30 weeks already!!!!

Wow,  I am still amazed that I am already at 30 weeks.  Only 10 to go.  Unbelievable.  Well, I will prepare for baby to come around 37 weeks, just in case.  But watch, I'll go beyond 40 weeks this time.  LOL!  I had my midwife appointment yesterday.  Everything was good, blood pressure, no swelling/edema, baby's heart beat was around 152.  Baby is still laying posterior, but again, it is still early, so that is not a huge deal at this point.  I will do some pelvic rocks to try and get baby to flip over.  One thing is for certain, having baby in this position makes for some very interesting, and strong, movements!  I can really feel those little arms, legs, hands and feet!  At some times I push back and I know I am feeling a little hand or foot, I just love it!  I am getting excited to meet this little one.  I laid in bed last night and wondered what this baby looks like, if it is a boy or girl, how big he/she will be.  And it made me very excited to meet him/her!!  It truly won't be long now.

I am sure within the next month or so I will hit the "nesting" mode where I start cleaning everything in sight, and get all the baby stuff out of the attic and washed up and ready.  Tomorrow I am meeting a sweet friend who is giving me some baby girl clothes she is done with.  I am so grateful for that!  I have plenty of boy stuff, but not much girl stuff.  So it will be nice to have some on hand just in case this is a girl.

In about 5 weeks I will see Dr. Wilters for a prenatal exam.  He is the OB I am using as a "doctor of consult" with my midwives.  He is the doctor who delivered Ronnie at Centennial Medical Center, so I already know him and have great respect for him.  My midwives use a doctor of consult just to have someone available if something changes in their clients pregnancy.  My midwives only take low risk women as clients.  So if a pregnancy changes to high risk due to gestational diabetes, or some other issues, then they will no longer work with that client towards a homebirth.  The client becomes the patient of the doctor of consult they are working with and will give birth in the hospital. 

 The only reason I ended up giving birth in the hospital with Ronnie was because he came just 5 days before I was 37 weeks along.  The state law in TN requires that homebirth midwives cannot deliver before 37 weeks.  So I am praying this baby will stay in a little longer than Ronnie did.  I really do want to have my homebirth experience this time.  It would be so great to be able to labor in my own home and have the freedom to get in the tub if I want, to walk around or change positions freely.  No monitors to strap on to my belly, not having to lay on my back to push, and not having a room full of strangers watching me push my baby out.  Just us, with the midwives, at home.  Sounds great to me!

29 weeks

This photo is of me with my new found local "crunchy" Christian mama friend Mandy. :)  We met at a park with our kids (and her hubby) this afternoon.  After letting the kids play a bit, we took a nice walk on the trail.  For exercise, and to try to help get her labor started.  She is 40 weeks this week.  And not long after our walk, she posted on Facebook that she thinks her water broke.  So that is awesome and I look forward to hearing her birth story!  She is using the same homebirth midwives that I am using.

So today I am 29 weeks along, and still amazed at how fast this pregnancy is going.  I don't know if I mentioned in my last update that I got heartburn a while back, but I've been taking an herbal aloe vera juice daily (recommended to me by Mandy!) and it has worked!  Lily of the Desert Herbal Stomach Formula. Found at Whole Foods or many health food stores.  Safe for pregnancy and very effective for heartburn.  I highly recommend it to any pregnant mama with heartburn.

I had a prenatal visit with one of my midwives last week.  Baby's heartbeat sounded good, my blood pressure was good, and no edema.  Baby was laying posterior though, and I think he/she still is.  That would explain the very strong jabs all over my belly since baby is facing forward and I am feeling feet, knees, elbows, hands, etc.  Pretty wild!  I am still early enough though to not be concerned about baby's position.  After all, baby is about 2 1/2 pounds at this point, and can move around a lot yet.

