I know I just did a bumpdate 2 weeks ago, but with only FOUR weeks [max] left of my pregnancy, I figured I’d fill you guys in on what’s going on with me while I still can! I cannot believe I’ve been in this hospital bed for 7 weeks. When we first got here, we weren’t sure if we’d last 24 hours, let alone a week, let alone 7! They told me I could be here for potentially 11 weeks and I just couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think there was a chance in hell I could make it that long in this one room with no access to the outside world. But here we are. 7 weeks down, 4 to go! In fact, my c-section has been scheduled for October 12th, so there really is a light at the end of the tunnel! The doctors are confident I can make it that long, so here’s hoping. As always, anything could happen between now and then, but it’s amazing to think how far we’ve come. Mike and I took a NICU tour last weekend and it was nice to see where the next part of our journey will be taking place.
How far along: 30 weeks! I can’t believe it. When we first got here, I never thought I’d see the third trimester, let alone a week with a 3 at the beginning of it! While we’re really hoping we can get in a few more weeks of this babe staying in my belly, we’ve come a significantly long way from 23 weeks in terms of his development and his survival chances.
How I’m Feeling: Definitely pregnant. Being in this bed, constantly laying on my side, has brought on some gnarly hip pain. Heartburn has also made its vengeful arrival. I thought I was going to get away without having it, but nope! It’s here and it’s bad. I get nauseous every now and then, too. I’m also incredibly tired ALL.THE.TIME. I don’t get good sleep in here because A) I get up to pee every 1.5-2 hours and can’t fall right back asleep after and B) the hospital always has some commotion going on overnight so I am usually awoken by that. Just normal third trimester things, I suppose!
Cravings: Oh lord, ALL THE JUNK. Seriously, sweets are going to be the death of me. I’ve finally started gaining (a lot) of weight back and I’m sure it’s my sweet tooth that’s contributing. I’ve been mindful about eating good for most of the day, making sure I get lots of protein so little guy can grow, grow, grow! But once dinnertime comes around, bring on the drive-thru and desserts! Everything in moderation, right? 😉
Aversions: Still strong non-food smells are a no-go. Heavy perfumes, hand sanitizers, lotions, etc.
Weight Gain: I’m officially 8 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight, which means I’ve gained ~17 lbs of the weight I lost back! My doctors are happy about it because it means I’m eating and he’s growing! I’m guessing I’ll probably end up somewhere near my pre-pregnancy weight, given I have 4 weeks [max] left and 8 lbs to go. That’s kind of a lot, but whatever. I’m fine with it!
Physical Changes: My bump is finally looking like a real, pregnant belly! My belly button is still an innie but I’ve started seeing the linea negra under the belly button. The oil is slowly returning back to my face and hair, which is a surprise #bringonthedryshampoo. My freckles also appear to be getting darker.
Nursery: The nursery is nearly done! Well, when I say done, I mean all the big furniture is assembled and in place. All that’s really left is tweaking some decor elements, but we’ve got a really good start. I have to give credit to Mike who put everything together and FaceTimed me so we could do some of the arranging/organizing together. While it’s not exactly what I had initially thought, it’s super cute given the circumstances.
What’s Next: As I mentioned, my c-section (due to him still being breech) is scheduled for October 12th, so we’re really hoping we can make it that far! The doctors are optimistic I will, so I’m having to trust them and just take each day as it comes. While I’m still scared about what problems we could face post-delivery, I just have to celebrate we’ve come this far and his chances are so much better now than when we came in at 23 weeks! Having our NICU tour also helped to give us an idea of what that life will be life. We saw babies as small as 1.5 lbs and big as 6 lbs, so it gave us a good idea of what our little guy may look like and what we may expect going in. I’m terrified of getting a c-section to be honest, but we’re grateful to have made it this far and hope for a few more weeks!
As always, thanks for following along on this journey with us. If you have any questions, leave a comment or send me an email [[email protected]] and I’d be happy to chat! Everyone cross your fingers we make it to October!
