Nothing like starting the 24th week with a BANG and a good scare…..
I've been having a LOT of issues lately with constipation, and this morning took the cake- very reminiscent of the events that happened around week 25 with Iyla. I essentially felt like I was- *AHEM* giving birth in a whole different way this morning- and much to my alarm, after the "birthing," there was a LOT of red blood in the toilet. I assumed it was from whence the exodus had come, but no, upon further investigation, it was definitely vaginal bleeding. Which NO pregnant woman ever wants to see at any point in her pregnancy.
My first thoughts were rational, that of course this had been caused by my straining. However I quickly snowballed into very fearful irrational thoughts, especially after I purposefully laid down, ate some apples, and jiggled my belly to get baby to PLEASE OH PLEASE kick or move.
Nothing.
Now, she typically isn't noticeably active first thing in the morning, and I did feel her kicking all over last night, but still. Red blood at 24 weeks followed by no evident movement = good grounds to FREAK OUT.
I called my doc's office and they said most likely it was some kind of slight vaginal rupture, as those veins are full of extra blood and prone to this during pregnancy- especially from straining. Nonetheless- the lack of movement was enough for them to schedule me to come in for a heart check on baby.
I had breakfast scheduled with a friend prior to the doc appointment, and THANK GOD halfway through breakfast baby girl started kicking away. Oh was I relieved! And at my doc appointment they were able to find her heartbeat, though not easily due to all the moving she was doing. The nurse concluded that the straining had likely just ruptured some vaginal veins, causing the bleeding. Since I hadn't had any further bleeding, hadn't had any cramping, and baby's heartbeat sounded good, it looks to (hopefully) have been just a one time freak scare.
I WILL for sure be upping the colace tonight, as I absolutely don't want a repeat performance of this morning's events!
And…. now to the official 24 week updates.
How far along? 24 weeks today!
I had the realization hit me yesterday that there are pretty much only THREE months to go until baby arrives, which given my planner Type A personality, signals it is time to start the wheels in motion toward active preparation for baby. This includes:
*Locating, re-familiarizing myself with, and sterilizing all bottle parts
*Doing the same with the breast pump
*Ordering nursery furniture (we need everything: crib, dresser, chair, curtains, rug, shelves, etc)
*Converting the guest room into a nursery (likely in May)
*Locating, washing, & organizing all of our newborn baby clothes
*Designing and organizing the guest room/now nursery closet (additional clothes rods, shelves, etc)
*Locating & re-familiarizing myself with all baby equipment (bouncy chair, Rock n Play, swing, Pack n Play, carriers, etc)
*Deciding what we will have baby sleep in upon her arrival (she'll be in our room initially)
*Purchasing a double stroller? (I am not 100% sure we will need this, but am thinking we likely will- given Iyla isn't much of a walker or biker. Hoping to find a used double BOB to save $$)
*Purchasing & starting to read books about being a big sister to Iyla
*Coming up with a BIRTH DAY plan concerning who will be on call to come stay with Iyla. Labors often start in the middle of the night, so I may need a hierarchy of people on my "get here NOW" list to call.
I figure if I space these things out over the next 3 months, with the goal to have everything ready to roll by July 1st, we'll be in good shape!
How big is baby? This is a big week for baby and one of my favorite milestones: VIABILITY! This basically means that at this point baby is developed enough to possibly survive outside the womb, should the situation arise. Now- this little lady is not allowed to even think about exiting until July- preferably MID July at the earliest, but this is still a very reassuring milestone to hit.
The baby apps say she should be around 1.5 pounds at this point, 12 inches long (as big as a cantaloupe!), and that her facial features are pretty much fully formed with eyelashes, eyebrows, & hair. Her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are fully developed.
How big is Mama? I weighed myself before AND after this morning's event, thinking there would for sure be a difference. But low and behold- same weight both times… confirming another TWO pound gain from last week! Maybe the growth/gain isn't going to slow…. and so be it. I was at 132.4 this morning, so a 22.4 gain total overall this pregnancy, with an estimated 16 weeks to gain go!
And as usual, this is very on par with what I looked like and had gained at 34 weeks with Iyla (almost to a T!)- showing I am still measuring about 10 weeks ahead on everything this round.
Sleep? No big changes there. Feeling sleepier overall this week during the day.
Food cravings/aversions? Still haven't gotten back into seafood, and lately haven't really been desiring salads or greens much either (hmmm, correlation to this morning's events?)
Symptoms?
*I had a couple days this week with vertigo and nausea, which was an interesting combination.
* Extreme constipation (but you knew that already)
*My 'baby brain' is in full effect, and I find that as soon as I enter a room to tell BC something I've already forgotten what it was I wanted to say. I have to write things down immediately or they will be gone into the ethers forever.
*Oh so achey. My hips/thighs/back are super delicate, aching when I sit or stand or lie down too long. I am also having more trouble getting comfortable at night; every time Icreak turn over to change position I feel pain and tightness.
Big sister?
Iyla had a very fun and full weekend! On Saturday we had my company's Client Appreciation Party, where Iyla spent the afternoon running around, dancing, making new friends, and enjoying the spoils from the kids' piñata:
Most looking forward to? Our trip to California in just a couple of weeks! We were able to shift around some of the lodging (saving SO much money), so happily the trip is ON. One full week of just BC and I relaxing, while Grandma comes to have some lovely quality time with Iyla. I told Iyla that Grandma would be flying in from Kansas for a special, long "sleepover party." Not sure who will be having more fun- BC and I or Grandma and Iyla!
