Pregnancy: 27-28 weeks

Hello Third Trimester!


Wow, has there ever been a marked decrease in energy as I enter the third trimester.  I am so sleepy.  I'm trying to remember to take my supplements daily to make sure my iron levels are high (fatigue is related to anemia).  Unfortunately my fatigue has been joined by sporadic hip pain and loose joints which lead to twisted ankles.  Ugh.  Must walk more carefully :-)

This week is my gestational diabetes test.  I am doing the alternative test which is a fasting finger prick followed by a carb-heavy breakfast.  Two hours later they do a lab draw to check blood sugar levels (as well as for Rh antibodies since I'm Rh negative.)  I opted to skip the 28-week Rhogam shot unless there is an event that would cause sensitization (car accident, other trauma to abdomen, bleeding, etc).

Speaking of appointments, I only have one more monthly appointment before we switch to bi-weekly and then weekly!  This is going so fast! (my midwife starts bi-weekly later than most, even.  If I was at a hospital-based practice I'd start bi-weekly now.  Crazy!)

I don't think I've gained any weight since the last appointment... which is odd and I hope doesn't cause her to be concerned.  I think maybe I've gained a pound (based on the last time I checked) but I've also been exercising more.  So we'll see.  (normal weight gain is ~1lb per week, or ~4lbs a month)  Personally I don't think it's that big of a deal since I, ahem, gained a little more a little earlier in this pregnancy.

Emotionally and mentally, I feel awesome.  I've noticed in talking with other pregnant women that I am surprisingly stable throughout pregnancy while many prego mamas suffer from serious mood swings due to hormonal changes.  I'm like a peaceful birthing buddha. Ha!  I think Kraig is thankful for that.  I am enjoying this second pregnancy but it's surprisingly different from the first.  It is much more "private", which I knew to expect.  People aren't swooning over me, asking a ton of questions, or trying to touch me (which I don't mind, though I know some are not okay with the belly-rubbing).  There is not as much advice given, which is a huge blessing. Generally it just feels like we are left on our own to prepare for this new little one, and I like that.  The attention was nice the first round, but we've got it under control this time.

I believe there will be a shower/blessingway at the beginning of October, and I do think it will be nice to have some concentrated attention if for no other reason than to really get excited about the birth (I'm already excited, but during that homestretch it will be much needed.)  I'm blessed to have friends and neighbors who want to celebrate me.  It's not an easy thing to build a community from scratch when we're so far from our hometowns, but we've done it and we're thankful for everyone here that loves us.  We have a great support system here and we couldn't be happier.  Now I'm feeling all sappy.  Whatever- cheers to new babies and friends that are like family.