27 Weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: Twenty-seven weeks!

I had two appointments yesterday:

The first was with the lab for my glucose screening--yuck!  Pregnant women should never have to fast.  Ever.  It is just mean.  Things are done differently here, and this is one of them.  I didn't have to fast before this test with my first two pregnancies.  Nothing to eat after 8pm the night before was fine (my appointment was at 8:45am, and I can't eat breakfast anyway), but the nothing-to-drink-after-midnight part was torture!  I woke up with the worst cotton-mouth ever, and couldn't drink anything until both appointments were over, which ended up being around ten.

Anyway, enough ranting. 

*Results*

I am not diabetic!

I am not anemic!

Yippee!

 

The second was my routine four-week visit.  Everything was perfect.  Some people are worried that I am not gaining enough, but I measured perfectly.  I also asked her about future ultrasounds regarding the amniotic band.  I didn't know if that is something that needs to be monitored throughout the pregnancy.  She said no!  She said that since the specialist couldn't find anything, there was absolutely nothing to worry about!!  She said that we can do another ultrasound for fun (yay), but we don't have to worry about anything!

 

I also got my RhoGAM shot yesterday.

Because I am Rh negative (my blood type is O-) and Bryan is positive (we don't know his blood type, but both kids are O+), I have to have a RhoGAM shot during all pregnancies.

 

Now, I am ready to start my two-week appointments....Wait, WHAT???  Two weeks?  Yes, I am already here!  Third trimester starts next week.  This pregnancy is really flying by!

 

Size of baby: The two websites I use to quote Baby M's development start to differ at this point.  BabyCenter still tracks development every week, but the fruit they use is comparing weight, now.  TheBump is now tracking by month.  The fruit they use is still measuring length, but gives a range for the month rather than the week.  I am going to list both measurements, but I am going to use the fruit from TheBump because, obviously, length is visual and weight is not.

 

"This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended." -babycenter.com

 

"Your baby's the size of an eggplant!  At 13.6 to 14.8 inches and 1.5 to 2.5 pounds, she's not just getting bigger, she's getting smarter."

-thebump.com

 

Fetal Development:

"She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle." -babycenter.com

 

"She's practicing inhaling and exhaling with her rapidly developing lungs. 

It's official: Baby's showing brain activity!  And her brain will keep on getting more complex."

-thebump.com

 

 

Movement: Baby M kicks and wiggles more and more everyday. Those rolls and squirms are even waking me mat night sometimes. I absolutely love it!

Heartbeat: 160

 

Gender: We don't know!

Gut feeling: Nothing has changed here for anyone. The kids and I are saying boy, and Bryan says girl.

 

Bryan once said, "I don't want any girls, at all."

 

He said, "All I want is two boys."

 

When we found out we were expecting a second baby, his feelings didn't change.  "I really want two boys.  If this one is a boy, I am done.  If it's a girl, I'll try again for another boy."

 

When our little princess, Austyn, was born, he changed his mind--not about wanting a girl; he was still unhappy about that.  "We can't have anymore!  It will end up being another girl!  I cannot have two girls!!"

 

Well, after all that, when we found out we were expecting Baby M, I figured girl names would be off-limits until we were in the hospital with a no-name baby girl.  He surprised me.  He chose her name just two days after we found out we were expecting!

 

A couple of days ago, he surprised me again.  He said, "You know, I think I am actually hoping for another little girl instead of a little boy."

 

Yes, the same man who didn't even like Austyn at first (he was mad at her for being a girl), actually wants another girl!

 

As for me, obviously, I want a healthy baby (so does B).  I flip-flop on what I think would be better for our family.  I trust that God knows who will fit best in our little family, and I can't wait to meet this little person growing inside me!

 

 

Cravings: White gravy!! I want chicken strips or chicken fried steak and white gravy all. the. time! And, pizza rolls!! I know, yuck...but YUM!! haha

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +11 pounds
I am not believing that I only gained three pounds in two weeks.  And, it was over the holidays!!

MaternityClothesThe Stork Exchange.  I made it a point to head over as soon as we arrived.  They have the cutest stuff!  I found some jeans that actually almost fit!  I am in-between sizes, so I am just going to have to accept that maternity jeans will never fit quite right (my regular jeans still fit better--is that sad?).  There is also a shop called Groovy Tadpole, which is another resale shop.  I was able to find more jeans and even a top!  To top it off, I was given a couple of maternity tops and some gift cards--I used the gift cards for more tops.

 

Sleep: Sleep has actually gotten better...for the moment :)

 

What I miss: Honestly, I am really, really sad that I can't soak in a really hot bubble bath!

Symptoms:

-Morning sickness is still here, but she only visits in the morning. I know better than to try to eat breakfast...I just make up for it the rest of the day!

-Clumsy!! Boy, am I clumsy! I drop everything, I trip over my own feet, and I knock over any glass in my reach. Sheesh! I ran into a tent pole at Academy the other night, and at Subway, I turned to leave the register and ran into the post that makes the line...Oy. I was like this with Gannon, too, but had no sense of recovery. This time, I am able to save at least most of my spills.

-Vivid dreams! I know I have talked about these before, so I won't go into detail about all of them, just let me tell you...Wooo-eeee, there have been some doozies! Ha!

Leg and foot cramps! Yuck :(

-Back/hip pain! This has actually gotten much better since I have been seeing the chiropractor. It isn't gone...but it is much better! My last appointment went great, and I am even able to stretch out my visits from two to three weeks!

Missing Feet-- I am having more trouble every day reaching my feet! Putting on my socks and shoes has become a real chore, ha!

 

Indigestion!  I didn't experience this with the first two--actually, I have never experienced this, so it's new for me.  It's nasty.  It leaves me nauseated at night when I am trying to fall asleep.  It leaves me starving and nauseated at the same time.  Weirdest. Feeling. Ever!