Baby #2 BUMP REPORT – 32 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 32 – August 28, 2015

I knew my heavenly sleep would be ending soon. And now here we are….having sleepless nights. In fact, I am writing this in the 3:00 a.m. hour because I awoke and couldn’t fall back asleep. So why not be productive instead of get angry as I lie awake in the middle of the night? The past few nights I have really started to experience some real sleep troubles. Such is the life of a pregnant woman. I am 8 months pregnant now….so from here on out, things just get a little less than glamorous.

This sweet “little” baby is topping the charts at 4 pounds now, though I’d have thought she was weighing in around, say 100 pounds. It feels like I have a concrete block strapped to the front of my body that I cannot remove. She feels SO HEAVY! Thankfully I STILL have maintained a 23 pound weight gain…that’s zero weight gain in 4-5 weeks, yay! Funny how my body tends to gain in the 2nd trimester but not in the 3rd. But this baby SURE IS GAINING! My back is starting to ache. Thank God I see the chiropractor for weekly appointments…what a life saver. I feel very ready for an adjustment today, but I don’t have my appointment until Tuesday. Maybe I’ll call to get in on Monday.

On Thursday my parents flew to California to visit my brother, and on their way out, they scheduled a layover in Denver. They did this on purpose as it was a good opportunity to spend a few hours with Winter and I. It was so nice to see my mom and dad. The last time I saw them was in January, seven months ago. You can imagine just how different Winter is since January! It was fun to see them. They already have a trip booked to stay with us for a week at the end of October once the baby is born, so thankfully we will be reunited again in less than two months.

Since I’m seeing the midwives for prenatal visits every two weeks, I had another appointment this week. Her heartbeat was 140 and my belly measurement was 31 cm. The midwife suggested I get around to scheduling a hospital tour as well as pre-registering at the hospital. How is it already time to be discussing these things?? My due date sure is going to sneak up on me! At the hospital where I’ll deliver, they have several rooms with large tubs, so she said when I am in labor, she’ll make sure that we request one of those rooms. Since my goal is a drug-free natural birth, I’d LOVE to spend as much time in the tub as possible…so grateful this hospital has that option, as my previous hospital did not. It’s slightly intimidating that birth is approximately eight weeks or less away…. uh…

My age: 29

How far along: 32 weeks

How big is baby: the size of a jicama (17 inches and 4 pounds)…i.e. “concrete block”

Gender: Girl

Events of this week: Met up to walk with friends, went hiking, did some home improvement projects, had a girls’ nails and movie night, went to church, went to the park, went to a play date, spent several hours with my parents at the airport on their layover, had life group, met for coffee with my mentor mom, did another newborn photoshoot.

Symptoms: Feel good…but having some back pain, stiffness, heartburn and insomnia.

Exercise/Activity: 5 days! Feeling great and keeping up with running and weight lifting.

Sleep: Not good.

Maternity clothes:  Yes.

Stretch marks: No.

Belly Button: Out.

Food cravings: I can’t eat much anymore. When I eat a full meal, I feel like my lungs get too crowded and I can’t breathe. I’m snacking frequently and eating few meals.

Food aversions: Eating a full meal.

Movement: I was telling Eric the other day that we are in TROUBLE with this daughter. She is so much more active than Winter ever was in utero. I think we might have a kid who bounces off the wall with endless energy. Oh my! Her movements and kicks are constant…and often sharp. She gets the hiccups a often too.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing my mom and dad.

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting a call from Eric right after I left for an appointment that Winter got a bee sting. I could hear her wailing and my heart just ached for her. I hated that I wasn’t there when my daughter was in pain. Thankfully she doesn’t appear to be allergic to bees like her daddy…but she was pretty traumatized by her first sting.

What I’m looking forward to: Eric’s parents are coming into town for labor day weekend. Looking forward to spending time with them and seeing them interact with Winter. They haven’t seen her since March. Also, I am looking forward to the first day of MOPS on Thursday! I am a table leader again this year…looking forward to meeting my new group of girls.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: My insomnia. Lord, help me!!

What I miss: Being comfortable in bed as well as sleeping soundly.

Next appointment: Thursday, Sept. 10 at 4:00 p.m.

