raining.  I said, "Okay, Little Man, we're about to attempt to light jog.  Hold on tight!"  We lasted about 10 houses before I stopped.  With a contracted belly, a racing heart, and a just a big belly bouncing in front of me, it was painful.  So we walked the last half of the walk in the rain.  (Thank goodness for dogs that dry super quick and don't really have the strong 'wet dog' smell.)

How are you feeling?  I feel good.  My belly contracts a lot, which sometimes has me worried but overall, I feel good!

Best moment this week?  Childbirth class.  Call me weird but I really like this class!  Our instructor is awesome and she makes the class really enjoyable.  I don't know what I expected from this class, but I thought it would be awful and scare me.  It covered pretty much every aspect of pregnancy, labor, post-partum, and even parenting that you could want.  It eased my mind about a lot of things and made me feel much more prepared.  I also love that they went over relaxation and massage techniques and had the significant others practice with us :)

Worst moment this week?   Sitting, rather uncomfortably, in the doctors office to be hooked up to the NST machine for monitoring.  Good news is, while I do have a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions in a small period, both Baby and I do great doing them.  My doctor said active women can have them more often and it's okay if our heart rate and blood pressure are good, which ours were okay.  She said we'll keep an eye on it and monitor more often to make sure it doesn't change, but for now, we're good to keep on keeping on!!!  But the test itself was boring, the straps were rather tight, and they had me laying on a hard bed, at a weird angle.  But I guess that's not THAT awful of a worst moment, huh?

What do you miss?  Functioning throughout my day without a foot up in my ribs, causing a lot of pain.

Things that suck?   Being clumsy and having a big belly.  Normally, (daily), I drop food in my lap.  But it falls on my pants, which are almost always black or dark wash jeans, so the food stain is hidden.  These days, my belly sticks out so far, that it catches every single drop.  And because my belly is so out there, my spills are noticeable to all.

Things that don't suck?  Actually having my husband alongside me for these childbirth classes.  We've been really fortunate that he's been able to attend every one.  Typically, the military dictates your life and most things do not happen in your favor.  However, Nick was so lucky to get a kickass squadron that truly cares about family and they've been able to work with him to ensure that he's been able to make it all the classes with me :)

Looking forward to?   Finally ordering our baby furniture next week!  We've held off because it wasn't in the warehouse, which meant it would take 10 weeks to arrive.  But next week, it'll be in the warehouse so by waiting to order it, we will get in 7-10 business days!  We're getting closer to getting that nursery finished!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Yadi and Vino!!!!!
(Can't you just feel their excitement?!)

Clearly our pups don't have our enthusiastic attitude towards this day.  Probably because they're Hungarian and German, but whatevs.
I hope you all remembered to wear your green today!!!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 28

How far along?  28 Weeks

Baby size?  Eggplant (although I feel like he is so much larger than this!)

Baby progress?  He's still packing on the fat (and muscle) which means he's getting rid of his wrinkly skin!  His lungs are mature, which means, God forbid, but if he came early, he could probably survive!!!  That is definitely comforting to know.  But I hope he cooks for at least another 9 weeks (although I want to meet him NOW!).  But they say if he's born today, he has a 95% chance of survival (he's still need medical assistance to breath but he could do it!).  We did it, Little Man!!!
He's also now able to control his own body temperature, which is a sign he's getting closer and closer to being able to sustain himself.  His adrenal glands are now secreting androgen, which will signal my body to begin lactation when he arrives.  He's still practicing his breathing (as well as coughing and dreaming during his REM sleep! That is crazy to me!)  This week I also felt his hiccups for the first time.  Talk about adorable!

Weight gain?  I'm up 2 pounds from last week, putting me at 18 pounds now!

Stretch marks?  Nope!  I hear it's more hereditary than anything.  No idea if this is actually true.  My mom said she got a few, but not many.  Although she did get more on her boobs than her belly.  But thus far, I have none anywhere.  And I hope it stays that way.

Sleep?   It's hit or miss.  My most difficult part is falling asleep.  Once I'm asleep, I usually sleep really well.  I'll wake up to pee, but 90% of the time I'm able to fall back asleep within 15 minutes.  There are those nights though, where I'm up for another 2 hours before I can fall back asleep.  The hardest part is just when I lay down and try to initially fall asleep.  I cannot seem to shut my brain off.  My job is beyond overwhelming and I can't seem to not stress out over it and it keeps me awake.  

