prego stats - week 26-30

So, lets cram 5 weeks of pregnancy into one neat little post, shall we? That's the best I can do at this rate! I know it's been over a month since I've posted an update... oops! My other blog and Instagram have been getting more attention and have bits and pieces about the pregnancy, so if you're curious, head over there. But I do want to update more over here. I love looking back on posts I've written for each pregnancy and seeing the unique differences that each babe has brought my way... even if they're grouped together like this post!

Here we go!

How far along: 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 weeks :)

Total weight gain: approximately 12-16lbs

How big is baby: lettuce, rutabega, eggplant, acorn squash, cucumber (length)

Maternity Clothes: err day! I'm finding in the third trimester that my maternity clothes are getting a lot tighter across the belly. It's frustrating that stores claim to be the same size throughout your whole pregnancy as you would normally wear (i.e. if you're normally a size S, you'll be a size S for your whole pregnancy in maternity clothes), because it's never the case! My maternity clothes fit true to size (thanks to the wonders of elastic) for most of my pregnancy, but the last trimester, I always need the next size up. Of course by now I'm really not in the mood to buy more maternity clothes seeing as how it's my last trimester of my last pregnancy... so I'm making due!

Sleep: I'm sleeping well and often, though not napping daily anymore. The heat is the one big obstacle for good sleep now! Our AC unit isn't the strongest and doesn't get to our bedroom since it's on the opposite end of the house, so I have even had to sleep on the pull out couch in the living room many nights to get more cold air my way

Best moment this week: I've LOVED this stage of pregnancy. Baby3 is kicking like you wouldn't believe, especially around 9pm each night. My tummy puts on a show - changing shape and bouncing around. Little girl inside is an active one! I'm also feeling really well and am getting so excited for her arrival.

Movement: see above!

Food cravings: junk food. eeeek!

Food aversions: NONE.

Gender: fille.

Labor signs: n/a

Belly button in or out: out.

What I miss: my normal clothes and my flexibility! bathing the kids and bending over to pick up toys and things is getting impossible.

What I'm not loving: the heat! I knew full well that this would be the case though... every single pregnancy I find myself in my third trimester in the heat of summer! EVERY SINGLE ONE!

What I’m looking forward to: I'm starting to dread the sleep deprivation and the nursing challenges ahead but am trying to keep an open mind...

What I'm loving: The baby movement and being officially in my THIRD TRIMESTER! Last one, baby!!

Milestone(s): third trimester, viability @ 27 weeks (if baby were born prematurely she would more than likely live!) always makes me so happy, and loads of movement!

prego stats - week 18

otherwise known as the Pregnancy Sweet Spot (more on that coming).

How far along: 18 weeks

Total weight gain: 7lbs

How big is baby: size of a sweet potato

Maternity Clothes: yes, and I'm gradually gaining more thanks to friend's hand-me-downs! Not to mention a huge collection of nursing tanks and bras, so I'll be prepared :)

Sleep: sleep is good, I'm needing it a bit less and don't nap every day now. I wake almost every morning with leg or foot cramps though. Oh I forgot about that annoying symptom. I used to just get it at the tail end of my third trimester, but I guess the third time around it'll be for 20 weeks. sweet.

Best moment this week: hearing baby3's heartbeat on Thursday at an appointment and being reassured by my OBGYN that though the epidural didn't work last time, that's no indication that it won't work this coming time. It still may not, but it's just bad luck and fast labour when it doesn't - so she suggested I get it sooner this time instead of waiting out the pain for fear of getting it TOO SOON like last time. That was ironic! Oli was born minutes after getting the failed epidural, so it certainly wasn't too soon! This time around, I'm getting it ASAP.

 

Movement: YES! definitely, and it's noticeable by more than just me! I especially feel baby3 when I'm laying on my back or trying to rest (go figure), and he/she feels decidedly low for 18 weeks, but again, third baby... different ballgame. I love the gentle movements - they're not painful or annoying yet so I'm enjoying every minute!

Food cravings: It hadn't occurred to me that it was a "craving" but I have eaten a truck load of beets lately... wonder if that's pregnancy related?

Food aversions: Some meats still. I'm always more vegetarian when I'm pregnant.

Gender:we find out ON TUESDAY. I'm dying. And hoping for a girl, but just eager to KNOW.

Labor signs: n/a

Belly button in or out: out.

What I miss: energy for sure, but not much else right now :)

What I'm not loving: The foot and leg cramps. They hurt so badly and are a terrible way to wake for the day! But thankfully the constipation is almost gone and the heart burn isn't as bad anymore either... Wonder of they were a 1st trimester thing?

What I’m looking forward to: TUESDAY.

What I'm loving: everything. I'm in a great place. Not sick or huge or in pain. No real back pain yet (that left me almost bed ridden in my third trimester last time), and no symptoms I can't get through. It's starting to hit me for real: our THIRD baby is coming. We are so blessed. Thank you father.

