25 Weeks, and a (kind-of) update.



25 week belly shot



I feel like I've ballooned out over the last week or two. I'm already getting the surprised looks when people ask when I'm due and then I tell them June. Not sure if I've got another big baby in there or if I just need to lay off the ice cream, ha!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 25 weeks

Size of baby: She's 13 1/2 inches long or about the length of an average rutabaga.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 21 lbs. Waist gain: 11 inches!

Maternity Clothes: A little bit of both.

Gender: Girl :)

Movement: She has been SO active lately and I just love it. Saturday night it was to the point of getting uncomfortable...then I thought about it and realized it was probably because I ate 2 giant (and delicious) chocolate chip smore cookies that Lindsay made. I think she was on a sugar high, ha!

Sleep: I'm still sleeping pretty sound these days. Harrison is too, so that helps.

What I miss: Picking up Harrison as much as I used to be able to and rough-housing with him. And especially our dance sessions. But at least I can still observe him which is always entertaining.

Cravings:  I haven't been having a lot of food cravings. I haven't been feeling any nausea lately so pretty much anything sounds good at anytime, ha. I drink a tall glass of chocolate milk every morning and usually I am not a milk fan, so I guess that counts.

Symptoms: Contractions. More on that in a sec.

Best Moment this week: Her bedding came in and I LOVE it! We also found a cute little charming bookshelf to go in her nursery. It's been a lot of fun seeing it all come together.
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So.

Since Friday night I've been having contractions. I didn't really think much of them at first because I know you can get Braxton Hicks contractions all throughout pregnancy and they are completely harmless. I didn't really have them much with Harrison and I actually just joked last week that even though I've given birth I'm not really sure I know what a contraction feels like. I was apparently having them before I got sent to the hospital with him but didn't know it until they hooked me up to the machine. Then my doctor broke my water and started me on pitocin and it became a whole different ballgame. I had intense back labor and it was the worst pain I've ever felt in my life, and I have never been happier to see somebody then when I saw that anesthesiologist walk through the door to give me my epidural, ha! All that to say that I feel like I never experienced the contractions that tell you that labor is about to begin, never had to time them, never had to wonder if it was time to go to the hospital, etc. etc.

But over the weekend they became pretty strong and painful and frequent and I knew right away that they were definitely contractions. I could feel my stomach getting as hard as a rock along with and sharp stabbing pain that I actually had to lie down and rest through. I looked up Braxton Hicks in my book and read that they  are supposed to be painless, so this morning I called my OB and they wanted me to come in for some testing. Since I have complete placenta previa and am on strict pelvic rest, they couldn't perform a cervical exam to see if the contractions are causing me to dilate at all. So they did a fFN test (fetal fibronectin), which is basically a swab test that determines your risks for preterm labor within the immediate future. The results will be back tomorrow and if it's negative it means that I am very unlikely to go into labor within the next 1-2 weeks. If it is positive then I am more at risk for it to happen (but doesn't mean that it will definitely happen).

I am honestly handling all of this way better than I ever expected considering I am a huge worrier by nature. I do feel a peace about the situation, but I can't lie and say that all of this isn't a little scary. I am at that cusp of viability stage where if I were to deliver this early there is at least a chance she could make it, but in no way do we want her to come for several more months.

On top of it all, my poor little Hare-Bear came down with some kind of virus. I took him to the pediatrician  this afternoon and they ruled out an ear infection, so we are assuming it is something viral that will run its course. He woke up with a fever but acted like he felt okay all day. Or at least until I had to hold him down with all my might so the doctor could "violate" him. He screamed and cried like I haven't heard in a long time and I still don't think he's forgiven me yet. :(  It's been a doozy of a day, I'm telling you.

I'm taking tomorrow off from work to give Harrison and me some time to rest. I am praying for a negative test that will give me peace of mind for a couple of weeks at least. I just wish I knew what was going to happen and how all of this was going to play out so I could at least mentally and emotionally prepare for it. I'm such a planner (read: control freak) and the not-knowing part is so difficult for me. But like my ever wise sis-in-law told me recently, knowing how it is all going to play out wouldn't take faith. And she's exactly right...