Growing Baby 2- 37 Weeks!

I haven't done an actual update in a long time. It's been a combination of life and a toddler and not really having much to say. Last week, however, Little Man decided to throw us for a loop.

A few weeks ago, my OB noticed that baby's heart was adding an extra beat. He had me do a non-stress test and they decided that he was fine. Last week, October 5 (37 weeks exactly), I went in for my weekly check up and Dr. Rone noticed that his heart was still adding the beat and it was a little more prominent. He sent me over for another NST and that doctor immediately unhooked me from the monitors and had me do an ultrasound.

The next few minutes were a blur. She was throwing around words like "emergency c-section," "ambulance," "hospital," and "You're having this baby right now, call your husband." I was terrified. I didn't know what was going on with the baby. I called David and had to give the phone to the doctor because I couldn't get any words out.

Thankfully, Dr. Rone came in about that time and told everyone to chill out, more or less. I did not need an ambulance and my baby was not dying. He asked me if I would like David to drive me to the hospital and told me that he would be over to check on me soon.

Once we were at the hospital, I got settled in a room and was told again that we were having a baby that day. I still didn't know if that meant induction or c-section. I still didn't really know what was going on with little man. Finally, the head of high risk came in and explained that his heart was adding an extra beat (which we already knew) and that I would be meeting with a fetal cardiologist to determine how severe things were. I had a 30 minute long ultrasound with the cardiologist and he determined that M's heart has no abnormalities but he was having premature atrial contractions. Every third beat, his heart would add in an extra. But he said that the ventricles and the rest of his heart were dealing with it as they should. He said that most people have these episodes at some point in their lives. From his standpoint, he said that baby was fine and would not need to come that day but I had to meet with high risk for the ultimate decision.

Fast forward a few hours later, and the high risk doctor came in to talk about our options. We got Dr. Rone on the phone and ultimately decided that I was too overwhelmed to make any kind of decision that day. I went home, was up all night worrying, and then met with Dr. Rone the next day.

Let me just say that I am so, so lucky to have the doctor that I do. He listens, he advocates for me, and I have complete trust in him. I know that there are many women who do not have that luxury. He sat with me for almost 45 minutes and did his best to calm me down and answer my questions.

At that point, our options were:

*Do nothing and let him come when he's ready, but go in two or three times a week for ultrasounds to make sure his heart is still ok. I haven't been able to eat or sleep since Thursday, so I don't think putting myself through 3 more weeks of worry is the best thing for me or baby.
*Get induced right away.
*Or, what we ultimately decided, wait a week, have two ultrasounds this week, and then get my membranes swept Thursday and get induced Friday.

That option worked best for me for a number of reasons. I felt better giving him that extra week. We'll be 38 weeks and a day when I'm induced. Dr. Rone is on call next weekend and will be the doctor delivering. With such a special circumstance, the increased risk of c-section, and my pregnancy anxiety, I needed him to be the one delivering this baby.

I'm a nervous wreck. I know that birth plans are just plans and they change. But I was really hoping for a healing birth this time. To get the chance to labor at home and shoot for that natural birth I wanted. So I'm mourning that a bit. I'm also terrified of being induced and dealing with the Pitocin contractions. I also know that being induced doubles my chances for a c-section, not to mention the fact that the likelihood of a c-section was already increased because of little man's heart. I have never had surgery in my life, so the idea of a c-section scares me to death. C-section mamas are so brave and strong, and I don't really know if I can do it without completely losing it. I worry about the pain of recovery and not being the first to hold him. I worry about being alone in recovery. I worry about not getting to nurse him right away. So much anxiety and fear right now, but I'm trying to work through it.

So yeah. That's where we are right now. As of this moment, I'll have an ultrasound Monday and Thursday and then go in Friday to get induced and meet this baby.

Little man, you definitely threw us for a loop this week. Mama and daddy are a little scared and nervous, but we can't wait to meet you!

Growing Baby 2- 36 Weeks!

36 Weeks on September 28!

Growing Baby 2-35 Weeks!

35 weeks on September 21!

Growing Baby 2- 26 Weeks!

We were 26 weeks on July 20th.

This week was a rough one all the way around. My body is starting to really hurt. My ribs, my back, and my hips are killing me. It's getting harder to breathe and it's even worse when I'm chasing Sawyer around in the crazy summer heat. I'm waking up every night around 3:30/4 and I'm usually not able to fall back to sleep. I'm having crazy calf spasms as well, which basically feels like someone is ripping my calf off.

