Pregnancy and Me

This is everything you ever wanted to know about pregnancy and me.  Probably more than you want to know.

You would think that by the 3rd pregnancy everything would be old hat.  But, they tell me that just like every child is unique, every pregnancy is different.  

With Elizabeth I was sick most of the time.  With Rachel I had about a 2 month reprieve.  This time the majority of the morning sickness was confined to the first trimester.  But, I didn't get out of jail free.  I was blindsided by a random increase in allergies.  I've even been allergic to my own "hypoallergenic" dog.  If I get around dogs or cats or even someone that has a lot of pet hair on them I have horrible asthma problems.  I had asthma as a kid.  But I've been free of asthma for about 15 years.  That is until this pregnancy.  I went through about 3 months of horrible nasal stuffiness.  I couldn't breath for the life of me.  I began to wish for morning sickness as a trade.

Every pregnancy has brought on a sensitivity to smells.  Different smells each time.  With Elizabeth I couldn't stand hashbrowns.  This time I am sensitive to perfumes, hairsprays and especially Doug's deoderant.

Cravings have been different too.  With Elizabeth I wanted fried rice, mashed potatoes mixed with corn, and pizza.  With Rachel I could hardly stomach fried rice.  I wanted salsa, salsa and more salsa.  This time cravings were one of the first hints of pregnancy.  I ate onion dip until I wreaked of onions.  I wanted buttered bread with extra salt.  Yes, I salted my buttered bread.  I wanted popcorn with extra butter and salt.  Otherwise I wanted cinnamon.  I ate rice with milk, sugar and cinnamon and couldn't get enough of Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares cereal.  Gestational diabetes throws a wrench in cravings.  Now I just wish I could eat more carbs and less protein.

Each pregnancy has been different when it comes to feeling the baby move.  Elizabeth had limited movement in some of her joints.  Plus with polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid) she had lots of extra padding.  At 6 months along my uterus had grown to the size of 9 months because of the fluid.  I've been told that the child determines the type of pregnancy you have.  Elizabeth had broken bones in the uterus.  She must have needed the extra fluid.  Rachel was a different story.  I felt her a lot earlier than Elizabeth.  Doug was able to feel her more often.  But, it still wasn't like the folk talesI had heard.  I couldn't distinguish the movement of a hand or foot.  This pregnancy has been amazing in the movement arena.  I began to feel Joseph's fluttering at about 13 weeks.  Doug could feel him before 20 weeks were up.   At 30 weeks he can be shocking.  Sometimes he can even keep me up at night.  He really likes to be up between 9:30pm and 1:00am.  When he gets really kicking I often think of this old commercial.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS0Tlz-r-0c

Part of the difference in feeling Joseph's movement is that I have a low-lying placenta.  The placenta offers no cushion to my organs or uterine wall.  Luckily, that is really the only significant thing for me regarding low-lying placenta.  Why?  That all goes back to Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth was born they thought she had Osteogenesis imperfecta (broken bone syndrome).  So when I went into labor they did an emergency c-section with a vertical incision as well as an extra wide horizontal one so they could just lift her out.  Now I am not allowed to labor.  The vertical incision puts me in danger.  They are planning on bringing Joseph at 37 weeks to avoid any problems with labor or placenta issues.   My official due date is March 28th.  But, the current tentative date is March 7th.  In 2 more weeks we will be able to actually schedule his birth.  I must admit that I miss the element of surprise when it comes to my child's birth date. 

I have full bladder control this pregnancy.  I wasn't so lucky with Rachel.  I know, TMI.

When I was pregnant with Rachel my belly button was pushed to the edge but never fully popped.  I am already pushing the limits of my belly button.  I kind of hope I "pop" this time.

I have to be very careful about my activity level.  If I do too much I get horrible Braxton-Hicks contractions.  Sometimes just going to church can be too much.

With Elizabeth I was borderline gestational diabetes.  With Rachel I was on insulin at about 28 weeks.  This time we just assume I have gestational diabetes.  They aren't making me take that horrible 3 hour test.  Hurray!  But, I take my blood sugar 4 times a day.  I've been on metformin this pregnancy and that has helped keep my sugars under control.  It's likely that I will end up on insulin again before I'm through.  But, I'm grateful for each week that I don't have to have shots.  I'm a wimp.  I hate needles.

The other major difference has to do with weight gain.  With Elizabeth I gained 65 pounds.  Yikes!  I'm still carrying some of those pounds.  With Rachel I gained about 30 pounds.  Luckily I was able to lose all of those pounds before Rachel was 6 weeks old.  I have gained about 17 pounds so far.  Hopefully I can keep weight gain to 20 or 25 pounds.

We are so excited that we are having a baby boy.  It has been really fun to buy little boy clothes with trucks and tools in the color blue.  Meanwhile I have a ton to do, clean and organize before Joseph arrives.  I know that I won't get everything done but I can do as much as I can.

I am so grateful that I have been able to have these 3 kids.  I can't imagine my life without them.  No matter how torturous, I am thankful for my pregnancies.