33 Weeks

Another week closer!

I've started to have heartburn again and it's been one of the things keeping me up all night now, the others being Emily kicking and stretching like crazy (especially the inside of my hip bones and ribs), having to get up every hour or so to use the bathroom, and then there are the achy hips when I lay on one side too long from the weight gain. It's not too bad though :). I did have a very rough bout of low blood sugar yesterday and it took me three separate snacks to get it back up again, it was pretty scary feeling so shaky and unusual, but I'll be talking with my dietitian this week to see if maybe I need to change the dose of my medicine.

Last night before bed my husband felt the need to snuggle my belly. He dedicated a song to her, so he pulled it up on his phone and played it against my belly and sang the words. The song is "Too Late to Turn Back Now" by Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. It brought a few tears to my eyes hearing the words and seeing the love he has for our baby <3.

"My Mama told me

She said, Son, please beware

There's this thing called love

And it's everywhere

She told me, It can break your heart

And leave you in misery

Since I met this little woman

I feel it's happened to me

And I'm tellin' you

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

Oh, it's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

I found myself wanting her

At least ten times a day

You know, it's so unusual for me

To carry on this way

I'm tellin' you

I can't sleep at night

Wanting to hold her tight

I've tried so hard to convince myself

That this feeling just can't be right

And I'm tellin' you

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

Ooooh, baby

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late, baby (to turn back now)

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

I wouldn't mind it

If I knew she really loved me too

But I hate to think that I'm in love alone

And nothing that I can do

Whoa, oh

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

It's too late, baby (to turn back now)

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love

Oooooh, baby

I tell ya

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm falling in love

It's too late to turn back now

I believe, I believe, I believe

I'm fallin' in love"

Non-stress Tests

A few weeks ago I was told that I wouldn't need to do the twice a week monitoring (non-stress tests) until around 35 weeks, but now that my medication has been increasing my specialist decided to put me on them now and they will continue all the way until I'm delivered. I'm happy to go because twice a week I will get to hear Emily's heartbeat and watch for any contractions for 30 minutes, and then I'll get to see her on ultrasound while they check her fluid levels, heart, practice breathing and movements :). If for any reason I'm having real contractions they will catch them on the monitor and send me right away to the hospital for either further monitoring, stopping the labor, or delivery depending on how far along I am. They've seen a few contractions already but they are just Braxton Hicks (practice) and watching myself on the monitor helped me tell the difference between her "balled-up" movements and the contractions, so now I'm not as confused between the two.

This first one was taken on Monday. She definitely has her Daddy's lips!

And this one was taken yesterday, we caught a huge yawn! She must be so comfortable in there.

During my last ultrasound I also got to see that our girl already has hair! It's hard to tell on the picture that I was given, but you could see teeny tiny white lines coming off of her head on the screen. I wonder how much she'll have after she's born?

8 Months!!

I'm in the final stretch now, 8 months (32 weeks) and going strong!

I'm convinced at this point that Emily is really just all elbows and knees in there, because that's pretty much what I'm feeling the majority of the time now. Aside from those bony bits I can actually feel her entire body/butt/head when it presses against my tummy, and those parts feel so big that I need two hands to cradle them. I'm grateful that even though I've grown so much these last few weeks that I don't have many aches or pains at the moment. The most frustrating thing is trying to sleep right now. From all of the extra weight in my midsection whatever hip I lay on eventually hurts bad enough that I have to turn over to the other side in order to continue sleeping, and that is VERY hard to do right now hehe.

One thing that is driving me crazy at the moment is the conflicting opinions between my two doctors. I went to see my regular OB on Thursday and he said that I will be delivered at 39 weeks. I didn't even try to argue that with him this time, instead I called my specialist afterwards (the one who recommended 37 weeks) and asked if there was any way they could get on the same page. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure Emily is delivered healthy but I do ask every single visit about when I'll be delivered, I don't want to annoy anyone. His nurse told me though that it is ultimately up to my OB to make the final call, but my specialist will put in the suggestion again. I see my OB again in about 2 weeks and I will have a definitive c-section date then, if it's still set for 39 weeks I will try and have a long discussion about why and if there is any way we could maybe compromise. I certainly don't want to push my body too far and have complications especially when I've been told many times by different doctors that I would not be going that far.

In the mean time... I'm going to try not to worry myself about the delivery date. I did pack a hospital bag just in case and that is ready to go, which eases my mind a bit. My blood sugars have been doing so well and I'm only bumped up to 4 Glyburide pills a day (3 before lunch, 1 before dinner), and on top of all of that at my last appointment Emily was right on target with our belly measurement and her heart rate was in the 130's, as usual. Every day is another day closer to meeting our princess, but I will have to keep reminding myself that every day should be enjoyed and not rushed :).

31 Weeks

We're getting close now!

My belly button is really sticking out at this point and I'm starting to have the "pregnant walk". This week I've been feeling Emily having hiccups and I've been in awe at her every move. Daddy can now feel her kicking him when I give him hugs, too. I've also been doing my kick counts for the last week or so and so far, during her active times, she gives me 10 good movements usually in under 3 minutes. I am so proud of all of the growing that she is doing.

