Third trimester and 3D ultrasound!

Seriously, where did the time go? As of last Wednesday (or perhaps the Wednesday before, depending upon whom you ask) I am in my third trimester! I've seen it called third trimester at 27 or 28 weeks so I'm not quite sure but I'm now 28w5d so definitely in the third trimester.

I'm still doing pretty well. I feel pressure/pain down below (I think I have varicose veins) and I can't stand or walk for long periods. My weight gain is only about 2 pounds so you think it wouldn't make much of a difference but the baby itself is over 2 pounds already (going by the averages that is). In the last few weeks my PVCs (premature ventrical contractions) have started back up. These are something I had years ago well prior to pregnancy and at the time I got them before I had an EKG and then wore an event monitor for two weeks to record the PVCs. At the time it was determined everything was fine and my family doctor said I could choose to do nothing or choose to go on a medication that was not safe for trying to conceive but would help in the meanwhile. Since they bothered me so much (mentally) I decided to go on the medication, atenolol. I had to go off it though once we started TTC. I never had the PVCs again. However, they're back now and they are causing me a lot of anxiety. I sometimes start crying because they bother me so much. They bring a tightness to my chest as well. I went to my family doctor last week and really there is not much to be done while I'm pregnant. I just keep reminding myself I was thoroughly checked out for this already and everything was fine and they're harmless but it's hard to remember that!

I also have managed to hurt both of my wrists. I hurt the left one in June at work so I've been seeing a workers' comp doctor for that. And now the right one started hurting during the night once. I told my family doctor about that one too last week and she said it feels swollen to her but again there is not much we can do while I'm pregnant. I feel something clicking around in there. Both of them hurt. I'm supposed to brace them and ice them and I'm not the best at remembering.

I'm also tired all the time, par for the course.

We had our 3D ultrasound on Wednesday, the day I was officially 28 weeks which is when I was told was best. At first the tech couldn't see the baby very well so she had to "wake it up" by shaking me and shaking me. Finally she could see part of the baby's face. It was uncanny how much the baby looks like my husband! Even he sees it. He seems sad. He wanted the baby to look like me, he said! So they got some cute pictures but the tech said we could come back this Saturday and bring a USB drive to save some more pictures on. They hope that the baby will be in a better position. The good news is he/she was no longer breech. The little butt is up in the air and the head is down. I'm not sure it'll stay like that for the next 11 weeks or so but I sure hope so. I'm petrified of a breech.

Back when I was first sharing my news there were two friends I wasn't sure how to tell. One had gone through a miscarriage in November with her first pregnancy and one had been trying to conceive since her wedding in 2008. She has PCOS like I do. They both were very happy for me though and took it well. And another friend I told asked me, "How long have you been trying?" I told her, "A long time." And she told me they'd been trying since July (and this was back in April or May). I was kind of concerned it was taking them so long but knew the rule was to try for a year for most people before getting help. She and her husband are still in their late 20s. I told all three though and all were very happy for me. The one with PCOS actually asked for my RE's name so I gave her Dr. Cool's name. She was not very happy with what he told her at first. He told her he'd recommend one more try of injectables plus IUI. She'd already done it four times with another doctor. He felt the doctor's timing was a little off which is why he was willing to give it one more try but I guess on the other hand he felt you shouldn't keep try what wasn't working. So then they'd move on to IVF if it didn't work. So I didn't hear much from her after that. Her work travel schedule was busy and she was waiting for her period and a month where she wasn't traveling much to do the "one last cycle." In the meanwhile my friend who'd been trying for almost a year told me about four weeks ago that she was 13 weeks along and due the end of January, about 12 weeks behind me. Then my friend who went to my RE did her treatment cycle and found out 11 days ago that she is due in mid-April, about 23 weeks behind me. And then yesterday I texted my other friend who miscarried last year just to ask what was new and told her I'd missed chatting with her. I felt like maybe she'd pulled away some since I got pregnant but wasn't sure if it was all in my head. I really was hearing from her less and less but I wasn't sure of the reason. She wrote back that she was having an ultrasound on Tuesday. I didn't want to get too excited because I know you can have ultrasounds for things other than pregnancy and I texted back, "Ultrasound?" She wrote back, "For my pregnancy." I almost fell off my chair! So she is due in late March, about 20 weeks behind me. Her husband really wanted her to wait until after the ultrasound to tell me to make sure this one is viable. Oh, how I pray it is! But she said even if (God forbid) she has another miscarriage she'd tell me anyway. I'm praying this one is a sticky baby!