Symptoms?  
-  Acid reflux!  Story time!!!  This past week, I had the grossest thing happen.  Now remember, I suffer from chronic acid reflux because I no longer have a sphincter at the bottom of my esophagus.  Acid is always just chilling all the way up to the back of up my throat and I'm always in pain and discomfort.  After 9 years, I'm used to it.  But pregnancy has brought it to a new level.  I'm finding myself throwing up multiple times a week, just from the acid reflux.  Okay, so that was a long tangent.  Back to my story.  The other day, I was in the bathroom when I bent over to pick something up off the floor and bile just came pouring out of my mouth on the floor.  No gagging, coughing, etc.  No warning.  It literally just poured out of me like a pitcher.  It wasn't a lot, maybe 2 tablespoons but still so incredibly gross.  Never, ever have I had that happen!!!!!!  Thank goodness I was on tile for an easy clean up but OMGosh! how disgusting.  I guess I literally am like a pitcher now with how my body is.  There's nothing to keep it in and down.  Lesson learned.  From now on, squat and keep your chin UP to prevent the pouring of bile.
-  Hip pain.  It's bad.  It's more so in my back but goodness it's awful!   I cannot get any relief and I'm in tears often.  Nick tries to massage me but it's moreso the joint and bone pain so it doesn't help much.  I think it's time for a chiro!
-  Back pain.  The hip pain is worse, but my upper back is killing me from my scoliosis and lack of lifting to strength those muscles and alleviate the pain.

Baby brain.  Wow oh wow!  It's getting bad.  I still have chemo brain (which is nowhere near as bad as it was my year of treatment and the year following but it's still there) and now add in baby brain?  I am sorry for those I laughed at and doubted when they talked about it.  This week?  I walked out of my building after work and forgot what car was mine.  There were maybe 15 cars in our parking lot and I didn't know which one was mine.  Not as in, I couldn't see it.  Not as in there are three silver Accords and I didn't know which one was mine.  I seriously stood there, looking at all the cars and thinking, "I have no idea which car is mine.  What color is my car again?"  I kept envisioning our SUV, but couldn't remember what my car looked like!  Then I saw my Mizzou license plate frame and it was so clear to me.  And then I walked to my car wondering if I was developing early onset Alzheimer's.  

Belly Button In or Out?  It's definitely making its way to try to pop out.  It's still in but I'd say in two week, it'll be close to flush with my belly :( I didn't think this would happen because I had a DEEP belly button.  Or I thought if it did, it wouldn't be until the very, very, very end.  But nope, here I am at 28 weeks and it's soon to be flush with my belly!!!!

Cravings?   Fries.  I'm loving french fries right now.  

Movement?  It's slowing down, which I think is due to him starting to get cramped and running out of room.  Mama isn't a big girl so he doesn't have a lot of room anymore.  But I do feel him often throughout the day, which is great because I love his movements (now that I'm able to sleep through them).  But it also sucks because when he's not active, I start to worry that something is wrong.  I just need to remember as the weeks pass, his movements aren't going to be all the time like they have been since week 16.

Workouts & Activity?    I'm more active but not on a workout routine.  Just my everyday activity.  Just like the previous update, I've learned how to deal with my heart and lack of stamina and know when to take my break and rest a little.  

How are you feeling?  Great!!  I feel so good now!!!

Last week I had been feeling really low and although it's only been one week of my restricted work schedule (I only clocked 45 hours this week!!!!), I feel a lot better.  I'm doing my best to try to not let things get to me, which is hard.  I know this is all vague, but I promise a post about my job and why this is so hard is coming.  But last week, I was in a bad place.  Things have gotten much better since that last post.  Thank goodness!  I haven't been in to see a therapist so I'm thankful things are better without that.  

Best moment this week?  There are two.
The first is that I felt Baby Obie's hiccups!!!!  It was a very rhythmic movement and it was the most adorable thing ever!!!  I woke Nick up to feel because I was so excited.  However, he doesn't remember it at all :(  But I do and although I'm sure it sucked for Little Man, I loved it!!!
The second best moment this week was ringing in week 28 with a Cardinals game!!!  We rung in the third trimester by taking Baby Obie to his first baseball game!  We drove about 3 hours south to Cape Canaveral to watch the Cardinals play the Nationals.  I wore the shirt I wore when I told Nick I was pregnant, although I actually fill it out now, and so many people complimented it.  It's nice to know I'm finally obviously pregnant.  We had such a great time at the game and it makes me so excited to share our love of the Cardinals with him once he's here; taking him to games, watching the games in our living room, teaching his cheers and seeing him in his Cardinals gear.  

Worst moment this week?   I had a freak out over how big my belly is.  When I look in a mirror, it seems huge to me.  And in certain photos, it looks ginormous.  I'm all belly, which is great, except I'm not too sure where and how I will continue to grow over the next 12 weeks.  I know my belly can grow more, but can it really grow THAT much more?!  I feel like by 40 weeks I won't even be able to touch the front of my belly.  And that's just not cute!  
Some days my belly and I feel and look huge and then other days, like the one below, I feel like I look like a 12 year that shoved a basketball under her shirt and is running around pretending she's pregnant.