Her nursery is finally "complete". All that is left now is to get the last few things that we'll need, remove all of the price tags from her clothes and send them through the wash. Since there is not much I can do now in her room my nesting has taken me down the path of crafting anything I can think of. One of the things I wanted but isn't an absolute necessity is a Boppy pillow, so instead of buying one I made one! We could use the $40 on something we really need :). Who knows what I'll end up making next in my crafting frenzy haha. So far this pregnancy I have made:

- A crocheted baby blanket, hat, and capri pants set
- 3 Window valences
- A diaper stacker
- A clothes hamper (that wasn't really a "craft")
- A funky owl pillow
- A shadow box with Emily spelled out
- 4 Couch pillow cases (the pillows have long strings on the edges that are not safe for a baby, so they needed to be covered up!)
- Baby clothes separators/labels
- 3 Pairs of washable nursing pads
- 2 Nursing tank tops
- A crib skirt
- This Boppy pillow

At this point now I should have about 6 weeks to go before we are delivered. If I'm delivered exactly at 37 weeks (I don't know the exact date just yet) that is only 42 days away! The clock is ticking!

30 Weeks, Baby Shower and Nesting

I'm literally amazed that we are now into the 30th week of pregnancy, two more weeks and I will be 8 months along!

My belly button is officially an "outie" now, and Emily is extremely active. Last night, as I was trying to sleep, I was kept awake by what felt like a couple of gerbils running laps around my belly hehehe. Even Daddy talks about how strong her kicks are. I'm at the point now where I can use my belly as a mini table for cups and small plates, too.

On Saturday we had our baby shower and it was wonderful! I never got to have our shower when I was pregnant with Evelyn, she was delivered about two months before we were planning on having ours, so even though it was emotional for me to have this one I wanted to make it extra special. We rented a banquet room at a local hotel and invited some friends and family. There were some fun games (the belly string game, "Think Like Mom!", baby word scramble/find, etc.) and I made sure to give out LOTS of candy. The way I saw it was if I couldn't have any, everyone else needs to enjoy it for me hehe. I did get to eat my ONE special cake pop, with my dietitian's approval, and it was delicious!

We got a lot of wonderful things for Emily and I'm so thankful for everyone's gifts. I know she is going to love everything! Our nursery is about 95% completed now, this is what it looked like after I unpacked her gifts:

And since my nesting has kicked in so strongly, I honestly can't keep myself still. I'm constantly going into her room and fixing little things or decorating here and there. My latest additions are these cute (and very inexpensive) colorful letters and butterflies stickers. I put some over her crib and some near the rocking chair where I have all of her books and will be reading to her.

We're both getting so excited about meeting our baby girl soon, she will be here before we know it. All I can do now is continue to be positive that we will make it through these next few weeks with good health and at the end of all of this we will have a beautiful gift to cherish.

29+4 Weeks Growth Ultasound

Little Emily is getting bigger and bigger every day. She now weighs approximately 3 pounds and 2 ounces, right on track! I got a good look at her nose and lips (which I can tell she must get from her Daddy) on the ultrasound, and she even opened her eye! She was also practicing breathing which was amazing to see.

It might be hard to see but she has her head tilted to the right of the picture, and her eyes are hidden by the placenta, so all you can see here is the tip of her nose and her lips :). I also learned that my belly is literally all baby now, her feet and legs are right under my ribs already and she is head down.

After the growth ultrasound the nurse taught our family friend how to give me my Progesterone shots because they can no longer have them sent to the office, so instead of paying the $25 copay every week to have them done in office we will just do them at home.

The non-stress test went very well, too, no contractions and her heart rate was perfect. She was kicking up a storm and stretching out my belly button, as usual. Afterwards my specialist came in to talk to me. My blood sugar numbers are running a little high but he isn't worried about them right now because they are still within a decent range, all I need to do is increase my medication when they tell me to and follow my meal plan (no deviating!). I'm now on two pills before lunch and so far they're helping. He then said that because my non-stress test and ultrasound looked so good that I don't need to be monitored twice a week until I'm around 34 weeks, so I can relax a bit there.

The best news of all? He wants me to be delivered at 37 weeks! That's just over 7 weeks away, and now I'm very excited! He is the best with helping me keep my head cool and reassured me that I'm doing great and I don't need to focus on my numbers so much because they will be watching over me. And, even if 7 weeks feels like it's right around the corner, he told me to just enjoy this pregnancy and focus on my baby. I will only get this kind of time with her once so I don't need to taint it with numbers and worries, and he is so right. I'm so happy that I have the care that I do with this doctor.

My next appointment and growth ultrasound will be in 5 weeks, so I will be 34+4 weeks then, and I think I will have twice a week non-stress tests from then until I deliver. At 36+4 weeks the stitch will be removed and I will be getting an amniocentesis (needle in the belly) to check on Emily's lung development, and holy moly after that it will only be days until I will be getting my c-section! Now onto my regular OB's appointment tomorrow!

29 Weeks

I'm 29 weeks this week and I'm beyond excited that next week I'll be in the 30's. It's all going by so fast, so I'm feeling the pressure of impending delivery within the next two months. Oh boy there is still so much to do! Keeping myself busy preparing the house and all of her things will probably make the time go by even faster (I hope!).

My belly button is really starting to stick out now, enough for me to see through some of the shirts that I wear. Emily seems to enjoy pushing it out with her foot, too. The other day I was sitting down and all of a sudden I felt my belly button pop out really far. I pulled my shirt up and I could see she had her foot right there, so I tickled her foot (or possibly another small body part) with my fingers and she played back, pushing against my fingers. It was amazing to see and feel <3.

I'm now on pill medication to help with my blood sugar numbers (only one pill before lunch) and so far I've been okay. I've learned that I really can't eat too many carbs for dinner, even though my meal plan says I should have at least 45. When I stay a little bit under 40 and eat as much meats as I can stomach my numbers are great. Hopefully this will be all I need to do to manage it for now. My OB was out of office last week due to an emergency delivery so I will see him on Friday this week, and I'll be asking him about my delivery plan (and whether or not my diabetes will make me deliver earlier). I'm excited to have a more exact time-frame, but if I still have to wait to know I'm sure we'll discuss it soon!