Belly comparison with Winter vs. baby #2:

32 Weeks Pregnant:

Baby #2 BUMP REPORT – 31 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 31 – August 22, 2015

With only two months to go, baby girl is approximately 16.5 inches long and 3.5 pounds, the size of a pineapple. From what I’ve read, a major growth spurt is just ahead, and baby will be packing on a half pound a week from now on. My overall weight gain so far has me pretty pleased, as I’m up 23 pounds. In my last pregnancy I gained majority of the weight during the 2nd trimester and then maintained and even lost weight in the 3rd trimester. I doubt that I will maintain or lose weight this go round, but as long as I gain 30 pounds or less, I will be very happy. I started this second pregnancy significantly lighter than my first pregnancy, so I was worried that I might gain more weight, but so far I’m doing great!

My belly is feeling “huge” lately and feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. When I lie in bed in my pillow fortress, I am so grateful to have a pillow underneath my belly, otherwise it feels like a ton of bricks. I have trouble reaching to the ground and now regularly sit down to put my shoes on. Certain tasks are a challenge for me, but all of that is to be expected at nearly 8 months into pregnancy.

Nannying is going great. I have 3 full weeks under my belt now. The first couple of weeks were interesting and challenging because I was trying to figure out how to do everything. I also was trying to get into a groove. As of this week, we really did master getting a good schedule down! I am SO thrilled because I need the predictability of a schedule as it helps me to have structure around my days. Miles would only nap for the most of one hour at first, but now I’ve got him taking 1.5-2 hour naps, which is fantastic. He’s a happier baby and I’m a happier lady! Here’s kind of what my nannying days look like.

6:30 am – Drop off, I get him a bottle ready and feed him

7:00 am – He dozes off for his early-morning nap and I hit the home gym for a workout (7-9 am nap, two hours)

9:00 am – He gets up, Winter also gets up at this time. We typically head out the door to get to a morning activity by 9:30 or 10.

10:30ish – He takes another bottle and dozes off from about 11-12 (1 hour nap)

12:00/30 pm – He wakes up and we play, Winter gets lunch

1:30 pm – Bottle and then takes an afternoon nap from (1:45-3:30/45, nice two hours!) Winter also goes down for her nap at this time.

3:30/45 pm – He gets picked up

Now that I’ve got him on such a good solid routine, I feel like a new woman with new energy! I’m just reminded again of HOW IMPORTANT a schedule is for me when I care for a baby. I think I thrive and the baby thrives much better and we are all happier campers. When my baby is born, I plan to nurse on demand for the first month and then try to get a good schedule going around 1 month old. I pray for another good sleeper like Winter!

My age: 29

How far along: 31 weeks

How big is baby: the size of a pineapple (16.5 inches and 3.5 pounds)

Gender: Girl

Events of this week: Nannying, spent time with best friend who’s visiting from TX, went to library storytime, went walking several days by either by myself or with friends, had a MOPS leader meeting, went to the chiropractor, went to a MNO, did a newborn photography shoot (eek!).

Symptoms: Feeling great overall! Whenever people ask me how I feel, my answer is: “Great! This is a really easy pregnancy.” I almost feel guilty saying this as I know how tough pregnancy is for a lot of my friends. Having some occasional heartburn, my belly feels like a thousand pounds, but overall great.

Exercise/Activity: I got back into a good groove this week. I exercised 5 days and did a lot of additional outdoor walking (3-4 milers) on top of working out. Lifting a lot of weights, doing tons of weighted squats and running on the treadmill. Since my nanny baby is getting into a good routine regarding naps, it helps. Since I am already up early in the morning, so I’ve been knocking out my workouts first thing when he takes his first nap but before Winter gets up for the day.

Sleep: I’m sleeping wonderfully. Not even getting up at night to pee. At all. It will be short-lived, I promise.

Maternity clothes:  Yes.

Stretch marks: No.

Belly Button: Out.

Food cravings: Peaches, swiss cheese and greek yogurt with craisins mixed in.

Food aversions: None.

Movement: Sometimes I almost lose my breath because of her kicks!

Best Moment of the Week: Miles had an appointment on Friday so his dad took the day off work. Since I got the day off from nannying, Winter and I had a “just the two of us” day, which was really sweet. It felt really special to spend the whole day with her and cherish time spent as mom and daughter. It was a great day.

Worst Moment of the Week: None.

What I’m looking forward to: Downtime with my family. Lately we feel too busy, and I just look forward to lazy weekend days. Also looking forward to seeing my Dad and Mom for a few hours on Thursday (they have a layover in Denver and I plan to visit during their stop).