Milestone(s): nothing I can think of this week, but next week I'll definitely have something to write home about!

on trying to nurse, for the third time.

A few months ago, I had almost officially resolved to not even give nursing a go. I had come to terms with the idea that with the challenges I've faced in the past, and less time/energy/ability to put into nursing than ever before (with three kids now, not two, or one, like in times past), nursing likely wouldn't work at all, so why bother. And I sincerely thought I would bottle feed formula from the delivery room.

Now, before I go any further, I NEED to emphasize that nursing and parenting are very personal things and there is great potential for guilt and emotions to influence both. I don't support women who look down on other women for the way they feed their child. Breast, Pumped, Bottle, Formula - I don't care as long as you're taking care of your baby and filling their tummy with nutrients. I choose to believe that each mama is trying her best and doing what she can, and that looks different in every situation, in every family, and for every mom and child. So if you breastfeed til your kids are old enough to walk over and ask for it - cool. If you bottle feed formula in the delivery room for reasons that are all your own - great. It's your call, and judgements are unfair and unnecessary in an already difficult gig like parenting. That's my stance on the feeding issue, and I hope other people (especially moms) will give me the same curtsey, regardless of how I end up feeding my baby in the end.

SO ANYWAY. I was perfectly content, and almost excited about the thought of not entering the painful, emotional, exhausting world of nursing with my third child. Brad wasn't as happy about me not wanting to try it at all, but in the end he prayed about it and said he wanted me to make the call and he'd submit to my decision and support it. GOOD MAN. And we left it at that for many months.

But recently, I've been reevaluating my goals for nursing: what they were in the past and what might make them healthier should I nurse again. See, the guilt when my supply was low and I wasn't able to feed my babies exclusively on breast milk was partly from other people  - I received such horrible comments from La Leche League representatives, read hurtful things on blogs and facebook statuses, and felt condemned by many moms who couldn't understand why I was having trouble - but it was also from myself.

I went into motherhood the first time vowing to never use formula and to nurse for at least 6 months, hopefully a year. I looked down on those who didn't breastfeed (and there was no reason good enough in my books to stop breastfeeding). When my supply dwindled early on, I was crushed. I was embarrassed. I felt I'd failed my child and myself. It was obvious breastfeeding was an idol because when I couldn't live up to it my self worth was diminished.

Going into motherhood the second time, I thought I had my head on straight. I thought I was approaching the nursing thing in a healthy way. I told others I was going to try and hope for the best, but deep down I didn't believe it. I believed that the first time was a fluke and that this time would be different! And the first few weeks my supply was actually greater than with Lily! It was working!! YES! I was succeeding! And then it, too, dwindled, plus Oli's latch didn't improve even with lactation consultants helping me. And just like that, all the same guilt and feelings of failure were back. If I couldn't do it I wanted to quit as soon as possible because it was too exhausting and painful to only do a few times a day, if that.

I hope and pray that I've learned enough and that the idol of breastfeeding has lost it's power over me, because I find myself wanting to try nursing for the first time in over a year. I know it's because of a drastic change in expectations, and I hope that makes it realistic and less emotional this third time.

My goal? Just to nurse. Period. To offer and provide my baby breastmilk, for as long as it's there (though likely not after age 1). In my experience it likely won't be longer than 4 months, and it will be served with a healthy side dose of formula, but my goal is to still breastfeed sometimes, as much as I can.

See, in the past my goal and hope and ultimate worth was that I'd nurse exclusively and for a long time, and when that didn't happen I felt like a failure. I spent hours on the pump trying to increase supply, I changed my diet and schedule too. Nothing helped, and quitting only made me feel worse. This time, I'm hoping that going in with low expectations and healthy goals will make it easier. If I can nurse at all (and history tells me I absolutely can), thank God! If I have any milk at all (and history tells me I more than likely will), I'll offer it to baby #3 and be thankful. And at any sign of lowering supply, instead of spending all my free time and energy at the pump or taking supplements, I'll offer formula, guilt-free, and enjoy my other two children while doing so.

Brad and I are both very comfortable using formula, since our first two beautiful children drank a whole lot of it in infancy. But we both agree that breast milk is ideal, when possible. So the plan is to try, to do what I can, to not take extraordinary time-consuming measures (read: no crazy pumping sessions unless it's so I can go on a hot date with my man, not to increase supply!), to nurse for as long as there's milk (instead of quitting from discouragement when my supply is low), and to be content with what God has allowed.

I may end up nursing for as few as 1-3 feeds per day by the end, and using formula the rest of the time, but that will be OK based on my new goals and hopes. That will actually be GREAT! I hope to nurse for much longer than the 8 weeks I nursed Oli, but I'm assuming that will only be possible if I am content with not exclusively breastfeeding.

