Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks

Yup, that's our boy. Can you see how he's got his legs squished over the top of his head? That's one flexible baby! I think he has Greg's nose. I'm not sure where he got the flexibility from, though. Certainly not from me. Here's my pregnancy update.



Weeks Pregnant: 28 weeks, 4 days. He's about the size of a large eggplant now. I went for this ultrasound on March 15th, and the doctor said that he weighed 2 lbs., 4 ounces at that point. Size-wise, he's doing great. The doctors haven't found any signs of vitamin or iron deficiencies (in me) or growth restriction (in him) at all yet. However, nothing came up with Nick until after 30 weeks, so they're going to watch me closely from this point forward.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Greg took this picture of me last night, when I'd just eaten a huge dinner of hibachi steak and scallops with sushi. I'm feeling kind of round, but I'm very happy that I'm not waddling yet. (At least I'm pretty sure I'm not waddling. I keep asking people and they tell me no.)
 
Weight: (From starting weight) +10 pounds. (I lost six pounds in the first trimester, then I gained that six back plus ten more.) I gained 8 pounds this month. Sigh. I think that's a lot for one month, but I barely gained at all until this month, so my doctor isn't worried.

I will say, though, that getting up and down from the floor is getting extremely difficult. I've spent a lot of time sitting either on the bathroom floor or on step stools, and every time I stand up my tailbone is on fire. I'm going for a pregnancy massage on Tuesday, and I'm really looking forward to that. (It was Greg's Valentine's Day gift to me.)

Movement: I was actually really worried about how little this guy was moving, but the fetal medicine specialist says that's because my placenta is in the front. He is moving more, but it's nothing like when I was pregnant with Nick, who was like a gymnast or a kick boxer when he was in utero.

Exercise: Well, not as much as I'd like. I did do pilates once and an elliptical trainer workout twice. I've kept up somewhat with my stretching, though, and I've done plenty of walking. I'm sure I'll do more this week, because I'm on my spring break. I want to do the pilates DVD again. Nick loved it! I feel like I've been generally more active with this pregnancy, probably because I spend much of my time chasing after a toddler. That sure counts as exercise. Or it should!

Coincidentally, I wore the same sweater for my 17 week picture and my 28 week picture. Hmm. I'm definitely bigger. I flipped the pic on the right and put them side by side so you could see the growth.

Cravings: Still with the coffee. I love my tall, skinny latte from Starbucks in the afternoons. Did you know they started carrying these teeny little desserts? My latest obsession is something called a red velvet whoopie pie. Trust me, they're good. Try one. If it's true that women crave things that their bodies are lacking during pregnancy, apparently I'm lacking in caffeine and red velvet.

On a healthier front, we recently switched to organic milk, so I've been drinking lots of that as well. Last week my family went through seven half gallons in seven days! We've also been having a ton of spinach salads, lots of fresh green beans and broccoli, and strawberries, apples, and bananas. My Costco grocery bill is intense, but our family eats well. I'm still making my own whole wheat bread in my bread maker, so I know that's healthy. Hurray for flax seed!

Sleep: Well, lately I'm waking up with back pain or limbs that have fallen asleep. I'm sleeping a little deeper, though, so that's good. Plus, since I just started the third trimester, the mind-numbing exhaustion hasn't hit me yet. I seem to be fine with 8 hours of sleep.

Medical: I'm still taking: 1 liquigel prenatal vitamin, 2 Flintstones Complete Chewables, 3 chewable calcium supplements, 1sublingual B12, and 1 baby aspirin each day. So far my labs are good, though, so the vitamins must be working. My blood sugar was better this week, but last week I was complaining of low readings (40s and 50s each day after eating) so of course the endocrinologist wants me to wear a continuous blood sugar monitor for a few days. Isn't it weird how as soon as you call the doctor to deal with a problem, the problem gets better? The day after I scheduled the test, my blood sugar readings went up and I haven't been below 60 in days.

Mood: I've been a little overwhelmed since we started potty training. I keep thinking about how hard it's going to be--not with the new baby, but lifting Nick and wrestling with him after I've had a c-section. I didn't think the recovery was bad at all last time, but I didn't have a 30-lb toddler to heave around all the time then, either. My mood regarding the new baby has been great, though. I am starting to get excited now as I look at teeny tiny sleepers and onesies.

Symptoms: Sometimes my belly jerks randomly and you can see it from the outside. With Nick, you could see arms and legs moving across, but with this pregnancy I just get sudden jumps. I was making popcorn (the old fashioned way, on the stove top) today, and the noise of the popping popcorn made him wake up and start dancing. My whole belly was jiggling.