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Praying that I continue to feel good and not too tired. Taking care of a toddler plus a baby while being almost 8 months pregnant does present some challenges. I am thankful that I can do it, but I pray that my body doesn’t put up a fight.

What I miss: Not feeling achy for the few moments when I first get up from lying or sitting.

Next appointment: Thursday, August 27 at 4:20 p.m.

Bump comparison:

Baby #2 31 Week Pic:

Baby #2 BUMP REPORT – 30 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 30 – August 15, 2015

I’m a few days late in getting around to writing this, so we have only 67 days left until our due date! 30 weeks marks 3/4th or 75% completion, which boggles my mind. How does it go so much faster the second time around? It seemed as though the weeks dragged on slowly in my first pregnancy. But with baby #2, it feels pretty crazy that we are already in the 30’s!

I had my 30 week prenatal checkup and baby’s heartbeat was 143 bpm. My belly measured 30 cm and baby is still head down. I got my whooping cough vaccine, so my arm is sore. Grateful for a very “textbook” and easy pregnancy. I’m seeing the midwives every two weeks at this point, so it feels like I’m at the office a lot! Thankfully they have a location that’s less than a mile from my house — talk about convenient. The hospital where I’ll deliver is literally walking distance from home, so I could very easily walk there when I’m in labor. Ha!

It seems like everyone is pregnant this year. In one of my mom’s groups, some of the ladies decided to throw a baby sprinkle for those of us due this fall with our second babies. They did such a nice job of throwing a party and making us all feel special. There were 9 of us being celebrated, due mainly in September, October and November. I speak for the other expectant moms too, that we feel so blessed and honored by the sweet women who put together such a nice party for us. The bar has been set high for a baby sprinkle to celebrate the next round of expecting moms due in 2016! It was fun to get some group bump pics.

My age: 29

How far along: 30 weeks

How big is baby: the size of a cabbage (16 inches and 3.2 pounds)

Gender: Girl

Events of this week: Nannied all week, took photos, spent many hours photo editing, went to a horse farm, went to an alpaca farm, went to the park, went to a concert in the park, celebrated at Eric’s friend’s birthday party, went to the zoo, went to the chiropractor, had a prenatal appointment, celebrated at a baby sprinkle, went to a few kids’ birthday parties, went to FAM night at church, and did a DIY home project. Whew…busy week!

Symptoms: Heartburn (unexplained….even when I’ve eaten NOTHING!), occasional uncomfortableness, emotional, growing belly, tired, need naps.

Exercise/Activity: Oh man, my week was so hectic and busy that I really skimped in the exercise department. I only got one good solid workout session in this week. I think I just overloaded my plate and was too tired to get in formal exercise. On an up note, we did buy a weight bench and more free weights to add to my home gym collection. I’m excited about that! Now I have a treadmill, stability ball, jump rope, bench, and free weight dumbbells (20’s, two sets 15’s, two sets 10’s, 5’s and Winter’s 1 lb pink weights). I didn’t have 20’s before, so I’m grateful to start using those for some of my weight training where 15’s seemed to light (like chest presses and dead lifts).

Sleep: Sleeping great. Waking up early in the morning for the past two weeks due to nannying has me nodding off much earlier at night.

Maternity clothes:  Yes.

Stretch marks: No.

Belly Button: Out.

Food cravings: Nothing in particular this week.

Food aversions: None.

Movement: Her movements are getting even sharper! If that’s possible. It felt like I could feel a foot dragging across my belly the other day (from the outside). That’s always a weird sensation. It was confirmed at my prenatal appointment that baby’s still head down, which explains all of the kicking up high in my ribs and diaphragm.

Best Moment of the Week: Spending a good Sunday with my family yesterday as well as seeing my best friend who is visiting from Texas.

Worst Moment of the Week: None.

What I’m looking forward to: Spending some more time with my best friend who is in town this week.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: My emotions…sometimes I get so wrapped up in a moment and that’s hard for me because I am not typically very emotional.

What I miss: Nothing.

Next appointment: Thursday, August 27 in the afternoon (I forget).

