Baby Butler is 27 Weeks!

Helllllllllllllllo, third trimester!!!

Baby Growth: Jonathan asked me yesterday how big the baby is now…

And Jase is about the size of a “hefty head of cauliflower,” weighing in at almost 2 pounds and a length of about 14 1/2 inches.

My Symptoms: I had a doctor’s appointment this week and everything went great. The baby’s heartbeat was on the higher side (160), which we were thinking was from all the sugar. I had my glucose test, and I honestly don’t understand why everyone dreads it so much?? It wasn’t bad AT ALL.  The orange drink actually tasted pretty good to me (haha, fat kid?).  I am doing better with the needles…..I just close my eyes and don’t look, and thankfully I haven’t had any panic attacks or anything crazy like I was expecting to have. The worst part of the whole glucose test to me was not eating breakfast. My body is used to eating EVERY morning within 30 min, a super healthy breakfast. Not eating breakfast & consuming so much sugar messed my day all up….& I ate like JUNK the whole rest of the day…so that was just further confirmation in my book the importance of a HEALTHY, well-balanced breakfast!

The doctor commented on my iron levels and said whatever I’m doing….to KEEP doing! He was very pleasantly surprised that my iron is still in the normal range for women, which is especially uncommon during pregnancy because babies suck out all of your nutrients. I’m definitely attributing that to my CorePlex with Iron & green smoothies!

He also said gestational diabetes is typically a result of weight or heredity, NOT eating too many sweets, so he expected I would pass. And I did! I “passed” my glucose test with a 96, so I was thankful for that. I think anything about 130 is the number they are watching out for as far as sugar.

Weight/Belly: According to the doctor’s office I am +19 lbs from pre-preggo weight. I asked the doctor about it, and he said that is fine….it would be put me about 30 lbs total by the time I deliver if I gain a pound a week from here on out. I can tell my legs and arms are a little thicker than normal, but for the most part I am “all belly,” so I feel pretty confident it will come off quickly.  Still no stretch marks. Still loving my coconut oil! My belly is SOOOO soft!!

Maternity Clothes: I just wear whatever. Sometimes that includes regular pants with the band, and sometimes that includes regular shirts with a long tank top (and band). I also wear lots of scarves and LOTS of layers!! I don’t like that you can sometimes see the outline of my belly button through my shirts, but whatev- I’m preggo, that’s what it looks like, that’s the way God made it, and if my layers can’t hide it, I’m not going through any extra effort either.

And let’s talk gym clothes for a minute. I REALLY need some new workout pants. (Not maternity ones, just regular.) Right now I alternate the same two pairs of stretchy workout pants & one of Jon’s old t-shirts (which typically have paint on them!). I know people probably look at me on the treadmill and think “Who is this homeless pregnant lady?” (ha!) but I honestly don’t care what I look like when I’m working out. My t-shirts are DEFINITELY not happening…they look like spandex! The other day we were getting ready to leave for the gym and I had on a t-shirt that I didn’t think was that bad, but when I came out of the bedroom Jon died laughing and told me I should probably change. My belly was hanging out the bottom & I didn’t even know it! Hahaha, you’d think I would feel the breeze?

And I know this sounds is super weird, but sometimes I wear a cotton skirt & t-shirt to bed. Jonathan thinks that’s hilarious too. I really need to take a pic to show y’all this get-up…it’s pretty ridiculous looking. It is just SO soft & comfy & doesn’t cut into me anywhere.  I feel the need to wear something when I’m getting ready for bed because we have a lot of windows in our house, & none of my “panties” are very covering. Speaking of those, time to get some new ones. Mine are TOO small….& it is SO not a good look (or very comfortable for that matter), although Jon & I laugh about it sometimes.  We have definitely laughed a lot this pregnancy!! I honestly did NOT even think about sports bras and panties as being something I would have to buy- I don’t know why? But I have certainly “outgrown” all of mine!

Movement: I love this little baby bump moving all over the place!!!  There have been a few times this week where I have felt my WHOLE belly shift….so I’m wondering if he has maybe turned?? It will be interesting to see at the ultrasound on Thursday! It seriously feels like a bowl of jello moving all around….so crazy! I have also felt Jase start pressing straight out! Not sure if it’s his hands, feet, knees, or what, but I can feel these little “hard spots” where he is pressing. Everyone says I’ll miss all these movements after he’s born, so I am cherishing them all!! (Although he does get way wild every time I lay down, so that makes it tough to sleep sometimes.)

Sleep: Okay, I’ve got the most random issue going on! It only happens sometimes, and only when I lay down, BUT… my chest BUUUUURNS underneath my boobs (right in the center). It does NOT feel like it’s on the inside or like heartburn. I know what heartburn feels like, even though thankfully I’ve only had it a couple times this pregnancy. It feels more like my sports bra is rubbing my skin raw?? It used to happen when I ran really long distances while training for the marathons- it feels exactly like that! But, there isn’t any raw skin & it ONLY bothers me when I lay down…and only sometimes. Jon looked it up and said it has something to do with some nerve thing…so I’m not really concerned about it, but it is annoying when I’m trying to go to sleep & my chest is burning like crazy and Jase is playing drums inside my belly! Still, if that’s my biggest complaint (besides rolling over….ANNOYING!), I can’t really complain!

