Baby News: #4 in July

It's about time to write about this pregnancy... which is thankfully 6 months over. 

We found out back in November that we were expecting again, after about a year of waiting.  I initially felt a few symptoms, like having to get up and use the bathroom in the middle of the night, and being very tired.  And then it seemed like the symptoms stopped abrubtly.  After my miscarriage  last year, when most symptoms stopped after the fetus stopped growing at 7 weeks, I was sure I was experiencing the same thing.  The problem was, I didn't have a primary care doctor yet (my appointment was still a month away), so I couldn't get a referral to an OB to confirm whether or not the fetus was moving.  

I called around to find any primary care doctor who could get me in ASAP.  (Turns out, the one I picked is awful.  No wonder she had no wait...)  She was congratulating me on my positive pregnancy test, and I kept trying to explain what I thought was going on.  Eventually, I got an appointment with an OB around 9 weeks.  (Again, the winner was whoever could see me soonest.)  I told him I thought I was going to miscarry, and I was explaining my preferences.  I had to bring all 3 kids to the appointment, too, so I prepped myself to have emotions of steel so they didn't get freaked out.  They were sitting on the floor quietly playing games on my phone when the doctor did an ultrasound, and said everything looked normal.  I couldn't believe it!

So what ended up being a 'blessing' of having no morning sickness like 3 previous pregnancies actually caused me a lot of anguish in my first few months.  Sickness is the worst, but is also a pretty good sign for me that I'm actually pregnant.  

[We told the kids pretty early on about the baby, but didn't talk about it a lot or try to get them excited--for obvious reasons.  We explained that we had to go to a doctor to find out whether the baby was going to grow or not.  Once it was confirmed, they have been so thrilled.  Just seeing their excitement is worth having another baby.  They hug it, and rub my belly.  Tiago talks about sharing his blanket and Siena and Mila have even volunteered to change diapers.  Mila keeps repeating, "Our baby is going to be sooo cute."  And Tiago declares every new piece of baby clothing the 'cutest thing he's ever seen.']

My first trimester I felt super tired (like falling asleep by 9 pm every night and sleeping as long as possible) and on and off felt like my body was coming down with the flu-- just achy.  Most of my second trimester I've felt fine, although I still need 9+ hours of sleep every night.  I've started to wake up more in the middle of the night having a hard time sleeping.  And heartburn has come back with a vengeance.  (Courtney is also pregnant, and was explaining this feeling of having food 'stuck' in her throat and coming back up.  I was like, "And that is heartburn, which you've probably never experienced before.  Have some tums...")

The most notable thing in my second trimester is just how much weight I've gained.  In a 9 day period, I gained about 10 lbs!  I couldn't believe the scale.  At this rate, I'm going to be enormous by the time I deliver.  And I've been having ongoing back pain, since I can't take any anti-inflammatory medicine, so I feel like a whale that can't move-- huge belly in front and no strength in my back.  Turning over at night feels like an Olympic sport.  

And to rub salt in my wounds, many of my maternity clothes don't fit.  I started this pregnancy heavier than before, and have gained more weight, so I'm just buying a few more (bigger) things.  And anyway, Texas is already hot, so all I really need are shorts, tshirts, and baggy dresses. 

We feel super grateful.  Every time I go to an appointment and they say everything looks normal, I let out a sigh of relief.  I'm sure it's common after miscarriage but I keep half-expecting the worst to happen.  Like I can't fully let myself enjoy the experience.  Going to doctor appointments with my first two pregnancies it never even occurred to me that I might recieve bad news.  

I'm technically due on July 17th.  I'm hoping to be induced on Monday, the 15th.  (We'll see how my plan goes.)  Jenna volunteered to come help with the older kids.  (Courtney is due that same week, and twins trumps a single baby for getting Mom's help.)  We are making progress with baby things-- buying more summer clothes, setting up a dresser, attempting to sort through all the baby stuff we have.  

Gender

We found out at the end of February, at 20 weeks, that we were having a boy.  That was the anatomy scan ultrasound, which was so much different than my ultrasound experiences in Germany.  Hyrum wanted a boy, I was fine with either, and Tiago was thrilled to find out there would be equal numbers of boys and girls in our family, now.  We filled a small pinata with blue candy for the kids to break, but it took forever to open it.  By the time the candy fell out the girls were so excited by the chocolate they completely forgot about whether the baby was a boy or girl.  But Tiago caught on and said he got just what he wanted. I hope the kids all stay this enthusiastic when we have a low-key summer with a newborn baby that might cry a lot. 

(When we took these pictures, Tiago got mad about something.  You can see one of the out-takes of him looking furious.  I bribed him with smarties, and got a quick smile in one shot before calling it quits.)

 Here are a few belly shots, from top to bottom: 18 weeks, 19.5 weeks, 21 weeks, 23.5 weeks and 27 weeks.

And just for fun... here's how big I was at 27 weeks with twins.  I'd say my belly might be a little smaller right now, but the rest of me is sure bigger.