Round Three

When I found out I was pregnant for the third time, I vowed not to bombard my blog with all things pregnancy. Going back through my archives from my other pregnancies, I realized that I NEVER SHUT UP about it. 

With Nicky I was just clueless. He was my first, so my blog was laden with silly posts about things I knew nothing about. I fussed over non-important issues like finding the right bedding, learning sign language, and all of the baby merchandise that I now know I didn't need. 

Also, I thought I was so huge. 

Ha!

With Daisy I was whiney because I had antepartum depression, and I was throw-my-guts-up sick for the entire nine months (as in pull-over-on-the-way-to-the-hospital-so-I-can-puke-in-the-gutter sick). My most annoying recurring topic during that pregnancy was baby names. Since we didn't find out what we were having, I was all over the place because I needed to prepare for either scenario. 

Also, I thought I was so huge.

(And I kind of was).

This time, I assumed it would require a fair amount of resistance and self-control to not constantly blog about being pregnant, but it turns out that being pregnant isn't on the forefront of my mind like it was the other two times. 

If I had to assign a theme for this pregnancy, it would be "stress." Fortunately, the stress hasn't been caused by the pregnancy, there has just been a lot of it existing simultaneously. 

Now that I'm super close to my third trimester (or possible in my third trimester depending on who you ask),  here is a run-down of things so far:

"Morning" Sickness: Gone! I was sick from approximately Week 7 to Week 18, mostly in the evenings. I never puked, though (at least, not from pregnancy. I did, however, throw up several times from whooping cough). From Week 18 to Week 22 I was occasionally nauseated, but not to the degree that I was before. I haven't felt "sick" since Week 22.

Movement: I swear I felt gold-fish-like movement around Week 9, but that's super early, so I might just be crazy. 

Ultrasounds: I had an ultrasound at my first appointment (around 10 Weeks), and I had my "20 Week" ultrasound in June when I was about 19 Weeks. Everything looks fine and dandy, and the sex of the baby is officially a mystery. The ultrasound tech said she didn't see what it was, either, so we are entirely unknowing.

The Doctor: I'm using the same OB/GYN that has delivered my other babies. He recently moved to a new practice, and I miss some of the luxuries of the old one (cloth gowns and sheets as opposed to paper ones, all testing done in the office instead of a lab, my doctor did all of the ultrasounds himself, etc), but I like him enough to live with those inconveniences. There is a perk, though, because he now practices and delivers exclusively at the hospital I'm delivering at, so he will always be nearby (he used to deliver at three different hospitals and had to travel all over the valley to deliver babies).

The Symptoms: I already mentioned my experience with "morning" sickness. In addition to that, I had major fatigue through the first trimester and a half. The fatigue is my least favorite pregnancy symptom. I will take morning sickness for nine months over fatigue for four months any day. I, unlike most of the population, HATE napping, so having to nap is a huge burden to me, especially when it doesn't make me feel any more energized. I have heartburn pretty bad, but for the first time, I've started taking Pepcid, and by golly! It has saved my life! I have a lot of upper back pain - it started about a month ago and became a daily nuisance about two weeks ago. My ribs are also in a lot of pain, so I spend a lot of time rotating ice packs from front to back. For the past two weeks, I've pretty much hurt all over my torso.

In Comparison: This pregnancy has been more like Nicky's than Daisy's. The only real difference with Daisy was that my "morning" sickness never went away. Other than that, though, all of the symptoms have been the same thrice. Heartburn, back pain, and rib pain have troubled me every time.

Size-wise: I feel large and uncomfortable, and I swear I can feel my stomach popping at the seams sometimes, but it's only going to get bigger, so I'll cease complaining. I think I'm a teensy bit bigger at this point than I was with Daisy. Here are some photos for comparison:

27 Weeks {Daisy}

25 Weeks {Currently}

The belly may be bigger, but the hair is better, so it's a good trade.

(Seriously, why did I ever cut my hair like that? Don't let me do stuff like that, mmmkay?)

Preparation: We've done very little to prepare for this baby because there's not much we need to do. I bought a diaper bag because I saw one at Sam's Club that I liked, and I didn't think it would still be there if I waited (I was right - they were gone a week later). I also bought a crib from a friend because ours was recalled.

Names: Unlike my last pregnancy, I'm not worried about names. We haven't really talked about it or thought about it much. If it's a boy, I want him to be named after Scotty, and if it's a girl, I want to name her after my great-grandma. So middle names? Done. We just need to decide on first names.

The Walk: I try to refrain from waddling in public, but I keep getting caught. Like yesterday at church when I thought I was alone in the hall and turned a corner only to hear, "Oh! Must be time to have that baby!" 

Busted!

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Mostly, I just wanted to get this all written down for my own benefit. I like looking back and seeing what life was like during all of my pregnancies. Also, I need the reassurance that the fatigue does tone down. 

So for my future self, who may be looking back on this post, IT WILL GET BETTER! Hang in there!

(My future self is going to be so annoyed with my current self when she reads that! I hate when people say, "Hang in there!")

I'm very excited to meet this little one. I love when, so shortly after having a new baby, you can't remember what life was like without him/her. I'm anxious to feel that again.

In the meantime, I will try to remain patient and waddle-free.