Pregnancy Update – 25 Weeks

It’s hard to believe I’m coming up on the third trimester of this pregnancy. With the pandemic, this one has been different for sure. It feels like time is flying, but also going very slow at the same time. January (when I got pregnant) seems like a lifetime ago. That was way back in a time when everything was normal and we didn’t have an incredibly contagious virus sweeping across our country. And October (when I’m due) feels so far away.

I’m not wishing this pregnancy away. I’m uncomfortable and feel huge already, but I know this is the last one and I very much enjoy being pregnant, so I want to cherish it. Tiny baby kicks are my favorite and this little girl is starting to move more and more.

I wanted to hop on here and give a quick update and answer a few questions that I’ve gotten.

How am I feeling? (pregnancy symptoms)

The number one question I get. I have felt really good this pregnancy. I’m very lucky in that I had very little morning sickness with all three pregnancies. There have been a couple of smells that have triggered my gag reflex, and mild nausea here and there early on, but really  not bad at all.

I’ve had other very normal, but manageable symptoms such as leg cramps, some shortness of breath, Braxton Hicks here and there, constipation (sorry if TMI), weird dreams, and mild swelling when I’m up for a long time. And I’m starting to get where I’m just plain uncomfortable sitting down. I’m surprisingly more comfortable laying in the bed, and don’t really have issues sleeping like I thought I would. I think because I’m carrying high, when I sit it pushes my belly up and makes it hard to breathe sometimes. I’ve carried high with all my girls.

I’m starting to feel her move more. For the longest I couldn’t feel much movement at all, and when I did they were tiny little kicks. She’s starting to move more now, but she definitely doesn’t move as much as my other two (especially Audrey. She was on the go from inside the womb). We’re hoping this means she’ll be our chill, laid back kid.

Has this pregnancy been different than the others?

This pregnancy has been weird in that I’ve hardly seen anyone since we announced that we’re pregnant. I saw a fellow church member at work a few weeks ago (my first shift back since the shutdown) and she said “Whoa! I didn’t even know!” We had a good laugh because it’s likely that there are some people who may not ever know I was pregnant until we finally go back to church, which could be toward the end of my pregnancy, or it could be after the baby is born, which is insane to think about. I don’t know about you, but I’m over all of this and ready to get back to normal.

I know right now that visiting is restricted at the hospital in labor and delivery, and I suspect it will still be that way in October. I’m actually sort of ok with it. I think it will give David and I time to rest and time to bond with the baby for the first couple days. I hate that the girls won’t get to meet her right away, but I also think it will be a sweet moment for them to meet her when we get home. They are SO excited about baby sister. Especially Raley. She’s the sweetest little mama to her little cousins and she already tells me all the things she wants to help with when the baby is born. She loves to hug and kiss my belly and talk to her. It’s so sweet.

This pregnancy has also been different in that it’s the first time we’ve had a pregnancy after loss. The beginning was pretty nerve wracking. I was paranoid that something was going to happen and that we would lose her. I’ve been more cautious this time around. Also this is the first pregnancy I haven’t had to work full time, which I think has helped tremendously with how I’m feeling.

Was this pregnancy planned?

A pretty personal question I get sometimes (ha!) No, this one was a surprise. We had our minds made up for the longest that we were done. We’re sort of in the “sweet spot” right now where our kids can go play without constant supervision. We can go out without carrying a diaper bag full of stuff. There is a sense of freedom once you get to this point. But ever since our pregnancy loss last year we’ve been tossing around the idea of if we wanted to try for third child. Those worries would always creep up when we’d talk about it – what will we do about the bedroom situation, we’ll need a bigger car, do we really want to start over?

But God knew what we needed and we are very excited to bring this baby into our home. Some may call me crazy but I actually enjoy the birthing process and the newborn stage. I wish it lasted longer. To me it’s more exhausting when they’re on the go and you have to constantly watch them. I’d take sleepless nights and baby snuggles any day!

