Pregnancy Journal, Week 27

How far along:
27 weeks, last week of the 2^nd trimester!

Next doctor’s appointment:
March 18

Signs and symptoms:
The back pain is getting worse and more constant. It’s mostly concentrated in my mid-back area. I’ve tried a lot of different drug-free things to alleviate the pain, but nothing really helps all that much. This might be one that I have to deal with until she’s born.

The congestion issue is still around, as are the nosebleeds. With all this crazy weather that we’re having in the Austin area, there’s no telling if this is related to that, or to the pregnancy!

My thirst level is increasing. I’m drinking as much water as I can, and I also drink a lot of decaf iced tea. Usually when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I also have to get a drink. Having increasing thirst and a decreasing bladder size is a bad combination.

I’ve seen the return of heartburn this week, and it’s been particularly bad. Tums are a lifeline for me at the moment!

I’m noticing that most of Mia’s movements are concentrated on my left side. Occasionally I will feel her doing ‘somersaults’ that take up my entire belly area, but most of the kicks and punches are on the left side.

Weight gain:
Up a pound from last week, 13 total.

Food cravings:
Fruit smoothies!  

Aversions:
Nothing in particular this week.

What’s going on with the baby:
Mia is weighing in at 2 pounds and is about 14.5 inches long, making her approximately the size of a head of cauliflower. She pretty much resembles how she will look at birth, except smaller and thinner. Most of her growing from now on is focused on fattening up and further development of her lungs and brain. The brain development will primarily be in the forebrain which deals with visual and auditory information. Her hearing is now developed enough that she can tell people’s voices apart, and she may have even opened her eyes by now. She’s sleeping and waking at regular intervals, and episodes of hiccups may get more and more common as her lungs and diaphragm develop further.

What I miss:
Not having back pain.

Not spending so much time peeing.

Sleeping without a wall of pillows.

Bending over to pick things up without making ridiculous noises.

What I’m looking forward to:
My next doctor’s appointment. I have my glucose tolerance test which I’m not all that excited about, but I’m looking forward to hearing her heartbeat again and getting the hospital registration out of the way.

Continuing to set up her room; it’s coming together!

My baby shower in a few weeks! J

Changes:
We got her room all painted this past weekend and it looks awesome. Jason did most of the work, but I did help some. He did a wonderful job!

I ordered some more maternity clothes, so I’m looking forward to those coming in! It will be nice to have a little bit more variety in my wardrobe.

Letter to Mia, second trimester edition

To our sweet baby girl,

These past 14 weeks have brought about lots of changes in our household (and not just those with mommy’s body!). At the very beginning of this trimester, I was still pretty sick. Thankfully, that went away after a few weeks and my tummy has been much happier. Thank you for that!

We also found out that you’re a girl at the very beginning of this trimester. Mommy knew it! Your daddy and I are so happy and thankful that we have you in our lives. We can’t wait to see what kind of young lady you grow into.

This trimester also brought about us being able to feel your movement. Maybe someday if you have children of your own, you’ll know this joy. There’s no way for mommy to possibly describe how it feels to you. It is weird and amazing all at the same time! You like to move a lot right after I eat, when I’ve been sitting for too long and right before bedtime when I lay down at night. Though it might seem weird, I can kind of tell which of your movements are a ‘thanks mom’ versus a ‘mom, you’re driving me crazy!’. I wish I knew what it was like in there for you, and I wish I could see you all the time. Daddy’s face always lights up when he feels you move!

Your daddy started a new job, so he works much closer to home now. That means he gets to spend more time with us at night and mommy is a lot happier about that!

Your room is coming together! It’s all painted and we have your crib. After the baby shower, I’m sure we’ll have most of what we need for your arrival!

Aside from mommy and daddy, you have a lot of people who are anxious to meet you. You have quite a few very excited grandparents and great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and many of our friends who will basically be honorary aunts and uncles to you. So many people love you already, Mia!

The most important thing that we want you to know is that we love you so much and we’re already so proud of you. From the moment we knew of your existence way back 25 weeks ago, you’ve been the light of our lives. You may think it’s gross to hear this, but daddy and I created you out of our love for each other, and our love for you grows stronger each and every day.

“First we had each other, and then we had you. Now we have everything.”

I love you, Mia.

Your Mommy

27 weeks!