Category: Pregnancy

We’re officially in the home stretch of this pregnancy. My due date is less than 2 weeks away!

Naturally, I have found myself thinking a lot about labor and delivery. Our son was born at 39 weeks, so my doctor and everyone else, myself included, has been anticipating baby girl coming before her due date. I’m so anxious to meet our baby girl. I guess we’ll see what happens in the next couple of days.

How I’m Feeling

Not only am I physically tired, but work has been mentally exhausting. My plan is to continuing working until I deliver, but at this point I’m definitely ready for maternity leave. I’m looking forward to having some time off and adjusting to life as a family of four.

Physical Changes

I’m still dealing with pelvic pain, some days the pain even makes walking and getting out of bed or the car very difficult. My hope is that the pelvic pain doesn’t impact labor and delivery too much.

In the last few weeks, I’ve also experienced a lot of Braxton Hick’s contractions. One day they were so frequent that I called labor and delivery, just to be safe. After lots of water and rest, the Braxton Hick’s calmed down. I have also started feeling more labor like contractions, but they have been far apart and haven’t progressed any further.

Over the last week or so, my belly has been itching and I have also noticed the development of a few stretch marks.

My doctor started cervical checks at week 36. At that point, I was 1 cm dilated and about 30% effaced. At my 37 week appointment I was still only 1 cm dilated, but had progressed to 70-80% effacement. At 38 weeks, I was still only 1 cm dilated. I can’t lie, I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t progressed a little further, but I know dilation and effacement aren’t a true indicator of when baby will be born. Labor will occur when my baby and body are ready.

Looking Forward

For now, we are anxiously awaiting our baby girl’s arrival. We can’t wait to welcome her into our family!

Check out her DIY maternity photos here

Like most people, we wanted photographs to remember this pregnancy, but we didn’t want to spend a ton of money. With our first we did DIY maternity photos, so we decided to do the same this time around. I love how our photos turned out! Here are some of my favorites:

I’ll be 36 weeks pregnant when you’re reading this post. Officially in my 9th month of this pregnancy. It’s hard to believe we only have about 4 weeks until we meet our baby girl!

Today I’m recapping weeks 32-35. Durinf those weeks, we celebrated Christmas, welcomed a new year, and experienced our first snow of the season!

Here’s a picture of our family at a Christmas service at our church (32 weeks).

While I was on vacation from work, I started working on organizing the nursery. While it’s not 100% complete yet, it’s in a place where it could be used, if necessary. I also packed hospital/grandparent house bags for me, baby girl, and Jaden. We also got our car seat and bases out of storage. They just need to be installed. My husband said I was making him nervous with all my nesting. I just want to be prepared!

How I’m feeling

Still tired…and it seems like it’s only getting worse as the weeks go by. Most days, I just want to lay on the couch as soon as I get home from work. Luckily, my two year old is all about relaxing on the couch with me when we get home. I‘m taking advantage of those moments. Not only does it allow me to get some rest, but let’s me have more cuddle time with my baby boy. Our world as we know it is about to change so I’m trying to soak up every moment with him.

I’m also feeling anxious, nervous, and excited, all at the same time. I’m anxious about because our family will be forever changed once baby girl arrives. I’m nervous about labor and delivery, even though I’ve done it before. Truth is every pregnancy and baby are different. Who knows what to expect. Lastly, I’m excited to see our baby girl. It’s hard for me to imagine what she will look like, but I know she’ll be beautiful.

Physical Changes

I feel like baby girl has started to drop over the past few weeks. I’ve been experiencing a lot of pelvic pain and pressure. I’ve also been experiencing more Braxton Hicks contractions and mild cramping. Our girl is still very active. She wiggles, jabs, and pokes me throughout the day. At times, I wish I could peak into the womb and see her movements.

Cravings/Aversions

I finally overcame my aversion to apples! If you’ve been following my pregnancy updates, you know that I have not been able to eat apples since almost the beginning of this pregnancy. Before going back to work after the new year, I made chicken salad, but instead of using celery I decided to try making it with green apple. As I was making the chicken salad, I began snacking on the remaining green apple and really enjoyed it. The following week, I gave green apples a try again. To my surprise I was able to eat the whole apple and I’ve had several since.

As far as craving, I’ve really only had cravings for two different things, smoothies and Chipotle barbacoa burritos.

Looking Ahead

I can’t believe I’m nearing the end of this pregnancy. It seems like it’s gone by fast. I start weekly OB appts and cervical checks this week. I suppose at this point, baby girl could make her appearance at any moment. I’m excited for this next chapter . of our lives. And of course, a little nervous. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates! Thanks for following my journey.

Today I am recapping weeks 28-31.