Cravings

I haven’t had many cravings this time. I tend to want something sweet at the end of the night, but don’t crave anything specific. Early on I was convinced it was a boy because I was craving juicy hamburgers and steak. Sometimes now I’ll really want a sub sandwich, but I can’t have cold cuts, so that’s out. I think I only want it because I can’t have it.

With all three of my pregnancies I’ve had an aversion to coffee in the first trimester. The smell didn’t bother me, but if I tried to drink it I just couldn’t get it down. But as soon as week 12 hit, I could drink it again (thank goodness!) Kinda weird.

What are we doing about the bedroom situation?

You may or may not know, that one of our dilemmas was what to do about the bedroom situation. We have a four bedroom house, and one of our bedrooms is David’s office. It holds his 4 bookshelves worth of books, his desk, and his many computers he’s currently using to work from home. We also have several things stored in that closet that we don’t really have another spot for. We had pretty much decided to turn this room into the nursery, but then COVID happened.

As things are going right now, it’s highly likely that David will need to do at least part time work from home after the baby is born. His boss is not in a super rush to get everyone back into the office, which is very fortunate for us that he can telework. Since we don’t have another spot in our house that will work as a private office where he can actually get work done, that meant we needed to put the two big girls together in a bedroom.

We went back and forth on which bedroom they would share and if we’d get them bunk beds or two twins or two fulls. Raley’s room is a little bit bigger and they’d definitely have more play space in their room had we gotten bunk beds, but that option was going to be way more expensive. We ultimately decided to let them share Audrey’s bedroom, which has the perfect amount of space for the two full size beds they already had (this wouldn’t work in Raley’s room because of the location of the closet door.) The headboard that Raley was using for her bed is actually part of the crib, so all we really needed was a new headboard for her bed.

My dad and sister had made the headboard that Audrey is using currently, so we just decided to make a matching headboard for Raley! I thoroughly enjoy these projects because it gives me time with my Daddy, I learn something new, and it makes the pieces extra special. We have made several pieces of furniture together, and they are all so special to me.

So that’s where we are now. They’ve been sharing a room for close to a month now. I won’t lie, the transition has been rough. Audrey for some reason gets a huge bolt of energy when it’s time for bed and is just insane. We’ve started allowing them 30 minutes of quiet play/reading time before lights out. That has helped some, but Audrey still has a hard time shutting down. Melatonin helps too, but I know I can’t give that to them every night.

The other reason we went with this option is because we’re really not out much money by going this route. Raley needed a new headboard anyway. If this sharing a room thing is a total bust and doesn’t work out, then we won’t be out as much money as we would be if we bought bunk beds. I will share their new bedroom soon. It’s flamingo/mermaid themed. Audrey already had a flamingo bedroom, and Raley’s current obsession is mermaids, and since they’re both tropical I felt like it worked!

Nursery plans

We are slowly but surely getting the nursery together. I ordered some cute wall decals to go above the crib, and this week I took our old changing table to Rustic Faith to get it painted white. They had it done in a day and it looks so much better! I’m not sure what I would call the “theme” of her nursery. It’s going to be very floral with relatively neutral colors. Think white, some natural wood, and very light pink. I’m also going to incorporate some girly woodland animals. I actually got to shop at Hobby Lobby the other day and found some cute wall decor. My vision is slowly coming together.

The big thing we still need is a glider. I’m not all that interested in buying a brand new one since this is our last baby, so I’ve been watching Facebook marketplace. If you’re local and happen to notice a glider for sale (preferably beige, white or off-white), let me know!

Does she have a name yet?

We are very close on deciding on a name. I’m not ready to announce that until I know for sure that it feels right. Still trying to work that one out!

I’m realizing I haven’t done a very good job with taking bump pictures. Probably because most days I’m too lazy to make myself look cute enough to take a picture.

I think that’s all the updates I’ve got for now. If you have any other questions, send them my way! If your kids share a room and you want to share some tips on how to get them to go to sleep at night, feel free to share away! I’ll take all the advice I can get. And if you’re local and see a glider for sale, let me know! Have a great 4th of July weekend.