We’re so close to the finish line, I can almost taste it. the general shock of ‘oh my gosh, we’re going to be parents’ has worn off a bit and now I’m in total ‘if we’re going to screw this parenting thing up, then we might as well go ahead and get started’ mode. If you’ve been following along throughout my pregnancy, then you know that I’m not a huge fan of the whole thing so far. The prize at the end (baby… duh) is totally worth it, but I probably won’t be one of those women who talks about how much they LOVED being pregnant. Means to an end, folks. BUT, I will say that my opinions have shifted a bit, though. I’m sharing all the details below!
Also, this top from Shop Pink Blush is my new FAVORITEEEEE!!! It’s so flattering and soft and comes in 2 colors. A must-have for my pregnant lady friends! Plus, if you haven’t found a pair of maternity denim shorts yet, these Jessica Simpson ones are the BOMB.COM! But hurry because they’re selling out really fast!
Shop The Post:
Top from Shop Pink Blush (wearing a Medium)
How Far Along: 32 Weeks 3 Days (the days are starting to really count!)
Size of Baby: At our 30 week ultrasound, she was weighing in at 4lbs already! She’s in the 64% which is bigger than I expected but just means we have a very healthy, growing baby girl!!! Keith and I were both average 7 pounders and my Doc thinks she’ll be between 7 and 7.5 lbs at birth. Happy MOM!!!
Weight Gain: 21lbs. It’s still super difficult for me to get on the scale and I only allow myself once a week. I’ve gained about 13 lbs in the last 10 weeks which is fantastic from a pregnancy standpoint and alarming from a 26 year old woman standpoint! I’ve been tracking and charting my weight since day 1 and I’ve found that really helps me keep things into perspective. Like, I noticed I’ve gained 5lbs per month since 20 weeks and it makes me feel better knowing that its consistant and totally within normal range! But, I swear, I’ve gained all the weight in my boobs…
Cravings: They’ve pretty much all but subsided. My stomach is so cramped now, I can’t eat much at a time at all and I pretty much eat the same things everyday. Though, you’ll be happy to know that Chick-fil-a is still a major food group for me (the Lord’s calories)!
Symptoms: Well, the third trimester fatigue is very real and totally here. I’m super exhausted all the time and things are getting uncomfortable. Heartburn and Acid Reflux are the newest symptoms to join the group and I DO NOT want to be their friends. I can’t eat without feeling totally gross and I can’t sleep on my right side without waking up with a burning esophagus. I’ve been talking MyLanta like it’s candy because tums aren’t cutting it anymore. The liquid has been working much better at coating my throat. I’ve had the advantage of sleeping SOOOO good throughout my pregnancy so far, but just recently things have been getting more difficult. I can’t lay as flat as I want to because of the heartburn and the sweats are starting to kick in! I hoping it doesn’t get any worse than this… Who knows!!!
Movements: She’s a dancing fooooool! She aces her kick counts within minutes and is a super active baby girl. At our 30 week appointment, the tech confirmed my suspicion that she already has her head down low by my cervix and is curled up on the left side of my belly. Which means I get lots of shoulder jabs on the lower left side and tons of tiny heel jabs right up into my rib cage on the upper right side. Sometimes she wedged in there so good, I can feel the shape of a tiny foot stopping me from slumping over too much! So at least she’s helping my posture.
What’s Dad Thinking: Keith is the BEST! He takes care of me and dotes on me so much. I’m really going to miss it when it’s baby girl that he’s doting on. He loves to touch my belly and he talks to her all the time and she responds with little kicks! It’s the cutest thing. He’s really ready for these last 8 weeks to fly by. I try to tell him when she’s moving and what she’s doing so that he can feel like he’s a part of our little club, but it’s not the same. I can’t wait for her to be here so that he can feel the connection that I feel.
He’s definitely entering Daddy Nesting Mode. He’s looking into baby-proofing, installing the carseat, and making sure we’re 100% ready for the hospital. My family is going to San Antonio the first weekend in June and since my due date is only 3 days after they get back, we’ve been debating whether to go or not. But Keith has put his foot down on the issue and declared it a big, fat no! I’m thankful for the time he took to think about it and his decisiveness. It’s totally refreshing not to have to make decisions like this on my own and to rely on the wisdom of the awesome man that God has given me. He’s going to be such a great DAD!!!
