31 Weeks Pregnant (Baby #4)

We had a very eventful week this week! More busyness, as is our usual, but this week was particularly full because we were preparing for our family vacation, on top of everything else.

31 Weeks 6 Days PregnantHow Far Along: Recapping week 31. (Picture taken at 31 weeks 6 days pregnant).

How I'm Feeling This Week: Physically, I felt great, mostly. Mentally, I was stressed out. I took a nap on Sunday because I was exhausted, and the mental fatigue only added to my tiredness. This week I was nesting hard, plus with preparing for our family trip, and trying to stay on top of our soap business, it kept both Nick and I very busy!

Then on top of everything else, we received a large purchase order the day before we were to leave town! We are excited for any size order that we receive on Horse 'O Peace Ranch, and since Nick and I work well together, with a little extra help, we were able to fill the order quickly before leaving on our trip.

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Only a normal amount this week, which has been hardly anything for me, the past few weeks.

Aversions: Soy sauce. That was a new one for me!

Pregnancy Symptoms: 
•bleeding gums when I brush 
•vivid dreams 
•dark hair on my belly 
•light heartburn
•darkened areola
•linea nigra, my belly's "tiger stripe"
•bigger breasts (not as fun as you'd think!)

Doctor/Midwife Appointment: None this week.

Gestational Diabetes: I wasn't totally convinced that I have gestational diabetes. Maybe it's denial, but I continued to watch my blood sugar levels, as they seemed to spike only in the evenings. My blood sugar is completely in normal range throughout the day. I think it's simply because I use the majority of my caloric intake at the end of the day. So, I've been choosing my foods more conciously in the evenings, and trying to level out my caloric intake throughout the day. And when my blood sugar does go high, I take a walk to help the numbers come down.

However, I have since researched that gestational diabetes can be an indicator of a woman getting Type 2 diabetes later in life, or as early as 5 years after giving birth. So, I'll need to occasionally monitor my blood sugar levels in the next few years and keep an eye on it. Type 2 diabetes does run in my family medical history. I just never expected I'd need to watch out for it so soon. I guess it's good to get a heads up of what may be in my future, and how I can control it from happening now with my diet.

17P: Had my twelvth 17P shot this week. These shots have become part of my weekly routine. The boys and I always pick a different soap to give to our nurse that administers the shot. The nurses are very friendly and recognize us fairly easily by now. These shots are for progesterone, helping my horomones balance better to hopefully carry this baby to full term (37 weeks). I will receive the shots until I am 36 weeks pregnant.

 Weight Gain So Far: Now that I'm in the third trimester, I'll be allowed another 100 calories (added to the 300 calories I was allowed in the second trimester) if I'm hungry. I'm already eating about 2,250 calories each day, and I'm using the My Fitness Pal app. to help me keep track of my eating habits. 

If you'd like to see my diet, you can look me up and I'll add you on my friends list. I'm listed as horseopeaceranch. 
For the third trimester I'm supposed to add 400-500 extra calories to my regular diet each day, which translates to about one peanut butter and jelly sandwich with maybe some carrot sticks on the side.

Starting Weight: 119 lbs. 
Week 30 Weight: 136 lbs.
Week 31 Weight: 136 lbs.
Goal Weight Range For This Pregnancy: High: 154 lbs. Low: 144 lbs.

Chic-Fll-a SaladFood Cravings: This week I craved something healthy! I wanted a Garden Market Salad from Chick-fil-a, but instead of going out to buy it, I chose to gather the ingredients and recreate it myself. The salad has romaine lettuce, mixed greens, apples, berries, blue cheese, and grilled chicken, and then I paired it with a sweet balsamic dressing. While the salad wasn't as pretty as Chick-fil-a's version, it was delicious and I was able to make it again and again. Plus, it was low calorie, so it was a win-win craving for me!

Regular or Maternity Clothes: The same. Some normal shirts and skirts mixed in with my maternity clothes. If it's made with stretchy materials, I can still comfortably wear non-maternity clothes.

Missing anything: Same as the last few weeks. I miss being intimate with Nick (hey, it's been since week 14!). And I miss not being able to eat lunch meat sandwiches. But I don't miss that as much as the first item. :)

Boy or Girl: Argh! Each week I get more curious! Nick wants to be the one to tell me what we have when I deliver, and I think that he has earned that right by keeping his secret for so long.

Baby's Chance of Survival this Week: 95%.  The last few weeks there was only a 90% chance of survival, so it's good to know the statistics are going up!

Baby Movement: This baby moves regularly. I pretty much know his/her patterns now, and I wait eagerly to feel him/her so I know he/she is ok.

Size of Baby: By now our baby weighs at least 3 1/3 pounds and is over 16" long. About the weight of a coconut.

What I Did to Prepare for Baby's Arrival: As I mentioned above, I was nesting hard this week. Some of the things I accomplished were for the baby, other things I did were to help make our life easier/cleaner. Here's what was accomplished this week:

Newborn Carseat-Got the newborn carseat fully cleaned and put back together so it is ready any time we need it!
-Nick took a few hours on Saturday to clean out our van. He emptied out unnecessary items, vacuumed the carpet, and then washed the carpet. The vacuuming and washing of the carpet was LONG overdue (by 2 years!) so it took him a long while. Truely a labor of love! 
3 Carseats Across-While Nick was working inside the van, he brought the carseats inside so I could take them apart and wash the components. There is probably nothing I hate more than washing carseats! While I love the safety they give our children, it is an ordeal to wash them. First of all, they are bulky and heavy. Once we get them down to the house, it's a maze trying to take them apart. Next, I can wash the fabric pieces, and while those are drying I clean the plastic base. Finally, when everything is dry, its time to reassemble them, hoping I remember where every clasp and velcroed piece goes. Then comes hauling them up the stairs at our condo to strap them back into the van. And, since we recently finished buying our third Diono carseat, we can now strap all 3 seats into the back seat.
-This week I also switched all the boy's clothing out for  bigger sizes. This is a fairly easy task since our boys are so close in age. The 4 yr. old gets new clothes, his clothes go into the drawers next to his own drawers and becomes the 3 yr. old's clothes, and then the 3 yr. old's clothes get moved into his 20 mo. old brother's drawers. Lastly, all the 18 mo. clothes got packed away. If this baby is a girl, those clothes will not be used again! Half sad, half excited thought.
-For the baby, I checked our birth supplies. Made a list of the things I need to buy and/or order, too.
-Also for baby, I cleared the book shelves in our bedroom so I can use the space to make ready for newborn things.

Pregnancy Thoughts this Week: I'm having a hard time putting into words the thoughts I had this week. This whole pregnancy I've been treating it as our last pregnancy, as that is in our plans. I've been dreaming of getting through some of the harder stages that having a child under 2 presents, and have been looking forward to watching our children grow into themselves, instead of revisiting the baby stage every year as we have had for the last 4 years.

While I love the newborn/baby/toddler stages and I don't want to wish these early years away, I am eagerly looking forward to what the future holds in watching our children grow up. So, I've been assessing myself, because I want to enjoy this pregnancy to the fullest, making sure I'm not wishing it away just to get through each stage quicker. This time with our children is so fleeting. I don't want to miss any of it if I can help it.