Prodromal Labor…

Not for the faint of heart. 

Exhaustion is the best word I can think of.  I am so, so, so exhausted.  I did this exact same thing with Caroline & Amelia’s pregnancies so I figured it was going to happen – but this one has been worse than the girls.  We are now going on FOUR times that I have had consistent, 4-5 min apart contractions lasting ~1 min for several hours at a time.  Last night was 9 hours before they finally quit.  I’m not talking about a painless tightening of my tummy.  I mean, stop talking and concentrate on remembering to breathe.  Yesterday they started around 1pm but they weren’t terrible…but definitely noticeable and coming pretty close together.  We had a fellowship meal at church so I went to that at 4pm.  I kind of had to sit off by myself for a while because I was actually really starting to feel in pain.  In the back of my mind, I was thinking – this might actually be ‘it’ this time.  As soon as the devo and dinner were over, I had to head home.  I had been trying to time them at the fellowship thing, but it was difficult because I was also chaperoning Caroline on the waterslide and trying to be social with people.  Ha!

Came home, timed them.  They were about 4-5 min apart and more painful than any other time before.  I *really* thought it was going to be it.  A few hours later, they just…..stopped.  As in, I had a contraction just like before – and then it never came back.  *sigh*

I hate the way my body labors.  I know it’s doing something and it’s working and doing its job…but it’s exhausting.  Contractions are hard work for your body and it is really tiring to do that for hours upon hours for (what feels like) nothing. 

In good news though – I will be FULL TERM on Wednesday.  I am really happy that I’ve been fortunate enough to make it this far.  I’m so glad that he’s had more time to get healthy. 

I’m really hoping that these false alarms quit for good or we have a baby this week.  Either of those options are fine with me! 

And for anyone else dealing with this kind of labor – I am so sorry.  We just have to remember that it simply CANNOT last forever. 

36w2d Picture!

I really want to keep up with my picture since I never know which one will be my last one.  So even though it’s late, here’s my picture from last night at 36w2d. 

It was taken with my iPhone in a dark bedroom, so sorry the quality isn’t the best.

Just for good measure – I was wearing this same shirt at 28wks, and thought I’d show the comparison!

I think the belly has definitely grown in the 3rd trimester! 

36 Weeks!

I have to admit – I’m surprised that I’m still pregnant!  But I am glad Walker is getting more time to grow safely!  We did have a false labor “scare” last Thursday morning.  It was definitely the most painful false labor I’ve ever experienced.  I was having to breathe and concentrate through each contraction and they were 5 minutes apart for about 4 hours.  Then they just slowly spaced out and stopped.  It was some pretty convincing “false” labor.  I hate that term, though.  There was nothing false about those contractions…without a doubt.  I do this with all of my pregnancies, though.  Look up prodromal labor.  It’s when labor goes on for days and sometimes weeks (<---that’s me) leading up to active labor.  I have fairly painful contractions every single day.  I can never know if they’re going to turn into real labor or not until I start timing them.

All of that being said, I’m glad (even though I’m MISERABLE) he’s still cooking…for his sake. 

How far along: 36 weeks!

How big is baby:  The size of a honeydew!

Weight gain/loss: +29lbs.  I’ve been holding pretty steady the last few weeks.  I’m happily surprised.

Stretch marks: New ones are popping up everywhere.  Especially around my bellybutton.

Maternity clothes:  Obviously.  So sick of maternity clothes.  (Except the pants…I think women should wear stretchy pants all the time.)

Sleep: Two words:  Pregnancy Insomnia.  I struggle to sleep 3-4 consecutive hours before it hits.  I usually wake up somewhere around 3am and don’t fall back asleep until sometime after 6 when Judd leaves for work.  It’s making things very difficult.  I’ve NEVER had this problem in pregnancy (or any other time, for that matter) before – and it’s definitely a tough one.  Exhaustion can turn me into a totally different person!

Food cravings or aversions: I feel like I have to make myself eat most days.

Gender: BOY! 

Movement:  Yes, and they’re becoming quite painful.  I still love to feel it, though.  It’s so amazing to think that those are the same feet in my ribs that will be piddling around this house one day.

Belly button: Flat.  Extremely flat.

What I'm loving:  I’m only 1 week from being full term.  I honestly did not think I would make it this far.  I’m proud!

What I miss: Sleep.  But I figure at this point the next time I get real sleep will be when Walker is born and sleeps through the night. 

What's different this time:  The insomnia.  It’s seriously debilitating.  Can you tell it’s my main problem? Ha.  Also, the intensity of my braxton hicks contractions are much worse than they were with the girls.  Some of them are really painful to be “false” labor. 

Didn’t take a picture today – I’ll try to put one up sometime soon.    Have a great day!