What’s Mom Thinking: Get this girl outta here! Actually, while I’m still all about meeting her and getting my body back (#independanceday) I’ve been feeling a bit more sentimental as of late. Feeling her kick around in there and knowing that this is a bond that she and I will have forever, is kinda special. I’m not a sap and like I said before, I’m not a huge fan of pregnancy in general, but I appreciate the moments that I have with her. One of the things that I’m actually looking forward to the most is having my pups meet her. I just know they’re going to love her so much. They’ve been really protective of me lately and have been gravitating toward me on the sofa instead of Keith. I’ve decided that this means that they already love the baby, don’t you think!
Recent Highs: Keith and I took a childbirth class a while back and got to tour our hospital. I’m super excited about giving birth there. It’s much smaller and more intimate than the hospital that in Baton Rouge that I would’ve been at had we stayed there. I love that the hospital is basically ONLY labor and delivery and that it stays so quiet! I also enjoyed watching Keith learn more about what’s to come with my body, my recovery, and the post-partum period. He knew the basics but seeing his face on some of the things really cracked me up!! He’s been super supportive of me and the decisions that I’ve made so far (I’ll expand on those below). Also, the nursery is almost finished and we’re prettttttyyy pumped about that!
Recent Lows: I’ve realized several things over the last few months. Like I said above, my whole family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, ALL OF THEM) are going to be in San Antonio the week before my due date. My parents are still planning on going as well and just coming to Jackson immediately if I go into labor. But the thought of them not making it, or of my grandparents not coming to the hospital breaks my heart. I don’t want them to miss their vacation (that has been planned for over a year… I would know, I helped plan it) but I also don’t want them to miss this. I’m slowly realizing that this chick has got to cook the full 40 weeks!
This leads me to the other depressing thoughts I’ve had lately. We moved to MS. So far, this has been the best decision we’ve every made. We love Clinton and our new family that we have here and wouldn’t change it for the world. And NO, we don’t plan on moving home any time soon, or at all for that matter. But being here in MS and 2.5 hours away from the majority of the people that I love also has its downfalls. We know that it will most likely just be mine and Keith’s immediate family at the hospital. I grew up in a community where if someone was having a baby, we all went up and waited for the delivery if we could.
I was there for the births of all of my cousins and many of my friends kids and mom’s friends kids! We even have photos from when I was a little girl of holding some of my very best friends in the hospital when they were born. Those memories are so precious to me.
To think that those people won’t be able to come visit me in the hospital or in the weeks following her birth is really sad. I know a lot of people think I’m crazy and would welcome the peace and quiet, but I’m the kind of girl who really really enjoys being surrounded by the people that I love and sharing in my happiest times with them. I’m just praying that my new community of friends here in MS feel the same way as I do and will come spend some time with us in the days following her birth! We’re so lucky to have such fantastic new friends. We’ve already planned a trip down home in early July (if everything is great with our recovery) so that we can share our little girl with the people that we love!
Birth Plan Decisions: My birth plan is basically not to have much of a plan at all. I, of course, am educating myself about all of my options and all of the possibilities, but I don’t want to get an idea in my head of the ‘way that it’s going to go’ because if I know anything about birth and children, they never do what you plan! That being said, here are some things that I’ve decided for sure.
- I don’t want to be induced unless seriously medically necessary. However, after June 13th (my due date) all bets are off. I can imagine how uncomfortable I’ll feel. I’m going to try and hold off as long as I can, but like I said, all bets are off!
- I’d like to avoid Pitocin like the plague. My mom had some pretty tough labors and she thinks a lot of it could be due to them pumping her full of pitocin. Since I don’t want to be induced, I’m hoping to avoid it all together, but I trust my doctor 100% and if she says something is necessary and can tell me why, then she’s the professional, it’s her call!
- I don’t want anyone (besides those in the room with me during delivery) to meet the baby without me. This typically doesn’t happen anymore since the golden hour of skin to skin and breastfeeding is being implemented everywhere, but I’ve still made this very clear to my mom and Keith. In case of some emergency where they have to knock me out to do a c-section, I just want them to wait a bit. I’m not being selfish (maybe a little), I just honestly want to be there to see my dad, Keith’s parents, and everyone else meet her for the first time. Those a memories that I want to have, not hear about!
- And because everyone always wants to know, I am planning on breastfeeding if I can. My mom had good experience with it and so I’m hoping genetics rule her.
Still to be answered is pain medication. Ideally, I want to do it without any but I’m realistic as well. I have no idea what my body is going to do. I’ve been told I have a high pain tolerance and I suffered from horrible gal bladder attacks for 10+ years, but I could be a huge wimp. More than being superwoman, the thing that really interests me about going all natural is the recovery time! I’d love to be able to get up and move around (aka. Shower) immediately. However, the things that worries me the most isn’t the pain, it’s the exhaustion. I don’t want to be so exhausted that I can’t enjoy the moments following her birth. So… we shall see!
