Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Doctor's Visit #7- Week 31- Part 2

I shouldn't really be surprised. I've watched the scale slowly creep up at home (the way it's supposed to when your pregnant... only a little bit on the fast side for my liking!). Yet I was still a little shocked yesterday when I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office (I can always tell myself that my little $9 CVS scale is broken... horribly, horribly broken...) and quickly did the math to figure out how much I've gained so far...

...38 lbs... and two months to go!

Since my first pregnancy I've stared in wonder when I read about women who gain the standard "20-25 lbs" that most of my pregnancy books recommend. I'd lost nearly that much when I left the hospital three days after giving birth! I guess that was a combination of giving birth to an almost ten pound baby and being on a clear liquid diet for the nearly 72 hours that followed (I really think someone forgot about me when they carted me down to pediatrics because they didn't have enough beds up in the OB wing, because they'd promised me days earlier that I was ready for solids!). It did take me a full 12 months to get all the way back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I was within 10 lbs of it for six months before I finally reached it.

As the nurse and I ran through the checks I did come to the conclusion that this pregnancy has been much easier than the other. With Sadie my legs were gigantically swollen half the time. This time around I took off one of the rings I usually wear during the first trimester, but other than that I haven't even noticed anything. And my blood pressure has been back down for a while 115 over 62. Added to the fact that my almost non-stop contractions were just about to start at this point in the last pregnancy (over a month of contractions... yuck...) and this time around is feeling like a walk in the park. At least that's what I'm telling myself when I'm feeling the general aches and pains of the third trimester.

Maggie Rose's heartbeat was 140 and when the doctor measured the height it was 32 cm. I asked her if she could tell which direction the baby was laying, because all the movement I feel are all the way out on my sides, and I can tell at least that Maggie's head is no longer wedged up under my rib cage. She said that she is head down now, but that her feet are all the way over on my right side, while her butt is all the way over on the left. I spent a bit of time wondering how long she must be if that's true, because the distance across my stomach isn't exactly small! I can hardly wait to find out!

This was the first appointment that Paul hasn't been to in a while, which is why, I imagine, the doctor slipped in this question: "I can't remember if we talked about it already, but are you going to want a tubal with the c-section?"

No. No I'm not.

It did make me wonder how many women make that decision on their own, while hormonal and pregnant, without discussing it with their families. The achingly painful third trimester just doesn't seem like the best time to make such a permanent decision. It seems like a time to make a choice that you might regret later...

4 comments:

  1. Hi Cam,

    You look GREAT! Don't let the doctor's scale freak you out :) I remember at the end of my pregnancy with Henry getting tears in my eyes when seeing the number on the doctor's scale. It's just...a number we're not used to seeing :) It's just temporary, but I know, it still smarts.

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  2. I always gain a ton of weight with pregnancy. I'm not very tall so I feel like a whale. But I've been back down to pre-pregnancy weight within 12 months each time. Sometimes it has taken a bit of work though:). I'm heavier than I've ever been at this point in the pregnancy and don't feel very lovely because I'm only about 14 weeks:(. You don't look heavy at all...just pregnant! I can't believe you delivered a 10 pounder! Aren't 2nd babies usually bigger? LOL!!!

    Our midwife is the youngest of 9 children. We told her once that we use NFP only and in our nine year relationship she has never asked again. She also knows we don't do the genetic screenings. I am so grateful for the respects she shows!

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  3. You look super cute in your pictures. I love the dress. I'm 12 weeks pregnant myself and wondering where the heck do I find nice modest maternity clothing. Any ideas? My weight fluctuates like crazy when I'm not pregnant. I can put on 10 lbs in one week if I'm not careful but so far I've been creeping the weight on rather than packing it on. It sounds a bit tough on you and I'm sure you will be having a nice size baby. Hopefully a bright point is that my mom's 1st child was 8lbs, 2nd was 7lbs, and 3rd was 9lbs. 2nd babies are not always bigger though you do look further along than you are.

    I love the pictures you post. They look homey and happy.

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  4. Thanks to all of you!

    I got most of my dresses during my last pregnancy at Motherhood Maternity, but when I went back this time around, to find a dress for a funeral, every single dress they had was at least four inches above my knees! They do have a lot of cute tops that are modest there. Other than that I've been doing a lot of layering with the camisoles that I have underneath my shirts and dresses. And now that the dresses are getting shorter because of my stomach I usually wear capri pants under them too. I usually wear this dress with pants, but since we were down on the beach in the water (my stomach is soaked in this picture from scooping Sadie up after she'd been wading) I decided against it. And I kept tugging at it because it felt short! The funny thing is it's just a couple inches shorter than dresses I don't have a problem with. It's just when anything falls above my knees these days it feels funny!

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