|
|
25 June: We visited the midwives yesterday... (Jen) My fundus (the top of the uterus) is now 29cm high/long (measured from the top of my pubic bone). The midwife also squished and mushed my belly and determined that Sophia is already in a head-down position. Now, this could still change several times in the next couple weeks, but once I'm 32 weeks or so, then we don't expect her to change position, and we want her head to be down, as it is now. I weighed myself and stuck the indicator strip into a cup of my pee, and for the first time my protein levels actually registered on the strip. So, the fact that there's protein in my pee could mean several things: 1) my kidneys aren't functioning well and I might be developing pre-eclampsia; 2) my pee was contaminated by the general discharge that is always on my female parts lately; or 3) some other, similar explanation. This was alarming at first, but since my heart rate and blood pressure were excellent, we're not worried at all. I'll be seeing them, and testing my pee, every 2 weeks now, so we should be able to catch anything early. Also, she told me other symptoms to be aware of for pre-eclampsia: a headache in the front and/or back of my head, blurred vision, puffy hands, head, etc. I got the rhogam shot in my bum -- not fun, but at least I didn't faint. There are no kown side-effects. This is really happening. For the first time, we were able to hear Sophia's heartbeat with a regular stethoscope! Her heart rate is a healty 140 bpm. I think the reality of all of this is really setting in for us. If she were born tomorrow, she would need some care in the hospital, but my body is now ready to produce milk any time, and her body would more than likely be totally fine. I can't believe there's a fully-formed human in me! And Ben and I have decided to drop classes this summer, so that we can enjoy these last days of a 2-person family. We found a changing table at a thrift store the other day for $15. It's well-used, so we're hoping to paint it and get that set up in the next week or two (right now it goes everywhere with us, as it's being stored in our car). Oh, and I'm feeling MUCH better (thank you for your prayers and encouraging emails!!)! The midwife thinks that Sophia was just in a different postion that was squishing things around and she must have moved. My heartburn is basically gone, her movements bother me less, my swelling almost negligible, and as long as Ben and I go for walks, my back feels great and I sleep really well. In a lot of ways I feel like I'm just in a phase of waiting now -- waiting for Sophia. But I'm also in a phase of preparation -- preparing our home, our hearts, our finances... And I'm in a time of savoring -- our first anniversary is less than a month away (July 20) and Ben and I are both recalling some of our favorite memories from the past year to each other. Last night we cuddled in bed for a while and remembered our first kiss. In some ways it feels like those were different people, like teenagers in love, wild and free. In other ways it feels like that could have been just last week, and there's no way that we're about to have a baby join us in our wildness. I pray that we will be good parents, and good lovers/friends, and be able to really enjoy these amazing changes even though they seem to be so tightly packed. 17 June: Recovering at home (Jen)
My first piece of advice: don't try to travel to warm places by airplane after your second trimester. Ben and I are back in Vancouver, after our fun-filled trip to Texas.The visit itself was wonderful -- and it was more than full of love and gifts, good food and family, friends and laughter. The weather, however, was really hard on me. The longer we were there, the more swollen my face, hands, and feet became. I think that was mostly due to the weather, but it might also be due to the fact that I was waking up earlier, staying up later, and skipping my afternoon naps in order to meet with friends and family. I think I'd make the same choices again, but they really took their toll on me. On the airplane to Houston I experienced my first real discomfort -- my calves started feeling achy and stiff, and when I tried to get my feet up, there was no room -- and I noticed that my feet were swollen -- my previously not-tight shoes had left imprints in the tops of my feet. I had a really hard time getting comfortable in my seat, so I never really slept. My shoulders felt squished and tense, my lower back ached, Sophia was poking out of my sides (a new trick for her!), my ears wouldn't pop, and my fingers were getting fatter and fatter. That was bad, but what was worse was that I never really got any better -- i think the heat and lack of sleep just killed me. Oh, and Sophia started waking up at 7am (Houston time -- that's 5 am in Vancouver) every morning to do a little dance. Oh, and my belly must have grown a lot on the plane, too, because when I put on the new dress I'd gotten for our party, it was much tighter on me than it had been just 6 days before the party! Oh well... And my belly was really itchy the whole time I was there, but I was never alone for long enough to put on my thick, anti-stretchmark belly cream and let it dry before dressing. It's really hard to be a guest when you're also hosting a little baby. Our last day in Texas we had Fathers' Day lunch with friends who are like family to me. It was great, but it was outside, and I think I got over-heated. I snapped at Ben, slowly was able to hear less and less pf the conversations at the table, and did other delerious things. We drove from there to the airport, where I felt like I was going to pass out. I sat down with my feet up, and Ben got me water and gatorade, but we were sitting there for at least 4 5minutes hoping that I'd make it. For a minute or two everything was blurry and I felt too weak to keep my mouth closed. But eventually I revived and we took things really slowly. That was really scary. I feel much better now that we're home, it's 65 degrees outside, and I'm getting more sleep and naps. But I've been having lots of gas lately, and my ears keep popping. I also have found it really hard to bend down anymore -- I can't breathe while bent over, and if I bend to the side at all -- or twist much -- everything starts aching. I've even had to change how I wipe after using the toilet! Every time I get into bed I hear and feel my hips popping, and I definitely need a pillow between my knees and and one under my belly to sleep now. Even with pillows, though, my ribs hurt, or hips get tingly, or my shoulders get spastic. I hope it's not like this for the next 3 months! I visited a friend today who has a one-month-old baby, and she says that she LOVES not being pregnant anymore. I bet! 6 June: The results of the latest tests (Jen) Just a quick update: we're healthy! My glucose screen came back "normal" -- a 7.7 and below are considred normal, and mine was a 6.8. So we're clear there! And Ben's blood type is A positive and mine is B negative, so we've made preparations for me to get a rhogam shot as soon as we get back from Houston (well, June 24th, to be exact). 1 June: We watched her move last night! (Jen)
That's right! She's now at least 13.5 inches long (head to toe) and moving a lot! Her movement definitely corresponds to my eating habits and she seems to move more when I'm laying down, so I try to eat my last bit at least 45 minutes before bed and to get in bed at least half an hour before I want to be asleep. As for her length, she's now so long that they measure babies from this point on "from crown to rump" as opposed to "from head to toe". Now strangers and everyone I see seem to acknowledge the life in my belly. This has to be one of the best times in pregnancy -- when the mom has energy, no varicose veins and swollen ankles yet, and yet is obviously pregnant. The hardest thing about this time for me is realizing that after 3 months or so I will never again not be a parent. There will always be a child who needs me and will rightly demand certain things from me. Also, I am plagued by wondering if I'll be "enough" -- good enough, smart enough, healthy enough, able to produce enough milk, if there will be enough money, if Ben and I will be good enough disciplinarians and role models, etc. In a sense, I am sure that I will not be "enough", and that's a good thing. This is surely where faith and trust and the church come in -- if they haven't already! Ben and I babysat two kids yesterday and I quickly realized that even together, we're not "enough" to keep them happy all day while maintaining some focus on each other. When we left, I realized that we hadn't made eye contact more than a few times because our eyes had been focused on the kids, and when we arrived at home, I immediately crashed, waking only for dinner. Wow. Where do children -- AND PARENTS! -- get all that energy?! Here's hoping that we always live in a generous and loving community like we do now! |
|
|