27 Weeks

(Feeling so thankful to be well rested and happy for a beautiful Friday)

Thankfulness: I am thankful for loving family and friends. I had some excitement this week, when I woke up and had over 6 contractions in 40 minutes (6 in an hour is when you need to worry). I've had more nice phone conversations and texts than any time in recent memory, which made me feel very loved. I'm also very thankful that it ended up being a false alarm, just overdoing it and a bit of dehydration, rather than early labor. 

How Far Along? 27 weeks. Can't believe I've reached the 3rd trimester!!!

Size of the Baby? A rutabaga. Definitely a random association this month - can't say I've ever eaten one!

Sleep? Two rough nights. I woke up from 3-5 Friday night (not fun when you're going to be driving 7 hours the next day) and then was up at 4am on Wednesday morning due to those pesky contractions. Otherwise pretty normal. 

Eating? Paleo took a bit of a nose dive this week, between visiting my sister and eating lots of yummy foods and feeling a bit off. Pasta was consumed multiple times :). 

Exercise: I did yoga while I was away, which was nice, and went to the gym Tuesday, but it seems like that was a mistake, since that's what potentially sparked all those contractions. It's put me in a hard place, since now I'm feeling worried about being active. I don't want to overdo it again, but I also don't want to keep from being active if I'm able. My midwife told me I should just play it by ear, so that's the current plan. I'm forseeing more yoga and less gym over the last few months, though. 

Best Moment? Celebrating this girl's 3rd birthday!

Can't believe it's been 3 years since she was born. She is such a big girl now! I had an amazing time getting to spend the weekend with her and her family and so wish we could live closer and spend more time together. 

Milestones: First legitimate freak out over pre-term labor :(. 

Mommy Update:  I feel like I've been saying this for a few weeks, but the Braxton Hicks contractions really started kicking up this week, and on Tuesday I was getting them every 10-15 minutes for 2 hours. When I woke up at 4am Wednesday, I realize they were still coming, and even faster. After I hit 6 in 40 minutes, I decided to go ahead and call the Midwife. She told me to drink some water and take a bath, and after another 40 minutes (and 4 contractions), they finally started slowing down. 

I spent the next day at school timing contractions (which were coming between 10 and 30 minutes apart) and generally freaking out. After meeting with one of the midwifes and being tested for pre-term labor, I was prescribed rest and drinking lots of gatorade. I took the next day off of work, which got my contractions back to their random state. Still had some stretches where I was getting them every 6-8 minutes, but luckily that only lasted for a few. I really need to figure out how to manage these for the rest of the pregnancy without driving myself crazy. 

I'm also really struggling with the Catch 22 of contractions. Being dehydrated causes contractions, but so does needing to go to the bathroom. So if I don't drink enough, I have contractions, but if I drink enough, I have to go to the bathroom more, which causes contractions. I'm still not sure how I am supposed to be managing this. 

This is definitely a learning experience :). 

Baby Update:  He has gotten so much more active! I've had lots of instances where I've seen my tummy really jump from his kicks and rolls. Especially with all the excitement, it's been so reassuring to feel him so much more often. He is having lots of brain activity and he can now open and close his eyes.