What do you miss?  My clothes.  I'm very limited in what I can wear.  It wouldn't be a huge issue if I didn't work.  But having to dress professionally when nothing fits is difficult.  I really don't want to drop money on clothes I'll only wear for 12 more weeks so I'm pretty much just wearing the same six outfits over and over.  Thankfully, I work with 3 other pregnant woman and two others who JUST had babies, so they understand the struggle and the judgement is nonexistent.  (yes, there is obviously something in the water at my office.)

Things that suck?   Shoes.  There are no professional shoes that offer support and comfort.  By the time I get home from work, my feet are throbbing.  Sadly, propping them up and resting all night isn't enough.  I wake up in the morning and they're still in pain; just to do it all over again :(And the lack of support and being on them all day doesn't help my back at all.

Things that don't suck?  Bedtime story time.  It's my favorite part of my day.  Nick and I climb in bed each night and read to Baby Obie.  Reading is very important to me; maybe that's from my job in college and my years post-college as a teacher.  I want his nighttime routine to include story time, so we decided to start it now.  It also gives Nick some bonding time with him each day.  Little Man hears my voice all day long but Nick and I are only home and awake together maybe 2 hours a day so he doesn't hear Nick often (especially because Nick isn't a talker so when we are home together, I'm still doing most of the talking).  This gives Nick the opportunity to talk to him, read to him, bond with him, and allow Baby Obie to get to hear his voice every single night.  I just love this time. It warms my heart and often brings tears to my eyes to listen to Nick talk to and read to his son.  

Looking forward to?   Getting some color on this pale, giant belly!!  The weather is starting to finally warm up and I plan to spend more time outside, soaking up some vitamin D and getting some color on this body (don't worry, I always use at LEAST an SPF 30 anytime I'm in the sun).  And I'm just happy to have warm weather.  It makes me happy and productive.  

Glucose Test: It Wasn't THAT Bad

The glucose test.  Oh, that dreaded glucose test.  Or so I thought.

Ever since I got pregnant, I'd been dreading the glucose test.  Every pregnant woman I know talked about how awful the test was.  More so, how disgusting the drink was.  "Ask for orange"  "Make sure it's cold" "Don't get fruit punch"  "Don't throw up, you'll have to do it again".

Honestly, it wasn't that bad.  I think this another case of "Pessimistic Pregnancy Penny"  (you know, like Debbie Downers, Negative Nancys, Jealous Jerrys, etc).  You know the kind I'm talking about.  The women who want to do nothing but bitch and complain about everything.  The ones who only share the awful moments.  The ones who hated pregnancy.  The ones who want to make sure you're just as miserable as they are.  The ones who want to scare you.  The ones...okay you get the point.

I go into my appointment and I'm nervous.  I'm expecting it to be awful.  I sat in the waiting room anticipating the gagging I'd be doing trying to drink the crazy sugary juice.

I'm called back, pee in a cup, get my weight, and am escorted to a room.  As I enter, I see the drink already sitting there.  "You need to drink this entire bottle in 5 minutes.  As soon as you finish, open the door so I know you're done and I'll mark the time.  We have to draw your blood exactly 60 minutes after you're finished.  You can take a sip or two of your water, but don't drink a lot.  If you have to throw up, you'll have to redo the test.  Got it?"  Yes ma'am.  Drink, open door, wait, don't drink or puke, wait, give blood.  Got it.

She hands me the drink and closes the door.
It's cold.  Thank goodness!  Obstacle one tackled.  Wait, what flavor is this?  LIME?!  Oh my gosh, I hate lime!  Oh no!  Why didn't they let me pick my flavor?  If the flavors I like are disgusting, how awful will a flavor I hate be?!  Melanie, just do it.  Open the bottle and drink the damn thing.  Just get it over with.

So I do.  And guess what?!  It wasn't bad!  At all!!!!  It really didn't taste that disgusting and it was pretty easy to drink it all in 5 minutes.  Honestly, it didn't taste all THAT sugary like I expected.  I definitely wouldn't have guessed that there was 50g of sugar in that 50mL bottle.

I got up, opened the door, and the nurse entered.  "Great!!!  It's 8:53 so I'll come back at 9:45 to take you to the lab.  Make yourself comfy.  Feel free to use the restroom if you need to."

I was okay for about 10 minutes.  Then it hit me.  I suddenly felt nauseous.  It was just far too much sugar for my little body.  My chest felt tight, my belly ached, and I wanted to throw it.  I was able to keep it all down, although, there were times I was certain I was going to throw up in the sink.  But after about 35 minutes of it in me, I didn't feel as bad.

When my hour was up, I had my blood drawn and that was that.

