28 Week Beverly Bumpdate
*This post was transferred from my previous website. Originally posted on March 21, 2018
Hello Third Trimester!
Exciting things have happened in the past six weeks! And my goodness have those weeks flown by. I only have 12 weeks to go! Still no development in preparation for the little one. And my crazy dreams have gone away for the most part (oh great now they are gonna come back). But lets talk about what this babe has been doing in the last six weeks!
Move Baby Move!
Just after 26 weeks this baby began to move and has gotten more active every day since! This is without a doubt my FAVOURITE part of being pregnant. Feeling the baby roll around, push against my belly (ribs for the past two days) and jab at me is beyond incredible. I know some Mama's have said that their baby would wake them up from the jabs and kicks during the night, but I haven't experienced that. Though I won't be surprised if that does eventually start to happen.
From what I can tell the baby likes to lay either completely horizontal, or with his head over my left hip and body going up towards the right side of my rib cage. That's just my guess! I could be very wrong, but its fun to guess!
Bladder. . .
Yes yes, I am going to update you on my bladder. Because it's a part of this crazy journey. . . Just not in a good way. . .
Your body is going through a million changes. Stretch marks. Cellulite. Aches. Pains. Widening. And if that doesn't make you feel like you aren't so young anymore. . . Loss of bladder control. Oh the joy. Its a great feeling to be so young and yet have no control over your lack of ability to hold your fluids in your body.
The main thing about being pregnant that people tell you they love is that they go without a period the whole time! No one warned me about the bladder control. You'd think we could get a break from leakage because we are housing a growing life for 40 weeks, but you probably leak more while pregnant than you ever did before while on your period.
I advise you keep liners or pads on you at all times. You never know when you're going to need it!
Names
I have heard from many different couples that coming up with a name for their baby was really difficult. They always changed the names, and had multiple choices for either gender.
Elih and I don't have this problem. We have actually had one boy name and one girl name picked out from before we were pregnant. I have had people tell me I need at least two names per gender incase the baby doesn't look like a ______ once born. BUT I also know couples who had one name picked out that they loved and it always suited the little babe! In fact, I know someone who had one name. Just one. If it was a boy, Jordan. Or a girl, Jordan. Baby came out. Jordan.
We are keeping our name choices a secret! No you cannot convince me to tell you, or bribe me. Well. . . Maybe bribe. . . It depends on what you are bribing me with and how much of it you are offering, haha!
However I have received name ideas from the kids I teach:
Boy Girl
Kevin Ivy
Bob Ava
Celino Celina
Adam
Andrew
Not so many girl names. I think the kids are hoping I have a boy, and then all my friends and family members are voting girl.
Low Iron
Prior to pregnancy my iron levels were BOSS. Every time I donated blood (they have to test the blood prior to donating to make sure your iron levels are high enough) the nurse would tell me that my iron levels were amazing. No lie. Amazing is the word she used. Other nurses said "Great!" or "Perfect!". Then I got pregnant and this little human life started to need nutrients more than I did and decided to steal all my iron. One of my blood tests in my first trimester showed that my iron was very low, which was surprising to me. My midwife told me to start getting more iron into my body by eating foods rich in iron. I did my best but it is hard to get the proper amount of iron daily for both baby and I. A lot of green smoothies would be needed. I had another blood test a few weeks ago and at my last midwife appointment she told me that my iron levels were too low and I need to start on an iron supplement.
Originally I was under the impression that a lack of iron would simply make me more tired. I guess I never really thought into it. Yet problem is if I can't get my iron levels up before I give birth, and I lose too much blood, it would create a problem. Which TOTALLY makes sense! I just never thought about it enough to get to that conclusion! So iron pills here I come!
I am going to start by just taking a pill every two days to ease my body into it, and then move to a pill a day. My midwife told me to take the pill at night so that my body has a longer time to absorb it. Also to take my prenatal vitamin in the morning so that the calcium doesn't affect the iron level my body absorbs.
Glucose Test
This was interesting. . . I don't plan on taking this test for all my pregnancies, but I for sure wanted to get it done with this one.
Fasting for 12 hours while pregnant is not easy
Having to wait what felt like even longer at the lab to get my test started is painful
Getting poked three separate times to have my blood taken is uncomfortable
The orange pure sugar water drink thing is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was still awful, but not deadly.
Waiting an hour in between blood tests with an empty stomach full of gross sugar water and not being able to eat anything is nauseating.
Just over two hours test. Lots of needle poking. Bye bye blood. No food. Gross sugar water drink thing. Sick tummy. Nausea. Desire to throw up. . . It was all worth it to hear that this little babe is healthy, and that I don't have gestational diabetes. SCORE!
Twelve Weeks Left
28 weeks down, 12 to go. This pregnancy just continues to fly by! I may not love every single minute of it, but I do treasure it. Elih and I plan to have a big family so I know this isn't my last pregnancy. Yet it is my only pregnancy with this baby, and I intent to enjoy it. Even if all my pregnancies are similar to this one, they won't all be the exact same. I need to make sure I stop rushing or thinking ahead and just be thankful for every moment I have with this baby in my tummy.
Early in the morning when I lie awake because my ability of sleep has left me for now, I don't get frustrated or upset. I treasure it. Its just the three of us; and I get to spend my sleepless hours with the baby and feel him play and stretch for that time. It truly is miraculous. And I will cherish every second of it.
