Jed and Heather: 26 Week Pregnancy Update

Note: this was written at 26 weeks.... and I'm not sure why I never published it! Oh well!

Here we are at 26 weeks!

I was right, the second trimester has been better! But we are fast approaching the third and already I'm getting ready to be done with this pregnancy.

Updates:

Feeling pretty big. I'm really not sure how much bigger I can get!

Back pain, while not good, is still not as bad as the hip pain. Hip pain, as well as knee pain, is really killing me right now.

Sleep.... Oh sleep. I remember you. It's been over a week of restless nights. Various things happen: I can't fall asleep for an hour or two, my hips hurt too much so I wake up 10+ times a night, I have to readjust my position every time I wake up, and sometimes I wake up for an hour or so in the middle of the night. And you know, I expect sleep to be a problem during pregnancy, but I was hoping it wouldn't appear until after 32 weeks or so. I have a few things to try (essential oils all night long, sleep on the couch, and even Benedryl if it comes to that), and hopefully something will work because all my restlessness is disturbing Jed's sleep! (Update: I have made the couch into my bed! I can have a cocoon of pillows all around me, and having to move around all the time doesn't bother Jed. It's not ideal but I can actually get a good nights sleep!)

Migraines. They are in control! I get headaches less frequently and migraines rarely. Thank. Good. Ness. The prescription medicine the doctor gave me really helped and it almost seems to have reset the headaches.

Blood pressure. Not so good. I keep having episodes of feeling faint, over tired or over exerted, and breathless. Not great. A busy day usually means a seriously exhausted me by dinner time. So, no exercising (not that I was anyways but the pressure is totally off!), lots of breaks, and lots of laying down. I'm still only hypertensive and not preeclamptic so that's good news.

The baby moves a TON. I love it. She is an active child already. The only down side is she hits more vital organs than Chris ever did. So if later on in the pregnancy, when she's stronger, please forgive me if I yelp in pain because she hit my bladder or kidney. It's happened already and it hurts. But I just love seeing my belly move when she moves. I love feeling it with my hand. I love how Jed can feel the baby move now.

And yes, we found out she is a girl. We plan in calling her Kara and while I tell everyone that it's not 100% until she's born and we see her, we refer often to her as Kara so I am pretty positive that will be her name. And by the by, it will be pronounced "care-uh" not "car-uh." If she's not Kara, she will probably be Eve.

I got some wonderful advice from a new friend who is also pregnant with her second, due in October. She received this advice and passed it along. It is that when you have a situation when both children need you, both are crying, soothe the toddler first and the newborn second. Instinct initially told me, no the baby is more helpless they need me first! But she explained that if you do it the other way around, the toddler will quickly start to resent the baby, and that's when the hitting and hurting of the baby start up or get worse. She said the woman who gave her this advice told her that when she started helping the toddler first, she saw an overnight difference in how the toddler treated the baby. I love that advice!

Other pregnancy things... My finger is too big to wear my wedding ring. I have gained about 10 pounds so far in the pregnancy. No sickness. I can even be late eating a snack or meal and not throw up, but I will feel sick up to the point I eat. Can't tell if I have any new stretch marks (my belly was covered in the last one) but I don't think I do. I'm always hot but having a fan in every room of the house saves my life.