Baby #2: Weeks 27 & 28

Week 27:

Week 27 kicked off with my glucose test!  Last time I had to sit in my doctor's waiting room for an hour after drinking something that tasted like gross extra sweet flat orange soda, but through Lifecycle I got to drink 16 oz of OJ at home and then head into the office for my blood draw.  I was told I'd receive a phone call if I didn't pass, but I haven't heard from them so I'm assuming that I am diabetes free!  The rest of my appointment was pretty uneventful, the baby's heartbeat was around 140 bpm again and I think my stomach may have measured at the top end of normal, but it was still within the normal range.

Then the majority of week 27 was spent at the Philadelphia Folk Festival.  I was honestly kinda nervous about attending while 6 months pregnant but I rocked it!  I was really worried about the pelvic pain I was experiencing the week before, but I actively avoided overdoing it on move in day  (Dave was a rockstar and our friends helped too!) and I somehow felt better after Fest than I did before.  My back did ache throughout the festival, which usually happens even when I'm not pregnant.  Sitting in camp chairs or on the ground for 4 days in a row is rough!  But my air mattress body pillow sleeping set up was legit.  I only slept for approximately 18 hours over 4 days and somehow didn't feel like total garbage, a Fest miracle!  And somehow the only time I was really bothered by the all the partying around me was when I went to sleep around 4, finally fell asleep around 4:30 and then woke up to someone playing bagpipes at 6 am.  Yup bagpipes... 6 am... f*ck that guy.

Otherwise Folk Fest was lovely.  I saw tons of amazing shows and did some serious dancing.  I reconnected with old friends and made some new. Someone brought me life changing ice cream during the hottest part of the whole weekend.  I played my favorite drinking game and doled out all my drinks to unsuspecting victims.  Vienna came for a few hours each day and had a great time.  She even got a shout out from one of the bands when she ran up to the stage!

Week 28:

I think this is the first week that's officially considered the third trimester and boy did I feel it.  I was definitely exhausted trying to recover from Fest but it was also a crappy week of pregnancy symptoms:

• I got my first middle of the night charlie horse.  Ever wake up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain with a rock hard calf that you can't seem to release?  It's really fun.
• The heartburn is here, right on schedule.  I woke up in the middle of the night Saturday feeling like my throat was on fire and like I was going to throw up.  That was the worst of it, but it's definitely been around somewhat often in more mild forms.
• My back is aching a lot at work.  I think I'm officially heading to the chiro twice per week now.  Dave got me a prenatal massage for my bday but it's not until 9/7, so I'll be counting down the days until that!
• Not a pregnancy symptom, but I have poison ivy.  Thankfully nothing like last time (praise the Lord), but I have patches on both legs and I really have no clue how I got it.

I skipped the gym all week since I was just trying to survive getting back to normal life.  My pelvis was feeling really good at the beginning of the week, but by the end it was a little achy.  I think I may have just been doing a little too much since it felt so good.

In other news, after getting home from Folk Fest, I started feeling really antsy about everything we still have to do before the baby gets here.  We moved Vienna out of the nursery a few weeks ago, but it was still super dusty where the furniture used to be and cluttered with random crap, so I spent sometime over the weekend wiping down the floor and floorboards and putting things away.  Then Monday night our friend Strobel came over to help Dave carry up the new dressers from the garage.  I am really excited they're finally up there.  Dave is going to unbox everything and set up the crib next week.  And then we can start getting all the teeny tiny clothes laundered and put away!  I still need to wipe down V's new closet and sort through everything in the nursery closet to see what stays and what goes to her new room, but I'm already feeling better with the progress.

And I'm a bad blogger because I took zero pics this week, including no bump pic.  Fail.  All I got is this selfie that shows my curly girl method progress and how much my face is already swelling... enjoy.

My Pregnancy: Week 27

The last week of my second trimester was a good one, especially for Dave!

Dave had two vehicles, neither of which were car seat approved, so he sold his old Jeep and upgraded with his new dadmobile a 2014 F-150 with 34K miles, a huge cab with plenty of room for car seats and dogs, and all the extra towing crap he wanted.  It's easier to drive than I expected, super quiet, and we won't have to borrow a truck anymore (which we've done 3 times in the past 2.5 weeks).  It was a great purchase!

We also officially booked our doula this week!  We're using our Hypnobabies instructor Keli Engleson.  To save a few bucks, we booked her Birthing Day package instead of the full package (which would have additionally given us 2 prenatal and 1 postnatal visits with her).  Since we've already taken the class with her, we didn't think we were missing out on too much and we can always book a postnatal visit with her after the birth.  I'm really excited, I am confident that having a doula will be a huge help in having the birth that I want.

I know a lot of people don't really understand the role of a doula.  From Keli's website:

My roll as a doula is focused on what the mother and couple needs so that the mother can rest assured that her physical and emotional needs will be met throughout her labor and birth. I work with you before labor and delivery answering questions about what to expect, providing information and your options for you to make informed decisions, assisting you in developing a birth plan, teaching you active labor postures and techniques, therapeutic relief, along with providing continuous support during labor and birth and the initial postpartum period.  During labor and delivery I provide continuous, knowledgeable physical and emotional support and answer questions you and your partner have about what’s happening.

People have suggested that Dave could be my doula... but how many births has Dave attended?  Keli will not replace Dave as my birth partner, however she will bring years of experience and a level head to my birthing time.  So when I am experiencing the most intense sensations of my life and Dave isn't sure how he can help me, she will be able to show him some massage techniques or show us an alternative position I can try.  Or when the doctors are pressuring us into a non medically necessary intervention and in the heat of the moment we forget everything we've learned, she will be there to present us all the benefits, risks, alternatives, and evidence based information. 

Otherwise the rest of the week was all about the beach!  We celebrated the 4th of July down in Cape May with visits from my mom, sister, and Shayna all while being pampered by my in-laws.

I didn't do any formal workouts all week, but I did ALL the walking.  Somehow my pregnant booty survived going out 5 nights in a row.

After the fireworks on the 4th, we went out for a ridiculous night of karaoke.  Kimber, Pete, Shayna, and I all got our time to shine on the stage, but the grand finale was when I rapped Missy Elliot's Work It and the crowd went wild!  It was absolutely hilarious and I couldn't stop giggling when it was over and everyone was coming up to high five me.  On our way out, some girl came up to me and said I gave her hope for her future self.  It was such a fun night.

And now, goodbye second trimester!