How far along? 26 weeks 4 days.
How big is baby? 14 inches and 1.75 lbs. Who knows what vegetable they’re comparing it to now.
Total weight gain: +17 lbs (Um. Three pounds more than with Gabe at this point. Will this not be a little peanut baby like he was??)
Updates: I passed my glucose test, which means no 3-hour test. Hooray! We took our (likely) last trip as a family of three to Asheville and Atlanta, which was mostly great and filled with fun moments. Starting to get a little bittersweet about sharing my attention and love. It’s a cliché second time mom worry and I know it’ll all be fine, but I’ve so enjoyed these past 3.5 years of getting so much quality time with Gabe.
Anxious about: Too much. And not just about the baby – I feel like I get anxious about so much more when I’m pregnant. Worrying about Gabe in the middle of the night or someone breaking in or things that are incredibly unlikely and YET I wake up in a panic and can’t fall back asleep. I also, of course, hear stories about Things Going Wrong in the last few months of pregnancy and try to forget about them.
Excited about: I know the first few months with a new baby can be a bit of hibernation, so I’m looking forward to when we can get out and about as a family of four.
Feeling: Probably the best so far – I had a few bouts of feverish cleaning and even planning and cooking meals! Tired and heartburny and achy, but I look pregnant without being scarily so.
Exercise: More activity, for sure. Walking and attempted running (nope. Not happening). I was even able to walk a mile each way to the Georgia Aquarium AND walk all around the aquarium without dying.
Sleep: Eh, ask me again later. I’m absolutely exhausted just coming off of five terrible nights – four of which were in a hotel bed with Gabe and he kept falling out of bed. I had my first Charley horse in the middle of the night, so I had sleeping PTSD for a few nights after how painful that was.
Movement: Still lots of full body movement since there’s allegedly a lot of room in there it roll and twist about. Somehow parts of my insides are getting bruised (particularly the thin parts of my stomach). The other night, the kicks were so strong they woke me up!
Food cravings: Potatoes in all forms.
Misc:
- The only thing we absolutely need to get in the next three months is an infant car seat. Maybe some newborn cloth diapers and a sound machine. Possibly a seahorse since Gabe used that thing for 3 years and it’s dead. But that’s it. How awesome, right? Second babies require so much less stress and planning.
- I thought March might be a difficult month – last March 8th, I found out I was pregnant and yesterday (the 17th) was my due date for the second miscarriage. Remembering how downright giddy and excited I felt with that positive pregnancy test in early March stings a little now. And, oddly, seeing newborn babies now is a little harder than they were from my due date in November, even though I’m so much closer to having my own baby. Also, this means I’ve officially been pregnant or miscarrying for a year. Whew.
- I bought two maternity support bands (this one and this one) and planned to decide which one I liked better. Turns out they are both useful at different times. The smaller one is what I wear most often, especially if I’m going to be walking or standing a lot, but the heavy duty one is also good for long walks. Apparently I talked a lot about how heavy my belly felt and how much it felt like the baby was pushing down, because today Gabe wrapped a long strand of toilet paper around my belly and said, “Here’s a belly band so the baby doesn’t push down on your hips.”
- This weekend, charmed by how cute and sweet he was being, I told Gabe he can never grow up. He said, “But I have to grow up so I can be a big brother!” This little baby is going to be so loved by this boy.
Be careful with the seahorse! http://www.abc2news.com/news/outcry-over-soothe-glow-seahorse-burn-risk-grows-but-no-action-from-fisher-price
Weird! I wonder if they’ve changed the model in the past few years? Gabe’s never did that!
Glad you’re feeling good! I’ve never been pregnant but I can only imagine trying to do things like running!
Do you have any recs for Asheville (things to do, eat, etc.)? My husband and I are going next month for the weekend and we’ve never been! So far we have Biltmore on the list but nothing else.
Yes! Many recs!
Drive and hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway (get directions at the visitors center to see what’s open).
Then eat a lot! :)
We loved Chai Pani, Early Girl Eatery, Tuepelo Honey, Sunny Point Cafe & Bakery, Rosetta’s Kitchen, Laughing Seed Cafe, French Broad Chocolate Lounge, and Chocolate Fetish! SO many great restaurants!
I got Charley Horse cramps nearly every night with all three of my pregnancies (so far). They are THE WORST! I found that two things were marginally helpful.
1. Stretching my calf muscle before going to bed. Stand facing a wall, put the top half of your foot on the wall and lean in – the basic running stretch for calf muscles.
2. Increasing my calcium intake. My mother in law swears by Calcium/Magnesium tablets, but I usually just took at few of those calcium chews.
Hope everything continues to go well!
Yes! I started taking magnesium and calcium supplements and hopefully that will ward off any returning cramps!
Aw Gabe is going to be the BEST big brother. Love :)
I got 2 Charley horse cramps while pregnant and they were TERRIBLE. Then my husband told me if I felt one coming I should immediately stand up and it wouldn’t happen. This lead to several jumping out of bed incidents, but I never got one again!
I think even though you are close to having your own baby, it’s still going to be hard to get through some of those milestones. Hugs.
have you been eating bananas for the charlie horses? i NEVER get them ever except pregnant and then WOWZER! i have to leap right out of bed!
what did you end up deciding re: delivery – same birth center? or the hospital with the OB you like? any doula plans ;)
love the bellah pics :)
The birth center isn’t an option (too far away), so hospital it is! I haven’t thought about a doula – the process of finding a good one is so overwhelming! My aunts offered to do it (4 natural child births each), but I don’t know that I want someone I know and love to see me at my most vulnerable…
awww bummer dude about the birth center! for some reason, i was thinking you lived close.
i think its wonderful that your aunts volunteered, but yes, if its *too* personal, i’m happy to help you find someone. not like pick them out, but scare up a couple of candidates to email/interview in person lol. i agree, if you live ina place with a lot of options, it can be hard to know where to start b/c there are so many names to pick! good support, no matter what way you go, epidural or natural, is worth its weight in gold ;)
Ah! You look fabulous! Be gentle with yourself in March – and hang in there with the kicks and heavy belly – haha Gabe kills me!
Gabe is just the sweetest. He’s going to be an awesome big brother! Also, totally may have missed this but do you guys know/did you find out the gender? I feel like maybe yes, but I’ve been a space cadet these days :)
Think of you often; love seeing and reading these updates. xo
We will find out in June! :)
You look amazing Ashley! I’ve been using magnesium oil and a calcium supplement to try and restore those minerals in my body, and to avoid muscle cramps. I read that magnesium is better absorbed through the skin than taken orally, and so I went with the spray. I rub some on my thighs every time I get out of the shower. I think it’s the same idea as taking an epsom salt bath for the muscle soothing mineral benefits, but without the bath part.
Yes! Calcium and magnesium are supposed to help – I’ve been taking both regularly ever since. :)
OMG, I LOVED that larger belly band. Near the end it was a LIFE saver on my hips and joints. I recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Mike wants one! Haha. He has some back pain and he’s like, ‘Ummm, can I try??’
You’re looking and sounding great, Ashley! Gosh, 26 weeks already? I always think of my pregnant friends looking like they do when they first start showing – and I’m always surprised when the baby grows bigger! =)
I feel your pain re. sharing a bed with boys who roll out. WTF?!? Gavin and I shared a pull-out sofa in Florida and him trying to roll out was pretty much a nightly occurrence. My sleep definitely suffered, though I’m not sure if it was from anxiety over him rolling out of bed or the fact he would kick me on his way out of bed. ha.