So how awesome is that? I was feeling kind of like I was moving into this unchartered territory and having no friends entering motherhood with me. My best friend did have her little guy in March but unfortunately she is 3 hours away. And my husband's friend's wife had their first in June and they are looking forward to doing lots with us and with our kids. A lot of my friends are already done having babies and I think my two sisters are. I felt like I was lagging around, and that my other friends who hadn't had kids yet were still far from it. Now I'm going to have so many mommy friends. It's so exciting! I also went to a couple of breastfeeding events - a Nursing Moms Advisory Council information session and a La Leche League meeting. I'm hoping to meet some more moms there. We will also be attending our homebirth prep class the second, third, and fourth Saturdays in September. From the Facebook invitation it only looks like one other couple is going but I'm hoping there are more!

27 weeks...almost to third trimester!

Wow, it's amazing! Either this week or next (depending upon whom you ask) I'll be in my third trimester. It's really going by quickly and it's hard for me to realize I'm not going to be pregnant forever. And I don't say "pregnant forever" in a negative way. In some ways I wouldn't mind being pregnant forever. Sure, it's come with some aches and pains but overall, I really love it! I am growing a life inside me! I get to be witness to this gorgeous miracle! I think it's even more precious to me because I wasn't sure it would ever happen! Of course, I can't wait to see and meet that cute little baby but in a way I'm going to be sad to share him/her with the rest of the world and have him/her come out of me where I won't be able to always protect him/her!

My baby shower is scheduled for October 1. I'll be 34.5 weeks which makes me a little nervous that I won't have tons of time left to get everything else I still need. All the Saturdays in September were already booked and August is just crazy with everyone's vacations (not mine though...boo-hoo!).

Next week is our 3D ultrasound! I'm so excited for that. I'll be 28 weeks exactly. I was told 28 weeks was a great time to go. I hope the baby cooperates. He/she usually is more active at night so it's good we have a 7:00 p.m. appointment.

I received some great news last week! My maternity leave starts four weeks prior to my due date...so October 12th I'm out of there! I will get paid 100% for that time up until the birth (whether I go early, late, or right on time), and then I'll get paid 100% for the first six weeks following the birth. After that I'm eligible to take another 12 weeks "bonding time" with the baby unpaid but I'll probably just take six of those. Trust me, I'm so tempted to take the whole thing but going that long without a paycheck would be quite a hardship. If the baby is born on time that has me coming back to work very early February. Taking that whole 12 weeks is even more tempting when I think I could be coming back in mid-March instead! I have to work though since I am the one who has benefits such as medical. Twelve weeks is nothing to sneeze at either. I've heard of people who get much much less so I'm grateful for everything I am getting!

I am feeling pretty well lately. The gagging/throwing up episodes seem to have subsided. That hasn't happened for a few weeks. I do feel tons of pain/pressure when I stand up after sitting for awhile. That is not pleasant. I feel like I'm walking like an 80-year-old lady! I am also very tired and not dealing with the heat very well but those are all par for the course. Overall I'd say it's been a pretty easy pregnancy.

I swear people still can't really tell I'm pregnant. I can definitely tell and people who know me can tell but I've yet to have one stranger try to touch me or ask me when I'm due (for which I'm incredibly grateful!).