28 weeks

I feel like I'm starting to get into the final stretch. I'm in the 3rd trimester. The baby is getting big and strong. The baby is going to really start putting on weight now. It's probably around 3 lbs at this point. I'm starting to fear how big she's going to be when she's born. Lily was large (8 lbs 13 oz) and second babies are usually bigger. At least she's not a boy, but I wouldn't be surprised if she was over 9 lbs. We'll see, maybe I'll get lucky.

We had our last monthly appointment this week, now we'll be going to the doctor every 2 weeks. At the end of last week I had my gestational diabetes test and I found out at my appointment this week that I passed. So I was cleared to "keep doing what I'm doing", which is good because I haven't been eating perfectly. I also had to get a rhogam shot this week because my blood type is Rh- and Scott is Rh+. If I don't get these shots during pregnancy my body could reject future babies. I'll probably have to get one after the baby is born too.

I'm starting to really feel the effects of being pregnant now. The achy bones if I sit or lay in one position for more than a few minutes, difficulty finding a comfortable position to sleep in, regular heartburn (almost every night), a bouncing baby that can really jab me, etc. I feel like I'm getting uncomfortable earlier this time around but maybe it's just lost it's novelty this time around. Lily is also starting to get harder for me to pick up and carry around. She's over 30 lbs now so that's a pretty big object for me to be carting around. Thankfully she's generally pretty independent these days so she often doesn't want me to carry her. I've been noticing a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions this time around. I'm sure I just know what I'm feeling this time around. A couple times I've had to take it easy for a while because I've overdone it and started feeling a lot of contractions. One day I had to ask Scott to come home a little early because I knew I should lay down and most of the time that doesn't work with Lily. Thankfully all was fine and just relaxing for a bit made everything alright.

We're definitely getting excited for May to hurry up and get here. It's exciting to think about having a little newborn around again. I'm a little worried about the sleepless nights again but I'm really excited to have a tiny baby around again.

And now for a comparison shot. Here's a shot at 28 weeks (or almost 29 really).

26 weeks with Lily

Obviously I'm bigger with #2 but there is a couple weeks in between pictures here. I do think I'm definitely bigger this time around.

28 week prenatal appointment

I had my 28 week prenatal appointment yesterday. Just a quick note about how we're doing.

My stats:

weight gain - 20 lbs up so far. The goal is 25-35 overall, so I'm at the upper limit of that if things progress similarly.
blood pressure - 130/80 pretty much right on target
fundal height (i.e. how big the belly is) - 28", right in the middle of the target zone.

Baby's stats:

heart beat - 154 bpm, right on track. Some people think readings in the 150s indicates a girl.
kick counts - baby is kicking at least once a day.

I had my Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT) which tests for gestational diabetes yesterday. I may not get the results until my next appointment (February 20th). I imagine they might call earlier than that if I screen positively and need to go back for the 3-hour test. The orange sugar drink wasn't that horrible. It tasted like a non-carbonated orange soda. I also got my rhogam shot which turned into a big hassle because they had to go pick it up from the hospital due to some special storage requirements. I left with band-aids all over my left arm (blood draw and a shot); thankfully I don't mind needles.

Yesterday was also Super Tuesday here in California and 23 other states. I hope you made it out to vote if you were in one of those states and I know many of you are. Scott and I both had busy days and we didn't make it to our very crowded polling place until 7:40 PM. Scott and I were both born in an election year (Reagan) so we'll share that stat with our first baby.

28 Weeks

How your baby's growing: By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

How your life's changing: You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester. At this point, you'll likely visit your doctor or midwife every two weeks. Then, at 36 weeks, you'll switch to weekly visits. Depending on your risk factors, your practitioner may recommend repeating blood tests for HIV and syphilis now, as well as doing cultures for chlamydia and gonorrhea, to be certain of your status before delivery. Also, if your glucose screening test result was high and you haven't yet had follow-up testing, you'll soon be given the 3-hour glucose tolerance test. And if the blood work done at your first prenatal visit showed that you're Rh negative, you'll get an injection of Rh immunoglobulin to prevent your body from developing antibodies that could attack your baby's blood. (If your baby is Rh positive, you'll receive another shot of Rh immunoglobulin after you give birth.) Around this time, some women feel an unpleasant "creepy-crawly" sensation in their lower legs and an irresistible urge to move them while trying to relax or sleep. If this sensation is at least temporarily relieved when you move, you may have what's known as restless legs syndrome (RLS). No one knows for sure what causes RLS, but it's relatively common among expectant mothers. Try stretching or massaging your legs, and cut down on caffeine, which can make the symptoms worse. Ask your caregiver if you should try iron supplements, which can sometimes relieve RLS.

How I'm doing: Still doing pretty good. I'm starting to feel a little tired at the end of the day and I think my body is starting to feel the effects of carrying extra weight (which is about 20 lbs at this point). I feel lucky that I can still sleep through the night and can sleep fairly well and comfortably in general. I have been waking up earlier than usual and haven't been able to get back to sleep. Perhaps my circadian rhythm is starting to adjust to an infant's schedule? I'm not a morning person so it's quite unusual for me to get up earlier than necessary, especially on a work day.

The baby is still kicking away. She's moving around for a lot of the day now. Usually she's just moving but sometimes she kicks hard. Scott has been able to feel her a lot now. She gets really active when I lay down in bed for the night, right before lunchtime and mid-afternoon pretty regularly. Sometimes I think she's telling me she's hungry but I don't know how true that is. My arms now touch the sides of my stomach when I type so she often kicks my arms--like right now. I think she may be head down already. I think I'm feeling the stronger kicks of her feet up near my ribs and smaller movements of her arms lower on my belly. The midwife may be able to confirm that in tomorrow's appointment.

Tomorrow I get to deal with many of the issues mentioned above. I'll get a RhoGam shot since I'm Rh negative and Scott is Rh positive. If I didn't get this shot I would risk forming antibodies to Rh positive blood which would attack any future fetuses who might be Rh positive. I will have at least one more shot right after the baby's born. Also, on the docket for tomorrow's appointment is my Glucose Tolerance Test. I'll start with the 1-hour test, which entails drinking a sugary orange drink and then having a blood test. This is to check to make sure I haven't developed Gestational Diabetes which would need to be treated with a low-sugar diet and possibly insulin shots. So let's hope I pass! If I don't pass, I'll have to take a 3-hour version of the test with more blood draws. So tomorrow's appointment should be longer and not very fun. At least we'll get to hear the baby's heartbeat.

The baby is now far enough along that she has an excellent survival rate even if born now. She has more than an 85% chance of survival and her lungs are developed enough that she can breathe air. So it's a very reassuring time point.

Our first birth class is this Thursday. We're very excited to start this preparation.