Bee Report: Weeks 28-32

ENTERING THE EIGHTH MONTH.

size of baby: 29 weeks: Acorn Squash, 30 weeks: Cucumber, 31 weeks: Pineapple, 32 weeks: Squash. At 32 weeks Bee is tipping the scales between 3-4 lbs and may measure as much as 19 inches.

All of Bee's organs have developed and now it's a lot of practice breathing and gaining weight until his arrival in approximately 8 weeks!

cravings: Taco John's tacos and potato oles...I can't get enough of them! In the past weeks cravings have been intensifying. Last week I think I would have climbed to the top of Mount Everest for a piece of chocolate. I also still love apples, just not as furiously as I did with Harrison's pregnancy.

what I love: How close we are to baby! It has been a struggle getting here, but every bump and hurdle along the way has been more than worth it!

what I am looking forward to most: I have to admit I am looking forward to the leave from work. It's a stressful place right now and time away to regroup will be good for me professionally and personally. I am super excited for the final weeks of the pregnancy itself. Oh and yes, shopping for REGULAR clothes.


worries: I have a lot, A LOT of braxton hicks contractions. They are mostly not painful, but the strength and frequency of the contractions is increasing by what seems the day. One trigger for sure is half full/full bladder, but I can't put a trigger on the multiple other contractions I have during the day. I am going to do my best to try to count them so I have a better idea of how many I having a day for my doctor appointment Thursday. Maybe all of these contractions are normal...I've never been this pregnant! I also worry about not getting done with everything on my to do list before Bee arrives. The list is lengthy and growing. However kudos to myself, he finally has a usable closet. Now for getting through the 16-18 photos sessions that have been booked for the first 3 weeks in October.

whats different this time around: I don't get up and have to pee in the middle of the night. I had a stretch of this early on in pregnancy when I did, but that has subsided. I am a lot more tired than I remember being with Harrison. I am usually fine in the mornings, but come 5:00 I am ready to climb into bed and not get out..

symptoms: braxton hicks contractions, varicose veins, back ache, leg cramps, belly itching, irritability, pins and needles hands and feet, tiredness, over all feeling HUGE----all the good stuff!

maternity clothes: I can still button 3 of my jeans last time I checked, but I feel like I have gotten HUGE since then so who knows if they fit. I prefer maternity jeans to button on my pants, the buttons are feeling like I am squashing him in there even more. I am digging my two $70 GAP maternity jean purchases. $70 is a lot to spend on maternity jeans, but the comfort and fit = worth it. They aren't full fledged panel, which I prefer. I also picked up a pair of skinny jeans (maternity style) at Old Navy last month. All three jeans are pretty comfortable. I am going to have to find something to wear for our upcoming maternity session though, I feel like out growing clothes everyday.

sleeping: If I could do it all the time I would. I can't get enough sleep. Overall I am having more "sleep through the nights" and less up at 2 am and unable to go back to sleep nights.

belly: In the last week I have started to feel HUGE. It's actually made me wish for the first time of this pregnancy to go faster. I am getting anxious to meet this newest guy in my life. As much as I love my baby belly, it's beginning to hinder toe touching (picking up that pen off the floor is quite a chore) and it is hindering my shoe putting on ability.

movement: He can punches. These days I am not feeling him move as often as I had in last months post, but I can nudge to wake him up. He still has his very active days (today was one of those days). I think he is getting cramped for space!

boy/girl: No matter how many times I answer this question, I never get tired of saying, "It's a little boy."

milestone: 32 weeks (the beginning of the 8 month of pregnancy). This is 3 weeks past Harrison's gestational arrival.

comments from the general public: I have to love one of client's with MS. This guy is funny and amazing and fighting such a battle since he was in his 20s (he now is almost 40). I walked in to a visit the other day and he says, "So I gotta ask...when are the twins due?" I ran into a couple of people this week who I haven't bumped into in a while...I am getting a whole lot more comments like "Look at that bump!" So this must mean I have passed the "Your so small phase?!?"

best moment of the month: Surpassing week 29. With each week passing I am feeling more confident about the cerclage we had placed at 15 weeks. A cerclage won't help prevent pre-term labor if it's not due to cervical insufficiency. I am part of the success of the cerclage which is 85% successful in cervical insufficiency and allows a women to carry 32-37 weeks. The cerclage will be removed at 37 weeks...that's saying it's a possibility we could have a baby here in 5 weeks! YIKES....I think typing that was another kick at reality! We decided it would be safe to pack our bag at 35 weeks. I am in need of picking up something stylish yet comfy for after delivery---I can't stand hospital gowns (I keep hating having these reasons to go shopping).