Comparison:

Baby #2 30 Week Pic:

Baby #2 BUMP REPORT – 29 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 29 – August 9, 2015

The baby is nearly 3 pounds, the size of a butternut squash. She kicks and moves like crazy. At my ultrasound/midwife appointment last week I was told that she’s already in head down position. That’s great! But she still can move out of it pretty easily. I do feel most of her kicks in my ribs and upper part of my stomach, not much down at the bottom. At 27 weeks I first felt her hiccupping, so that’s been fun to feel those occasionally these past two weeks! I didn’t first feel hiccups with Winter’s pregnancy until nearly 31 weeks.

My life took a sudden change this week. I started a full time nanny job for a four month old baby. My life as a “mom of one” is no longer…except on the evenings and weekends, that is. It’s actually really great practice for me to care for a baby and toddler. Not only am I getting much needed practice, but Winter also is getting used to having a baby in the house. She is doing fantastic with the adjustment, and loves baby Miles! She wants to be a helper and she wants to kiss, hug and care for him. She always puts his blanket on, gives him hugs and kisses, pushes him in the swing, turns on the vibration or music on the bouncy seat, etc. When she wakes up from her nap in the afternoons, he is gone for the day and she always asks where he is! So cute!

Nannying is from 6:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, so I’m learning to wake up much earlier than I previously did. But that, in and of itself, is good training too—since we know I won’t be getting to sleep in once my baby is born anyway! Winter typically sleeps until 9:00 a.m. so the first few hours of the day I only have Miles. I am so grateful to have our double BOB stroller that we recently purchased. Without it, I don’t know how I’d do certain things with two. It’s nice to be able to snap Miles’ carseat in the BOB and have Winter ride along too. We have been taking LONG walks most days as he tends to sleep during walks…so I just keep on walking!

From nannying, I am definitely learning that baby #2 is going to be much more flexible. With Miles, he does some of his naps on the go. Because I have a toddler who needs to be out and active, I imagine morning naps with our baby will be flexible and done in the carseat much of the time. With Winter I stayed home for naps…I just don’t see that being the case with a second child.

I’m sure I’ll have lots more to say about nannying in upcoming weeks. It’s a fun experience and I’m grateful to be able to earn a little extra money while getting practice caring for two kids. I must say…when I go out in public with my 22 month old, a 4 month old baby at 7 months pregnant, I think EVERYONE is confused by my situation! HAHA! At the library for baby story time the other morning, I mentioned to someone casually that I wasn’t Miles’ mom, and she said she had mentally done the math an figured that out. I’d be confused too….

Passed my glucose test with flying colors… Yay! Don’t have to do the 3 hour test like I did last pregnancy.

I have to stop and rave about the chiropractor really briefly. I previously worked for a chiropractor for several years prior to becoming a stay at home mom, so I know that chiropractic is great. It really helps people and I have personally witnessed so many success stories of people getting fantastic results. Honestly I never had any pain or symptoms myself, so I never was a “before and after” success story for chiropractic. But now, with this pregnancy I was experiencing terrible pubic bone pain….and let’s just say it was very painful. So bad. But after 3 weeks of chiropractic visits (once per week), I am feeling great! I still have minor discomfort from time to time, but it’s drastically improved. My chiropractor is amazed at how quickly my body responded to the adjustments. Because I feel so good, I plan to continue with weekly chiropractic visits throughout the remainder of my pregnancy.

My age: 29

How far along: 29 weeks

How big is baby: the size of a butternut squash (15.5 inches and 2.9 pounds)

Gender: Girl

Events of this week: Got adjusted to my first week of nannying, went on lots of long walks, went out one night to Denver to celebrate a good friend’s birthday, went to an outdoor music concert in the park in our neighborhood, had small group, went to a baby dedication, took pictures of two families, went out on a date night with Eric.

Symptoms: Emotional, heartburn flare ups, ribs feel like they’re running out of room.

Exercise/Activity: Lots of exercise this week. 5 days of weight training and/or running/cardio. Plus lots of long walks.

Sleep: Sleep is decent.

Maternity clothes:  Yes.

Stretch marks: No.

Belly Button: Out.

Food cravings: Yogurt with craisins.

Food aversions: None.

Movement: Lots, especially in my ribs.

Best Moment of the Week: Watching Winter adapt to the changes of having a baby in the house. Knowing that she is going to be such an amazing big sister just warms my heart. I know she is going to love her little sister. She is obsessed with all babies, but I know her own flesh and blood will be even more special. It will be so amazing as a mom to see her grow into the role of a big sister. She proves daily with Miles that she is going to rock at it.

