Do you remember that one time I got pregnant and then my laptop keyboard broke so I didn't blog about the pregnancy at all? Oh, that's right now? Yep. My laptop keyboard is still broken almost 5 months later because I'm too lazy to drive the 30 minutes across town to get it fixed. I did finally decide to splurge and spend $11 on a keyboard. The touch screen keypad has been getting me through for the work I need to do, and it's already obvious that this keyboard is not going to get me through for long.
We have had a very uneventful pregnancy this go round. If it weren't for my "advanced maternal age" and our recent miscarriage we would have only had two ultrasounds and the standard appointment schedule of 6 weeks, then 4, then every 2 weeks in the third trimester. We did get a few extra ultrasounds in the beginning because of our circumstances going into this pregnancy, but we haven't seen the baby on the big screen since 20 weeks.
We did opt to do non invasive prenatal testing, also known as a Harmony test, since I am a bit older this time. We were able to confirm early on that there were no chromosomal abnormalities. We also had the option to find out the baby's gender at 12 weeks, so of course we said yes. Rob was team boy. I was team girl, and as it turns out the ladies will have the majority in this house. I've had a name picked out before we knew for sure she was a she. Unfortunately Rob doesn't love the name and neither of us can come up with anything else, so she may remain nameless for the first few days of her life.
Her anatomy scan around 18 weeks showed that everything is developing right on track. We got a reconfirmation of that with the MFM at 20 weeks, and then it's been a waiting game since then. It's odd to not have any idea how much she weighs or what her profile looks like. We had so much monitoring with both of our twin pregnancies, that it's been a totally different pregnancy experience this time. I'm fully convinced we're going to have a 9lb baby in a few short weeks. After two brunettes and two blondies, I'm also convinced she's going to be a ginger or a raven haired little lady.
I have been much more exhausted this pregnancy than with either of the other two. I'm not sure if it's age or chasing around 4 kids, but I feel it. The second trimester energy burst never came. I've just been tired. Naps have been an almost daily occurrence since 5 weeks. Thank goodness Scarlett and Clark still nap. I've been working more this pregnancy due to some staffing changes over the last couple months. I'm just glad I still feel well enough to work. I bought a Blanqui support tank specifically to wear to work, and I think it's made a big difference. Managing 40 dogs when you're 30+ weeks pregnant is no easy task, and the extra belly support has been much appreciated. I am now regretting my decision not to spend the money on one during my previous pregnancies.
I have had barely any round ligament pain and the braxton hicks contractions have just started within the last week. Both of those we're present from 20 weeks on with my twin pregnancies. It's been a blessing not to experience them so frequently. Even though there's only one baby this time, I'm still on track to gain the same as I did with Scarlett and Clark. I would have been at about the same with H and B too if it weren't for all of the preeclampsia swelling and water weight I gained in the last 2 weeks. It doesn't matter starting weight, diet, exercise, the number of fetuses, 50 lbs is the magic number for my pregnancy weight gain.
We're down to just over a month left until she arrives. We opted to do a scheduled c-section again this go round and I'll have my tubes removed during delivery. One surprise pregnancy we never thought would happen is all we can handle. We knew she was our final baby from the moment we saw the positive pregnancy test. Our delivery is scheduled for bright and early on November 1st. That gives us time to enjoy all of the fall activities we love with the kids and then rock their world with another baby. Now we'll keep our fingers crossed that she stays put for another 33 days. Just now typing that our made me realize how soon it really is.