Here are a couple shots we took on Sunday...Our monthly sessions are never planned, always spur of the moment; I wish I would have done something cuter with my hair for these---it's actually fresh from a cut (with nothing down to it).

 

 I debated for a long time before deciding to share this last one...I had this little Minnesota Viking helmet made for Miles a couple of months ago, it will be a sure keeper in the Kelley household.

Next doctor appointment Thursday this week. This will be the second to last 2 week appointments and then we move to weekly appointments until Miles makes his debut.

29 Weeks

29 weeks today... 3 days shy of when I gave birth to Harrison.

Honestly we are venturing out on out of the scariest weeks in this pregnancy. I wanted to make it this far, I wanted this day to come. In all reality this is a huge victory, but at the same time this is a fearful victory.

I remember before I became pregnant with Miles I talked to my OBGYN about potentially having another baby. The one thing she said to me is "you are going to be scared every single day." She couldn't have been more right.

Over the past week I have overall been more uncomfortable.  I've been sick and have had a flare of my asthma in a combination of growing Miles has made breathing very exerting. I have also had some days where one minute I am just fine and then next minute I feel so sick all I can do is lay down. These moments and days come without warning. Last night was one of those nights... I went to bed at 7:30 and didn't get out of bed until 6 am this morning. I think once I beat this nagging cold I will feel a whole lot better. As far as feeling baby wise I am having daily braxton hicks contractions, but none have been painful since last week. It's a reassurance with the cerclage in place...I honestly don't think we would have made it this far without it in place, this was the right decision.

I've been busy and work preparing for leave (I am a complete planner), at home Miles room just needs a few more touches, his newborn and 0-3 clothes washed. our maternity session is booked, birth photography lined up, Harrison birthday party in preparation. Now for the closets to clean themselves and at 35 weeks the bag for the hospital will be packed. I am going to start working on getting the birth plan on paper. I by no means am planning for an early delivery, I am planning for a full term delivery.

I see the doctor next on 9/6 in which my cervix will be checked again and have a prenatal education class on 9/7.

Look for a 30 week doctor appt. post next week! Each day is accomplishment, each week is a victory.

Bee Report: Weeks 24-28

I've been looking forward to doing this post ALL WEEK...so many changes, so much to say!

First off that stats:

size of baby: 25 weeks: cauliflower, 26 weeks: head of lettuce, 27 weeks: rutabaga, 28 weeks: egg plant. Bee is measuring 13.6 to 14.8 inches long and according to the bump.com should weigh between 1.5 lbs and 2.2 pounds. However this guy already weighed 2 lbs 6 oz at his 27 week ultra sound.  We are officially in the third and FINAL trimester! 12 weeks until Bee is due to arrive!

This week he is busy developing some more fat on his body, the immune system is maturing and he is practicing breathing amniotic fluid. The lungs are mature enough now that if Bee was born today he would have more than a 80 % chance of survival.

cravings: I haven't had any what I call cravings lately...I know, BORING. However if given the choice I would eat sugar over veggies or anything you know, healthy. Bee seems to be taking up his fair share of space in there, so I have gone to mini meals throughout a day.

what I love: His room is practically done, he has enough clothes he could go a month without repeating something for his first 3 months. He also has 9 pairs of shoes and yes I am serious. I have a LOVE for those teeny tiny shoes! He also has hat collection growing for his newborn sessions (I am currently planning 7 sessions for the first 7 days at home).

what I am looking forward most: Meeting him...I am getting so anxious. I would also be lying if I didn't say fit back into regular clothes again---there is so much cute stuff rolling in on the fall lines. However...I now own more sweat pants that I have EVER own...I think in combination with stretch capri's at least 10 pairs not counting the 2 I ordered the other night---guess Doug was going to find out eventually anyhow, why not on the BLOG?

worries: I have a 28 week check up on Thursday this week. I am fairly certain I have a blood clot in my right lower leg. Don't freak out just yet, because I am not. When a clot is that low in your leg the chance of the clot traveling to the lung or brain is very minimal. The only treatment is elevation and applying heat with compression stockings. I have done all the above. The heat (warmth to the skin) and pain have decreased immensely since Saturday. This will continue to be a battle the rest of the pregnancy. My legs (mainly my right one) has some severe varicose veins. It's gotten to the point that I won't wear shorts anymore. I had a pedicure last week and the technician asked how I injured myself. The veins look like I have bruising all over my lower legs.

