Morgan Crane: Personal Blog

Size of the baby: Baby has gone from around 4lbs and 17 inches at 33 weeks to 5.25lbs and 18+ inches at 35 weeks. At this point Baby is fully developed and will spend the rest of the time in the womb just fattening up!

It’s starting to feel like T-Rex is running out of room. Baby is head down and hopefully not in danger of flipping to breech at this point. I have a lot of pressure at the bottom of my belly/top of my pubic bone. Right now the butt is in the upper left quadrant of my uterus and the feet are over in the upper right. That’s where I get the most movement. Hand movement is variable. Sometimes I feel them down low when Baby’s hands are by it’s face and sometimes they are pushing around elsewhere.

Emotional stuff: It’s hitting me that I will be giving birth in the next few weeks and I find the idea both very exciting but also very scary. I’d be lying if I said that the anticipation of lots of pain isn’t scary to me. I’ve been watching a lot of videos of women in labor and I feel fascinated, elated and totally terrified while I watch. I always cry when the baby comes out, especially when the mother says something like “I can’t believe I did it!” because that’s exactly what I imagine myself saying. If I can get through this I will be pretty damn impressed with myself. Hopefully T-Rex will take it easy on Mommy!

We are two weeks into our Comfort Measures in Childbirth class and I’m very glad we are taking it. S & I get to practice labor positions, pain relief techniques and ideas for coping with the pain of contractions. Going through the motions in advance, combined with the help and experience of our doula, will hopefully be very useful in the moment. It’s also nice to have that one on one time with S where we can focus on each other and on the baby.

I have told myself this whole pregnancy that I wasn’t going to stress myself out at the end when I’m waiting to go into labor but I know I’m going to be on edge from 37 weeks on. I just hope I can keep it in check and not go nuts over each potential sign. I think it’s kind of an added stressor knowing that things could potentially go very quickly this time and my doula is an hour away. My birth photographer is 30 minutes away too so they will be getting calls at the first hint of activity. I just hope there aren’t too many false alarms!

Physical stuff: I’m still having hip pain and struggle with sleep but I’m more used to it at this point so it’s not as difficult to deal with day to day. I feel a LOT bigger than just a few weeks ago. We have a full length mirror in the hallway and every time I pass it and see myself I’m surprised at how big my belly is! I really want to take some maternity photos besides my weekly belly pictures so hopefully we can do that on the weekend. There’s so much else to do that it keeps being pushed off.

Now that it’s cold enough to necessitate wearing socks around the house I’ve become more aware that my center of gravity has shifted. Loosely translated – I’ve slipped and nearly fallen down 3 times in the past week. It scares the crap out of me. So, now when I’m in a hurry, I kind of skate down the hall in my socks instead of picking up my feet for fear of one slipping out from underneath me!

Even though I know I’m bigger and have gained a bunch, I don’t feel fat or gross or anything. So that’s good. My neighbor told me today that my face got fat, it looks like I’m carrying twins and I “got big all over”. She said it with a smile on her face too! I really don’t get why people think it’s OK to say stuff like that!!

Oh! And my belly button has officially popped out! Weird!!

I can’t stop eating: Ummm… Pita & hummus tastes good, as do ham & cheese wraps. Nothing exciting. I want to go for Gator’s wings one more time before the baby comes though. Those wings are amazing.

I can’t even look at: No food aversions right now except things that I threw up in first trimester.

Fitness: Just walking and stretching. I sit on my exercise ball a lot but it hurts my hips and under my belly so it’s not very fun to sit on.

Birth prep: We are in the middle of our comfort measures class and need to get better about practicing at home. We have another doula meeting next week to discuss fears and ways to cope. Besides that I’ve been looking at some books and also listening to the Hypnobirthing tracks to help relax when I’m going to bed. I never make it past the first 10 minutes of the Rainbow Relaxation because my mind starts to wander and then I fall asleep. So… at least I know it relaxes me!

Tomorrow at our midwife appointment I’ll test for Group B Strep and we’ll talk about the other providers in the office so I can choose a backup provider for when my midwife is out of town. I’m confident that any of the OB’s on staff could physically deliver the baby but ideally I’d like someone who isn’t going to “go all OB” on me during labor by suggesting interventions and pain relief methods that aren’t absolutely necessary.

Baby prep: We have been VERY busy on this front. Baby clothes are clean and sorted. Newborn and three month stuff is in a drawer in Q’s room and in the closet. I did a massive stain removal effort and got the stains out of 53 items of clothing (ranging from Newborn to 24months). They were mostly white onesies that I thought I was going to have to trash so I was very excited to get the stains out and they look as good as new. I’m going to do a dedicated post on how I did it so keep your eyes peeled.

We got out the nursing pillows and retrieved the infant car seat, snap ‘n go, and swing from my dad’s. We’ll install the car seat and sidecar the crib in 2 weeks.