Because of the lack of sleep and how uncomfortable I am, plus my stress level with all the things that need to be done, my patience with Sawyer wears thin easily and then I feel awful. I have a few weeks off from teaching now and hopefully I'll be able to rest for a bit.

Growing Baby 2- 25 Weeks

We were 25 weeks on July 13. Baby M, I'm really on the ball with these blog posts.

You are moving more and more these days. Or at least I'm noticing it more, which must mean you're getting bigger! You keep me awake all night long, which I hope isn't an indication of how you will be once you're here! Although I'm not sure that anyone could be worse than your brother when it comes to sleeping.

Growing Baby 2-24 weeks!

We were 24 weeks last Thursday, July 7.

Little man is still growing big and strong, we are slowly but surely getting the house in order (still SO much to do), and I'm trying my best to keep up with an active toddler in this crazy summer heat!

Growing Baby 2-23 Weeks

Ok, so we were 23 weeks on June 29. Mom fail. It's just so much harder to sit down and write this out after chasing a 2.5 year old around all day.

A photo will have to do for this week.

Growing Baby 2- 22 Weeks!

Of course this post is late. They're always late this time around. Sorry, Baby M. I promise I love you just as much as Sawyer.

We were 22 weeks last Thursday. We had our anatomy scan ultrasound last Tuesday. We already knew we were having a boy, but the anataomy ultrasound is a little more in depth than just that. They looked at his brain and heart, measured his bones, and looked at all his other organs to make sure everything looks good. The tech said that little man looks pretty perfect, which was a big relief!

I still don't feel him as much as I did Sawyer. I'm not sure if it's because I spend my days chasing a toddler around and I'm not paying attention or maybe he just likes to snooze all day. He's most active at night, right when I try to lie down to go to sleep. Finding a comfortable position in which to sleep is challenging. He hates for me to lie on either side and will kick me over and over until I move. Lying on my stomach isn't an option, which sucks because I"m usually a stomach sleeper. Lying on my back is super uncomfortable as well, so I usually end up half on my side and half on my back, propped up with pillows. Super fun.

The nesting bug hit me last week and I felt like I had to do all. the. things. Sawyer and I cleaned out the garage and I went through 8 totes of his baby clothes and purged half of them. I cleaned out closets, deep cleaned bathrooms and the kitchen, and started on Sawyer's room. Poor David spent his weekend building furniture and lugging around heavy things for me. I'm pretty sure that he was glad to go back to work today! There is still so much to do, but I have to remind myself to take it easy and that I can't do it all at once.

Growing Baby 2- 21 Weeks!

21 weeks this week! It's crazy how fast these weeks are going.

I feel like at this point when I was pregnant with Sawyer, I had started getting things ready for him. I had the nursery planned and had bought furniture. We haven't done anything for this kiddo yet. I still have to finish Sawyer's room from when we moved! So much to do and so little time.

We've been at the beach this week, which has been so nice. We are staying on Anna Maria Island and it is by far the best beach I have ever been to. It's been so nice to get a break from everything back home. Sawyer LOVES the ocean and the beach. He is pretty fearless when it comes to water, which is exciting and terrifying for me. It's hard to believe that when we come back next year, we will have 2 little ones in tow.

I'm definitely feeling the aches and pains of pregnancy a lot earlier this time around. It's already getting uncomfortable/painful to lift and carry Sawyer and my energy level is so low. I'm in bed most nights by 9 because I can't keep my eyes open. I'd probably go to bed earlier than that if Sawyer would let me!

We have our next ultrasound on Tuesday and I can't wait to see how big this little man has gotten!

Growing Baby 2- 20 Weeks!

It's getting harder and harder to write these updates every week. Chasing a toddler and keeping up with everything else usually takes priority and by the time Sawyer is asleep, I'm ready to crash too!

I took this picture on time last week, but am just now posting.

Here we are at 20 weeks! It's so crazy that we are halfway through this pregnancy.

I wrote last week that I had to go to triage for headaches. I ended up back there last Wednesday because the headaches just wouldn't stop. They gave me more fluids and meds and thankfully my blood pressure stayed down. The headaches actually lasted until a few days ago, which was scary and frustrating. They're still not sure what caused them, but hopefully they are gone for good now!

Growing Baby 2- 19 Weeks!

Maybe one of these weeks I'll actually post an update on time. It's just a lot harder with a crazy 2.5 year old running around! We are 19 weeks (19 weeks, 5 days technically).

