28 Weeks Pregnant (Baby #4)

I know I just sprung a double post on you all a few days ago, but I'm already out of week 28, so it's time to talk about it again. See how behind I was?! We had a great week! So many exciting things happened in this pregnancy that I just need to tell you about them.

28w 6d pregnantHow Far Along: Recapping week 28. (Picture taken at 28 weeks 6 days pregnant). And guess what? I'm officially in my third trimester! Woo hoo!

How I'm Feeling This Week: So good! Lots of energy. I was given the best pregnancy comment by a two year old! He saw me when I passed him and his mom while I was out shopping for groceries, and he said, "She's cute!" His mom explained that her sister was also pregnant, so the little man recognised my pregnant belly, and thought I was cute! The comment made my week. It still makes me smile when I think about it. 

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Very few again this week! So awesome to experience only a normal amount, and not have the worry that an irritable uterus brings to a pregnancy.

Aversions: Now that I'm in the third trimester, I'm seeing some of my aversions from the first trimester come back! Ick. Deboning chicken is starting to gross me out again, and so is the smell of the soy "butter" alternative I use for our 2 yr. old's dairy allergy.

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

New symptom that I noticed in week 28: pelvic pain occasionally when I'm walking or going down stairs. It's a signal that my body is already relaxing my muscles to prepare for birth.

Doctor/Midwife Appointment: We had a great anatomy scan with our doctor at 28 weeks 6 days pregnant. At this appointment we were going to find out how my cervix was doing, where my placenta was, and of course, how the baby looked, plus get my regular weekly 17P progesterone shot.

My Cervix: At 28 weeks pregnant, (almost 29 weeks) my cervix is measuring 4cm, and according to our doctor, it's thick, long, and shows no sign of funneling (which can be a sign of cervical change and preterm labor). Yay! He didn't say that it was a normal range, so we are still taking precautions, but at this point our doctor was pretty happy that it wasn't a concern.

The Baby: Everything is looking good, and the baby is measuring big still. Not too big; within a normal range, about 8 days ahead. All our boys have been under 7 lbs. at birth, so this makes me think that I'll have a slightly different experience this time. 

My Placenta: At our 14 week appointment we learned that I had a partial previa (where the cervix opening is being covered by/very close to, the placenta). We were told that most placentas migrate upward and out of the way as the baby grows, but if it didn't, it might be a concern at birth. At our appointment this week, the doctor confirmed that the placenta had indeed moved out of the way and I was cleared to expect a normal birth. Woo hoo! 

So we received a good report on all the issues that we were previously concerned about! I still need the progesterone shots each week, and I still need to take it easy to not upset my irritable uterus, but after all the good news, Nick and I are breathing easier about this pregnancy!

17P: Had my ninth 17P shot this week. The shots have been great for the last several weeks, and no side effects either. I have had no discomfort, no muscle pain, and no itchiness. 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: This past week I ate terribly! Lots of unhealthy sugar, so the last few days I've been getting a grip on my body and eating intuitively again (when I'm hungry, and whatever I want), instead of just watching the calories. Some days I'm way over my calories, and the other days I'm under since I'm simply not hungry enough.

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 27 Weight: 133 lbs.
Week 28 Weight: 134 lbs.
Goal Weight Range For This Pregnancy: High: 154 lbs. Low: 144 lbs.

Cowboy CaviarFood Cravings: Fresh foods. I found this recipe for Cowboy Caviar on Pinterest and it looked so delicious! It has fresh tomatoes, avocados, black beans, frozen corn, 1/2 an onion, and I added a red bell pepper and a yellow bell pepper to pump up the veggie goodness. It was delicious! I'm definitely keeping the recipe to use as a summer salad/dip.

Regular or Maternity Clothes: All maternity bottoms now, and some regular sized shirts. I feel most comfortable in maternity shirts, instead of just extra long shirts or stretchy shirts, because they are made specifically for the pregnant body. Imagine that! But, I only have 3 maternity shirts, so they get worn a LOT! I'm also enjoying my summer dresses (stretch materials) and skirts in the almost summer heat.

Missing anything: I can't wait to sink my teeth into a sandwich with lunchmeat! Pregnant women are not supposed to have lunch meat because of the risk of food poisoning from bacteria, called listeriosis. I could cook lunch meat first to make a sandwich and kill the potential bacteria, but isn't the point of a sandwich to be fast and quick to grab and eat? 

Boy or Girl: We are still asked weekly if we know yet what we are having. And then given the quizzical looks when we explain that Nick knows and I don't. We were given our *last* chance to find out at the anatomy scan we had this week, and surprisingly it wasn't tempting me to find out when we saw our baby on the ultrasound screen. It was very tempting to me at the past scans, and once I was home I'd be fine with not knowing. Nick continues to keep me guessing, and hasn't slipped up once. Well, maybe he did...:)

Baby's Chance of Survival this Week: 90%.  Same as last week. 

Baby Movement: It's becoming easier for me to notice this baby's patterns of movement through the days. The baby moves soon after I wake up, a little in the afternoon, and a LOT in the evening around 9:30pm., and then a little more when I go to bed soon after. I like when the baby kicks if I'm holding one of his/her brothers on my lap, or he/she will kick Nick when we are snuggling together.

Size of Baby: While all the internet sites say our baby should be around 2 1/4 pounds now, our doctor said this baby is already a few ounces over 3 pounds! The baby is about 14.8" long, or about the size of a large eggplant.

Disposable Newborn DiapersWhat I Did to Prepare for Baby's Arrival: I bought the first package of newborn diapers! Though we usually use cloth diapers on our children, for the first few weeks of our newborn's life, we always use disposable diapers. For a few reasons: 1.) The first few days can be tremendously rough, between the lack of sleep, starting nursing, excruciating afterbirth pains, etc. that it makes it WAY easier on me especially, to change the 12-15 diapers a newborn produces using disposable instead of cloth. 2.)With the baby passing the incredibly sticky, dark, meconium (it's first bowel movements) the disposable diapers can be tossed easily, compared to cloth that would have the potential for staining (that stuff is NASTY!). 3.) Our babies haven't weighed 7 pounds at birth yet, so our littlest cloth diapers don't fit tight enough until the baby is at least 3 weeks old. This package will last us only 3 1/2-4 days, believe it or not!

Pregnancy Thoughts this Week: Totally on nesting. 

pants to shorts

Nesting has hit me hard this week! Along with the sorting Nick and I did last week, this week I also cleaned out the boy's closet, cut fabric for making more baby diapers (haven't done that in over 2 years), cleared out the refrigerator, turned 5 pairs of pants into shorts for our 4 year old (cut off the legs, serged the raw edge, and sewed up the hem), and returned a set of sheets to Bed, Bath and Beyond. All random stuff, but in my mind, necessary for being prepared for this baby's arrival.