I’ve been meaning to update, but I just haven’t gotten around to it with all the craziness of work and preparing for our sweet baby girl’s arrival. A lot has happened since the last time I posted.
The last post was related to our 20 week ultrasound, and as of the date of this post, I am 32 weeks and 2 days! In that time frame a lot has happened!
-I can’t remember exactly when, but I started feeling her kick (and knew for sure it was kicks and not gas) somewhere between 19 and 21 weeks. I think it has been my most favorite part of this pregnancy. At this point, she is really moving a lot and I can feel her little feet or arms moving across my belly. I can even see her move through my belly. I’ve tried to capture a video of it, but she always seems to know when I start recording and decides to stop! Hopefully I will catch it before she gets to squished in my belly to move around!
-I feel her hiccups. She gets them a lot, which is no surprise since her momma gets them all the time! It’s the cutest little repetitive thump. I feel them on my left side below my belly button, so I’m hoping that means she is in the head down position. They say babies can still move all around in the womb at this point, but I seem to always feel them in the same place, so perhaps she is already settled. Only time will tell!
– I’ve gained about 20-22 pounds depending on what time of day I weigh ;-). I know that it is silly, but I will be honest in saying that this part is a little difficult for me as I’ve never gained weight like this before. Kyle reminds me daily that I am beautiful and that I don’t look at all as big as I feel, but it’s still hard to believe sometimes! He is so patient and loving towards me, I am so grateful for him! The good news is that my weight gain is right on target with the recommended total weight gain which for me is between 25-35 pounds. I have to keep that in perspective – and that the weight I have gained is important for a healthy baby girl!
– Within the past few weeks I’ve noticed that my hips hurt really bad at night when sleeping. It actually wakes me up often and I have to switch sides constantly throughout the night. I have been told that it is because the pregnancy hormones are causing muscles and ligaments to relax in preparation for birth and as a result it can cause pain. As I take a step back and look at how this pregnancy has gone, I am thankful that this has been the worst of my symptoms so far!
-For all pregnancies, doctors require you to take a 1 hour glucose screening test to help determine whether or not you may be at risk for gestational diabetes. This test is designed to see if your body can efficiently process sugar in your blood, as sometimes pregnancy hormones can cause insulin resistance or the inability to produce enough. At around 27 weeks I took the test which consisted of me drinking a sugary orange flavored drink (which really wasn’t bad at all and kind of tasty!), waiting one hour, and then having my blood drawn. Unfortunately, I got my test results (while on vacation!) and found out that I had failed the 1 hour glucose screening by 19 points over the normal range. I was discouraged because I really didn’t want to have diabetes (who on earth does?!) but I knew that if I did have it, it wasn’t because of anything I did or didn’t do (from what I have been told, you can’t get gestational diabetes from your diet). When I got home from vacation, I went back for the three hour glucose test where I had to fast the night before, have my blood drawn when I arrived at the lab, then drink an even higher dose of sugary drink (this time it was fruit punch!), then have my blood drawn again, then for three hours had my blood drawn every hour. Kyle was the best husband ever and came with me to both the 1 hour and 3 hour glucose test. Thankfully, we got to have our own little room to wait in for those three hours. I watched HGTV while he read. The good news is that I found out a few days later that I passed the 3 hour glucose test with flying colors! All my numbers were well within normal range – which meant that I did NOT have gestational diabetes. This momma was very happy! I think I may have even celebrated with a donut! haha!
-VACATION! Speaking of vacation, Kyle and I took the opportunity for one last vacation before our baby girl arrives. They call this a “babymoon” nowadays. 🙂 I took a week off of work (Kyle was already on summer vacation since he works for a school and gets the awesome perk of summer vacay!), and we headed on down to Sanibel Island and stayed at the Tarpon Tale Inn. It is the cutest little cottage. We had stayed there before a couple years ago and loved it so much then that we wanted to go back. We were originally going to go down to the Keys as that is where we went on our honeymoon and haven’t been back since, but the Zika Virus (transmitted by mosquitos and can cause birth defects in unborn babies) was becoming more and more of a possible risk in the Miami-Dade/South Florida region. So we decided to keep things a little closer to home. We had an incredibly relaxing time. We would go to the beach in the morning (because the afternoon was just too hot!) I would read while sitting under the umbrella and Kyle would go fishing. 🙂 We ate at some delicious restaurants, took long naps, shopped, went for walks and bike rides with the complementary bikes that our inn provided. It was perfect! While it is going to certainly be an adjustment, we really can’t wait for our sweet baby to get here. Kyle and I several times have talked about how we are so thankful that we have had 7 years of just the two of us. We have made so many special memories and have grown strong in our love for one another during these childless years, but are looking forward to our new life as a family of 3!
– I celebrated my 29th birthday in July! Kyle was so sweet and threw a little birthday party for me with our friends – the Whites and Phillips. They came over for pizza and cake (that Kyle made all on his own, funfetti cake with chocolate frosting! It was delicious). We also had a lovely day in Hyde Park/Tampa where we ate a delicious breakfast at Daily Eats (the cutest diner), shopped around Hyde Park (they have a Pottery Barn Kids where I got a couple of sheets for baby girl’s crib and a mobile holder!) We then went to one of our favorite coffee shops – Buddy Brew – and just relaxed there for a good bit while sipping on some delicious drinks and enjoying a yummy cookie! 🙂 It was just how I wanted to spend my birthday. We also celebrated the day after with my family. My mom always throws us a little party where we have a birthday table theme. This year mine was a princess party. ha! I can’t wait to throw our little girl parties like my mom has done all these years for us kids.
-I had my first baby shower which I will write about in a separate post. This one was for my mom’s and Marsha’s friends. It was just so lovely and I am so appreciative for everyone who came.
-We finished our last birthing class tonight! I feel much more prepared for labor and delivery and am very glad we attended a class. I may write a bit more on this later.
-Last weekend, Kyle and I went to Old Navy so I could buy some more maternity pants (my regular pants are pretty tight at this point!). While I was looking for myself I told him to go find something for our baby to wear. He picked out the sweetest little dress and another outfit on his own and was just so proud. He told me later when we got home as he was looking at his purchases…”boy, I am in trouble!” hehe! This little girl already has him wrapped around her tiny baby pinki finger! I just love seeing how much he loves her even before she is born.
I think this about sums up most of what has happened during the last 12 weeks! Only 8 more weeks to go! So crazy to think about – but we are certainly excited!
Stay tuned for more updates (hopefully I’ll get them in before the baby arrives! haha!)
Mullett Family Blog 