I've been having a LOT of issues lately with constipation, and this morning took the cake- very reminiscent of the events that happened around week 25 with Iyla. I essentially felt like I was- *AHEM* giving birth in a whole different way this morning- and much to my alarm, after the "birthing," there was a LOT of red blood in the toilet. I assumed it was from whence the exodus had come, but no, upon further investigation, it was definitely vaginal bleeding. Which NO pregnant woman ever wants to see at any point in her pregnancy.
My first thoughts were rational, that of course this had been caused by my straining. However I quickly snowballed into very fearful irrational thoughts, especially after I purposefully laid down, ate some apples, and jiggled my belly to get baby to PLEASE OH PLEASE kick or move.
Nothing.
Now, she typically isn't noticeably active first thing in the morning, and I did feel her kicking all over last night, but still. Red blood at 24 weeks followed by no evident movement = good grounds to FREAK OUT.
I called my doc's office and they said most likely it was some kind of slight vaginal rupture, as those veins are full of extra blood and prone to this during pregnancy- especially from straining. Nonetheless- the lack of movement was enough for them to schedule me to come in for a heart check on baby.
I had breakfast scheduled with a friend prior to the doc appointment, and THANK GOD halfway through breakfast baby girl started kicking away. Oh was I relieved! And at my doc appointment they were able to find her heartbeat, though not easily due to all the moving she was doing. The nurse concluded that the straining had likely just ruptured some vaginal veins, causing the bleeding. Since I hadn't had any further bleeding, hadn't had any cramping, and baby's heartbeat sounded good, it looks to (hopefully) have been just a one time freak scare.
I WILL for sure be upping the colace tonight, as I absolutely don't want a repeat performance of this morning's events!
And…. now to the official 24 week updates.
How far along? 24 weeks today!
I had the realization hit me yesterday that there are pretty much only THREE months to go until baby arrives, which given my planner Type A personality, signals it is time to start the wheels in motion toward active preparation for baby. This includes:
*Locating, re-familiarizing myself with, and sterilizing all bottle parts
*Doing the same with the breast pump
*Ordering nursery furniture (we need everything: crib, dresser, chair, curtains, rug, shelves, etc)
*Converting the guest room into a nursery (likely in May)
*Locating, washing, & organizing all of our newborn baby clothes
*Designing and organizing the guest room/now nursery closet (additional clothes rods, shelves, etc)
*Locating & re-familiarizing myself with all baby equipment (bouncy chair, Rock n Play, swing, Pack n Play, carriers, etc)
*Deciding what we will have baby sleep in upon her arrival (she'll be in our room initially)
*Purchasing a double stroller? (I am not 100% sure we will need this, but am thinking we likely will- given Iyla isn't much of a walker or biker. Hoping to find a used double BOB to save $$)
*Purchasing & starting to read books about being a big sister to Iyla
*Coming up with a BIRTH DAY plan concerning who will be on call to come stay with Iyla. Labors often start in the middle of the night, so I may need a hierarchy of people on my "get here NOW" list to call.
I figure if I space these things out over the next 3 months, with the goal to have everything ready to roll by July 1st, we'll be in good shape!
How big is baby? This is a big week for baby and one of my favorite milestones: VIABILITY! This basically means that at this point baby is developed enough to possibly survive outside the womb, should the situation arise. Now- this little lady is not allowed to even think about exiting until July- preferably MID July at the earliest, but this is still a very reassuring milestone to hit.
The baby apps say she should be around 1.5 pounds at this point, 12 inches long (as big as a cantaloupe!), and that her facial features are pretty much fully formed with eyelashes, eyebrows, & hair. Her brain is growing rapidly, and her taste buds are fully developed.
How big is Mama? I weighed myself before AND after this morning's event, thinking there would for sure be a difference. But low and behold- same weight both times… confirming another TWO pound gain from last week! Maybe the growth/gain isn't going to slow…. and so be it. I was at 132.4 this morning, so a 22.4 gain total overall this pregnancy, with an estimated 16 weeks to
And as usual, this is very on par with what I looked like and had gained at 34 weeks with Iyla (almost to a T!)- showing I am still measuring about 10 weeks ahead on everything this round.
24 weeks with baby girl #2, 22.4 pounds gained
34 weeks with Iyla, 21.8 pounds gained
Food cravings/aversions? Still haven't gotten back into seafood, and lately haven't really been desiring salads or greens much either (hmmm, correlation to this morning's events?)
Symptoms?
*I had a couple days this week with vertigo and nausea, which was an interesting combination.
* Extreme constipation (but you knew that already)
*My 'baby brain' is in full effect, and I find that as soon as I enter a room to tell BC something I've already forgotten what it was I wanted to say. I have to write things down immediately or they will be gone into the ethers forever.
*Oh so achey. My hips/thighs/back are super delicate, aching when I sit or stand or lie down too long. I am also having more trouble getting comfortable at night; every time I
Big sister?
Iyla had a very fun and full weekend! On Saturday we had my company's Client Appreciation Party, where Iyla spent the afternoon running around, dancing, making new friends, and enjoying the spoils from the kids' piñata:
New lollipop buddy at the party
On Sunday while I attended a baby shower for a friend, BC took Iyla out to breakfast and to the Honk Festival- where street musicians performed and paraded up and down the streets of East Austin. She loved it!
Here are a few more shots of Iyla from this past week:
Here she'd called me over to announce that "Santa is back for another Christmas!" Her imagination is awesome these days.
Most looking forward to? Our trip to California in just a couple of weeks! We were able to shift around some of the lodging (saving SO much money), so happily the trip is ON. One full week of just BC and I relaxing, while Grandma comes to have some lovely quality time with Iyla. I told Iyla that Grandma would be flying in from Kansas for a special, long "sleepover party." Not sure who will be having more fun- BC and I or Grandma and Iyla!
