36 Weeks Pregnancy Update

I figured it was time to do a  {rather BIG} pregnancy update.

I am now 36 weeks pregnant! Even though I have only a few weeks left, I feel like this babe is never going to make his grand entrance.  This pregnancy has gone by so slow for me! I look back at the time when I was in my first trimester and I think it was YEARS ago. It has been nice being so busy this time around though.  When I was pregnant with Lincoln I was literally counting down the seconds til his due date. I always knew exactly how far along I was, I was also checking the baby websites to know what's going on with the mister and 'baby' was constantly on my mind.  With this pregnancy I've actually had to look up on the computer a pregnancy calendar to figure out how far along I was! I guess being a momma of an almost 2 year old keeps you extra busy and will keep your mind off the babe growing inside you.

This pregnancy has been so much different that my pregnancy with Lincoln. It's so different that I still have dreams that I'm having a girl :S. I'm not - I promise.  My first trimester I was the usual sick. I got on top of Zofran really quick and that seemed to make a world of a difference.  I was still so tired, weak, and would throw up here and there, but for the most part it was better than my first trimester with Lincoln.  My second trimester was golden! I had energy, didn't feel sick and felt as normal as a pregnant woman could feel. And now I'm in my third trimester. gag. When I hit 31 weeks the sickness hit again...full force. I have been more sick than I was in my first trimester. Even though I'm throwing up multiple times a week, at least I still have energy (unlike the first trimester). I am back on the Zofran which is helping take the edge off the nausea, but the sudden runs to the bathroom are still coming. My body has also been in so much pain. Around 30 weeks it was like all of my bones in my body started to ache. It hurts to sit, to walk, to lay down.  I usually take 2 baths a day to try to relax my body and help my sooth my body.  Sleeping is a complete joke. It takes all my energy to try to change sleep positions and it hurts soooo bad to move in my sleep. Last night I slept with my body pillow and it helped a little bit, but still - the pain is so strong! I never experienced any of this pain with Lincoln-man. And speaking of pain - if I have an ounce of urine in my bladder, I start having contractions. Needless to say I am having to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes (no joke). If I don't, the pain appears and I can seriously barely move, but once I empty my squished bladder I'm good to go. (weird)

So basically at 36 weeks I am beyond ready for this babe to get here. I think my body is more ready than I am actually. I still have some things to get for this babe and some things to finish in the nursery. I had high hopes in making a new bed skirt and pillows for the nursery, but I think I have decided to just keep what I had in Lincolns nursery. I have to just figure out what to put on the walls. that's my biggest hold up.  hummm. I finally went out and bought diapers yesterday! Even though Lincoln and this babe will be 2 years apart and little babe will be able to use all of Lincolns things - I'm surprise how much I needed to still get for this little guy. Yesterday I went and go: new swaddle blankets, binkys, diapers, diaper cream, bottles, bottle brush, wash cloths, and things for me to take to the hospital. We still need to get a new baby monitor (lincoln our other one was a bath toy and ruined it) and we also need to get more clothes/outfits for little man.  Lincoln destroyed so many of his clothes because of his acid reflux/spit up/drool that I had to throw a lot of his clothes away :(

I've been seeing my doctor weekly since 31 weeks since I've been so sick and since I've been having such weird pregnancy symptoms.  It's nice being able to see our babe weekly, but the drive is getting so long! We live an hour from my doctor. It's so so so worth the drive though. It was a lot better when I could make a day trip out of it and hang out with my mom in c-ville, but since they are gone I drive an hour to the doctors, stay at the doctors for about 30 minutes then make the hour long drive back home. It's getting tiring, but like I said - it's worth the drive to have my doctor deliver this babe.

My doctor is still planning on doing a VBAC! That is if everything goes smoothly.  He is planning on inducing me at 39 weeks, on August 31st. That is if my body has started to dilate and thin. Because I am having a VBAC he says it's best if he can start me so he can really monitor everything going on. I keep hoping that my body will dilate on it's own. My body never dilated or changed one tiny bit when I was pregnant with Lincoln.  If my body hasn't dilated or changed, then we will have a scheduled C-Section on September 7th. Although, I'm going to talk to him to see if we can push that date up. If I have to have c-section for the same reasons I did with Lincoln, then why wait?  Or there is another possibility... I can go into labor on my own :) and that is what I am really hoping and praying for. It's been really hard to prepare to know when this babe will be here and how he will be here. It's also hard to know what kind of labor I will have. I wish I had all the answers, but as I learned with my last pregnancy/labor - the Lord is in charge.

It's also been hard to know what to do with Lincoln man when I go into labor/have this babe. Since we don't have parent we are really relying on siblings and neighbors.  The plan as of now is for Linc to stay with my sister Kelli. If for some reason I can't get a hold of her (lets be honest, she's the hardest to get a hold of cuz she never, ever answers her phone :) ) I have 2 neighbors who will be standing by to help out and I can call them in the middle of the night if needs be. My sister in laws have also offered to help. So if I end up having a VBAC, and i'm only in the hospital for 2 days then Kelli will just watch Linc but if I have to do a C-section we will have my sister in laws help out with Lincoln because that hospital stay will be 5 days. 

It's also hard to know what to pack for the hospital.  I don't want to over pack - but then again, if a VBAC doesn't work and I have to get a c-section I want to be prepared for a long hospital stay.

When I met with my doctor last week he did some measurements of the babe.  He just laughed and told me I should prepare myself for a big baby. He said that by 39 weeks I'll be carrying around an 8 pound baby! AH! That is not what you want to hear when you are planning on a VBAC - maybe a C-section wouldn't be all that bad :) (but really, I really want a VBAC) He asked how big Lincoln was and I told him 6 pounds and he just laughed again and told me to prepare myself. He then asked how big my hubby was when he was born. I said, about 8 pounds and he said once again prepare myself. {great}.

I'm also nervous to see how post delivery goes. Since we don't have parents living by us I am relying 100% on James. My mom helped out sooo much with Lincoln I am worried I am going to completely fail this time around. I read other peoples blogs and hear stories from friends about what great help and how it was so nice to have their mom/mother in-law around to help out. Well, that isn't an option for us this time around. It literally scares me so bad. I hope me and James can do it :) James has been coaching me through it saying we will get by :) He has been working so much lately so he can take time off work so he can stay home with me. He has been gone traveling for week for the past 3 weeks. Talk about stress on me. He's in Colorado right now for work, he was in Vegas last week for work and will be gone next week as well. As much as I wish he was home helping me get ready for baby and especially to help out with Lincoln, I'm glad he's getting the traveling done now so he can be close when babe comes. 

We still don't have a name for this child. Go figure. I have 3 favorite names and James has 3 favorite names - but we don't have favorites together. We do have a middle name picked out - but that also depends on what first name we pick because if the middle name doesn't sound great with the first name then we wont use it. Hopefully we will be able to pick a name once the babe gets here.  For now I just call him Babe. It's funny because when I was pregnant with Lincoln I always called him Mister and now with this one it's Babe. I sure do love my babe already!

All in all I hope this babe comes soon. I am beyond ready to hold him in my arms. I'm anxious to see Lincoln with baby brother.  Yesterday he kept giving my tummy kisses. Hopefully he'll get the concept of Big Brother at a rapid rate.

Here is the latest tummy photo. 36 weeks ... looking and feeling large and in charge!

And don't worry. I can't fit into my clothes any more. I alternate between 2 skirts and 4 shirts. It's a great look I tell ya