This week I’m going to pack my hospital bag and put it in the car with a Boppy and the fuzzy blanket that I bought just to take to the hospital with us. Last time I brought the Brest Friend pillow and my belly was too big for it to be comfortable so I think I’ll bring a Boppy this time. I can use the Brest Friend at home.

I’m currently trying to decide if I want to use the same coming home outfit for T-Rex as I did for Q or if I should get a different outfit so this baby has one less hand me down. Still haven’t decided! Depending upon when baby is born s/he might be too big for the outfit that Q wore! We’ll see!

Breastfeeding: We’re now spending a lot of time talking about how the baby will drink Mommy’s milk. Q brings it up several times a day. Part of the Big Sister book we read talks about how the baby likes to drink milk and we’ve made sure to say “Mommy’s Milk”. She likes to point to my boobs and say “Mommy’s Milk… For Babies!”. She’s still super into my boobs, that’s for sure. It will be interesting to see what she’s like when new baby is on the boob all the time!

Size of the baby: Baby has gone from 2.5lbs at 15 inches to 3.75lbs and 16.5 inches. Q was 7lbs at 37 weeks (when she was born) so that’s kind of what I’m expecting for this baby too. That would put Baby at around 8.5lbs at 40 weeks, if we make it that far. That’s how big I was when I was born.

Baby definitely seems to be running out of room in there. My belly feels tightly stretched at all times and when Baby moves it rolls around like there’s an alien inside. It’s kind of creepy to watch!

Emotional stuff: We are getting closer to meeting this baby! It’s gone from something very abstract to something a bit more concrete as we try to prepare Q to have someone new come to live at our house! I’m very nervous about maintaining some semblance of normalcy for her and about how much smaller our place is going to seem with the addition of all the baby stuff. Also, our room (where Baby will be) shares a wall with Q’s room and I’m really worried about them waking each other up. Q is still up 2-3 times a night (I know, shoot me) and between that & newborn wakeups I anticipate a rather rough transition. I’m trying not to dwell on the stuff that scares me but I’d rather address it now so we can make some plans regarding how to deal with certain inevitabilities of having two small children.

Yesterday Q & I got home from an outing in the pouring rain and I had a “How the hell will I manage this with two kids?” moment. We have a dedicated parking spot but it’s three doors down from our apartment so there’s a decent walk to and from the car each time. I anticipate many “make it work” moments in my future! I’m not really looking forward to carrying the infant seat around again but it will only be for a few months.

On a positive emotional note, it really hit me this week that my two kids will never know/remember life without each other. T-Rex will come into this world recognizing Q’s voice and will immediately learn her smell. They will be a part of each other’s earliest memories and hopefully grow up to be great friends. It’s so exciting to imagine!

Physical stuff: I’m getting uncomfortable. There. I said it. Second trimester glory days are definitely a thing of the past! Baby is so far up in my ribs that I’m no longer able to take a deep breath, which is frustrating and makes me feel claustrophobic in my own skin. I’m feeling that way right now as I type. Baby is pushing out and rolling around and I can’t really breathe.

I’m not longer able to lie on my back at all if I want to breathe. It’s not a good position this late in the game regardless but I miss it. Sitting reclined feels best on my hips but it’s hard to get up and down and hard to breathe. Sitting upright on the exercise ball is best for breathing but doesn’t feel great on my hips. Sitting upright in a chair doesn’t feel good on my hips nor does it help me breathe. Can you tell I’m frustrated?

I haven’t had Braxton Hicks or other cramping in the past few weeks so that’s good. Walking has been easier as well. I just need to take it slow. I’m not waddling yet but I see it on the horizon.

Sleep sucks right now. Sleeping on my side hurts my hips, even with body pillows. I wake up to pee every few hours and Q wakes up every 3 hours at night lately so between the two I’m only getting 1-2hr stretches. It’s ridiculous. I spend all morning in a daze, then I try to nap during her nap time, then I’m wide awake late at night. Something to work on.

Also in the sleep vein. I take my DHA fish oil pills at night in hope of sleeping through the few hours afterwards where I am prone to fish burps and since I’ve been waking up for much I haven’t been able to avoid them. I tell you, gagging on a fish burp while trying to console a screaming toddler just adds insult to injury really.

I’m very happy that I haven’t had major ailments like headaches or nausea though. I recognize that it could be much worse. I just want to breathe and sleep.

I can’t stop eating: I know I should be loving food right now but I’m feeling very “whatever” about it. I’ll eat whatever requires the least effort. No cravings recently, just convenience. Someone said the other day “Doesn’t everything taste so much better when you’re pregnant?” and I wish that were true!

I can’t even look at: No food aversions right now except things that I threw up in first trimester.

Fitness: Still going for walks pretty much every day. That’s about it for fitness stuff though. I’ve started doing some yoga stuff too in hopes of helping my hip discomfort.

Birth prep: We had a three hour meeting with our doula this past week and it was very productive. We went through an outline for a birth plan. We talked about my plan for how long I want to labor at home vs at the hospital. Contingency plans for different scenarios, etc. It was good to discuss these things ahead of time. We are meeting again in a few weeks to talk about fears and comfort measures to use during labor.

