Hello Third Trimester

We start week 28 today, Kathryn!  This is the beginning of the third trimester.  You might be settling with your head down, but of course, I can't tell.  You are about 2.5 pounds and are 15-16 inches long!  You will start blinking this week--an important skill, just like the ones you already know--coughing, sucking, taking practice breaths and hiccuping.  When you sleep, you now have a REM phase, which means you could be dreaming.  Your lungs are nearing full maturity, but still have a little ways to go.  You are also developing billions of neurons in your brain and adding more body fat.  We love you very much. 

I am excited to be this far along, but keeping an eye on the calender and trying to keep ahead of feeling "rushed".  Your nursery is coming along nicely, and you have NO NEED for clothes until about Christmas--friends have been very generous (and sales have been very good).  

a "nightlight" of sorts--lit cherry blossom

crib, changing table, and toy/supply cube.  Those bamboo shoots (and cherry blossom stems) will go on the walls once we receive the decals we ordered.

window flower planter that I painted pink to hold books on the wall

chest for clothes, diapers, etc...book holders, rocking chair

  
The average woman gains 11 pounds this trimester.  If I gained that much, I would be around 25 pounds heavier.  That sounds like a pretty good number to me, but I will try to keep it between 20 and 25.  I'll be visiting the birth center again in less than two weeks--they are wanting to see me more often now that I am closing in on the last few months.  

I DID offer my resignation from work this week, effective after three weeks (now two).  Everyone but the principal has been very understanding, and I feel a huge relief from the decision.  I'll switch over to Jared's insurance, and will join a temp agency for as long as I'm able to work.  

Kathryn is moving and kicking throughout the day, with patterns in the morning and late afternoon and late night.  I do have some achiness and shortness of breath, scattered Braxton Hicks contractions, and my acid reflux is trying to come back.  But other than those small things, I think pregnancy really suits me.  I enjoy the way I look and I feel confident again in my body, and the fact that it was made to do this job.  Pregnancy just feels "natural" to me.

Two more weeks of work, a little less than two weeks until our next appointment, and 90 days until our due date--but Jared's guessing July 2nd and I would be amused if she held out for July 4th instead.  :)

The Name Game Reveal

Peanut has had a name since last May, when I was pregnant with her brother or sister who's now in Heaven.  We saved the names we had decided on to use on future children, and named our first one Angel instead.  We are proud and excited to announce that our little one will be called.....

Kathryn means purity.  Sophia means wisdom.  We did not name her after anyone--we simply liked and agreed on these names, so that's what she'll be!  We plan on calling her "Kathryn" as opposed to "Kate", "Katy", "Kat", or any other variation.

               We used personalized M&Ms to share her name with our families this weekend.

Kathryn is about 96 days--around three months--from her due date today.  But don't get too comfortable with that date since 80% of first time moms go a week past their due date!  :)  We love you and look forward to meeting you, Kathryn Sophia!

Starting Week 27!

Peanut, this is the last week of the second trimester!  You weigh around two pounds and you are 14.5 or 15 inches long from head to heel.  You recognize my voice and sleep and wake at regular intervals.  Brain tissue is developing very actively.  Your lungs are immature but would be capable of functioning if you were born now.  You can now cry, and you probably are sucking your thumb, which calms you and strengthens your cheek and jaw muscles.  We love you very much.

Most women have gained 16 to 22 pounds by now--I have gained 12-13.  I'm proud of myself!  The acid reflux has been giving me a break for a couple of days, and I'm thankful.  However, I am dealing with a lot of soreness, occasional foot cramps, and exhaustion.  I still sleep okay, I can still get around fine, I don't have any swelling or discoloration, and my innie is still an innie.  

I am just about ready to quit my job.  It is a toxic environment where I get no support.  Every few days, someone "above" me wants me to add another thing to my list of duties.  I can't get it all done or even remember it all during the day, so then it doesn't get done, and people get mad at me.  Whenever I might try to complain about how heavy the load is, how incompetent/clueless/unhelpful the new administration is, how challenging my class is, etc, I get a reprimand to "be more positive".  

The main reason I still go to work is guilt.  I would feel incredibly guilty leaving the other TAs with an added load.  I would feel guilty about jumping ship just as a new teacher was coming aboard.  I would feel guilty about leaving parents/students in the lurch as everything they knew about their first year in school changed.  I would feel guilty that the school just threw me a baby shower, and I thank them by saying, "see ya".  