Cravings: Sweets!! Any and everything sweet!! I don’t even get on Pinterest because I don’t wanna see all those yummy desserts- I could tear some of those bad boys up! And Jon obviously didn’t read my update from last week because he brought me home some more goodies this week. Ha! I’ve been doing pretty good decent about consuming sugar in moderation….but can definitely improve for sure.  Sugar is SO terrible for you…so I just have to chill out.

Work Outs: No more jogging! I decided last week after that  painful episode I better just stick to walking. I’m walking, stretching & lifting light weights a few times every week. I am thicker for sure (not as lean & cut) but still have a lot of muscle & feel strong.

Best Pregnancy Moment This Week: Last week I was having a lot of anxiety about the actual labor and delivery. This week, that is not even on my radar anymore and I feel at such a peace about it!

At my appointment, the doctor answered a LOT of my questions and it definitely put my mind more at ease.  I asked him his thoughts (without telling him my goals yet) because I wanted to get a sense of his thoughts/perspective and honest opinion.  Although he seemed to be all for an epidural, talking to him absolutely confirmed for me is that I DEF do NOT want to be induced or have an epidural if at all possible. First time moms who are induced (at our hospital, in our practice) have a 43% chance of ending up in c-section. And epidurals increase the chances of other interventions, such as Pitocin, an episiotomy, c-sections, etc. I do not want any of those. (Of course, I understand anything can happen and totally have an open mind to that….and no, I will not feel like a “failure.”)

But I have to say, my favorite moment this week was DEFINITELY spending time with & talking to other preggo friends!! 

I had lunch with these two beautiful mommy-to-be friends from high school and LOVED being able to talk ALL babies the whooooole time without boring anyone! Larissa is due EXACTLY one week ahead  of me and Melissa is due EXACTLY one week after me, to the day! How cool, huh? (They are both having girls!) It is so funny because we all three have similar builds and all of our bumps look pretty much the same. AND we all have similar concerns, views, and goals with childbirth. I have loved sharing this journey with them (and SO MANY other friends who are expecting!).

I also talked to one of my friends from college, Adrienne, and I think hearing what she has learned from her doctors and in childbirth classes has relieved the MOST anxiety for me yet!! I am so appreciative of her sharing all of her thoughts, documents, etc. I LOVE the perspective & info her doctors gave her.  It makes SO MUCH sense to me and just really made me feel a LOT better about everything!! So THANK YOU, Adrienne!

Goals for next week: Our furniture is coming Monday!! YAYYY!!! By the end of the day Monday our furniture will be set up in the nursery, our fabric for the bedding will be chosen & ordered, our taxes will be done, & I will have at least 2 of my 4 preps worth of long-term sub plans done. I will also have all of my maternity leave paperwork DONE & ready to submit!

Thoughts: WHERE is time going??? My gosh! After finding out I was pregnant at four weeks, the first few months really seemed to drag on & take forever….but this last month or so has absolutely FLOWN by!!! Jase will be here in 2- 3 months!!!!!! AHhhhh!!!!!!!

So far we have NOTHING for the baby!!! I figured it’d be smarter to wait till after all the showers, but I HATE that baby stuff is so expensive! I feel SO guilty (is that weird?) about how expensive everything is…But all the things we “need” are big ticket items that are so high. The good news is that pretty much everything is reusable for future children, so once we are all stocked up, we will be good to go for a while. But still…it has definitely given me a new perspective on the gifts I give to people.

I think one of my favorite parts of this whole thing has been how excited Jonathan is for us to have a baby. I already knew he would be a great daddy, but knowing how truly, genuinely excited (and emotional- shhhh!!!) he is about us having a child – a sweet little blessing God is entrusting us to raise- has absolutely melted my heart and made me fall in love with him on a whole new level. 

I know he will the BEST coach…he is the BEST at everything he does!  And I’ve read over and over that teamwork and a strong partnership is one of the most important aspects of childbirth (especially with natural). I love knowing that not only am I 100% confident in HIS abilities to coach me through, but that he is 100% confident in ME. That makes me feel so good!!! He is really good at affirming me and making me believe I can do this, and I can tell he doesn’t have a doubt in his mind either. He is taking this very seriously and has been praying for me, the baby, and the labor and delivery DAILY since we found out I was pregnant. (Seriously, is there ANYTHING better than a praying husband??) I know he will be my biggest fan & advocate in that delivery room…so I think that has brought me a total peace. Now my biggest concern is making sure the doctors are all on board & don’t think it’s crazy to have a birth plan or to want to go natural…