So, I've been collecting nursing bras from mom friends (I was all too happy to be rid of mine when I was done with Oli!), and plan to buy some nursing tanks, and am dusting off my nursing pump (for date nights, only!), because I do plan to try to nurse this third time around. It's actually both liberating and terrifying to admit that publicly. Nursing was not a lovely experience for me as it is for many moms, and I didn't miss it when I was done. I feel like I more or less survived the nursing season, and came out worse for wear. But, here's to the third attempt! Hoping for the best :)

prego stats - week 17

How far along: 17 whole weeks!

Total weight gain: 5 lbs

How big is baby: an onion

Maternity Clothes: yes, sir! 

Sleep: It's funny. The 2nd trimester brings more energy, to be sure, but I still have the odd day where I can hardly scrape myself off the couch/bed/floor/laundry heap. Today was one of those days. I skipped napping this morning because I slept for a good 8 hours last night and felt rested. Plus someone was coming over to buy some old cloth diapers from me that I listed on craigslist, in the middle of nap time. And then I went out on a walk with Morgan and the kids and felt great. Until about 3:30pm. OH MY WORD. Morgan left around 4pm, and at 4:45 I woke up on the reading ottoman corner in the kids room, no idea how I got there. Ladies and gentlemen, THAT is what you call tired.

Best moment this week: feeling baby movement and planning for baby #3 has been so fun!

Movement: YES! Occasionally I feel it, and I love it. It's so reassuring and I am reminded of the great gift I'm carrying each and every time. Need to remember that when the movement is less joyful and more painful and inconvenient in the 3rd trimester :)

Food cravings: I'm eating Lebanese take out right now. Does that answer your question?

Food aversions: Still some meats, but basically nothing anymore.

Gender: FIFTEEN MORE DAYS, PLAYERS! I can't wait to find out. Vote on the sidebar for the sex you think it'll be. Because it's fun, and for no other reason :)

Labor signs: n/a

Belly button in or out: Out.

What I miss: energy, my old clothes, the days before stretch marks (but that was 3 years ago...)

What I'm not loving: Constipation like woah. Is that TMI?

What I’m looking forward to: OK this deserves a post all to itself, and one is coming this week, but get this: NURSING. I know, me, who had two horrific experiences complete with poor latching, low supply, mama guilt like woah, evil laleche ladies telling me I'm a bad mom and all the rest of it.... I am excited to try nursing again. 

What I'm loving: Oli kissing my tummy and saying "baby!" all the time, and Lily asking if she can "hold" the baby (and then putting her two little hands on either side of my bump). These two are going to be great big siblings!

Milestone(s): 2nd trimester, movement, and breast tenderness and tingling (signs of milk production, we hope!).

prego stats - week 11

Ok, time is flying! I thought I was 10 weeks and then double checked and I'm ALMOST 12. what a blessing when that happens, right? So let me get y'all caught up.


How far along: 11 weeks
 

Total weight gain: 0-3lbs? I really don't think it's been more, but fret not. I'm eating LOTS now and baby is the perfect size. I just am the type to gain less at the start and then a lot later on. Stretch marks are proof :)

How big is baby: a lime!

Maternity Clothes: sometimes yes, sometimes no. depends if I even get dressed, ok? but I'm going to Florida next week and picking up my stash from Gap.com!

Sleep: preg-somnia has reared her ugly head and I've definitely had a few nights where it doesn't matter how tired I am, I can't sleep. I should be thankful for the extra energy, but it's coming at the worst times of day!

Best moment this week: meeting my BFF's newborn daughter in Ontario. It reminded me of everything I'm doing right now, which is easy to forget. A baby is cooking in ME! What a joy. I may have even been slightly motivated to breastfeed a third time seeing her tackle it. 

Movement: too early

Food cravings: oh, it depends on the say! right now, chocolate, so I'm making microwave molton lava cake in a mug. Check Pinterest for my recently pinned recipe!

Food aversions: I still don't want much meat, but it's getting better.

Gender: too early, but I think it's a girl since I'm puking more this time around (similar to with Lily). Sure I have wild nausea for pregnancy ALWAYS, but actual vomiting was a lot more for Lily than with Oli. And this time too :)

Labor signs: too early.

Belly button in or out: In, but like I said, hovering! It'll be out in a couple weeks for sure as my bump grows.

What I miss: energy, wine, beer, cider, gin and tonics, sushi. Lately since I have my appetite back, I'm actually craving things on the naughty list unlike before.

What I'm not loving: still have some nagging nausea, being tired, lower back pain slowly coming back.

What I’m looking forward to: finding out the gender (April 30th!). Does anyone else love finding out the gender because it totally breaks up the LONG 40 week wait of pregnancy? Thankful to have something to look forward to that is sooner than September!

What I'm loving: Lily prays for the baby now, Oli kisses my tummy, I am starting to feel better and eating good food again!

Milestone(s):none that I can think of this week...