what's different this time around: MOVEMENT. Bee doesn't ever sleep, I am TOTALLY convinced of this. Bee has to be 4 times as active as Harrison was in there. Perhaps Harrison made it a little roomier in there for his sibling.  Also different is feeling of pain in hips and pelvis...and no this isn't improving as the pregnancy progresses. I had back labor with Harrison and pressure, but no real what I would term as pain. I have more frontal pain and heaviness with Bee. I also don't have the itchy belly I had with Harrison.

symptoms: Bathroom, bathroom, bathroom...I am making frequent trips there during the day, but still not having getting up to go at night and go. My linear line showed up a couple of weeks ago (the line down your belly). I have been more in check with my emotions...I am thinking my body is getting used to being flooded with pregnancy hormones. I have had more braxton hicks contractions--daily, but usually in the evening. Lastly muscle spasms in my feet or "Charlie Horses," if you want to call them. However I have been able to feel them coming on that I can change position before they get too painful.

maternity clothes: I have few pairs of jeans...one of the most recent purchases---skinny maternity jeans. My first pair... I know, so much with being with fashion forward right? I finally took the plunge as the belly continues to grow...Bigger Belly = Smaller Butt, right? RIGHT. Now, have I wore them yet? I will. Other than a few jean purchases I have been straying away from buying much more with 12 weeks to go. However, I plan to do some shopping (and no, not more sweat pants) before our maternity session in September.

sleeping: I don't sleep amazing at night. Not even plain old good. I have a hard time falling asleep. I am up until 1 am most nights and up again by 5:30 or 6:00 at the latest. However, I would say though over all-- lying in bed and finding a comfortable position has been easier this second time around, now I just need sleep to follow with this.

belly: A big change from 24 weeks, though the photos posted don't do that bump justice size wise. Currently I think I am about the same size bump wise that I was with Harrison. I am stretch mark free thus far...I am pretty sure my legs make up for lack of stretch marks so I didn't get off easy. The belly is also starting to make a nice rest for a bowl cereal.

movement: speaking of sleeping only a wink, Bee and I share this...we both don't sleep. I have high hopes maternity leave will be filled with naps, lots and lots of naps.

boy/girl: We joked with the ultra sound technician last week and asked her to make sure Bee is still a boy. During the 18 week gender reveal we never got to visually see the anatomy on the big screen, That was a different story this time around...He wasn't shy and still very much a boy.

milestone: Hello third trimester!

comments from the general public: "Your so tiny." "You hardly look pregnant." As I am looking over the bump to type this, I hardly agree .

best moment of the month: So many! The room, the ultra sound, Big Brother Harrison moments, making it to the third trimester, and an excuse to wear sweat pants everyday.


I have been flooded with client photo sessions, but Saturday evening we found time to sneak in a quick 20 minute session right before sunset.

A Bee bump session called for a new dress. Since I am out growing EVERYTHING, I paid less than $20.00 for this non-maternity fun dress.

Here is that sweet face you see above the two shots before that keeper. This is why I don't ask him to smile when I seriously want a smile. However I love all three of the photos equally---that is our silly boy!

Love these next two images...LOVE.

& saving the best for last... I can't believe he starts the transition to pre-school next week.



27 WEEK ULTRA SOUND

(Are you looking for this week's Linked 52 post? Scroll down).

More good news? We’ll take that!

Yesterday we had a 27 week ultra sound to check on Bee’s growth, position and get an overall view of the pregnancy.

Not only was it great to see him up on the big screen today, but knowing he is growing and this pregnancy is progressing as it should, there are no words for that. As an added piece of mind, if Miles were to arrive today with medical help his chance of survival is greater than 80%.

Estimated arrival is 11/10/12, current weight 2 lbs 6 oz.

Here are a few peeks!

I am so in love with this smooshed face.

Apparently he is camera shy like his older brother, turning away from having his photo taken, but in this case I am glad he did...This ear shot is my favorite of mine.

Here are the tiny legs that can pack some pretty good punches. Bee is about 4 times as active as Harrison was. I hope this means he plans to sleep after his arrival.



Bee Report: Weeks 16-20

20 weeks is here!