We are starting a comfort measures class next weekend so we can be better prepared to labor without pain medication. I think it will help S and I come together as a team in this process. I wish we had done it the first time.

I found out that midwife is going to be out of town from Oct 19-30, which is the window in which I would deliver if I deliver at the same time as I had Q. So, that’s scary, and a bit frustrating. I really hope I don’t go that early again this time because I really want my midwife to deliver my baby and not some random OB who is on call. I’m glad our doula will be with us regardless so in case my midwife isn’t there we’ll still have a familiar face. I don’t want to be surrounded by strangers this time. I want to feel secure and supported.

Baby prep: Nothing new here. We need to get the car seat out of storage and pack bags pretty soon. I need to choose a coming home outfit. I think I am underestimating how cold it will be.

Breastfeeding: Still weaned, although a few nights this week I offered “Mommy Milk” in the middle of the night when absolutely nothing else was working to calm her down. She has forgotten how to latch but just the offer and being close to my breasts was enough to calm her down and get her back to sleep. Thank goodness. I anticipate her asking to nurse again when the baby comes but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Size of the baby: Baby has gone from the size of a rutabega to a Chinese cabbage… these veggies are getting more and more obscure. At 25 weeks Baby was about 13.5in and at 28 weeks it was about 15in and 2.25lbs

Emotional stuff: We are in third trimester!! Holy Moly! This pregnancy has flown by. That’s not really a good thing except for that it means we get to meet T-Rex sooner rather than later. We just decided upon our doula so that’s one less thing to search for. We have clothes that will last at least the first few months. We have all the baby stuff we need pretty much. Right now I’m stressing over finding the perfect newborn photographer. I have pretty high standards and I don’t think we’re going to be able to do a natural light shoot in our apartment so I need to find someone who is good with their flash and off camera lighting. That’s still stressful.

Third trimester hormones have hit me like a bus. I hate blaming things on hormones because I feel like it’s a cop out but it’s either that or I’m going crazy. I’ve been taking things VERY personally lately and getting sad or angry over tiny things. I’m tired almost all the time and once I get into a funk I’m finding it harder and harder to snap out of it. I’m not feeling depressed, per se, just easily derailed.

I’m still very nervous about all the changes coming up in the next few months. Especially bringing home Baby without really knowing what kind of help well be around (it will depend upon when the baby arrives) and how Q will deal with having this new person at our house. Not to mention how Q will handle sharing Mommy. I know I shouldn’t worry about it since it’s inevitable and all I can do is prepare the best way I can but some worries I’m not able to turn off.

Physical stuff: I still haven’t had a migraine so this makes 14 weeks migraine free. That’s pretty awesome. I don’t want to miss out on the end of summer due to headaches.

I just recently had my first Braxton Hicks contractions ever. I didn’t have them when I was pregnant with Q so it was a strange sensation. They happened after I had been out walking for an hour. I’ve noticed them a few times since then but with no discernible cause. They don’t bother me, it’s just weird. Real contractions would make me nervous, obviously, but these are just my body suggesting I slow down a bit.

I’ve also been getting a cramp on the under side of the right side of my belly that feels like a stitch in your side that you’d get from running. It’s happened when I’ve pushed myself by walking too fast. It always goes away when I slow things down but I don’t remember feeling like that while pregnant with Q. It appears that the wear and tear on my body is showing itself much earlier this time. It makes me nervous to think about what carrying a third pregnancy will/would be like.

Baby is still very active. Some movements are getting rather uncomfortable. Like s/he is trying to bust out of my abdomen.

Sleeping is getting less comfortable. I can’t really be on my back for more than a few minutes without getting very uncomfortable. I sleep on my sides but that often makes my hips hurt so really, there’s no way to win. If I stay in one position for too long I’ll have entire limbs go numb. Good thing I have to get up to pee every few hours!

I can’t stop eating: I’m not particularly excited about any specific foods right now. I just kind of eat what’s around. Still lots of fruits tho. I have to take advantage of summer produce!!

I can’t even look at: No food aversions right now except things that I threw up in first trimester.

Fitness: We are getting out for walks more but I have to remind myself to take it easy. It’s really hard to enforce limitations on myself but when I don’t I pay for it! We’ve started taking the stroller more often because she loves it and that way I don’t have to carry her home, which is the norm these days.

Birth prep: We have a doula! Yay! She’s also going to do our placenta encapsulations. We are planning to take a local comfort measures class as well.

Baby prep: We are pretty set with baby clothes for the first few months. The only thing I can think of that we might need to buy for this one is some new nipples for bottles but we won’t need them any time soon.

Breastfeeding: Q talks about my boobs a lot and talks about “Mama Milk” and “Baby Milk”. She asks me to breastfeed her dolls sometimes, which is adorable. I’m curious how she’s going to react when the new baby is here and breastfeeding all the time.