25 weeks, really?

~ by Kim

This weekend we had a work party to go to, so my husband and I got somewhat gussied up for an evening out at a fancy golf club. I found a dress that fit and put on my 'party' lipstick and we were good to go! Being that it had been awhile since I'd taken any bump pictures and I was wearing something other than sweat pants, I thought it would be a good time to take a couple of pictures. We took a few and headed out the door. The next morning I put the pictures on the computer, hoping there might be a couple that turned out, and was stunned at what I saw. I thought there was no way that this was what I really looked like in real life. Was it? I looked 8 1/2 months pregnant already - and about to pop! I asked Carl if that was what I really looked like the night before, and he confirmed that it was true. I'm still not sure... maybe it was the time of day because I swear that I don't really look like that, and saw something different when I looked into the mirror. I mean, I'm big...but that big? No way. 

I had thought about sending some pictures to Janelle, but then thought twice.
I didn't want to scare her.

My mind started to wonder as I went through a gamut of thoughts, from maybe failing the gestational diabetes screening and growing a massive baby, to maybe a hidden twin that might explain my massive girth. Ridiculous, I know.

I had my appointment today with the midwife, which was perfect timing to find out if I was really as huge as I thought. I had told her about the pictures and my concerns about being too big. My weight gain is the same as what it was with both the girls, and I'm measuring right on track with this baby. Her exact words were, "perfect."

Phewf.

Must have been a bad angle.
Maybe a bad print on the dress.
Possibly a funny cut.

Whichever it is, I don't care.
It's not going to be a 12 lb baby, and that's all that matters.

 

The dreaded photo. 

I had a bunch of labwork done last week, including the gestational diabetes screening, where you pound back a terrible tasting orange sugary drink, and then sit for an hour before having your blood re-drawn. It's 50g of sugar down in 5 minutes, and they test you before and after the cocktail to see how your body responds to the massive sugar surge. We passed the test with flying colours, so don't have to worry about gestational diabetes.

Also at my appointment today, the midwife asked me how I've been feeling and if I was tired. With a 2 year old and 4 1/2 year old, full time shift work, and inevitably having someone crawl into my bed on any given night, sometimes even two - of course I'm tired. This might be the hardest part of being pregnant for the third time; having the two younger ones to take care of at the same time.

I've been on iron supplements since getting pregnant, as I became quite anemic with both my previous pregnancies, and found out that this one is no different. My hemoglobin has gone down, and my ferritin (iron) level has dropped from 131 down to 11. Big drop. Makes me feel a little less guilty for being such a slug at home.

25 weeks

In other baby news, I had another ultrasound on Friday. The little guy is about 2 lbs now and is just as handsome as ever! Though it's hard to tell for sure, I have a feeling he's going to be quite a 'looker.' The tech told me that his head was 6 cm, which I found surprising, just because it's bigger than I would have thought at this stage. One of baby's kidneys is slightly larger than the other, but apparently this is quite common with boys, and they've told me that we don't need to worry at this stage, and we'll just keep an eye on it for the time being.  I'll get to have a few extra ultrasounds while they monitor it, which I don't mind.

Lily still cracks me up regularly. This past week she asked me if when I worked overnight, if the baby stayed up all night too. I told her no, that when he got tired, he went to sleep. She told me that I had better tell my work friends to be quiet.