HALF BAKED!

size of baby: 16 weeks: avocado, 17 weeks: onion, 18 weeks: sweet potato, 19 weeks: mango, 20 weeks: banana

cravings: Fugi apples have been a favorite as of lately. It's funny to have the same tastes that I had during my pregnancy with Harrison. I also pile on mayo on my sandwiches, peanut butter, jelly and ketchup. I call it a condiment love.

what I love: Knowing we are having a boy, planning the room, picking out tiny newborn outfits, researching consumer reports for the best products.

what I am looking forward to the most: Getting paint up on the walls in his nursery, shopping, shopping, shopping, spending as much time with Harrison and watching his excitement grow as we prepare for his little brother's arrival.

worries: I still get a lot of lower pressure, but it's been less painful, but mostly still feeling it on a daily basis. My hip pain/lower back pain is increasing if I sit on the bare ground or low chairs for any amount of time. I feel for anyone who has ever had or needed a hip replacement. What I have read about this is that this pain is common, mostly in the second pregnancy as the muscles loosen. I am pretty sure at this point some of them aren't connected anymore, it's like bone on bone, not kidding.

what's different this time around: Wanting to buy some maternity pants, maybe not full fledged but at least bigger pants. Most of my bottoms still fit, but Miles is lying right where the pants fasten, so bending over I am feeling like I am squishing him and when he kicks I feel as though he is tapping my belly asking for more room.

symptoms: What bee report would be complete without saying bigger bras? Emotionally I feel more stable, not worrying as much.

maternity clothes: Hand full of shirts, zero bottoms. I live in sweats/shorts ad tees at home. I am looking forward to a trip to Mall of America and Albertville Outlet Mall on Friday. A friend of mine is expecting in early January, should be a fun trip us. On my list...bottoms, bras and newborn gear. Watch out GAP MATERNITY---these girls are going to shop until we drop!

sleep: Overall my night-marish dreams have mostly taken a back seat...in place? Frequent trips to the bathroom...

belly: Haven't noticed a huge change in the last month, but it's gotten a lot more firm to the touch. The latest ultra sound concluded Miles is a good size baby measuring in the 65 percentile. I feel like I am about the same size as I was carrying Harrison at 20 weeks.

movement: ALL THE TIME. Last week I felt him do two complete summer saults, I had forgot that feeling. I am still waiting for Doug and Harrison to feel his first kicks. You can see movement from the outside, but neither boy is patient enough to wait for him to move.

boy/girl: Baby boy, but Harrison still swears it's a girl.

milestones: Half baked! 20 weeks through pregnancy! Ultra sound revealed Baby Bee is a BOY! Ordered the crib bedding and picked out the paint color for the nursery.

comments of the general public: "Let me see that bump!" "Your so cute pregnant." "You hardly look pregnant." "Oh yeah, I see that bump!"

best moment of the month(s): Feeling Bee flutters turn into kicks, ordering some cute boy hats (I couldn't resist) especially for his newborn sessions. My amazing husband for purchasing me a new lens for the camera and trust me, you don't want to know the dollar amount of it.

not so good moment of the month: Being told I will have a cut in my FTE status at work for the next several months (hopefully not any longer) due to some changes at work. Working for a non-profit isn't rainbows and sunshine when the state legislative decides your fate. This is not a good thing to hear when preparing financially for baby number two. It's a mess, I sure hope things get figured out, Bee and I certainly don't need the stress in the middle of a high risk pregnancy.

Here are a couple of quick BUMP UPDATE photos. I took a bunch actually at 19 weeks, but haven't had time to edit them with a number of client photo sessions in full swing. I hope to get to them some day! Or I can add it to my growing maternity leave TO DO list. I also need to change the time of day when I take these bump photos---the window light from behind really affects the quality of the photos.

Harrison didn't want much to do with photos, but I convinced him to "hide" for one photo.

Baby Bee is making progress!

18 Week Prenatal Appt.

A full Bee Report isn't due for another 2 weeks...so I will call this a tid-bid post.

I mainly am blogging following up the ultra sound we had on Tuesday.


Ultra sound results:

Current baby position: Breech---not a concern as of now, he has plenty of time to be head down (in fact he started out the ultra sound head down in only to turn breech during the monitoring).

Normal bone length: We choose not to do any testing for down syndrome, but the bone length on the ultra sound safely tells us that is not a concern at this time.

Weight: Current baby weight 8 ounces, that is in the 65 percentile. He is a growing boy!

Organs: kidneys, stomach, bladder, heart (all 4 chambers seen) all normal.

Bones: Long bones, spine normal.

Amniotic Fluid: Average

Overall results: Normal fetal anatomic survey. Single viable intrauterine gestation.


For my own health...my blood pressure falls within normal (no cause for concern for preaclampsia), no swelling and my pre-pregnancy tees and tanks are beginning to look like toddler tees on me.

In the last few days Miles has geared up his kicking. I feel those tiny feet ALL THE TIME. The doctor asked about movement today...I said, "I am pretty sure he didn't sleep yesterday." He also did his first complete turn in me the other day, I forgot that feeling. I can't wait for Harrison to feel his first kicks, if I sit still enough you can see those kicks just under my belly button. 

