The third trimester of my second pregnancy

Yet again, a disclaimer: this post contains some pretty personal information involving the delightful (and sometimes graphic) things that happen during pregnancy. Enter at your own risk. Also, it's long as hell, so treat yourself to a cookie or a giant glass of wine for finishing it. If you don't want to know about my bodily functions that intimately, I encourage you to check out some of my delicious recipes. Because food is always a good idea.

Well. Here I am. Thirty-eight weeks pregnant as of Wednesday.  I think it's safe to say that we're officially on baby watch, though I think Bubbles still has a little baking to do. I'll be honest, I'm feeling pretty terrible physically and have been for much of this trimester. I hate to be the person who complains, and I'd imagine there are women who still have it much harder than me. But this pregnancy has been physically way more difficult than my pregnancy with A.

I'm definitely at the point where I'm ready to delivery Bubbles and start our journey as a family of four. I have 3 acquaintances, all of whom were due with March babies and all of whom delivered in February (they were all full term for delivery and have healthy babies). I won't lie, I have a bit of baby envy, specifically about the fact that they have already gotten to meet their sweet little ones. I'm just dying to start bonding with my gal in person.

The other night I allowed myself a five minute pity party, where I basically felt bad for myself about the fact that she's not here yet. I know this completely irrational, since I'm only thirty-eight weeks. She still obviously needs time to bake and I want her to take whatever she needs. I also haven't lost sight of the fact that I'm extremely blessed to have been able to carry another baby to full term, a luxury not afforded to everyone. I'm just impatient!

So here are a few FAQ's about this third trimester:

So where does A stand on this whole big sister thing?

We've definitely been discussing A's little sis with her much more as we get closer. She loves to hang out in Bubbles' nursery. As I mentioned in her 20 month update, A is all about the Big Sister book and points out which character is her and which is the baby. When I ask where her baby is she points to my belly and kisses it. I ask her if she's excited to meet her sister and if she loves her and her answer is always yes. Still, I don't think that she truly understands what's coming.

I think it will certainly be a transition for A, but oddly, I don't feel guilty about adding another kid into the mix. Maybe I'm just a ruthless pragmatist. I generally don't subscribe to mommy guilt to begin with, but especially in this case. It's normal and inevitable that A will have her moments and challenges regarding her sister, but I'm confident in A's ability to learn from this experience and also in J's and my ability to include her in all of this and reinforce that she is not being replaced. We shall see!

Due Date: This has not changed, we're still looking at a March 16th due date. Many family and friends have mentioned that they think I'm going early (they all said that last time and A was pretty punctual, arriving two days prior to her due date). J has also indicated that he's been telling people she expects her to arrive in the first ten days of March. I'm trying to not to think about it because I'm sure this all totally jinxed me and Bubbles will totally be late!

Third Trimester Symptoms:

• Constipation- Not so much anymore, but at the beginning of the third trimester I experienced this and it was not delightful.
• Exhaustion- Times a million. Seriously.
• Hormones- I cry all the cries, all the time. I can barely scroll through Facebook without coming across something sad that sets the water works into motion. So embarrassing.
• Belly- Ginormous. All out front. She's lower than A was but at Tuesday's appointment, my Doctor indicated that she's still relatively high and not in position quite yet. I have a very faint linea negra, not nearly as dark as with A. This time around I have a bit of an outie, J says it looks like my belly button has a belly button (thanks, honey!). I'm also sad to say that I have a couple of stretch marks right around my belly button 🙁 Bummer. But at least they're for a good cause.
• Hip and Tailbone Soreness- Still here and even worse than before. Especially my joints.
• Round Ligament Pain- This is pretty much a constant, especially when I'm laying down and rolling over (which I'm told is pretty common at this juncture). There is nothing cute about constant shooting pains in your lower abdomen and pelvic area. This combined with all the pressure makes for rough days and even worse nights. I've tried the pillows and nothing really works. I recently had a sinus infection which made it even worse because I was constantly having to turn.
• Sciatic Pain- I've never experienced this before and it is literally a pain in my butt. I never knew it could hurt so much.
• Lower Back Pain- Especially at night. Heating pads are my friend.
• Rib Pain- Oddly, this is still happening even though Bubbles is lower than A was. Once again, heating pads are my friend.
• Frequent Urination- I mean, I'm pregnant, so I guess this is a given. At times it hurts if I haven't peed in a while. Oddly, I'm still usually not waking to urinate at night (I think this is just how my body is conditioned) so the pain in the morning is worse as a result. I'm just thrilled to make it out of bed each day, at this point.
• Swelling- My ankles are now kankles, though not nearly as bad how they were during my pregnancy with A. My rings haven't fit in weeks. At this point I can only fit into my snow boots and a couple pairs of flats 🙁 My nose is also larger, which is not cute considering it was already big to begin with (I think I'm getting more Italian as this thing goes on!).
• Appetite- It's very weird because lately I haven't had much appetite, but the minute I start eating I swing into full-on beast mode. I'm simultaneously disgusted and impressed with the amount of food I'm able to put away at once. There are no cravings until I sit down and actually eat. Then, literally everything looks good! I have been eating a grapefruit every morning with my hard boiled eggs and vanilla Greek yogurt with frozen berries (I'm trying to learn to like yogurt with moderate success). Lunches and dinners are all over the place. I'm pretty much an equal opportunity eater.
• Weight Gain- Ugh. Hate this! I am above where I ended with A last time. Pretty much hanging out at 49 lbs. So embarrassed to write that number. My doctor isn't concerned because I practice moderation in the types of foods I eat (I still eat a little garbage but also eat some really healthy, balanced meals as well). Around 36 weeks, I went in to find that I had put on 12 lbs. in two weeks. I was not happy about this but they attributed it to me holding on to water (as per aforementioned swelling) and were not worried. Still, they decided to meet with me weekly from here out to keep an eye on things. So far so good: no proteins in my urine, since that appointment I'm only gaining a pound or two per week and my blood pressure is still in great shape (though slightly elevated at Tuesdays appointment, it still wasn't considered high).
• GERD- This is alive and well, especially now that I'm near the end and love spicy foods. Zantac and I have a very loving relationship.
• Movement- Bubbles is still a mover and a shaker. Whenever and however she wants. Tuesday was a slower day so that night I laid on my side to try and get her to move. Well, she sure showed me, because shortly thereafter she was making huge movements that were crazy and alien-like to watch from the outside. Totally fascinating- J and I couldn't stop watching. She is already proving to be totally different from her sister!
• Sleep and Anxiety- Sleep still sucks although some nights are better than others. My anxiety is still on overdrive. I'm totally scared of dying as a result of childbirth, which I recognize is completely irrational. These feelings come out the most when I'm enjoying my favorite parts of the days- family meals with J and A and snuggle time before bed when the three of us lay in our bed and read books together. I think it's because these times are so very special to me. I wait all day for them and cherish them so much and they make me think about how excited I am to add Bubbles to these moments and how devastating it would be not be a part of these simple, perfect moments in the future. I know, I'm nuts.

Baby's Sex: 

We haven't had any scans since the anatomy scan at 18 weeks. So to my knowledge, Bubbles is still a girl (it was pretty obvious at that time!).

Have you chosen a name?

Yes and you'll have to wait a few more weeks to learn it.

So there you have it. The ins and outs of this third trimester. I look forward to having happy news to share in the coming weeks 🙂

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