35 Weeks!

How far along: 35 weeks!

How big is baby:  The size of a coconut!

Weight gain/loss: +29lbs.  I’ve gained 1lb this week.  I think all of it except the baby’s weight is in my double chin and fat cheeks.

Stretch marks: Same as last week!

Maternity clothes:  Obviously. 

Sleep: It’s hit or miss.  Some nights I sleep like a rock and I’m a total zombie going to the bathroom.  Other nights I toss and turn and waking up to pee means I’m up for an hour trying to fall back asleep. 

Food cravings or aversions: No real cravings or aversions.  Still eating tons of ice.  I love ice!  But I’m really just not super hungry.  There isn’t much room in there for food – so if I overeat, I’m MISERABLE.

Gender: BOY! 

Movement:  This kid gets the hiccups at least 4-5x/day.  It’s a very strange feeling because he’s sitting so low in my pelvis. 

Belly button: Flat.  Extremely flat.

What I'm loving: I’ve officially made it longer than I did with Amelia!!  I’m really happy about that.  As much as the selfish side of me wants to be finished being pregnant in this terrible heat, I’m SO glad he has stayed in longer than Amelia did.  I constantly worried this entire pregnancy about him coming too early, and I’m thrilled that we made it to 35w without a hitch.  I’m very anxious to have my appointment next week and see if there’s been progress or if I’m the same as last week.  I’ll start my weekly appointments next week!  Ah!  I just want him to be healthy!!!

What I miss: I miss a lot of things.  Not feeling fat, having more than a few outfits that fit, not having every single stranger look at me and say, “Oh bless your heart.  How much longer do you have?” …The list could go on and on.  Having said all of that, though – I’m happy to keep him in longer if it means he’ll be healthy!  I’m really hoping we don’t have the jaundice issues we’ve had previously!  

What's different this time:  Well – I had already delivered Amelia by this point…ha!  Not a whole lot is different from Caroline though except just how big I am. 

Yeah – I’m in pajamas.  Sorry.  I wasn’t changing clothes for a picture! 

In case you missed the post on Walker’s finished nursery, click HERE!

Walker’s Nursery!

Glider & Ottoman – Made by “Best Chair” and it’s the Quinn.  Seriously, this is the most amazing chair…ever.  When I’m finished with babies, this chair is going in my living room.

Green lamp – Target

Curtains – Fabric is made by Premier Fabrics.  Curtains were made by Etsy shop Exclusive Elements.  She was very quick!

Crib bedding (bumper and crib skirt) – Fabrics are all made by Premier Fabrics.  The bedding was sewn by Etsy shop Sew Childish Designs.  I highly recommend her!  Her prices are fantastic and she has so many fabrics to choose from!

Boppy cover – Made by Etsy shop Designs by Christy.  It’s minky on the other side – super soft!

Sign above crib – DIY.  I used the tutorial from Shanty 2 Chic’s blog.  Here’s the post on the sign!  

Signs above diaper changer – DIY.  I just used 2 canvases (18x24) and stuck on the vinyl letters and spray painted the sign orange then pulled the letters off.  Simple and super cheap.  I needed a pop of orange in there somewhere and that definitely helped.  The top sign looks way better than the bottom and I may redo the bottom one if I ever find the time or energy.  It’s a quote from the book “Wherever You Are, My Love Will Find You” by Nancy Tillman.  It says “You are my angel, my darling, my star.  My love will find you, wherever you are.”  I adore that book!

Paint color - Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter.  It's a fantastic greige.  I think one day I will have my entire house painted this color!  

 

That’s pretty much it!  I’m really pleased with it.  It all came together perfectly – and I had it finished by my goal date of TODAY!  I did the last two signs yesterday afternoon.  We are ready! 

Caroline’s Glasses

Those of you that know us or are friends with me on FB know that Caroline got glasses last week. 

I’ve had a lot of people ask how we knew she needed glasses at such a young age.  We only took her to the doctor because her left eye would turn in to the middle randomly.  You kind of had to “catch it” doing it.  It happened in pictures a lot, especially when the flash was used…not sure why. 

We took her to a pediatric ophthalmologist in Southaven.  We used Dr. Pandya-Lipman.  I highly recommend her.  Caroline was not very cooperative – and Dr. Lipman still was able to get what she needed.  They dilated her eyes and when they did, her eye crossed worse than I’ve ever seen it before.  My mommy heart broke a little bit.  I cried sitting in the waiting room – my hormones had something to do with that, I’m sure. 

Honestly, I expected her to tell me that we would do a little surgery on the muscles in her eye that were most likely “too tight” and be done with the whole thing.  I had never noticed Caroline acting like she was having trouble seeing anything.  I knew for SURE that the girl could spot things far away, so I really wasn’t thinking she would have vision problems.  Well – it turns out, she’s got some definite vision problems.  She is far-sighted.  She can see things far away but not up close.  Her prescription was +3.50 in one eye and +4.25 in the other eye.  It’s a pretty strong prescription – especially for a 3 year old.