I go for my next midwife appointment next week.  I am going every 2 weeks now until I reach 36 weeks, then I'll go every week until baby is born.  The biggest thing I would like to have ready for baby before he/she is born is newborn sized cloth diapers.  I borrowed Kissaluvs size 0 when I had Ronnie, and I loved those!  But I never had a chance to buy any.  A friend is lending me 9 pairs of newborn diapers, but I need more.  So that is my most important goal to try to reach if possible.  And to have some girl clothes on hand just in case this baby is a girl.  I am all set with boy stuff. :)

Speaking of baby's sex, many people have been asking me if I have any feelings about what sex this baby is.  I did with Ronnie, I was certain I was having a boy.  So I was not surprised when he was born to see that he was in fact a boy!  But this time I'm not so sure.  I think part of it is I don't want to guess and be wrong.  I have no idea why I feel I would disappoint myself?? That is dumb, but maybe that is why I've just not thought much about it.  But since everyone assumes this baby is a girl because we have a boy already, I am going to guess that its another boy and they are all wrong!  LOL!!!!

You are glowing!!!

I have heard that comment twice this past week. The first time was from Ron's mom via e-mail after she saw the photo of Ronnie and I (posted below), and the second time was from our pastor at church yesterday. So if two people said it, I guess it must be true! I've always heard that women will have that "glow" about them while pregnant, and I've seen it on others. But I never really paid attention to it myself to see if I have that "glow" going on. I do feel really good, and I really enjoy being pregnant. I know some women have a very hard time with pregnancy; they are sick the whole time, or have other health issues come up. And I feel sorry for them that they are not able to just enjoy this special time of life. I am very grateful to God that I am able to have good health during my pregnancy's and just enjoy this special time of awe and wonder as God creates this precious new life inside my womb.

Psalm 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Meanings of the womb

Here are a few different words that are all other ways to describe the womb.  I received this in an e-mail newsletter from Nancy Campbell who has the Above Rubies ministry.

"house of life"
"nesting place"
"palace of a child" (This is what it means in Chinese)
"sanctuary"
"the secret place" (from Psalm 139:15)
"cradle of the unborn"
"God's creative workshop"

Me at 27 weeks, Ronnie at 20 months

I feel HUGE today!  Wow!  This belly (and butt and hips) is just getting bigger and bigger, and my maternity jeans are getting tighter and tighter!  I'm going to have to get some larger sized pants!

My prayer now is that this baby will hang on at least 10 more weeks so I can have my homebirth this time.  I was 5 days short with Ronnie, so I need to make it!  Now watch, I'll go past my EDD this time.  LOL!!!  And if I do, I am going to be SO huge I cannot even imagine.  God, give me the strength to handle this growing belly, butt, and hips for the next 10 to 15 weeks!  Whew!

26 week belly photos

Michelle asked for them, so here you go! :)

26 week prenatal visit

I went for my monthly prenatal visit today.  Blood pressure was excellent, baby's heartbeat was 152 and we heard some kicks on the doppler too.  My belly measured low at 21cm, but that is because baby was laying transverse today.  No swelling, just a tad on the ankles, but that is normal.  I do need to work on my water intake, that is the toughest thing for me.  And I need to kick the sugar, I have gotten way off track with this pregnancy.

I also got heartburn at 2:00am last night, that is the first time with this pregnancy.  Heartburn only hit me at the very end last time, so I didn't deal with it much.  I have been miserable with it all day!  So I got some Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera juice, the Herbal Stomach Formula.  I also picked up some papaya enzyme chewable tablets, basically the natural version of Tums. Hopefully these two things will help control it, I still have 3 months to go!

I got a free glucose meter over the weekend, so I can monitor my blood sugar through the rest of my pregnancy. So far it has been excellent, so I am happy with that.

I will start going to the midwives every 2 weeks now.  I go back at 28 weeks for a blood draw to test my iron (I think?) and to see if my blood has built any antibodies to baby's blood.  I am O neg and if this baby has O pos blood, and some of it mixes with mine, then my blood will attack baby's, and that is not good.  Ronnie is O pos, so after he was born I had a Rhogam shot to keep my blood from building antibodies to O pos blood.  But, we have to test my blood now just incase baby's blood may have mixed with mine in utero.  I'd rather be safe then sorry!