34 weeks and counting

I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone!

(photo taken at 32 Weeks and 2 days)

Today I am 34 weeks and 2 days pregnant with baby Peyton. This pregnancy has been a whirlwind. We got pregnant fast, I got sick fast, and now all the sudden I'm less than 6 weeks from my due date. With all the hoopla happening with my mom AND having a toddler this time around, I haven't been able to just sit and count down the days like I did with Claire. I surprised myself on Sunday when someone asked how far along I was and I literally couldn't remember. Instead, I finally just stammered out that I'm due September 19th. I usually have to look at my What to Expect App on my phone to know how far along I am (with Claire I could tell you down to the day at a moments notice).

I thought it would be fun to answer some of the most frequently asked questions.

How far along? 

34 weeks 2 days

Are you still sick?

Yup still sick! I am still taking zofran everyday. Without it I end up spending my day by the toilet, puking my guts up. I have a love/hate relationship with the drug though. It's main side affect is headaches and migraines, which unfortunately I fall victim to, but I would rather have a headache than feel car sick all day. 

Any stretch marks? 

Yes, I have stretch marks but so far they are just the same ones I had with Claire. Stretch marks don't really bother me though. I'm not planning on wearing a bikini any time soon so really the only people who see them are my husband and midwife. I figure the midwife sees them all the time and my husband still thinks I'm beautiful with or without them, so they don't really bother me. :)

Miss anything?

I miss having normal sized feet and ankles. The swelling this pregnancy is just ridiculous. I never had a problem when pregnant with Claire. My ankles swelled really bad after I had her but not during the pregnancy. It's been really frustrating to find appropriate foot wear. Somedays it gets so bad that even flip flops don't fit and it HURTS, like really hurts to walk on them sometimes. I was worried about it and asked my midwife. She explained that the summer heat, added stress and pressure I'm under lately, and not enough rest would be the culprits. She recommended tons of water, swimming (although she was quick to add that swimming does NOT mean laying out at the pool trying to get my tan on. haha), a few hours a day with my feet elevated (ha good luck with that one), and watermelon. No complaints here! The next day I begged Joe to take Claire and I to Rexburg Rapids and happily ate a large helping of watermelon with my feet up. 

Gestational Diabetes?

I got tested for gestational diabetes around 28 weeks. With Claire I did have GD. I ended up taking the test three times when I was pregnant with her. The first time I failed and had to go in for the 3 hour fasting test. They messed up my blood work on the second test, so I sat through another 3 hour fasting test only to find out that I was one point over the line. Having GD totally sucked, so I was really crossing my fingers that it wouldn't be a problem this pregnancy. With everything going on with my mom I just didn't think I could handle one more thing. I told my midwife I did not want to take the test more than once this time so I opted to forgo the one hour test and just skip ahead to the 3 hour one. I came in fasting, drank my drink (which I don't think is really all that bad. The girl next to me, who was also doing a 3 hour test, was pinching her nose and making gagging noises. Haha she was a little over dramatic about the whole thing), and turned on Netflix on my phone. One hour into it and I all the sudden I felt like I was going to throw up. I tried to think about something else but for some reason my body was not going to let me keep it down. I literally ran to the bathroom and almost didn't make it to the toilet before all of that stupid orange drink came up. The nurse was just coming to get me to prick my finger so I told her I threw it all up. She said she had never heard of anyone throwing up the glucose drink and had no idea what to do. The only midwife available was at the hospital for an emergency and the doctors were completely booked. Long story short, they took my blood for that one hour and for the second hour anyway. The results came back saying that I was hypoglycemic at that point, meaning my blood sugar was too low. They sent me home with strict instructions to eat something right away and to make sure that I laid down because my body would be extremely tired (That was an understatement. I was falling asleep at the steering wheel. I've NEVER done that before.) Later on my midwife called to talk about the results. In her opinion I didn't have GD this time around but they wanted to be cautious since I had it with Claire. They just wanted me to take my blood sugar 1-2 times a day to see how my body was reacting. So far, I've been fine. 

Movement?

I found out at my last appointment that baby girl is head down and ready to go! I knew she had turned just because of the way her movements had changed from my lower abdomen to just below my ribs, but it was nice to know for sure. She's not as much of a mover as Claire was and she has only had the hiccups once or twice. Claire had them All. The. Time. I still love all of her little movements. Sometimes they get a little painful but I love knowing that she's ok in there. I especially love how her flutters changed to jabs and kicks and her kicks have turned into rolling movements. It's just so cool to feel and now see how much they change and grow in such a short amount of time.

How are you coping with your mom's surgeries and with your pregnancy at the same time?

Honestly I don't know how I'm not breaking apart at the seams right now. It's been tough. First getting the news that she had cancer. Then the news that surgery had to be done right away. The actual surgery  and recovery have been more taxing and longer than any of us in the family thought it would be. We had no idea that she would need help going to the bathroom or showering. We had no idea that two weeks into recovery she would need an emergency surgery to remove a blood clot that was larger than her surgeons fist. We had no idea that a blood vessel wouldn't close on it's own and be pouring blood into her chest for weeks. Looking back, I really wish that someone had warned us. It's been hard, physically and mentally. I am so unimaginably tired all the time. Most days I'm over at her house three times a day and I spend a lot of nights sleeping over. It's hard balancing my families needs, my mom's needs, and my needs but somehow it's all worked out. I haven't fallen apart yet but I have a feeling that I'm reaching my breaking point. My midwife has pleaded with me to take it a little easier. It's not that I'm a high risk pregnancy but she can see the toll it takes on my body and warned me not to wear myself out before labor. But I can't just leave my mom to fend for herself, I would feel so guilty. Hopefully she recovers soon. The next big thing is her hysterectomy and that needs to happen as soon as she is feeling up to it. So basically, we will just be starting the entire cycle again. I worry that I won't be able to help her that time around because my due date is getting close. I worry that my mom won't be able to be there for the birth of her 5th grand baby, but I keep telling myself that it will all be ok. It HAS to be ok. Power of positive thinking, right?

Does Joe really start school the same week as your due date?

Haha yup! We have awesome timing don't we?! We did not plan on this happening. We thought it would take 9 months to get pregnant like it did with Claire. Boy were we wrong! So yes, my husband will be starting his second to last semester of school on the 16th of September. I'm due on the 19th. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she comes early though. I don't mind going over my due date (I was a week late with Claire) but I do think it would be pretty cool if she was born on her daddy's birthday which is the 13th. :)

Are you planning on being induced?

Honestly, we talked about it. Once we found out the due date and realized school started the same week Joe asked me if I wanted to consider being induced this time. I could see that he was a little nervous about the timing and suggested we pray about it. I wasn't in love with the idea of having to use pitocin and an epidural again but if it felt right I would do it to give him peace of mind. We prayed about it as a couple several times and each time we both felt uncomfortable with the idea of inducing just for convenience. We agreed that if medically I needed to be induced that we would take that route but for now we are planning on a natural birth. That was the kind of birth I wanted with Claire and it didn't exactly go my way. I'm hoping that this time my labor will be much shorter and will progress on it's own. But this time I am also more open to the idea that if I need medical intervention, it's ok to use it. And yes, I do have a midwife, but don't worry my labor and delivery will be at the hospital! (It's funny how some people get really concerned when you say you are seeing a midwife.) And yes, I do feel a little overwhelmed when I think that my mom could be going into surgery the same time I have the baby and that Joe could be in school, but that feeling gets pushed away when I remember that I got my answer months ago. Would it be nice to know the day the baby will be here? Definitely! But I wouldn't feel right about it. I honestly feel that everything will work out the way it needs to and trust that the Lord has a plan.

Is Claire ready/prepared to be a big sister? Are you ready to have two kids?

I think Claire is about as ready as any 2 year old can be. I have been asked this question multiple times (especially at church). I mean how do you really prepare a 2 year old??? I think she kind of gets the idea. She will point to my belly or kiss it and say hi to the baby. But when I try to think about it from her perspective, it seems kind of morbid to think that mommy has a baby in her tummy. She must be wondering how the heck it got in there. She does get excited though when I buy a new baby outfit or show her her old baby stuff. We talk about the baby all the time and how she's going to be such a great helper. I know it will be an adjustment and there might be a few bumps along the way, but for the most part I'm confident that Claire will transition fairly well. She ADORES babies! And it shows, especially when she plays with her dolls. She's so sweet and caring with them. As for me, I feel ready, but again I'm not sure how ready you can really be. It will be a big adjustment. But I think it makes it easier the second time around because I know what it was like when we had Claire. I'm more mentally prepared this time. I'm actually more excited about this baby than I was with Claire. I'm not so anxious about the labor and delivery and being a new mom this time. This time I know it will be hard but I also know how sweet and wonderful being a mom can be. I'm so excited to watch my two girls interact with each other. I'm so excited to hold her for the first time, to give her baths, to breathe in that sweet {intoxicating} newborn smell. I can't wait for the late night feedings, when it's just the two of us, cuddled up in the rocking chair and the house is quiet and still. Those are the moments I miss the most. I LOVE the newborn stage. I love my Claire Bear and baby Peyton. I think it helps that Joe is thrilled about having another girl. He was thrilled when I finally gave in to the idea of having a second child. He's confident that we can handle two kids, so I guess I am too!

I am still in the process of changing things in the girls' room and fixing up Peyton's corner in our bedroom. But I plan on posting all about those preparations as soon as they are done. We didn't really change much in their bedroom except for a few little things here and there. I changed just enough to make it feel like it's not just Claire's room but Peyton's as well. I was able to go shopping a little for the baby last week and it was wonderful. With my mom needing so much help, I haven't had a lot of time to prepare for the baby or have a moment to just be excited. Shopping is my therapy and it definitely worked wonders for me this time.