(We originally thought she had a really weak prescription but I figured out later that we weren’t reading the prescription correctly.  I was quite shocked at how thick her lenses were and how blurry everything looked to us for it to be such a weak strength so I went to the place where we got her glasses and asked them to help me understand her script.)

So – we took her to try on glasses and she was really excited.  She picked out her glasses and we waited for them to come in.  I was SO nervous about how she would do wearing them.  I was prepared that it would be a major battle every day.  I was wrong!  So far, she has done fantastically.  She’s had them for 5 days and wears them most of the day without a problem.  I’m proud of her. 

She has a 50-50 chance of being able to come out of glasses.  The fact that we caught her vision problems this early has a definite advantage because her brain is still developing.  We might can train her brain that this is what she should be seeing. 

I know most of you don’t care anything about this – but I know some of my family members have been wondering how she was doing with her glasses.  The answer is GREAT!  She has really done much better than I anticipated.  I’m so thankful. 

 

The best part is that we have noticed a huge difference in her eye.  It isn’t crossing at all with the glasses.  When we take them off, we instantly notice it again…but she wears her glasses full time so we know they’re working.  We go back on August 27th for a followup and I’m hoping they can tell the glasses are working. 

34 Weeks!

How far along: 34 weeks!

How big is baby:  The size of a butternut squash?  He’s roughly 4.5-5.0lbs. 

Weight gain/loss: Everyone get ready to fall out of your chairs.  I didn’t gain any weight from one doctor’s appointment to the next.  I’m still the same as I was at 32w.  My scale at home says I’ve gained 1lb since that appointment so I’m going to go with that, anyway.  +28lbs

Stretch marks: Same as last week!

Maternity clothes:  I honestly rotate about 4 shirts and 2-3 pairs of pants.  Not much of a selection left.  My dresses seem to make me look wide….or is that just my body? 

Sleep: Depends.  I’m getting up to pee 2-3x a night.  That’s obnoxious.  We also moved Caroline and Amelia into the room together and that has affected my sleep some, too.  They’re doing great though!  My hips and my pelvis hurt REALLY bad.  If I take a Tylenol PM, I sleep better.  If I just rely on myself – I basically don’t sleep. 

Food cravings or aversions: I feel like some days I have to force myself to eat.  I AM, however, obsessed with ice.  I did this with Amelia, too.  I could eat ice for meals.  I eat several cups of ice a day.  I crave ice.  Isn’t that called Pica or something like that?  Ha!   When I start trying to eat laundry detergent y’all can stage an intervention.

Gender: BOY! 

Movement:  He’s moving, but not a lot anymore.  His movements are very restricted, I think.  I feel them all in the same spots.  The only ones I don’t like are when he hits my hip/pelvic bones.  That hurts and feels really, really strange.

Belly button: Flat.  Extremely flat.

What I'm loving: Had a doctor’s appointment yesterday.  At this point with Amelia, I was feeling like I wouldn’t make it much longer and asked to be checked and found out that it wouldn’t be long before she came.  When I got checked yesterday, I’m roundabout a fingertip dilated with no effacement worth mentioning.  It makes me very hopeful that Walker is going to stay in longer than Amelia did and hopefully make it full term (or at least close!)

What I miss: Not feeling fat.  I’m definitely feeling somewhat large these days…especially in my face.  

What's different this time:  The pain.  I’m in a lot of pain this time.  Partly from little sleep, but mostly from my pelvis and hips.  I think my body is trying to tell me that 3 babies is 3 years is a little much.  Ha!  I’m pretty sure Walker has dropped some.  I can feel him much lower in my pelvis and the pressure is pretty intense.  He sometimes sits on my sciatic nerve which hurts, but for the most part it just feels like a lot of pressure. 

I’m feeling REALLY tired, overall.  I could seriously sleep all day (or try to, at least.)  My body gets tired really quickly.  I also feel like I’ve done some nesting lately.  I’ve really been working on getting the house straightened up.  I hate clutter and I feel like we have so much of it.  A lot of it I just can’t help – like the toys – but I am trying to organize the clutter.  Ha! 

I’m getting anxious for him to get here!  His room is mostly finished and I really am going to put pictures on here – but I need a few more things.  Mainly some artwork on the walls and a knick knack or two.  I’m not sure when/where I’ll find those things so I’ll post pics when I finally feel like it’s finished.   

Look, this is an awful picture – but it’s because I LOOK awful.  No makeup, pasty pale white, and large.  However, I did shower…so….be thankful for that.