Well, I've made it to early term with this baby! (In 2013 "full term" was changed to 39 weeks gestation, so 37 weeks to 38 weeks 6 days is now considered "early term," which means the baby is still early but a doctor won't do anything to stop labor). Although making it this far along is great news, the bad news is that the other day Micah said to me, "You just seem grumpy." Yes, at this stage in pregnancy that is unfortunately the best word to describe me.
I'm not unusually down or depressed...just grumpy about everything. I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER. I know I shouldn't complain about being pregnant this long after having preemies, but WOW...9 months is a really long time to be pregnant! Recently Micah asked me what we did for our anniversary last August, and it took me a few minutes to remember. And then it struck me that I've been pregnant since August, and that was so long ago that we can hardly remember what we did for our anniversary (which was just dinner out while our friends watched the kids, but we don't go out very often so it should be memorable!).
Having triplets is a very unique situation and my triplet pregnancy was in no way easy. Many women comment about me being their "hero" since I carried triplets and I take care of the three of them by myself most days. But to be honest, these days I am in awe of the women that have had numerous pregnancies, especially when they were close together. I look at photos of our peers' families and think to myself, "Wow, her oldest is the same age as my trio and she has been pregnant two more times since then?!!" I simply cannot imagine being pregnant for, what seems to me like, years on end.
I do believe pregnancy is simply easier for some people than others. I was talking to another pregnant woman recently who said that she has felt great her entire pregnancy. That is so hard for me to comprehend. Overall this pregnancy has been fairly easy compared to my triplet pregnancy, but I'm still dealing with the usual complaints of heartburn (which means I fall asleep laying on multiple pillows every night), digestion issues, fatigue, dizziness at times, some slight swelling at times, and other common ailments. I also have already gained a few more pounds than the "recommended" amount and I still have a few weeks to go, so I just feel blah. It sounds vain, but I daydream about squeezing back into my old clothes. Also, I know some women workout throughout their pregnancy, but I really haven't, and I can't wait until I can run and climb again!
I have heard people say that the discomforts and related grumpiness at the end of pregnancy are God's way of making us ready for childbirth as it's obviously not the easiest thing to go through. At this point, I can definitely say that I am ready to meet this little guy anytime and, although the unknown of birth is still a little scary, I feel done with pregnancy and I am ready to do what it takes for him to make his appearance!
Hopefully the kids don't remember me as their grumpy mom after the baby is born. They are used to getting out of the house several times a week with me and enjoying the Biopark or other parks, but I am simply too tired to do those things these days (plus parks here don't have bathrooms, which is a hardship for a pregnant lady!). I'm so thankful that Alexis, Jack, and Faith really do play well together most of the time as they keep each other fairly well entertained, even on the days that we don't leave the house. I am also thankful that they are potty trained, they can mostly dress themselves, and they are fairly independent in many other ways. Although 3-year-olds are definitely not "easy," overall they have been great to me during this pregnancy.
A few random tidbits about this pregnancy since my last update:
- I have minor swelling in my ankles, and sometimes my hands, that started when I was just short of 33 weeks. Honestly, I've hardly had any swelling compared to my triplet pregnancy, and it tends to happen if I've been on my feet for most of the day.
- My midwife's office did a quick scan at 34 weeks to confirm that the baby is head down! I was told that he really shouldn't flip at this point.
- I got another prenatal massage at 35 weeks. I've only had two in total this pregnancy as it has been hard to find the time and I haven't felt like I needed it as much as I did with my triplet pregnancy, but my back has been sore so it felt great.
- I started feeling really tired again between 34 and 35 weeks. The tiredness probably came on gradually, but this is when I noticed that I was exhausted by the time Micah got home at dinnertime. I also need short naps some afternoons.
- I have been surprised by the discomfort I feel with some of the baby's movements. Although I had three babies in me last time, they were only about 3 lbs each when they were born so their movements weren't very forceful. Plus, they were probably so squished in there that they couldn't make very big movements. This time, though, some movements take my breath away!
- Occasionally I've had a racing heart (up to 125 bpm on my count) after doing something as simple as putting laundry away. When this happens I have to sit down for 20-30 minutes until my heart rate decreases and I start to feel better (I feel lightheaded when this happens). I talked to my midwife about it and although she was slightly concerned, it is probably okay since it's happening when I'm being active.
- I have been having Braxton Hick's throughout my pregnancy, but they've definitely increased in the last few weeks. I was usually getting them in the evening after I had walked around a lot during the day, but now I seem to get no matter what. I get them morning, noon, and night, and I've tracked as many as eight in an hour.
- During my triplet pregnancy I had terrible tailbone pain, especially when I sat upright for awhile. Thankfully, this has not bothered me at all this pregnancy!
This week I went back and looked at my early blog posts and realized that one reason I might be feeling a little anxious about the length of this pregnancy is that not only were Alexis, Jack, and Faith born at 31 weeks, but Alexis and Jack were actually home by the time they were the equivalent of 37.5 weeks gestation! At 37 weeks "gestation" each of our trio weighed slightly over 5 lbs, and my weekly pregnancy emails tell me that this baby likely weighs just over 6 lbs. He is going to seem like a giant to us by the time he is born!
Here are some photos of this pregnancy compared to my 30 week triplet pregnancy photo, which was the last one I took before my trio was born at 31 weeks and 2 days.
 |
| 30 vs 32 weeks |
 |
| 30 vs 33 weeks |
 |
| 30 vs 34 weeks |
 |
| 30 vs 35 weeks |
 |
| 30 vs 36 weeks |
 |
| 30 vs 37 weeks |