About two weeks ago, we hosted a baby sprinkle to celebrate our baby girl. I went back and forth on whether or not we should do anything, but in the end I felt that it was important for us to celebrate this new life in some way. I’m grateful for the all the family and friends who sprinkled us with gifts.

How I’m feeling

One word tends to describe how I’ve been feeling lately, tired. Now that I’m a few weeks into the third trimester, I definitely feel my energy waning. Most days, I’m in bed by 8 o’clock. I also feel myself becoming a little more anxious as I think about labor and delivery. Even though I’ve been through it once, I know every baby and every pregnancy is different. I have no idea what to anticipate this time around. My doctor has told me that since my labor with my son was pretty fast, it’s likely that this one will be faster. We shall see. Check out my labor and delivery story here.

Physical Changes

At the beginning of the third trimester, I started noticing I was having more Braxton Hick’s contractions that were getting pretty strong. My OB and PA both recommended that I increase my water intake and so far that has helped. I have also noticed some light cramping, but no bleeding. I’ve been told to monitor both, as an increase in frequency or strength of either could be a sign of early labor. So far, these things have not gotten any worse.

Baby girl is very active! It also feels like she’s sitting really low as I’ve been having more pain in my pelvis/pubic bone area. I also find myself going to the bathroom almost every hour, sometimes more frequently due to more pressure on my bladder as she continues to grow. In addition to all that, add in shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, and leg pain. Some days it feels like I’m back in the first trimester.

Cravings/Aversions

I haven’t had any cravings that I can remember within the last few weeks, but I still have an aversion to apples. Hopefully that goes away once this pregnancy is over because I actually like apples. I used to eat an apple everyday pre-pregnancy.

Looking Ahead

I’m looking forward to time off from work. Thank God for PTO. Over the last few weeks, work has been pretty busy and at times very stressful. I think that’s only increased my fatigue. While I’m on vacation, I’m looking forward to clearing my mind, spending time with family, and preparing more for baby girl’s arrival. Over the next week or so, I hope to work on the nursery, organize all our baby items, pack hospital bags, and try to relax as much as possible.

Today I’m 28 weeks, officially in the third trimester. In about 12 weeks or so we will be welcoming our baby girl to the family.

The weather has quickly changed here in Indiana. Luckily, our family was still able to enjoy one of our favorite fall activities, visiting the apple orchard. And of course, making one of our favorite fall treats, apple pie bites. Yum!

As the weather has changed, one of the biggest challenges has been finding a coat that will be warm enough to withstand the colder weather ahead. I’ve tried coats from several places and have yet to be successful at finding one that fits me. This week, I ordered the same coat in two different sizes from Old Navy. Hopefully one works out.

Here’s a recap of weeks 21-27.

How I’m feeling

Compared to the first trimester, I’ve had more energy and have been able to get through my work days without feeling like I need a nap. However, over the last two weeks or so, I haven’t been sleeping well at night. I’ve been waking up to use the bathroom at least once. It’s also been hard to find a comfortable sleeping position. Most nights I wake up several times on my back, which isn’t a recommended sleep position at this point in the pregnancy. More than anything, the biggest difference from the first trimester has been more physical change.

Physical Changes

As you know, I’ve been seeing a chiropractor since week 14 to help with back pain. At this point in the pregnancy, my back is feeling great. However, I’ve swapped back pain for pelvic pain. This started around week 24 or so and hasn’t gotten any better. I did purchase a maternity belt, but I have found that it is only helpful when I know I will be walking around for an extended period of time. I’ve continued to see the chiropractor, but that hasn’t really made a difference in the pelvic pain.

My belly has grown a lot over the last few weeks. My belly button has popped out and the linea negra (the dark line across the belly) has appeared. I’m almost to the point where I can’t see my toes when I look down!

Baby girl has been moving a lot! She tends to be pretty active during the day, in the late evening, and in the early morning hours, like 3:00 or 4:00am. Basically all the time! Her movements are getting stronger as well. One day, I was in a meeting and she kicked me so hard that I jumped! I scared everyone in the meeting with me lol.

Cravings/Aversions

I still have an aversion to apples. That seems to be the only thing that I can’t eat at this point. My cravings have been all over the place, but I haven’t craved anything consistently. Some of my cravings over the last few weeks include cereal, ice cream, pizza, chicken strips, and Popeye’s biscuits.

Looking Ahead

I’m looking forward to the holidays and spending time with my family. This is our last holiday season before we become a family of four. I’m also looking forward to preparing the nursery and getting all of baby girl’s things organized. After Thanksgiving, we plan to celebrate baby girl with a small “baby sprinkle.”

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Thanks for following along on my pregnancy journey. Stay tuned for more updates!