Breeley has been saying she wants another brother and she got her birthday wish! The day before her birthday we found out we are expecting another BOY!! The official due date is August 31, but based on our track record, I expect he will arrive in early September.
Hands in front of his face, just like Breeley and Zack
No question on the boy parts!
I've been fortunate to have another relatively "easy" pregnancy so far. We plan on this being the last, so I had illusions of revelling in every aspect of this pregnancy, recording everything, and enjoying every moment. However, two previous offspring--cute as they may be--have prevented me from lying around eating strawberries and rubbing my belly all day, and most of the time it is an accomplishment to even remember that I'm pregnant! (Thirty-pound 2-year-olds do NOT care that you are not supposed to lift more than 20 pounds!)
Here are a few notable symptoms and information about Boy #2:
- Occasional nausea, but nothing too serious or regular. Sometimes I need to steer clear of the kitchen while Brian is cooking. Chicken stir fry has again been a major culprit, and for some reason Brian seems to crave it when I'm pregnant!
- Sciatic nerve annoyance, especially after vacuuming or other things that require pushing, bending, or lifting. I notice it mostly on days I'm home with the kids all day because I bend and pick things up all day long!
- Trips to the bathroom have been much more frequent than with the other pregnancies!
- Extreme tiredness, which understandably has increased with each pregnancy due to having other kids to chase around. I'm getting more sleep than usual but it is never enough!
- Increased irritability and less patience, which I'm hoping is hormone-related and not just me being bitchy. :)
- His heartbeat has been in the 150s or 160s at every check, dispelling the myth that boys are lower (less than 150) and girls are higher. (Breeley and Zack followed the stereotypical pattern.)
- At the 21-week ultrasound, he measured 13-14 oz, which is slightly smaller than average (15 oz). This is expected because my children tend to measure small-average throughout, and then gain all their weight at the end and come out at 40+ weeks as big babies!
- Aspects of this pregnancy have more closely resembled those with Breeley, which dispels another popular myth about predicting gender based on past pregnancies.
- The placenta is inconveniently placed right smack in the front of my belly, the same as it was with Breeley. This is extremely annoying because it limits the movements I feel. The baby was wiggling like crazy at the ultrasound but I barely felt any of it because the placenta is right in front of all the action. With Breeley I had several scares due to lack of movement; with Zack, it was great to have the constant reassurance of kicks and movements from 14 weeks on.
Unfortunately, despite having a great pregnancy so far, I've spent the last 22 weeks in a state of constant worry, which has hindered the "enjoyment" aspect of this pregnancy. The limited/ unmeasurable movement has been partly to blame, but the worry mainly stems from my miscarriage in the fall. That situation introduced me to the fact that something can be wrong despite having no outward signs of complications. With that pregnancy, we found out during an ultrasound at 9 weeks that there was no heartbeat and no growth since 5 weeks, but I didn't actually have the miscarriage until 11 weeks. My body tried desperately to hold on to that pregnancy and my hormone levels didn't return to normal until weeks after. Prior to that, after two healthy pregnancies and deliveries, I was too naive to think that something could go wrong without you knowing. (I thought unless you saw blood, everything was fine.) It has made me quite paranoid throughout this pregnancy. I especially get worried right before appointments, which has caused borderline high blood pressure, but then after the appointment when we hear the heartbeat and everything is fine, my blood pressure is normal. I am feeling MUCH better now that we are further along, I'm feeling more movements, and everything looked healthy and normal at the ultrasound.
We feel incredibly blessed to be adding another little boy to our family! We just need to come up with a name... Breeley suggested we call him "Sweetheart" or "Chocolate Bunny." She got her wish with another brother, so I think we get a pass on her name suggestions!
