Ramblings on the Third Pregnancy

Well friends, baby number three has been cooking for a good 27 weeks now. For our readers who appreciate a bit of oversharing, I thought I’d write somewhat of a stream-of-thought post detailing some of the ups, downs and observations of my third pregnancy.

Bigger, Faster

I’ve noticed a trend with all of my pregnancies and this third one has solidified my theory. With each child, everything gets bigger, faster. Perhaps my muscles and metabolism have an excellent memory but it seemed like everything in me jumped at the opportunity to grow and enlarge. It’s not just that my pants were too small the moment of conception but all my lovely symptoms showed up faster as well.

Hello, my dear friend acid reflux. So glad to have you join the party earlier this year. I was hoping to be dependent on Pepcid AC to make it through the day. Oh hey there, mint-aversion. Thanks for reminding me to gag every time someone is chewing gum in my presence. Welcome to the party Braxton-Hicks. You are quite punctual this time around. Lets keep that baby zipped up until due-time, shall we?

 Curious Kids

One thing that has been fun and different about this pregnancy is that my two kids are old enough to somewhat understand what is happening. I’ve taken my oldest to some appointments with me to hear the heartbeat. They both love to smother say hi to the baby within. My oldest claims she can hear the baby crying in my belly when she puts her ear up to it. It’s just fun and different to have kids share in the excitement.

 Back Attack

I’m pretty sure I have the back of a 60 year old woman. After a back injury this summer, I had suspicions that being pregnant was going to be rough on it. What I didn’t anticipate was my back deciding it wasn’t up for the task with 3-4 months still to go. It hasn’t all-out gone out on me yet but I know it’s coming. I told my husband that I need to start wearing one of those emergency necklaces that pages him if I’ve fallen and can’t get up.

The Snoogle

Speaking of back problems, have I introduced you to Mr. Snoogle? No, this is not a pet-name for my husband. In fact, my husband has expressed some jealousy of my new friend. Here’s why.

I used to laugh at the thought of these and was convinced anyone who has them was a high-maintenance pregnant lady. However, after wrestling with the 4 pillows each night that created some sort of feather fortress to keep me comfortable, I caved and bought one after my trusted fellow-pregnant-friend, Jen told me it was a God-send. While it hasn’t solved all of my achy-issues that happen while sleeping, it for sure has helped.

Doctor, Doctor

Here’s one major difference between 1st pregnancy and a 3rd pregnancy.

First Pregnancy Polly:

“OK, next OB appointment is in 29 days…Gosh that seems like forever away! Better start clearing that morning’s schedule now though….”

“14 days until next appointment. Can’t wait! Need to confirm that my husband knows the date and time too. He of course needs to be there.”

“10 days until next appointment. Better start putting together my list of questions now. Wouldn’t want to forget to ask her something…”

“I felt something strange. Better call the doctor and ask about it.”

Third Pregnancy Polly:

“Do I really need all of these appointments? It seems a bit excessive…”

“Felt something strange. #pregnant. Moving on.”

“What week am I again?”

“Honey, our due date is April 12th. Just make sure you’re in town around then, k?”

Much Love for the Baby

Not sure why this is but I already have a great affection for the baby. I can tell my husband does too. My loose theory is that after two babies, the pregnancy doesn’t seem as abstract as it did in with the others. We know what’s in there is our CHILD. We know it is going to have it’s own look, it’s own personality, it’s own quirks and will forever change our family and our lives. We also know how fast infancy will go. There is just something more familiar about the 3rd pregnancy that makes us focus on the child in the womb rather than the process of being pregnant. I also love it’s little kicks because I know how much I will miss them in just a few months.

FAQ

OK, lets be honest. With the third kid, I don’t get many questions. In fact at Christmas, my brother in-law admitted, “I keep forgetting you are pregnant.” It’s cool. Not taking it personally. BUT, here are a few tidbits that I do get occasionally asked about:

Gender?

We are still standing firm on not finding out the gender of this one. For those who know me, you know this is pretty out of character. But to honest, I feel really good about it! If I had to make a guess as to what it is, I would say girl. But, let the record show that I have been wrong on both of my guesses in the past so I have no credibility and apparently no motherly intuition.

Nursery?

It’s coming along. Slowly. We recently moved my two year old into my 4 year old’s room so we can start prepping his old room to be the nursery. We are still very much in transition with this (i.e. kids are NOT sleeping). After I come out of shock of how well the transition did NOT go, I will be a be more ready to nest for the baby. 

Due Date? 

Still April 12th. At the ultrasound, we were told that the baby is measuring pretty big–about a week ahead but that can always change. Tyler was born exactly a week early so I’m guessing we will be having the baby towards the beginning of April. Who knows though!

C-Section or V-bac?

Because of an early-detected umbilical cord issue with my first, I had a c-section 4 years ago. With my second, I was able to have a vbac. (Here is the story if you’re interested). My hope is that I will once again be able to have a vbac. The tricky thing is, once you’ve had a c-section, you can’t be induced. (At least most doctors won’t do it which makes me not want to do it.) So, assuming I go into labor on my own and don’t run into any other major complications, I’m hoping and praying this labor and delivery will look like my second.

Well, I think that sums things up pretty well for the moment. I do keep my Intagram account a bit more updated with pregnancy updates so if you’re into that sort of thing, make sure to follow along. You’ll also be totally in the loop on when we actually have the baby. I plan on instragramming the entire experience. JUST. KIDDING.