Worst Moment of the Week: None.

What I’m looking forward to: My BFF is coming to visit Colorado from Texas next week and I can’t wait to see her! She has 7 month old twins, and I’m sure they are so different than when I last saw them in May. Also, on Friday there are girls in my local mom’s group who are throwing a baby sprinkle for all of the expecting moms. So nice of them! It’ll be lots of fun to celebrate with a brunch and activities.

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Praying that I do well with my new busier lifestyle with a household of two kids…

What I miss: Nothing.

Next appointment: Friday, Aug. 14 at 2:30pm

Comparison of pregnancies:

I think that my belly is evening out now. Previously I felt like my belly has been drastically bigger than my first pregnancy…but now it’s starting to level out. My midwife said that by 40 weeks I really shouldn’t be any different than my 40 week belly with baby #1. So I guess that’s starting to happen. I was told today by a friend how “tiny” I am.

29 Week picture:

Baby #2 BUMP REPORT – 28 Weeks

PREGNANCY WEEK 28 – August 1, 2015 – THIRD TRIMESTER!

The final stretch is upon us. It’s now the last trimester and it’s starting to get real that time is ticking until her due date.

We had our ultrasound on Friday to check a few things. The main concern was the location of my placenta, as it was less than a centimeter away from the cervix at my 20 week scan. Thankfully, it has moved over four centimeters up, so now there is no concern of a low lying placenta and we can proceed with a natural birth! So glad for good news. It was also really neat to see her on the ultrasound as she is so much bigger and more active. Her estimated weight from the scan was 2 pounds, 8 ounces. She had the hiccups and she was bouncing off the walls as we watched her. I asked the ultrasound tech if we could turn on the 3D imaging for a moment to get a glimpse of her face, and she did! It was so cool to see her features…she looks adorable! Chubby cheeks, plump lips and a pug nose. Looks very much like her sister. That made things feel a bit more real for me. Winter enjoyed seeing her baby sister on the ultrasound too.

In addition to the ultrasound, I also took my glucose test to screen for gestational diabetes. They gave me the option to drink Naked Red Machine instead of the typical orange nasty glucose drink, as they both contain 50 grams of sugar. That was amazing to drink a yummy beverage instead of that other goop! I won’t get my results in until at least Monday….fingers crossed for a passed test. I failed the 1 hour screening with Winter’s pregnancy, so I know that the 3 hour test is NO FUN. I felt very sick and shaky, plus, you are stuck at the doctor’s office for over 3 hours. I’d love to avoid taking it if possible.

Baby’s heartbeat was in the 150’s or 160’s (I forget exactly), I’m guessing because I was hopped up on sugar and so was she. My belly measured right at 28 cm, which is perfectly on track for 28 weeks. The midwife said everything looks great and from here on out we will switch to appointments every 2 weeks.

Unfortunately I had a minor cold over the past week. I’m feeling pretty good now, but it was annoying to have a cold yet again, since I just had one in June. Ugh! I guess my immune system is lowered during pregnancy.

My age: 29

How far along: 28 weeks

How big is baby: the size of an eggplant (15 inches and 2.5 pounds)

Gender: Girl

Events of this week: Spent a night in the mountains to celebrate our anniversary, rode the gondola at Breckenridge, watched the Bachelorette finale, went to the splash park, play dates with friends, had small group, went to Film on the Rocks to see Pretty Woman as a MNO, went to the pool.

Symptoms: More emotional than usual, belly feels huge, lots of kicking and growing in my ribcage.

Exercise/Activity: Unfortunately I was minimal at exercising this week due to a cold. I still got in 2 days despite trying to get better.

Sleep: Sleep is ok.

Maternity clothes:  Yes.

Stretch marks: No.

Belly Button: Out.

Food cravings: Swiss cheese, cherries.

Food aversions: None.

Movement: Lots.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing a healthy baby on the ultrasound. Plus sneaking a look at the 3d was cool too. Seeing her little cheeks, lips and nose was so cool.

Worst Moment of the Week: None.

What I’m looking forward to: 

What I’m nervous about/praying for: Hoping for a good result from my glucose test…I’d love to get news that I passed! I really don’t want to have to take the 3 hour test.

What I miss: Nothing.

Next appointment: Friday, Aug. 14 at 2:30pm

Bump comparison:

28 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2: