Baby #2 {37 Weeks}

Date:
7/2/15

How far along?:

37 weeks 5 days

My baby is the size of a:
Baby!

While we were cleaning last weekend she re-discovered the bassinet

Symptoms:
All-in-all I don't feel awful for 37 weeks pregnant!
My pelvis is quite loose, in fact at the chiropractor today she said that my pelvis is clearly ready for delivery so from her standpoint it could be as early as this week(end). I was really loose for about 2 weeks if I remember correctly last time so I'm not putting all my hope in that, but it's good to know that things are lining up nicely! The down side to my loose pelvis is that rolling over in bed or laying on either side is very hard and can get to be painful which is complicating the little bit of sleep I'm getting between my hourly treks to the bathroom during the night!

I had 2-3 hours of contractions Wednesday that were very real ("real" in that Braxton Hicks are usually described as painless - just something that you're aware of, these were not painless or easy to deal with) but they never lined up into anything resembling a pattern and of course petered out into nothing so unfortunately it looks like I may have some prodromal labor like I did last time. Since then I've just experienced "normal" contractions for being 37 weeks preggo with coming and going sporadically but nothing worth timing or noting how many fell within a particular hour.

Between contractions on Wed - Cora just didn't understand why she couldn't touch my belly!
I attempted distracting her with Little Einsteins.

On Thursday at my Midwife appointment I gave in & let her check me. I saw my chiro first and when she mentioned how loose my pelvis was I was getting my hopes up that I was further along than I thought I am.
{Birthy Rant:}  I *know* that cervical checks are not an indicator for when you will begin labor, but what it does tell me is how long after labor begins I have to get myself to the birth center. If I'm a 3 or a 4 at my last check and I go through 2 or 3 hours of contractions at home, I'll likely show up at a 7 or 8 when I get to the birth center. It also tells me how far I can travel from home. Those first 4 cm aren't pleasant to labor through, but they're far easier than 4-10! So if I'm an hour from home, it takes me an hour to determine that I'm actually in labor so now I've got 2 hours of contractions under my belt before I'm home and one of those hours is in the car... well that could make for a seriously unpleasant car ride! {End Rant}
Anyway, really more for my recollection when I'm referring back in a future pregnancy - I was 1 cm, ripe but posterior. Translation, not very advanced. I would have theoretically been fine to go a little ways from home this weekend for the 4th of July but (since I'm actually finishing up this post at the beginning of the 38th week, a little bit of a 38 week update...) I'm far more easily fatigued than I was Thursday. Last week I could tell a huge difference from say 2 and 3 weeks ago, I just couldn't do what I could do then (duh.). The difference in 1-2 days is huge right now! I can't walk a mile without feeling like I need a nap afterwards. Even with naps, I'm just drained & exhausted from normal daily stuff. I'm glad I played it safe and decided to make plans to just stay home on the 4th because it's all we would have done anyway! 

Sleep:
Could be better...

Weight Gain:

I have not gained or lost any since last week so according to my Midwife that puts me at an overall increase of 8 lbs for the pregnancy.
My friend Kim wins the favorite award right now for always commenting on how small I look every time she sees me. It's nice to hear considering I feel like a walking blimp at times!

Maternity Clothes:

I got a few more nursing camis because I could never seem to have enough the first 3 or 4 months postpartum & I wore one every single day so having enough clean was a trick. They're helping my shirts meet the gap to my pants & I've selected the 3 t-shirts that are decently long and they are being rotated through a bunch right now!

Movement:
She's moving very well! I realized the other day that I get really nervous (plus it's uncomfortable) when she runs her feet under my ribs. I'm really currently betting that Ada will have a super mellow personality; Cora loved displacing ribs about this point in pregnancy, Ada just kind of likes to stick her feet there. We'll see though, because if I go all the way to my due date it could simply be a matter of lack of room!

Exercise:
We're going for nightly walks and part of my plans for the weekend include walking, walking and more walking!

Cravings/Aversions:
Food is a general aversion of mine. Fruit, smoothies, juice, and tomato mozzarella salads are about all that's appealing to me right now. Even desserts don't sound all that great. It's nice right now but I remember how quickly my appetite woke up after Cora was born & it was hard to reign in how much I ate without having HCG running through my system to counteract it!


I'm looking Forward to: 
Going into labor!
We're having a family get-together tomorrow for the 4th of July. Everyone was kind enough to come to us because I was a little weary of driving an hour + not just because I'd be away from our birth center and midwife but I also want to avoid going into labor tired like I would be from a day being out of the house all day.
(With Cora labor started almost exactly at midnight after we had been awake since about 8 am in the morning {about 16 hours awake at that point} and she wasn't born until almost noon the next day {roughly 28 hours awake}. I was exhausted! Then with everything going on I didn't go to sleep until 1 or 2 am the night/morning after she was born {42 hours awake}! I'd like to avoid this situation being repeated!)

Me & my big belly at the family gathering! 37+6 weeks pregnant!
 
 I miss:
Productive sleep. A regular pattern to our lives, right now everything is a giant waiting game.

Emotions 
I'm a little anxious about how Cora will handle being a Big Sister. We keep discussing what developmental regression she will have but can't pinpoint something we suspect will happen. I'm not particularly anxious about delivery any more, I'm just ready for it to get here!

Goals for the upcoming week:
Last week was really productive! We still have things that need to be done but nothing is pressing or urgent. I had a friend recently asking if there was anything she could do to help or watch Cora so I could get some stuff done and honestly I couldn't think of a single thing for her to help with! Really about the only thing we need to do this next week is to mow the "yard" which is about 2.5 acres (the rest is left to grow to bail into hay) and weed-eat. I can't help with this at all but I believe my brother Robert and Uncle are going to come out and help John with this task tomorrow after church!
 

OLD LIST: Tidy House ~ Finish putting new elastic in cloth diapers (worked on it some this week, can only do it while Cora is sleeping because she tries to help too much) ~ talk to birth center re. estimated payment ~ Get Cora's pool aired up & a temp fence installed around it (worked on it, but filling this sucker with a hand pump is proving to be a chore!)~ Pre-registration forms for hospital (just in case of transfer emergency or not) ~ Make Essential oil bug spray ~ Finish packing birth center and  back up hospital bags ~ Wash van & vacuum ~ Re-install Ada's carseat ~ Swap out some of Cora's toys ~ Move everything from one shipping container to the other ~ Clean Master Bathroom out & organize ~ Repair Shower drip ~ Finish up Thank you cards & mail ~ Update Ada's baby book with gifts ~ Plan out Freezer meals/crock pot meals for postpartum ~ pack new diaper bag for 2 kids (almost finished). ~ Finish Cora's baby book & put all her keepsakes in a box to store away ~ Make a couple of freezer meals so I have my postpartum meal for birth center ready ~ Finish Ada's name art ~ Order final couple of Essential Oils I need for birth/postpartum ~ Finish Birth Affirmations/Bible Verses ~ Make a Birth Playlist ~ Finalize birth plan with Doula ~ Meet with birth photographer ~ Start removing bad trim on front of house ~ Mow yard~ Clear out Ada's Crib (it's full of her stuff/baby gear, I just need to find real homes for the stuff - almost finished!). ~ Buy curtains for master bedroom & bathroom ~ make my rice sock for labor ~ Get master bedroom "guest ready" ~ Child proof the kitchen cabinets and drawers
NEW LIST:  mow yard & weed-eat (no small task...)

Belly Pictures:

This is actually a 38+0 picture on the 4th - Eating Watermelon (only one slice so I wouldn't have an allergic reaction!) with a baby the size of a "watermelon" inside. Dumb comparison generally but I thought it was fun for this!

Past Pregnancy:

37 Weeks with Cora

Baby Lewis #2 {35 weeks}

Date:
6/17/15

How far along?:

35 weeks 4 days

My baby is the size of a:
Large Cantaloupe

Symptoms:
Getting up to go to the bathroom several times a night. The other night I got up at 11:00 when John came to bed and noticed that there were people with flashlights in my front yard?!? I'm sure anyone else would have been alarmed, but I knew that it was likely my brothers and sis-in-love working on finishing up the plumbing repair they'd been working on the day before (I was seriously doubting the plumbing fairies had shown up, though that would have been nice!). The next day my brother Robert was asking how I'd known what time they left the night before, I said well I saw y'all at 11 when I came to talk to you. I was up again at midnight for the bathroom, again at 1:00 am and saw the lights both times but then at 2:00 it was dark. So, see - running to the bathroom all the time lets you know when your night-owl siblings finish a plumbing project!

Still swelling some, but not bad. My joints won't pop :( Seems silly but by the end of pregnancy I seriously miss my fingers and toes popping.

Muscle cramps which I'm solving the same way as last time - with calcium supplements. I've been able to take them better this time around but apparently I wasn't taking enough.

Heart burn has raised it's ugly head. I had trouble with this last time too! I can get heart burn from a glass of cool refreshing water. It is ridiculous! I have not yet thrown up from this, so there's something to be grateful for! In fact, though I have been sick in my 3rd trimester, I can't actually recall the last time I threw up - so yay!!

I do have some pelvic pain and pressure but Looking back at my bumpdate from Cora's pregnancy at 34 weeks I specifically remember how horribly miserable I was on our babymoon stay-cation  & I'm no where near that miserable! I think part of that is she hasn't dropped yet (and I've read that sometimes subsequent babies don't drop until labor?!?). I think the weekly chiro care is helping that too. Last pregnancy, work kept me from going weekly so I was usually going bi-weekly and I think that's part of my pain/issue.

Sleep:
Well the frequent trips to the bathroom don't help... but beyond that it's okay I guess. It really helps this time around that I can nap during the day with Cora and here of late she is occasionally taking a morning nap again, so yay for that! I have trouble rolling over in bed and you're not supposed to lay on your back (I do until it's uncomfortable) or on your right side (again, I do until my body says stop) but my hips and pelvis are having issues with much time on either of my sides. I'm missing laying on my belly which is totally out of the question even in the little modified, piled up on a pillow format I used well through my 2nd trimester.

Cravings:
Snow cones! Fruit and smoothies. I don't have much of an appetite right now and am doing good to eat one solid, big meal a day. Food is just pretty unappetizing and doesn't interest me. Fruit and fruit juices I could eat/drink pretty much all the time though! I'm not sure if this is entirely pregnancy related (since baby hasn't dropped she's pressing on my stomach and it takes next to nothing to make me "full") or if it is just that it is summer and it's hot. I'm generally not really hungry in the heat.

Weight Gain:

Eh. I'm assuming it's the same as it was last week. I hope!
I'll know for sure Tuesday at my next Midwife appointment.

Movement:
She's been a little more still than before but is still passing her kick counts just fine! She's just getting big for the space she's in.

Exercise:
In addition to chasing Cora around... We go on nightly walks of about a mile.

I'm looking forward to:
Tomorrow we're going out as a family for "All About Cora Day" to spend some quality time as a family of 3 before our poor girl's world is turned upside down ;) We're planning to take her to the aquarium and out for ice cream. I'm not sure what else we might do while we're out.

Emotions - 
I'm feeling very nostalgic for the days of Cora being little-bitty and I'm just beginning to be overwhelmed with what life will be like with two babies.

Best moment this week:
I realized today that Saturday I'll be 36 weeks along and at 37 weeks I'll be considered full term and if I go into labor they won't do anything to stop it (and I'll be eligible to deliver at the birth center!). I kind of freaked out about some of the stuff I haven't gotten finished. I know there will be plenty of projects that I wanted finished to still do after Ada comes but I turned my focus to the "essentials" and bought the last of the stuff I need for the birth center and am finishing up my bags for both the birth center and back-up bag for if we end up at the hospital.

While I was at the store I ran into a lady that kept Cora in the nursery at church while I was in Bible Study. Turns out she is going to be my Birth Assistant (basically the nurse) at the Birth Center! I'm so excited that I'll have a familiar face in that role (I think it's awesome that I'll literally have no strangers at the birth!) and I know she is a Christian and that is important to me in those who are helping me with labor/birth! 
 

Goals for the upcoming week:

From last week's list, I've marked through the few things that actually got done. I can't complain much because they were big projects and that was far more than could get done in a week but I also know we're running out of time for this stuff. I've also added new projects to the bottom of the list.

OLD LIST: Tidy House ~ Finish putting new elastic in cloth diapers ~ talk to birth center re. estimated payment ~ Get Cora's pool aired up & a temp fence installed around it (worked on it, but filling this sucker with a hand pump is proving to be a chore!)~ Pre-registration forms for hospital (just in case of transfer emergency or not) ~ Make Essential oil bug spray ~ Finish packing birth center and  back up hospital bags ~ Wash van & vacuum ~ Re-install Ada's carseat ~ Swap out some of Cora's toys ~ Move everything from one shipping container to the other ~ Clean Master Bathroom out & organize ~ Repair Shower drip ~ Finish up Thank you cards & mail ~ Update Ada's baby book with gifts ~ Plan out Freezer meals for postpartum ~ pack new diaper bag for 2 kids (almost finished).
NEW ITEMS: Finish Cora's baby book & put all her keepsakes in a box to store away ~ Make a couple of freezer meals so I have my postpartum meal for birth center ready ~ Finish Ada's name art ~ Order final couple of Essential Oils I need for birth/postpartum ~ Finish Birth Affirmations/Bible Verses ~ Make a Birth Playlist ~ Finalize birth plan with Doula ~ Meet with birth photographer ~ Start removing bad trim on front of house ~ Mow yard (really more of "John, mow the yard") ~ Clear out Ada's Crib (it's full of her stuff/baby gear, I just need to find real homes for the stuff).

Past Pregnancy:

34 weeks with Cora
36 weeks with Cora

Baby Lewis #2 {33 & 34 Weeks}

My baby is the size of a:

Pineapple - 19 to 22 inches and about 4.9 lbs. 

Symptoms:
I'm big! I've hit the point I feel like I can't really get much bigger but I know I will. I'm waiting until
about 37 weeks to do my belly cast and record my belly measurements for her baby book.
I've started having some pelvic issues unrelated to pelvic positioning that I had been seeing the Chiro for. I've just gotten big enough and my ligaments are loose enough that things like rolling over, sitting for long periods of time etc are painful. I began seeing the Chiro weekly again and will see her at least weekly until delivery to encourage optimal positioning for delivery.
I'm also beginning to swell. I was cleaning house today and from being up on my feet most of the day both my hands and feet are swollen. It's not awful yet, but very uncomfortable.
I was about 28 or 29 weeks and I was all excited that I was so excited (and smug) that I wasn't having to run to the bathroom constantly at night. Yeah, well I spoke too soon because I'm making up to 4 trips a night. :(
I have braxton hicks contractions, not terribly painful or regular at all, but of course not fun either.

Weight Gain:

According to my Midwife I have gained exactly 10 pounds this pregnancy.
My records show that I'm actually only up 5 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight (I had been being sick for a while before seeing her for a "starting" weight). That gives me 5 more pounds I'm "allowed" to gain this pregnancy and about 5 1/2 weeks to get through. We'll see how that goes...
Weight gain is something that all pregnant women struggle with. It's hard to see those numbers rise and be okay with it. I was kind of frustrated about the *1* pound I gained in the last 2 weeks because honestly I was more active in the last 2 weeks than I've been in a while (simply because we had sunshine and no rain to get stuff done!). I just assumed I had lost weight. Since I started this pregnancy smaller than I did my last I'm getting more "normal" pregnancy weight gain and I won't lie, it kind of stinks! 

Gender:

It's a girl and if you haven't heard, her name is Ada Mayme :)

Maternity Clothes:

Oh yes, everything is maternity clothes these days. I'm most comfortable in dresses and skirts, my favorite are loose so they're nice and cool for these hot days. I have abandoned all sense of fashion (not that I had a ton before) and am fully embracing wearing tennis shoes with my dresses now! Toms would probably be just as comfy but mine died getting wet repeatedly in all the rain we've had this year! I did squeeze myself into a non-maternity skirt the other day, it had a zipper and everything! I was very impressed with myself!
I have to be careful that my shirts meet my shorts, I don't know why they don't make maternity shirts longer but it was about this time in the pregnancy last time too that I noticed having trouble making sure my belly isn't showing.

Movement:
I am having to do daily kick counts just to make sure she's moving enough. She really does move plenty, I'm just so easily distracted with Cora and everything I don't notice the kicks unless they're really strong/painful. We've been working outside a lot and I feel her stretching when I'm bending over too much more than anything.

Sleep:
I'm still sleeping decently. Several trips a night to the bathroom most nights but over all nothing to complain about. My fingers are crossed that it is this "easy" and smooth through to the end of pregnancy but I'm not holding my breath.

Cravings/Aversions:
Tex-Mex is about the only real food that sounds good pretty much ever. That or pizza. Snow cones and cold drinks are about the only other thing I want. I'm forcing myself to make sure to eat 3 meals a day because otherwise I would be happy surviving on liquids alone.

 I miss:
Sleeping on my stomach. Not being restricted in what I can do. We're working hard on the house & property and it gets frustrating that I just physically can't do what I would normally. I think I constantly worry John & when we're out working it seems like every few words are "stop that, you'll hurt yourself". I'm trying to recognize my limits and not over-do it. I rest and drink lots of water as I need to. Really I'm just so grateful that I'm physically able to do things right now that I want to get as much done while I still can - Make Hay while the sun is shining! I know that as soon as she drops (that could be any day) and I have all that pressure I struggled with at the end of last pregnancy plus normal end of pregnancy exhaustion etc about all I'll manage is moving from the couch to a chair etc.

Best moment this week:
It was actually a few weeks ago but she is head down! It has been the best moment of the 3rd trimester! I went to my appointment at 30 weeks and she was still stubbornly head up. Kathy wasn't really worried about it yet but I wanted to know what my options were so we started talking about whether or not they would do a breech delivery etc. I really upset myself with the whole thing. She flipped literally 2 days later and though she occasionally likes to lay transverse, she's been pretty good about staying head down. 

Goals for the upcoming week:

Directly off my "This Week" to do list sitting next to me:
Tidy House ~ Finish putting new elastic in cloth diapers ~ talk to birth center re. estimated payment ~ Get Cora's pool aired up & a temp fence installed around it ~ Pre-registration forms for hospital (just in case of transfer emergency or not) ~ Make Essential oil bug spray ~ Finish packing birth center and  back up hospital bags ~ Wash van & vacuum ~ Re-install Ada's carseat ~ Swap out some of Cora's toys ~ Move everything from one shipping container to the other ~ Clean Master Bathroom out & organize ~ Repair Shower drip ~ Finish up Thank you cards & mail ~ Update Ada's baby book with gifts ~ Plan out Freezer meals for postpartum ~ pack new diaper bag for 2 kids.

Sadly - the only things from my "Nesting List" that made it to the list of to do for this week were finishing up the diapers, thank you cards, and diaper bag. My Nesting List is needing some attention.


Belly Pictures:

28 weeks (visiting family in Lubbock)

32 weeks - my non-maternity skirt!

Past Pregnancy:

A 34 week update from pregnancy with Cora.

Baby Lewis #2 (Week 25 & 26)

I almost feel like I'm being silly updating on the pregnancy because in many ways I don't feel like I have much to say. Then I wonder how that is possible considering the last time I updated was for weeks 12-14 and now I'm in my 26th week of pregnancy! 

Date:
4/13/15

How far along?:

I'm 26 weeks in, over half way and we now have a viable baby!

My baby is the size of a:
Eggplant or Cucumber!

Symptoms:
I'm getting bigger? Really pregnancy is very easy right now and I'm so very grateful for that!
I seem to be starting to wake up a little more frequently at night, but not too bad and I think that is mostly because of pelvic pain when trying to roll over. I've been to the chiropractor once a week for the past two weeks and that has helped greatly! I'm still having some pelvic pain, but I mean - I'm pregnant so comfort isn't easy to come by.

I don't have any new stretch marks, just the scars from the past pregnancy but this pregnancy doesn't seem to be bothering them any.

I'm not swelling that I can tell, but between weight loss and such I actually can't wear my wedding band any more because it's too loose!

Last night (26 weeks) I had my first night of Braxton Hicks contractions. I've had another couple of them today. I'm drinking lots of water just to make sure that dehydration isn't the cause of the contractions. I remember having BH contractions in the early 3rd trimester last time but I don't remember an exact week so I assume it's okay that I have them right now.
 

Weight Gain:

I'm up 2 pounds from my last check in with the Midwife, but I'm still down 7 overall.

Gender:

It's a girl! We're quite confident in that, since having our initial gender sonogram we have had 2 more sonograms and a blood test that confirmed gender 100%! I'm really quite excited for Cora to have a sister!

Maternity Clothes:

I am wearing Maternity Clothes, I'm also on my second size up maternity/nursing bra for this pregnancy.

Movement:
She is quite the wiggle worm! She is breech which I don't remember Cora being at this point, it seems like she went head down & stayed there! Since baby girl is breech the movement is all lower and her kicks are honestly a little uncomfortable. Nothing awful, just unpleasant.

Sleep:
I'm sleeping pretty well still, see above.

Cravings/Aversions:
I'm not really adverse to any foods. I generally crave Mexican food, Chinese food on occasion. Something that's the same as with Cora's pregnancy, I'm craving Monster Energy drinks and adult beverages. I don't partake in either of those on a regular basis when not pregnant, I think it's just a fruit of the forbidden tree type thing making it so alluring while pregnant.

The other day I mentioned to John in passing that I was craving wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. Cora and I laid down for a nap and he was gone when we woke up. He went all the way back into Denton and got me wings! I was a crying mess over food!

 I miss:
I don't think I miss much right now! I'm getting big enough that it's getting tricky to move and do certain things, so I do kind of miss having the ability to lift or do certain things for myself but nothing too awful!

Best moment this week:
I haven't heard from my Midwife which means I passed my 1 hour glucose screening! Yay for no Gestational Diabetes!!
Going to the chiro was also a big deal! I've been feeling like I need to make a visit for a while now, after seeing the benefits last time I am a huge advocate of chiropractic care in pregnancy but we just switched to not cruddy insurance as of April 1 so now we can actually afford for me to go #reallife #beinganadultisnofun

Quite possibly the worst picture ever... but I went to our local Birth Network Meeting and by sheer luck was running on time! For being one of the first people there I won a Belly Casting Kit! I can't wait to do a belly cast this time! I have no idea how I want to decorate it, but I figure I can deal with that after pregnancy but I can't cast after baby comes.

Goals for the upcoming week:

Ugh. Well we are finally in our house, but the list is never ending and it just seems to be raining issues right now (not just with the house, but life in general). John's commuting car is having issues, but so far no luck diagnosing those issues so that will need to be addressed ASAP. We just replaced the breaks and rotors on the van so I'm feeling rather put-out by yet another car maintenance/repair but it's the first issue the car has given us (or the van with the breaks) so I can't really complain. My pocketbook is just feeling a little bruised these days.

This next week we have to address the issues with the car, clean out the van (because it's driving me bonkers!), I need to repair a toilet, finish digging a trench to repair a water leak in the front yard, repair the dripping shower. My room for the week is going to be the Kitchen and our Master Bathroom for cleaning and putting away and dealing with issues. Cora and Baby Girl's room is needing a few hours of attention as well.


Nesting:
~ I'm officially starting to freak out a little about how much has to be done before baby gets here. Pretty sure John is too. The nesting list and house repair list is really long! I realize it won't all get finished before she gets here so now I'm just trying to prioritize and pick which projects are the most important to deal with before July.
~ We have picked out a baby book! I've done a couple of pages in it so far but I'm trying really hard to keep my attention on finishing Cora's so she'll actually have a complete book before I get started on this baby's.
~We have a name! We've actually had it for a while, I've officially given John the go-ahead that I'm for sure good with this name (first and middle) and we've started on name art! We'll announce in a few weeks. She is a name-sake so we'd like to tell the person she is named after in person!
~ I got several things we needed for her from a consignment sale last month and again over the last two weeks! There are some items on the "nice to have" list that I'd still like to pick up here and there (like a double stroller) but I'm not too worried about any of it. All the essentials are purchased (or we already had them...).
~We ordered her coming home outfit! We thought it would be fun for Baby Girl and Cora to have matching Big and Little Sis outfits so I commissioned some from a friend who just opened a shop on Etsy! I can't wait to share them!

Belly Pictures:

Past Pregnancy:

25 Weeks with Cora
and playing catchup if you're curious...
22 weeks with Cora

I have gone back and forth deciding if I even want to talk about this or record it (because really these bump-date updates I'm doing for my future self and for my girls for when they're older and wonder about my pregnancies) but I've decided that it was a big enough deal in our lives that I should mention it.

When we went for our 20 week anatomy scan baby girl presented with a Choroid Plexis cyst on the brain. In days past, really decades past, a CPC (CP Cyst) was cause for concern for genetic abnormalities such as Trisomy 18 or 21. Really anymore, they consider it a "soft marker" for those conditions really more as a precaution than anything because in both cases there are almost always other physical characteristics of the condition and CP Cysts can occur naturally as the brain forms. Even armed with this information (and she didn't present with any other alarming issues) we were still nervous. We were referred to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist OB in Plano (so a different one than we saw associated with CF testing for us during Cora's pregnancy), she did a Level 2 Sonogram 10 days after the original sono and by then the CP Cyst(s) had cleared up! She saw no other indicators that we needed to be alarmed but just for peace of mind since the "soft markers" had appeared we now could justify to insurance the need to do a Free Cell DNA test (testing baby's DNA that flows in my blood, so no risks to baby like there would be with an amnio). So now we know with 100% certainty that she does not have any of the conditions tested and is in fact a girl!

We got an extra sonogram out of the deal (and what I'm sure will be a very expensive doctors visit when that bill finally finishes processing through our cruddy insurance of old) and I thought it was fun that Dr. Koster even mentioned that our daughter has very defined muscles in her thighs! I've always had rather strong thighs even when I'm in my worst shape, so I thought this was an interesting little tid-bit.

Count Down to Baby #1 {22 Weeks}

For posterity sake I wanted to post this. I wrote out many more bump updates than I actually published for Cora. Usually because I was too busy or tired to take pictures of my growing bump in the first trimester and I usually wouldn't post if I didn't have the picture. It's been fun for me to look back at these posts from my pregnancy with her verses baby #2. 

 

 

Date: June 19, 2013

Due Date: Still set for October 22 - we'll get that confirmed when we finally get our 20 week anatomy scan in a week.

How far along?:  22 Weeks & 1 day!

Weight Gain: Overall, none - I've gained back all that I had lost from my 1st trimester vomit-escapades, but I haven't gained any over my pre-pregnancy weight!

My baby is the size of a:  Papaya (I can't get over how big that is?!? - they're really more referring to the length, but still!!)

Maternity Clothes: I can still fit into a few larger t-shirts but that's it for non-maternity clothes.

Stretch Marks:Yes - I have the same 3 that popped up out of no where early on in the pregnancy. :(

Belly Button In or Out: Out and quite uncomfortable when touched or bumped into things.

Wedding Ring on or off: On & loose - not too much swelling so far!


Symptoms: Some round ligament pain where baby is pushing really hard on my lower belly but other than that not much!! The second trimester is great! :)

Cravings: The other day I was certain that I would DIE if I did not have Ramen noodles & apples with caramel dip. I generally don't crave much out of the ordinary and am not eating too terribly much more than normal, so that was less than fun to feel like the crazy pregnant lady who HAD to have a food!

The husband was very sweet and stopped off for my food on his way home!

Aversions:Chinese food, granola bars, orange juice, milk... that's it off the top of my head - generally anything that I threw up a bunch in the 1st trimester.

Sleep:I'm getting a minimum of 9 hours a night, I prefer to get 10 but when it's time for bed I'm ready to crash!

I am loving: Planning out the nursery!!

I miss: Swimming in non-chlorinated water and being able to stay outside longer than .25 seconds without thinking I'm melting.

I am looking forward to: Moving in 12 days (but who's counting?) and getting to nest!

I'm freaking out about: Nothing comes to mind.

Best moment this week: John is really getting to feel the kicks when they're strong and we can predict where they'll hit.

Worst moment this week: I'm not yet accustomed to how big my bump is and the added weight it puts in front - so I got a little off balance and took a fairly hard tumble. I'm super sore but I was able to somewhat protect my belly in the fall. After 2 hours of laying still for kick counts I was confident that baby was okay and I went on into work (just very late!).

Emotions: Pretty stable - no random jags of crying. I get grumpy sometimes but I think that's more related to being tired than anything. 

Milestones: We're over half way!! 2 more weeks & we will have a viable baby!! :) :) :)

Movement: Yes! Lots! I can't quite distinguish general movement for rolling or hands etc yet - but can register the movement as the baby and not my tummy grumbling. Kicks are the most distinct.

It's a...:GIRL!!

Exercise: Nothing specific - but we're packing up the house like crazy and I like to think that I can count that as exercise.

Diet: Pretty normal! I generally eat as I did before pregnancy and I don't eat too terribly much more than pre-bump days.

Upcoming Goals: Get moved & start setting up the nursery. Sand down the dresser, paint and put on new hardware for baby's room. Baby Proof the house as we move in. Wash the clothes we have for baby girl and get them into her closet.

Nursery: We've gotten a crib, decided which dresser to use for her room and changing table, now to just move and start setting it all up!

An Early Valentines Surprise!

Yesterday I was scrolling through Facebook and noticed that the private Ultrasound office that did the gender scan for Cora is running a special for Valentines Day. I texted a screenshot of the ad to John and turns out he was just as impatient to see our baby as I was! 

He not only said that as my Valentines gift we could go and find out the gender of this baby but that he'd also schedule the appointment for as soon as possible!! I was so surprised this was his gift to me because we pretty much don't celebrate Valentines Day! About the only thing we ever do is enjoy cooking a favorite meal together or share a small box of chocolates. So yay for an excuse to splurge on a Sonogram!!

To make the gift even better, when he called to schedule it they had an opening the same afternoon and he could get out of the office in time to make it!

I'm not normally one to be giddy with excitement, but I was literally bouncing up and down while I got Cora and myself ready to head out the door to meet Daddy for the appointment! 

 

Cora loaded up & ready to find out if she's getting a brother or a sister!

She has started hamming it up and smiling for the camera when she notices it is out.

 

Cora and Daddy playing with blocks waiting for our appointment! 

This baby was much more cooperative for a gender check than Cora was! Cora had her legs crossed and the umbilical cord stacked in her lap. She also kept covering her face with her hands.

This baby wasn't shy about showing us the goods! 

It's a girl!

She was however a little camera shy and didn't much want to show her face.

 We're 16 weeks 2 days for these pictures so baby girl doesn't have any fat yet.

We knew that we wanted to announce the gender right away and we weren't up to having another big party like we did for Cora so after a quick stop at the party store, we had what we needed for a quick and easy gender annoucement!

I am so excited that Cora is going to have a sister! Especially one so close in age! I really believe that siblings are a gift to our children, that they will have close family that will last far longer than John and I will be here with them. My brothers are dear friends and mean so much to me! I'm so grateful to my parents for the gift they gave us in each other! 

I'm also really excited that these girls will have each other as sisters. I've got great girlfriends who are like sisters but I've never had the opportunity to have a true sister and I know it'll be a lot of fun seeing them grow up together!

 

Baby Lewis #2 (Weeks 12-14)

Date:
1/21/15

How far along?:

14 weeks, 4 days

My baby is the size of a:
Navel Orange
4.5 inches and about 2-3 ounces

Symptoms:
I'm doing very well! Emotionally I'm doing really well. I'm having trouble with sleep & insomnia, my midwife said that the last little bit of lingering blues may be resolved once I'm able to consistently get sleep on a normal schedule. We also talked about how since I've already struggled with some depression in the pregnancy that I would be more likely to face Postpartum Depression after the baby comes.
Morning sickness wise I'm doing really well! Far better than I ever did in my pregnancy with Coralie. I still occasionally throw up or have a bad day where I throw up several times that day but it looks like a trend is beginning of more good days than bad!

Weight Gain:

At my Midwife appointment a couple of days ago I was down 8.5 pounds over all and according to my home scales, I was actually up 2 pounds from my lowest weight so far in this pregnancy.

Gender:

20 week sono is scheduled for Feburary 25 so we'll know for sure then. John is quite convinced it's a girl after the heartbeat came in at 157 BMP. We were going to have the blood test drawn to learn the gender and test for several other genetic abnormalities etc but turns out that our less-than-delightful insurance won't cover that, so... I have better things to do with my money so we've opted out of that test.

Maternity Clothes:

Yes, and thanks to a very sweet lady in my church MOMs group who was getting rid of all her maternity clothes I actually own winter maternity clothes now! Before this, I only owned one long sleeved shirt and it's not my favorite. I was getting really tired of that dang red shirt!

Movement:
When my Midwife had the Doppler on, baby was thudding and thumping away in there moving all over the place! Since the appointment, I've been pretty confident I've felt baby move a couple of times! Right about 14 weeks and 5 or 6 days when I think I felt the first flutters/movement.

Sleep:
Not fantastic. Midwife has me taking half a Unisom at night. Last night was the first time I did this, it took me a while but I was still asleep two hours before I normally was!

Cravings/Aversions:
Eh. Food is a little icky to me. I'm eating way too much junk/processed food because I'm just not up to standing in the kitchen cooking. I have been eating a small bowl of pickles for the past few nights, but I've always loved pickles, it just isn't usual for me to eat quite so many so frequently.

 I miss:
Wine. I very rarely drink but while pregnant it is the forbidden fruit thing, it's all I want! I've also kind of been craving Monster energy drinks for the same reason. I had this exact thing happen when I was pregnant with Cora.

Best moment this week:
Hearing the heartbeat at the Midwife's appointment.
When we went to the Midwife Cora went along too (John was there to help corral her). She was being fidgety and a little noisy the whole visit up until my Midwife had the heartbeat on the Doppler. Cora was so quiet and interested in listening to her baby brother or sisters heart beat. It was the sweetest thing! She just sat in Johns arms with her mouth open slightly looking very interested in what was going on!  

Goals for the upcoming week:

I don't have any fun baby related goals right now. I'm trying to track down some information on our awful insurance and what it will or won't cover (we learned that it won't cover the blood test but we've already missed the window for some of the alternative tests, which insurance wouldn't have really covered much of either... so we're basically being forced to not do any testing or pay for it out of pocket). We've also decided that we're switching insurance plans in April when John's company offers open enrollment. Not ideal to change insurance over half way through a pregnancy but it's still the right choice for us in the long run. With all the junk that insurance isn't covering (we haven't heard back if they'll at all cover our birthing center, that's my current project) I've decided I'm all for home birth, we'd end up paying less, I'm perfectly happy with the idea of not having to leave home and ride in a bumpy van for 30 minutes while in labor. John however is less enthused at the idea of a home birth.
After we learn the gender, fun baby goals will arise!

Belly Pictures:


Past Pregnancy:

Here is my week 15 update from pregnancy with Cora.
From what I remember, I'm pretty much right on track with where I was last time.

Looking Back: Expectations vs Reality of Natural Birth in a Hospital

Looking back at my Natural Birth and Birth Plan, I'm very happy over all with everything and the outcome. When Susan, our Doula, met with me at 2 weeks postpartum she asked if I'd do a natural birth again? Without hesitation I replied "yes!".

Honestly, the day Baby Girl was born I was ready to do it again! Not in that moment, mind you. I was certainly still recovering but the effort was absolutely worth it and having a sweet baby in your arms at the end is the best prize in the world!  (Fair warning - if you're squeemish, this post probably isn't for you.)

Several things about the whole process of birth surprised me. In all honesty I was pretty delusional about what I would be like and what I would want in my labor/birth. Some of the things I packed for my Labor & Delivery bag for the hospital not only went unused, they were downright ridiculous when it came down to it. If I hadn't started the process at 4 cm dilated and had spent those first hours laboring 1-4 cm they may have been useful then, but by the time you're making it to 5-7 cm things like a head massager, gum, sleep eye mask, neck pillow, music & headphones to name a few were totally useless. I was glad however that I had packed multiple bags, I had a bag for L&D, a bag for postpartum that included clothes for John and a separate bag for Cora's things. This cut down on how much junk had to be drug into the hospital in the middle of labor and how much unnecessary stuff had to be in the postpartum hospital room.

I always imagined that we'd have these cute snap shots of us parking and walking into the hospital to deliver our daughter... umm no. The idea of stopping to take a picture on our way in the door of the hospital was idiotic (mind you I was at 7 cm)! My goal was to not have a contraction between the door of the van & making it to L&D. Surprisingly enough I made it! After my last contraction in the parking lot my next one was in front of the nurses asking idiotic questions at the L&D desk.

Speaking of idiotic questions, I have no clue why I had to fill out so much paperwork in pre-registration for the hospital because they ask SO many redundant questions that they should have on file. Annoying yes, but when they're asking questions and looking at you for responses when all your thought process can contain is how to breathe through the contraction and embrace the intensity it officially becomes idiotic! I highly recommend you have your husband in the room for these idiotic questions, despite all the paperwork I filled out they had me down as being RH negative (I'm not, they had the wrong blood type on file!). In the middle of contractions I was trying to tell them that yes I am "positive that my blood type is AB+", I even had John dig my Red Cross blood donation card out of my wallet and show it to them with my blood type. That was the only big mistake in all of that, everything else was small - they thought John's name was Mark or some other wrong name and their file showed that this was my 2nd child.

I'm such a vocal person. Sitting in a room and to not participate in an ongoing conversation is just not me at all. When I was in labor, I would hear the whispers between Susan and John or one of them and my nurse, Jessica. Several times I had some quip or comment that was just ready to come bubbling out of my mouth but each and every time I did speak it took such effort to leave my "quiet place" inside my mind I found myself resisting the instinct to speak more often than not. I was amazed at how unimportant the things outside my quiet place became to me. I was able to let go and simply exist from contraction to contraction. 

When we watched videos of labors I was mortified by the groans & moans I was hearing. I could not imagine sitting there and listening to myself moan through contractions for hours upon hours. I created this fantastic playlist with songs I knew well, uplifting Spiritual songs that I grew up with. I imagined myself thinking through the lyrics so I wouldn't focus on hearing myself moan. Reality - moaning wasn't really a reaction to pain, it was a way to work through the contraction. To emotionally work with my body as it labored. When I was in labor the quiet allowed me to completely concentrate on what was going on and to rest between contractions. Susan suggested music, remembering that I had expressed this concern in one of our prenatal visits, I declined the offer and recessed back into my own little quiet world.

I'm usually a pretty modest person. Everyone told me that by the time I'm about to deliver that I wouldn't care about my modesty anymore. I didn't really believe them and the very small part of me that really considered what they were saying to be true thought that while I may not care about my dignity and modesty at that moment, I would regret it later on and wish I had insisted on it in labor. I was wrong about this too.
I have a story about that...

When I was 34 weeks pregnant I made a trip to L&D for what I thought was preterm labor with Braxton Hicks and broken waters. Turns out I just peed my pants... but I was horribly mortified at the lack of modesty forced on me by the on call doctor which shaped most of my expectations for labor. Making a long story short, nurse came in told me I was good to get dressed again. I changed clothes back into my jeans, OB on call comes in and wants to do a cervical exam just to be sure no dilation etc, I pull my pants off under the covers on the bed assuming she'll just pull them up creating a little tent of sorts protecting my modesty (I mean after all, I went to all that effort to take my pants off under the covers!). Nope, OB yanks the covers off, I'm sitting there stark naked from the waist down with a nurse, head nurse, a random someone I have no clue who she was that wandered into my room during this experience and a sono tech all watching and chatting away during my exam. I was really ticked off and marched myself into my Midwifes office at my next appointment insisting that I would wear my own clothes to labor/deliver & that was that. So now that you have some back story, back to what reality looked like in L&D...

When I arrived at the hospital in labor & the nurse (who hadn't yet read my birth plan) asked me to change into the hospital gown, I considered refusing but then the idea of possibly having to change later (when I was about to push per hospital policy) was so daunting I just agreed. Sure enough, hospital gowns are awful for modesty. My tooshy was showing to the entire world and I couldn't give a darn! My sweet nurse tried to keep it covered for me, but generally (in my mind, never verbalized) I'd rather her leave my toosh exposed because she was distracting me as she'd cover it. I delivered with my toosh hanging out facing the direction of the oh, roughly 20 people that flooded my room to watch "the lady that's doing it without meds" and nursery staff and I just didn't give a darn (and still don't today). In fact, my modesty was gone through that whole hospital stay, I am woefully lacking in pictures that I'm comfortable publishing here on the blog from the hospital stay because in most of them I'm topless! I couldn't figure out how to move my shirt out of the way to breastfeed and I had all these nurses and LC's helping, so shirtless was just easiest when it came time to feed.

Poop. It seems like every pregnant momma worries about pooping in delivery. While pregnant I really didn't give it much thought. On the occasion that it came up I just figured there's nothing you can do about it so why worry, I'd just deal with it if it happened. Well it did! In my quiet mental place I slightly cared, but not all that much. It started as I squatted bedside working to shift Cora's head to fix a lip of cervix that hadn't moved out of the way after they broke my waters. I used the energy to mention that "I feel like I'm going to poop", my nurse was very sweet about it and said that it's baby's head moving down that I was feeling but didn't confirm that yes indeed I was pooping on the floor. From John's account by the time I said this, I had already started (and pooped on his foot as he squatted behind me) and not two minutes later her head crowned & I experienced the ring of fire (about the only time I screamed out in labor, not as much from pain {though it burned like a not-so-nice word!} but from surprise!). (Details of that whole episode are in my Birth Story Part 3) If you're worried about this too, check out this article! They discuss how poop is normal & a good sign in labor - it's item #1 on the list!

Being a first time parent is like walking off a ledge into a pit of darkness... Okay so that's probably a bit dramatic, but you really don't know what to expect. Even though I'd planned out what I thought to be every single detail of my natural hospital birth and what I did and didn't want in newborn procedures etc, we were still completely blind-sided when Cora developed respiratory problems after birth. You never can be 100% prepared for everything. Now that I've done this once there are still things I'm unsure about for our second time around! For our second child we're planning to deliver at a Birth Center and I wonder how the different location will change my experiences in labor. Although we can't predict the future, I hope that this post will help you if you're planning an unmediated birth in a hospital! Please feel free to ask any questions!

Baby Lewis #2 (Week 11 & some catch up)

In week 9 we visited our Midwife, Kathy, and had our first sonogram. Everything looks good! Kathy and her nurse Jan are so very sweet and they're so excited for us! Baby looks good & we were able to find a heartbeat (risk of miscarriage drops significantly after a heartbeat is found)! After confirming the healthy pregnancy we felt confident enough to share the news the next week with family, so we started announcements! It looks like it's one baby, a question we always ask since I have two sets of cousins with twins!

Date:
12/29/14

How far along?:

11 weeks 2 days

My baby is the size of a:Large Plum

Symptoms:
I've been quite sick. I still recognize that I'm not as sick as I was with Cora but I'm still plenty sick & vomiting. I'm incredibly hormonal. I didn't have this problem when I was pregnant with Cora, it's bad. Everything bothers me! I spend a great deal of my day biting my tongue. I haven't done an update since week 7/8 in part because of being sick, also due to my poor attitude. The idea of opening my laptop has just been... well the best word I can come up with is Blah! (see my Bah Hum Bug post from when I was 10 weeks)

Weight Gain:

Down 5.2 pounds overall.

Gender:

I'm still guessing boy, John is still guessing girl.

Maternity Clothes:

Yes! Christmas week I finally gave in and dug out the maternity clothes. I finally lost my patience with the top of my jeans rolling down under my growing belly. I'm much more comfortable now! It was also fun basically digging out a whole new wardrobe, although I really need to add some winter pieces to what I have since I primarily wore maternity clothes in spring and summer last time.

Movement:
None yet.

Sleep:
My sleep has actually gotten better. I'm still struggling with Cora waking about once a night wanting to nurse, but my frustration with that has slightly improved. She's probably temporarily sleeping better due to extreme exhaustion from Christmas activities and my Brothers Wedding festivities last week. We're all still exhausted from it all, so I'm sure she is too! (She actually wanted to go to sleep tonight right at 8! I was more than happy to put her down!)

Cravings/Aversions:
Nothing really sounds good. Last night I was convinced the only thing I'd be able to hold down was a Totinos Cheese Pizza. I begged & John went and got one for me. We got distracted and it burned in the oven. I was desperate enough for one that I drove back to the store for another!
I'm having a weird, I guess maybe symptom? Particularly at night after dinner I can't seem to eat enough. I'm starving! Nothing sounds good, no matter how much protein I push I can't stop the hunger so I go to sleep hungry every single night. I'll often also be eating and suddenly get sick but still be very hungry. It's rather frustrating.

 I miss:
Feeling in better control of my emotions. I didn't suffer from Postpartum Depression but I can imagine this might be what it feels like to some? I'd go into more details but I honestly feel horrible about how I feel and I know there's no reason for it and I'm trying not to dwell on it.

Best moment this week:
Last week was a week of celebrations! On the Sunday before Christmas we told John's Mom & Stepdad when we celebrated Christmas with them. Chip, John's Stepfather is ecstatic, we had actually told him ahead of time and he was still bouncing with Joy when we made the "official" announcement that afternoon. On Christmas Eve we told my Dad and brothers, we even managed to have Joshua on FaceTime in Japan to tell him at the same time too! They're all very excited! Dad suspected (as he'd remarked a couple of times before hand that he thought I was pregnant), Josh's exact words were "Again?!?" (but in a happy way! lol) Jacob and Robert were all jovial and couldn't wait until we could all share the news with extended family.
We worried about stepping on toes with announcing so close to Jacob's wedding but I have just always wanted to announce a pregnancy at Christmas. He checked with his fiancee Stephanie and she was just fine with us announcing to some extended family as long as we didn't make it a big deal at the wedding (which we absolutely weren't going to do!) or rehearsal dinner the day after Christmas. So Christmas Day we were supposed to gather the extended family but because of busy schedules that fell through last minute. We told the Uncle that came over on Christmas Day and he was headed to see the other Aunt, Uncle & cousins, so we sent him with an ornament and a picture of Cora in her new Big Sis shirt to pass along word.

We tried really hard to keep it quiet at the Rehearsal Dinner, we told our Great Aunt & Uncle but asked them to keep it quiet, and they agreed & helped us keep the secret. I blew it a little when I barged into the bathroom as several of Stephanie's sisters and sister-in-laws were getting ready for dinner at the church to throw up. That kind of spilled the beans, but we really made an effort in general that it wasn't out shining their day. I think we found a nice balance! :)

Past Pregnancy:

My updates were a little sporadic with Cora at this point, but from what I remember and can tell - I was so much sicker then than I am now. Hard to believe as miserable as I feel, but I do remember being super sick last time.

Count down to baby 1 {9 weeks}

For posterity sake I wanted to post this. I wrote out many more bump updates than I actually published for Cora. Usually because I was too busy or tired to take pictures of my growing bump in the first trimester and I usually wouldn't post if I didn't have the picture. It's been fun for me to look back at these posts from my pregnancy with her verses baby #2.

Date:

3/19/13 - I'm combining a couple of weeks here, I just haven't had the energy to keep up with it like I should.

Due Date:

It moved! We're now due 10/22/13

How far along?:

9 weeks!

Weight Gain:

I'm still down a few pounds. Not keeping food down isn't helping this.

My baby is the size of a:

Green Olive!

Maternity Clothes:

I wore my first maternity dress last week. Not because I needed to, but because I had thrown up on all my other clean clothes and I was desperate! 

Stretch Marks:

None. 

Belly Button In or Out:

In.

Wedding Ring on or off:

On & loose.

Symptoms:

Exhaustion and Nausea/Vomiting are my primary ones.

Cravings: 

Food is pretty revolting to me right now.

I'm really enjoying Clementines though!

Aversions:

Food, lunch meat stinks to me. My sense of smell is amazing, and it's incredible how much I think things stink!

Sleep:

Better than it was, but I'm quickly growing accustomed to the fact that it will never be the same.

I am loving:

Telling Our Family & Friends!

I miss:

Dr. Pepper!

I am looking forward to:

Our next appointment next week.

I'm freaking out about:

How much this baby is going to cost us.

Best moment this week:

It was 2 weeks ago, but our first sonogram!! We got to hear the baby's little heartbeat!

Worst moment this week:

All the vomit escapades! 

If driving and throwing up were an actual skill, I'd be a professional! 

Emotions:

Pretty stressed, we had several unexpected expenses pop up in addition to making pre payments on delivery etc. I'm worried about the fact that we still need to buy a car & a house not to mention the nursery...

Milestones:

The baby is now a fetus! We heard the heartbeat, so statistically our chance of miscarriage dropped dramatically! 

Movement:

None that I can feel but my baby can start moving this week!

It's a...:

Fetus!! We're moving up in the world!

Exercise:

Less than fabulous - I'm really lacking in the energy department!

Diet:

It's good when I can eat & keep it down.

Goals for the upcoming week:

Nothing really baby related, we've got some car repairs that need attention though! *eye roll*

Nursery:

We bought a bassinet! 

Baby Lewis #2 (Week 7 & 8)

Date:
November 22 - Dec 5

My baby is the size of a:
Raspberry!

Symptoms:
(Week 7) Nausea has definitely ramped up this week! I've had a couple of bad days where I sit very still and breathe deeply trying really hard not to look pregnant. I still haven't thrown up (counting my blessings!) but at times I wonder if throwing up wouldn't just be a relief to the constant nausea? I've also discovered the wonderful world of Emetrol! I could dedicate this entire post to this amazing drug! I try really hard to be good while I'm pregnant. No caffeine (though I'll choose a coke over pills for a headache I think caffeine will fix, lesser of the evils), better for me foods, no over the counter (or Rx) drugs I can avoid etc. I'm making an exception here for this lovely little bottle of greatness! (The active ingredients are basically a sweet sugary syrup with cherry flavor and red dye). I learned about this med in college when I had an awful tummy bug from my kiddos at the daycare. It works really well for me! I've always bought it as a knock off brand though "Equate Anti Nausea Liquid" I honestly didn't know what the name brand was so last pregnancy and before now I hadn't connected the dots that I was cleared to use this! It has brought me back from the brink of puking so many times. It is amazing! I have been feeling really guilty that when I'm battling extreme nausea, I'm not really giving Cora the attention I'd like to. This mommy guilt has gotten much better since I've found a way to feel better!

I'm also pretty hungry. I feel like I'm eating constantly. I do not remember being this hungry last time, maybe because I'm also nursing? My hormonal raging seems to be under better control this week, I've also made a better effort to nap each day with Cora, so that's sure to be helping that too.
I'm struggling with acne. :( When I was pregnant with Cora my skin was the clearest and my pores were the smallest they've ever been! My face is doing okay, but my poor back hurts so badly!

Weight Gain:

Up 1.5 pounds overall.

Gender:

I'm still predicting boy! Next week we have our first Midwife appointment and Ultrasound, I am going to ask which side the placenta is on to do a gender prediction based on the Ramzi Method.

Maternity Clothes:

None yet but my pants are feeling awfully snug.

Movement:
I've had a couple of false alarms (week 8). I know it's just gas, but there have been a couple of times that I pause and think were those flutters? I remember seeing just how *tiny* baby is at this point when we were pregnant with Cora. I really can't imagine that I can feel anything from something so small yet.

Sleep:
(Week 8) Sleep has been a challenge, not because of pregnancy but because of Cora. I'm really struggling with my patience with her and her desire for attention and nursing during the night. She's using me as a glorified passifier and emotionally I just can't handle it. I'm praying (continually) for peace and patience with this. Next week were starting a clean slate and beginning operation "Mommy's Sanity" and Cora is going to start sleeping in her pack and play beside our bed until I can get her weaned to her own room again. I'm really questioning whether or not we're going to co-sleep at all after 6 months with the new baby. Up until 6 months it was a huge help to me because of all the needed middle of night nursing and attention.

Cravings/Aversions:
I turned my nose up at a perfectly good casserole this week because I didn't like the way it smelled. Chicken has also started bothering me in any form, cooked or uncooked it's smelly either way. Eggs are still pretty nasty to me too.
(week 7) Not as many cravings this week. Really my diet has largely consisted of crackers, Cherry 7up, chicken noodle soup and cream of chicken soup.(Week 8) I'm craving Enchiladas and Pizza. John suggested Pepperoni Enchiladas, that sounds disgusting! But a piece of pizza and a couple of gooey cheese enchiladas sounds fantastic!! I've also been really craving sparkling cider, I just keep forgetting to pick some up when I'm in the big grocery stores and our little local one doesn't carry any. I hardly ate anything at Thanksgiving, honestly everything I ate could have fit on a dessert plate with room to spare. Food is just really revolting.

Best moment this week:
I was a co-host for the Mama Meet and Mingle Instagram hop this week! As soon as I heard I'd been selected as a co-host, I knew what I wanted my question to be; What are your must have items for baby #2? I was nervous about asking it because we haven't announced yet. I decided to go ahead with asking it because it was what I really wanted to know and how often do I get the undivided attention of so many Mama's to ask whatever question my little heart desires? I got some great answers and ideas and no questions from friends and family asking if I'm expecting - so a win in my book!

Belly Pictures:
I've got some pretty impressive pregnancy bloat going on! John reached over to rub my belly the other day and he immediately noticed that my belly button is showing signs that it's ready to pop out after I eat and add to the bloat. It isn't nestled quite so snugly in it's cave anymore. ;) I feel small upside quite a few of the moms in my due date group on Facebook though! Some of these moms that have had multiple pregnancies or this is a subsequent pregnancy quite soon after their last are seriously showing like crazy! It's all bloat and muscles relaxing and pooching out but wow! It makes hiding a first trimester pregnancy hard!

Past Pregnancy:

I didn't document week 7 very well last time but I apparently was dealing with much worse morning sickness.

Coming out of the Funk

I've been feeling very... funky. Emotionally I've been in a "funk" for several weeks. Physically, both Cora and I have been feeling sick with a cold neither of us can seem to kick (that we're sharing with the whole family now) since December 30, so going on day 9 of feeling puney. 

Emotionally, my funk really started about week 5 of the pregnancy and was in full swing by week 6. I didn't recognize it for what it was until the week of Christmas. I was depressed. 

Christmas week (11 weeks pregnant) I finally recognized and admitted to John that I was suffering from Pregnancy Depression. Part of my hesitance in admitting what was going on was that I didn't know it existed! I'd never heard of someone who hadn't ever struggled with the blues before having trouble with depression in pregnancy. Some quick research online quickly revealed that this wasn't uncommon, after all think about all those hormones I have raging through my body. It also greatly helped me handle my realization emotionally that a couple of the other Mommas in my Facebook due date group opened up and admitted that they were struggling with similar things (they too had never struggled with depression before).

Some of the things I was feeling; the inability to function. The idea of getting dressed & functioning for the day was entirely overwhelming. I'd get up, relocate to the couch or a recliner and aside from trips to the bathroom or kitchen that was where my day was spent. We had Christmas quickly approaching, my brothers wedding was just after Christmas. I had so much to do and emotionally I just couldn't face it. Just thinking about all that I needed to do would be enough to get my blood pressure up and my heart racing. None of the tasks were overwhelming, I just needed to function.

I had no desire to eat. Pregnancy had made food generally revolting anyway, but I just didn't have a desire to eat. (I will mention that I'm attributing this to the blues, but I've also read/heard that it's just my body responding to pregnancy.)

Week 5 and 6 I was very disgruntled, quick to snap and react to things. The following weeks I still had a temper for sure, but generally everything just fell in with the rest of my emotional doldrums. I wasn't excited about anything. I was dreading Christmas and the wedding because I knew that I'd have to see people (and function on something resembling a normal level). It wasn't just events I was dreading, I wasn't excited about the pregnancy. I was truely just blue about everything. Intellectually I knew I was looking forward to these events, eternally grateful for the pregnancy with my child and for the baby God has already blessed us with but emotionally I just wasn't getting on board. (Oh and I should mention that during this time we also had to put our dog Clyde down and that didn't help anything).

At night I'd cry and beg God to "fix my emotions", I would drag myself out in the sun for quick walks on decent weather days. I'd take a shower when I felt like doing anything but that. I also used some essential oils that had been helpful lifting my emotions on bad days before. These things would help but none of them were a cure-all.

After recognizing what was going on, John and I were back and forth discussing what I should do. There are medical options for help with depression in pregnancy but I really don't like to take drugs in pregnancy (though I would if that's what was needed!). We also did some quick research and discovered that I'd have to wean Cora immediately if we chose for me to medicated. We also knew that risks to the new baby were lessened if I could make it to the second trimester before going on medication. So, we decided to wait. I was emotionally a mess but I wasn't thinking harmful thoughts (no self harm, no harm against Cora, the new baby etc. I was just very, very blue) so we decided the wait was worth it. It honestly helped so much just talking to him about how I felt and what was going on. Our fingers were also crossed (and lots of prayers said!) that this would resolve itself with time, several articles we read indicated that while it could last the entire pregnancy, for many women it was isolated to first trimester. 

John also took a few days to work at home and having him around helped a lot, I didn't struggle as badly with guilt at not giving Cora as much undivided attention as I felt I should when she was getting some from him too. (On another note, I am so grateful that I have a daughter who is very good at self-entertaining! She's quite content playing by herself and generally isn't interested in having you play with her. She brings us the toys when she wants attention and we always make the time to play when she asks. I'm sure this skill will be even more valuable to us when the new baby gets here!) 

This past week, ironically while I've been physically sick, my emotional state has gotten so much better! I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, or like I'm walking out of a deep blanket of fog. There were a rough couple of days, unfortunately including my birthday, when I was just super sick with the cold that I spent the entire day sleeping. To be honest the only reason that the baby updates have been being published on the blog is because they were already written and scheduled for weeks. I didn't finish prepping my birthday post, or New Years posts, either of which would have technically announced the pregnancy. Eh, I'll get around to it later. :)

I know I'm not technically out of the woods yet, just because I feel okay now doesn't mean it's over. John and I are both closely monitoring my emotional state as will my Midwife. I look back at my brothers wedding and feel pride and excitement at it now. I'm excited about this baby, and would endure many more blue days knowing that he or she will be worth it if that is the cost! In a lot of ways, I'm writing this so that if one other pregnant person is out there feeling this way - know you're not alone! I so wish I had realized what was going on sooner! Don't be afraid to admit to someone what's going on and get help if that is what you need!