So for all of you out there that haven't yet taken this test, it's truly not THAT bad.  I was made to believe the worst part was actually having to drink the juice.  False.  That was easy.  So don't sweat it.  I am not good at chugging things, and I was able to easily get it all down in 5 minutes.  I even had a flavor I despise and it wasn't that bad.  The worst part truly was sitting there with that drink in me.  But if you're like me, you just have to endure 30 minutes of that gross feeling and it begins to fade.

Now my hope is that I don't fail it and have to take the 3-hour.  I took this test almost a week and a half ago, so I feel like if I had failed, they'd have let me know by now instead of making me wait until my next appointment.  At least, that's my hope!

Pregnancy Update: Week 27

(excuse the tired, hair up look.  It was a ROUGH week .  It was more important to take the photo on time, than to wait for a day where I had the time to look more attractive haha).

How far along?  27 weeks 

Baby size?  Baby is the size of a bunch of bananas.  He's weighing in at 2.4 pounds (we know for sure because the doctor told us) and he's estimated to be between ___ inches long.  

Baby progress?  

Weight gain?  I finally have an answer since my scale at home is crap.  (Truth be told, we don't ever weigh ourselves.  Neither of us have ever been those people to be concerned with our weight.  We bought it back in 2011 to weigh our DOGS!  Yep, that's right, our dogs.  We were curious how much they weighed as puppies because they grew so fast.  That's the only reason we have it. Before pregnancy, I stepped on it maybe two times.  Maybe.)  Anyway, this past week I went to the OB for a routine visit and my glucose test and I'm up 16 pounds!  Seeing the number on the scale was a bit of a shock considering I've never seen my weight in the 130s and now it's in the 140s.  I know it's normal and I'm on track for how much weight they want me to gain (about 35 pounds since I started out underweight) but it was still a shock.  Thankfully, I know I'm all baby and it's not that I've packed on the pounds on my ass, face, arms, back, etc.  I'm sure a little of the added weight has come from these boobies, but I don't think they can weigh enough to really make a difference on the scale. (can they?)

Stretch marks?  None still!  

Sleep?  Not happening.  I'm so tired and exhausted, but I cannot shut my brain off and go to sleep.

Symptoms?  Acid reflux, back pain, occasional insomnia, forgetfulness.  The usual haha.

Belly Button In or Out?  In, thank goodness!!!

Cravings?   None.  At all.  Actually, no appetite.  Thanks a lot, stress :(

Movement?  He wasn't very active this week, which had me a little concerned.  But we took a peek at him during my appointment and he's doing great!!!!

Workouts & Activity?    Nada.  Other than my normal activities throughout my day.

How are you feeling?  Honestly, I'm struggling.  Work has me feeling so overwhelmed and stressed out.  I have no appetite, I can't sleep, I'm crabby, and unhappy.  I'm overworked and it's just not healthy for me.  When I get home, I don't want to do anything except crawl in bed and cry.  I have no motivation to do anything.  I don't want to hang out with my friends.  I don't want to get on social media.  And that's how I've been recently.  Wake up, work from 8am-9pm, home, shower, bed, toss and turn all night trying to find sleep and repeat.  

Thankfully, I saw my doctor this week and she could tell something was wrong.  We talked a lot, and she thinks it'd be best for me to see a therapist, which I agree.  Just to learn to cope with my stress and anxiety in a healthy way.  Most importantly, because she wants it in my file in case we have to reduce my hours even more.  She gave me a note saying I cannot work more than 40 hours a week/8 hours a day so that should help.  But, to reduce it more, if she thinks necessary later, I will need medical documentation of how the stress and anxiety are affecting me, which is where the therapist will be needed.  Unfortunately, there is a such a long wait and I might not even see someone until the month I'm due.  Which doesn't help me much.  

Best moment this week?  3D ultrasound!!!  OMGoodness this was the most amazing experience!  I plan to blog all about it, which really is just precious photos but oh goodness, I could have watched this sweet boy forever!  It made this pregnancy very real to see him acting like a real human; playing with his feet, yawning, rubbing his eyes, squirming all over, etc.   Bad news is the little stinker hid his face the entire time!  Good news is, we're going back in a few weeks to do it again (second visits are so cheap!) so I get to see him again!!!

Worst moment this week?   Feeling as low as I feel.

What do you miss?  Being happy more often than I'm stressed, anxious, or upset.

Things that suck?     Knowing you're only harming yourself and your baby with how stressed and anxious you are, but feeling stuck and not knowing how to avoid it.  Hopefully cutting back on my work hours will help this drastically.  

Things that don't suck?  Prenatal massages.  Nick and I got a couples massage and it was my first prenatal massage and goodness I wish I could get this done weekly!!!!!  I felt so amazing afterwards!

Looking forward to?  Buying all of Baby Obie's furniture and the last of his big ticket items.  It seems each week, something happens to make this all more real!  I can't believe we're almost in the 3rd trimester!!!  And having a stroller and room of baby furniture will surely make it all seem real!