This pregnancy has definitely been harder on me than my first. Last Friday, I spent the day with what I thought was an awful sinus headache. I tried to tough it out, but it just kept getting worse. Saturday I went to the pharmacy and got some sinus meds and spent the day in bed. Sunday brought a little relief, but by Monday it was so much worse. I went in and my blood pressure was elevated (153/67). Since mine is usually on the low side, that was concerning. But baby boy was fine, so they gave me some meds for my headache and I was able to rest for a bit. I'm feeling better today. It's still there a little, but it's nowhere near what it was.

We leave for the beach this Saturday, so hopefully a week away from all the stress, etc will do us all some good! I can't wait to get away with my family and enjoy some time by the ocean! We haven't been to the beach since Sawyer was 9 months old, so I'm excited to see his reactions to it.

I'm starting to feel more little kicks these days, which is always really comforting. We think we've decided on a name for this little man, so we're pretty excited about that as well! I can't believe that this pregnancy is almost half way over!

Growing Baby 2- 18 Weeks!

We are 18 weeks this week! That means only 2 more weeks and we will be halfway through this pregnancy. That seems so crazy. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was sick all day, every day?

There's not much to report. Aside from being so sick earlier on, this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. Half the time I forget I'm even pregnant. I'm looking forward to figuring out what I want to do with his nursery (and finishing Sawyer's big boy room!), finalizing his name, and hopefully feeling him move some more. I felt a few tiny little kicks this week, but that's been it.

Growing Baby 2- 17 Weeks!

Last week was insane, so I'm writing this post a whole week late. In case you missed it, this little baby is a BOY!

We are super excited to add another little man to our family. It's been fun to think about whether or not he will look and act like Sawyer. I know that Sawyer will have so much fun having a little brother to play with! If you ask him if he's having a brother he says, "No, just a baby!"

We had our gender reveal party the day before mother's day and let's just say that just because something looks cute on Pinterest, doesn't mean it will work! I saw an idea to fill balloons with white paint and tell everyone that one balloon has pink or blue in it. Everyone takes turns popping them and then when they're all finished (and confused, because none actually had a color), you bring out the balloon with the color and pop it. Super cute in theory, right? Except my balloons kept falling off the board and popping in the grass. And I also bought safety darts by mistake, so they didn't work and everyone ended up covered in paint. Good thing I had a backup balloon filled with confetti for Sawyer to pop! I made this video to recap, but left out the Pinterest fail part!

https://www.vimeo.com/217339220

We're so thankful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us and we are so excited about this little boy! Now to finalize his name! We're pretty sure we have one, but it's not set in stone.

Growing Baby 2- Sixteen Weeks!

A day late on posting, but we had our gender ultrasound last night and didn't get home until late. We now know if this little baby is a brother or a sister!

I went back and forth with my guess. With Sawyer, I knew from the beginning that he was a boy. But this one had me stumped. I ended up going with boy, David voted girl, and Sawyer said, "It's just a baby Twix!" We can't wait to celebrate with everyone tomorrow for our gender reveal. Hopefully this rain will hold off!

It really didn't matter to us either way. I'm just glad to know so I can start thinking about names, planning a nursery, and making our registry!

Growing Baby 2- Fifteen Weeks!

I managed to take this picture on Thursday, when I hit 15 weeks, but am just now getting the chance to sit down and write. It's a rare moment in this house when everyone else is still asleep and I get to sit down for just a minute by myself. I know those moments will be even fewer once this baby is here, but I'm ok with that.

I think these early weeks are pretty uneventful. Now that I'm feeling better, there isn't much to report. My OB warned me that the aches and pains would start sooner this time around and he was right. I started seeing the chiropractor toward the end of my second trimester with Sawyer, but I think I'm going to have to go a lot sooner this time around. The tailbone pain is insane.

In much more exciting news, we only have a few more days to wait until we know if this baby is a boy or girl! I love the idea of having a daughter and all the tutus and hairbows that come with it, but I also love the idea of Sawyer having a brother (and getting to reuse all of his super cute baby clothes!). We obviously don't care either way, but it will just be so nice to finally know! I'm a planner and I hate waiting and I'm definitely ready to pick a name and plan a nursery! I'm also excited to celebrate with our loved ones at our gender reveal. I know that some people knock them, but it's just a fun way to get to learn a little something extra about this little one!

I've been feeling a little guilty lately because half the time I forget I'm pregnant and I don't think I'm spending as much time focusing on this baby as I did with Sawyer, but with an energetic toddler running around there's not much I can do about it. But I can assure you sweet little one, that we are so incredibly excited for you and cannot wait until you are here!