The only cause of concern I brought to the doctor's attention today was some pressure I have been feeling and a lot of pain in my legs, very similar to what I had with Harrison. I usually don't complain, but not saying anything last time and having pre-term labor 3 months too soon is enough for me to bring up anything and everything.

The doctor said this can be fairly common, especially in a second pregnancy. He would be more concerned if I didn't have a cerclage, especially with the past. At this point he would only be concerned if I started contracting with this pressure. My only concern following that is that I never felt contractions with Harrison. The hope is with this cerclage I might be able to feel the contractions, or I should feel them.

However if the pain/pressure continue further into pregnancy as it does now, he talked about me needing to take off of work. This would be ideal if I didn't already have a desk job a side from seeing some consumers for home visits. He still explained that it might be necessary for me to be in a reclining position to take away or lessen the pressure. The good news, we aren't there yet.

So far I stretch every morning and most nights to help ease the leg pain. There isn't anything I can do to lessen the feeling of the pressure.

Overall---I am right where I need to be in this pregnancy. Miles is right where he needs to be. We both are clearing red flags...though this pregnancy is high risk, both Miles are steering clear of red and doing well.

One of the first outfit purchases :) You can never have enough cute clothes.

Post-Opt

Today I had my follow up appointment with the doctor following surgery last week.

The appointment went well. The ultimate verdict via the doctor, "You should be outta the woods for any major complications from this surgery." I can continue walking as usual, but no lifting or hiking or anything else like that for another week. Doug and I are avid hikers, so we have wanted to do some hiking all spring, so I am excited for the first time in this pregnancy I won't have this restriction anymore. We bought our hiking pass last weekend, with the hope I would get the OK. Also with more exercise, I might have more endurance and not be so tired, my doctor agreed. So one more week and just maybe I won't be passed out on the couch at 6 PM. I also got the OK to go swimming in chlorinated water, but no rivers/lakes due to the incision/stitches and the risk of infection.

Overall the recovery process was fairly minimal. I spent the first two days in bed and the third day on the beach. I didn't have much pain after the first day of surgery. I suffered minimal complications, the more common ones such as light bleeding.

From a more medical stand point my blood pressure and Bees heart rate couldn't be any better. Crazy to say we will know Bees gender in less than two weeks, for some reason this suspense is driving me nuts! I can't remember being this off the wall about it with Harrison, but I am sure I was.We will be doing another fun photo session, this time for gender reveal, so it maybe a little longer until you know if we are having a boy/girl.

Thank you again to everyone who is showing support for Bee and our family. Certainly we still have a long road a head. With each piece of good news is like lifting a dark black cloud above us, soon sunshine will be beating down on us.

Have you checked out Bees latest bump update or Harrison's 30 month update? Scroll down, your in a treat for a bunch of cute photos.

Spreading a little sunshine

It was a beautiful evening, so I took full advantage of all of this light. I am in love with warmth, color and dreaminess of this photo.

This photo also happens to be a perfect start to a post sure to make you smile.

On with spreading some sunshine...

good news.

very good news.

very, very good news.

The results from our first ultra sound are in and if you read my last three sentences, we got good news.

RESULTS:

• One baby
• Strong heart beat
• Yolk Sac Present
• Baby is right on size
• Cervix is closed, length is good

Sure...not everyone talks about their cervix, but I am. The greatest concern of this pregnancy is whether or not my cervix will allow me to carry the baby to full term or not not. The second trimester will be the toughest, if there is incompetence of the cervix, the chance of dilation starting this trimester is the greatest.

Having a high risk pregnancy is scary. We live in fear every single day, so any positive news we get I just want to shout it off a mountain top.

HEART BEAT:

Yesterday we saw the doctor and heard a faint, "thump, thump, thump." The doctor assured us this was the baby's heart beat and it was good and strong. I also learned at yesterday's appointment I have a tipped uterus which is placing baby more toward my back rather than forward, so this why the heart beat was not as loud, but as baby grows the sound will become stronger. As far as the tipped uterus, this is no concern for the pregnancy. In a couple of weeks the uterus should return to normal position as the baby grows---again not a cause of concern.

LABS:

All my labs came back normal, another shout from the mountain.

WHAT'S NEXT?

• First bump photo and 8-12 week update next week!
• Waiting for a call from Gundersen to set-up visit with the High Risk Specialist
• Next appointment May 17th
• Will begin to meet twice monthly (or more) with my doctor in the second trimester.