But is that guilt warranted?  Or is it a throw-back to my years of poor self-esteem?  Is it worth it to not have the guilt, and instead have the stress, unhappiness, demoralization, despair even?  Is it worth it, knowing that continuous stress causes premature birth and low birth weight?  As a side note, yes, there is the matter of no more second paycheck and having to start paying for healthcare about three months early...but we were expecting that anyway, and what I'm paid is a disgustingly low amount anyway.  

We had a regular appointment this week and everything looked great.  Peanut's heart rate was good, growth was good, and I took my gestational diabetes test and haven't heard anything yet, which is good news.  

Life goes on, but change may be on the horizon. 

26th Week starts today!

So much happens this week!  Your hearing is fully developed, Peanut.  The nerves in your ears are sensitive and can hear when Jared and I talk.  When you react to sound, your pulse increases, and you can even move in rhythm to music.  Your lungs are growing and developing, but are not yet mature.  You inhale and exhale the amniotic fluid to practice breathing.  Patterns of your brain waves would look like a full-term newborn's at this point, and you have patterns of sleeping and waking, which I can chart based on when you're active and when you're still.  You weigh somewhere between a pound and two thirds and two pounds, and you measure 14 inches from head to heel.  Your eyes start to open this week, too--not much to see, but you will be able to perceive when I'm in a place that's lighter or darker.  We love you very much.  

As for me....acid is still a big problem.  I am waiting on a call back from my doctor to see what they recommend.  The birth center is hesitant--well, almost adamant about not recommending medication for issues.  They want me to have root beer and peanut butter after every meal to fix the acid, and that's just not going to cut it!

My lower pelvic joints are hurting, and my muscles ache through the day.  I feel tired and I am out of breath, doing what used to come easily.  I feel you moving on and off through the day, even when I am fully immersed and active in my job.  I am thankful that I'm still sleeping fairly well, and that Peanut's not kicking me in the ribs yet.

Work is terrible--if I wasn't pregnant, I would've been looking for a new job in January.  After tomorrow, there are eleven more weeks of school (not including three weeks of track out).  I've never started my count down so early!

Before week 27 starts, I'll have gone to another birth center appointment, done my glucose test, and turned 29 years old.  Busy week for me, just like Peanut! 

Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound today to check on the area of blood that was seen at the anatomy scan six weeks ago.  The tech said he could still spot it, but it was as good as gone.  This is good news--nothing to worry about at the moment.  Peanut was in a breech position, but she has plenty of time to turn.  Her heartbeat was 143, which is good and solid without being high.  She measured 1 pound and 11 ounces, give or take 4 ounces.  This would put her currently in the 54th percentile for length and weight.  No causes for concern and no further ultrasounds, unless a need arises.  We are grateful for a good report! 

Six Months, into week 25!

Peanut, you're 24 weeks, or six months, and a day.  You've reached what's called an "age of viability", meaning if you were born now, you'd have a 50-70% chance of surviving, although you would also have a 50-60% chance of a severe disability.  We want for you to stay in for as long as you can!  Head to heels, you measure about 13 1/2 inches.  If we were still measuring crown to rump, you might be about nine inches long.  You weigh about a pound and a half and are putting on baby fat, so your skin will begin to smooth and fill out.  The skin's also becoming opaque.  We could now discern your hair color and texture if we saw it.  Your nostrils are unplugging and your vocal cords are functioning, which means possible hiccups.  By the end of this week, your finger and toe prints are visible and your eyelids begin to part and the eyes open.  We love you very much.

Jared saw you moving tonight and it was very exciting for him--he loved it.  I haven't actually taken the time to watch my belly, so I haven't seen your movements, but I do feel them on and off through the day.  Occasionally it hurts a little.  Otherwise, the acid reflux is still very bothersome.  I started Prilosec for it, which doesn't work completely but works much better than Pepcid, Zantac, etc.  I am far from graceful and have lost a lot of self-awareness when it comes to hitching up my maternity jeans, etc. 

I wanted a calm and joyful type of pregnancy, but work is more or less a hellhole, currently.  Between defiant, non-compliant, and/or disrespectful students....a non-supportive--even malicious--administration....and constant additions to all my regular duties, I dread going to work, deal with blood pressure spikes and feelings of anger/hopelessness while I'm there, and feel discouraged and crabby, or weepy, when I am home.  I have no reason to think things will change in the near future.  

It's another three weeks until the third trimester starts.  I'll have an ultrasound in three days and a birth center appointment in about 11 days.  We'll share Peanut's name sometime in the next month!