Week 29 is here and I'm finally returning to my little baby blog with an update. Once we got past the scary stuff the rest of the pregnancy has gone by pretty quickly. I've been pretty insanely busy over the past few months so the whole second trimester kind of went by in a blur. Now I'm deep in to baby season and feeling a little bamboozled by the physical and emotional intensity that has crept up on me.
Maybe it's being four years older and having my first "geriatric" pregnancy at the ripe old age of 37 that has me feeling so sore and exhausted. Or, perhaps it's just a matter of every pregnancy being different and I just got really lucky the first time I went through a third trimester.
More than anything, I suspect that the intensity of my discomfort during this phase of pregnancy has to do with not treating myself as nicely as I did when I was pregnant with C. During that pregnancy I napped as needed, ate nothing but the healthiest of meals, went to yoga twice a week, and swam or walked every single day. I was really killing it at self-care.
My reality right now is quite different. The nauseous feelings that were so severe during my first trimester took a bit of a break in the middle weeks, but never really went away. Now they are back again in Trimester 3 and it's making eating healthy (or eating at all) a constant challenge. If I don't eat I get shaky, crazy hungry. But nothing, and I do mean NOTHING sounds or looks appetizing most days.
Between heartburn and a general aversion to food, eating well is almost impossible, so I'm stuck with trying to make the best out of meals as I can, and enduring at least one or two hurls per week. I have to tell you that I definitely worry about this baby getting everything she needs nutrition-wise. Even keeping vitamins and supplements down has been dicey.
So there's that. Then there is the physical penalty of omitting yoga and regular exercise from my pregnancy routine. I knew that stuff made a big difference, but I had no idea quite how intense that difference would be. It hurts to lay down. It hurts to stand up. Everything just hurts in general - especially my poor hip joints which feel like they might just quit any day now.
And, of course, when I complain about such things I am inevitably met by questions like "why don't you just go do some yoga?" A fabulous suggestion, and one that I surely should prioritize, but people, I'm also really frigging tired, really frigging busy, and really frigging stressed out, so even though it really IS just as easy as it sounds, it's also not!
Medically speaking, baby and I are doing OK. There have been no signs of high blood pressure or blood clotting. Baby is measuring right on target, and I have passed all of my usual prenatal lab tests within normal limits.
There is one little thing going on that does have me stressed out, and just to warn you all, this might be TMI for some of you. BUT, this blog is all about full frontal motherhood so I'm going to come right out and over-share.
I have had a yeast infection for almost FIVE MONTHS. And yes, it is just as awful an experience as you might imagine. Did you know that recurrent and seemingly impossibly resilient yeast infections were a thing during pregnancy? Me neither, but I sure do now.
Aside from being extremely maddening and uncomfortable, the issue has thus far not been a huge concern as far as danger to the baby goes. BUT, according to my OBGYN, if the infection is not eradicated before the cervix starts to soften there could be big trouble. Yeast infections (especially those that have had months to wear away at one's most delicate tissues) can break waters early and lead to premature birth, emergency C-sections, and even uterine infections - all things that are potentially very very dangerous for both baby and me.
Good times. The fun NEVER stops.
As a last ditch effort to relieve myself from this malady I am taking extra vitamin C and cranberry extract daily and have cut out every smidgen of sugar from my diet. I'm simultaneously taking oral and topical medication for the 1-millionth time, and I'm even switching to a new OBGYN because if this joker can't fix the problem I am hoping someone else can.
Emotionally, I've been a real rage monster ever since quitting my Zoloft prescription at 28 weeks. While taking Zoloft during pregnancy is considered relatively safe I just didn't want to take any extra chances during this third trimester when there is already a chance I'll deliver early. Between the yeast infection issue and the fact that my body is still wired in some ways to treat this pregnancy as twins, an early delivery is certainly possible, and the prospect is starting to freak me out.
There's some evidence that Zoloft can interfere with the development of baby's lung function when taken in the third trimester, and if she does come early she is going to need all the help she can get in that department.
Speaking of early delivery, I also JUST FOUND OUT that my OBGYN is planning to induce me at 38 weeks, meaning I am likely to have a baby more like June 7 than June 21. This was a surprise to me, and another reason that I'm not thrilled with my OBGYN right now. I am 100% on board with doing whatever it takes to deliver my baby safely but I would like to be included on the plan. Not too much to ask, right? I still wouldn't know if I hadn't cornered the guy earlier this week with questions about the birth plan.
We had several differences of opinion as far as the birth plan goes too. This guy is definitely an old-school doctor and seems awfully set in his ways. While I am glad that he's experienced and am trying to respect and trust his opinion, I feel like that opinion might be a little outdated. He also loves explaining everything to me in terns of "if he doesn't do it this way the baby could die". Not the most comforting tactic, and not something I need to hear right now.
Sigh.
So the third trimester is shaping up to be a whole lot more dramatic and a whole lot shorter than I had anticipated.
Also, my book is coming out in the middle of all this!! AHHHHHH!!!! I just found THAT out too.
It's been quite a week. If you happen to run into me be warned. I'm pretty cranky.
Love you guys, thanks for listening.
XO MH
