Friday, November 7, 2014

In the countdown

At the beginning of this week I started the "10 weeks to go" phase of pregnancy. That feels like a big deal. I'm excited! It may have freaked Colin out just a little bit; I probably shouldn't have pointed that out right before he tried to go to sleep ;) lol. I've been very strange during this pregnancy... I don't hang out with anyone hardly ever/am feeling introverted. I've been doing more cleanup in the kitchen so it's usually in a great state when Colin gets home. And I've made a significant diet change towards more vegetables/less sugar/less processed foods. Heck I've even been COOKING. I feel motivated (although out of breath) to get the house in order before baby girl comes. Nesting is in full swing!

Speaking of baby girl, we think we've settled on the name Lucy Ellen. Lucy because we like it, and Ellen because the girls will have our mothers' middle names! I'm pretty sure she's head down based on the hiccups and kicks I feel but we will have an ultrasound in December to confirm (since Sam was also thought to be head down but wasn't).

Even though everything has gone well with this pregnancy, I still have fears that something will go wrong. I have some newborn clothes for Lucy that I bought a couple months ago; the tags are still on because I'm afraid if I cut them off something bad will happen. It's totally irrational. But pregnancy loss has a way of changing you. I'm trying to remind myself that I can be ok not because of my circumstances (good or bad) but because Jesus has secured everything I need. Not to say I don't experience joy or sorrow but, you know... Anyways, I feel unsure what to expect from my body during labor. Third babies come in unexpected ways/timing. My first labor was an induction and the second baby I birthed was by planned c-section. I pushed for a long time with Elana although there is a STRONG consensus I won't spend over 5 hours pushing Lucy. :-P At my checkup yesterday the OB said 30 minutes or less. I sure hope so! I don't know how long I will be in early labor, it seems that pushing will go quickly, but there are still two unknowns: GBS and Lucy's size. GBS (group b strep) is a common bacteria found in our bodies off and on. However passing it on to a newborn leaves the door open for a very sick baby so the hospital will give me 2 doses of antibiotics (assuming there's time) and monitor baby Lucy. It is not likely to be a big deal. And the last thing, Lucy's size... well, Elana measured normal except for weight (9lbs 11oz). You'd never have known that she was so big--all her length measurements were totally average, including head circumference. Elana was a week late, Sam was a week early (7lbs 10oz--I think) so it seems probable that at full term my babies are around 8.5lbs.

Despite my anxieties I am really looking forward to having another little babe. I love new babies, especially when they're mine to snuggle all day long.  ;)

No comments:

Post a Comment