Baby #2 Overview Weeks: Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, and Thirty-Nine

Week 37: We had a doctor's appointment this week and it was the first internal one. Aaaand not much is happening. Dr. V couldn't even feel his head head yet. That's okay, It's still early. 


The Baby: is the size of a bundle of swiss chard. Levi is now considered full term and ready for the outside world.


Mommy's Health: I feel great! I love being home with Gavin and I get to rest whenever I can!


                       
Week 38: Another doctor's appointment has come and gone. This time we had better news. Dr. B did the internal exam this time and Levi's head is all the way down and my cervix is 50% effaced. Effaced means how thin the cervix is. My cervix is halfway ready! At week 39 when I was pregnant with Gavin I was 1 cm dilated and only 30% effaced. Gavin was four days late, maybe Levi will come earlier. 

My mom and I made matching "Big Brother" and "Little Brother" shirts for Gavin and Levi. I'm not posting a picture of the shirts until they are wearing them! But believe me, the shirts are sooo adorable! 

This week Tommy and I packed our hospital bags. I packed shampoo, body wash, deodorant, hair brush, make-up, hair ties, contact stuff, toothbrush and toothpaste, comfy clothes, nursing bras, and my Nikon camera. Now it's starting to feel real! Our baby will be here in two more weeks! 

The Baby: is the size of a bundle of leeks! Even though Levi is considered full term, his brain and nervous system are still developing. Keep on growing baby!! 


Mommy's Health:  I WANT TO MEET MY BABY BOY!!



                     

Week 39: Ugh, what a week... 

Let's start with Thursday. I had my doctor's appointment with Dr. V this time. Everything is looking great, and I am 1 cm dilated. Because we live an hour and forty-five minutes away, my doctor wants to induce me within the week. Both doctors are worried about the distance. I'm not worried about the distance. I feel like since I have done this before I'll know when to head to the hospital. I do not want to be induced a day before 41 weeks, if there is no medical need. When my body and the baby are ready, then he will born. My next appointment is on Tuesday, I'll be 40 weeks and 2 days, so we'll see what happens. 

I had contractions throughout the rest of the day and that afternoon my labia (outside part of the vagina) was swollen. Gross, I know, but it's swollen because the baby is very low and my body is pumping blood to the baby's brain. This causes a huge amount of pressure down there. Very uncomfortable. And on top of that, I got a hemorrhoid out of nowhere! I was walking into the kitchen and I guess the baby must have moved his head causing pressure in my bottom area. NOT FUN. I was swollen everywhere and I couldn't even sit. It should be soon now right?


Well I thought so... Friday afternoon around 4 p.m. I started getting contractions. They were consistent at first, lasting one minute to a minute and a half and four to five minutes apart. I timed them from 4:50-7:50 and they were still consistent. Then, the contractions started to get further apart, around ten to eleven minutes apart, but they still lasted a minute. Tommy and I put the baby to bed and since the contractions were happening for so long, I called the doctor. Dr. B was on call and she told me to start heading over to the hospital in case the contractions start getting worse. My mom was home so we didn't have to worry about the baby. I took a shower while Tommy packed the car and we left. We arrived at the hospital around 11:00 p.m. I had contractions all the way to the hospital. With Gavin's pregnancy, I walked through the doors hospital doors closest to the maternity ward, but because it was already after hours we had to enter through the ER. DID I MENTION I HATE HOSPITALS?! Some guy was there with no shirt or shoes, a couple was there and the guy looked like he got in a fight, and some old lady was wrapped in a hooded sweatshirt. Please get me out of here. I told them my name and that my doctor knows I'm here. 

Someone came down with a wheel chair and wheeled me to maternity. I was still having contractions. My nurse, Marie, was very sweet. She talked to me about her two sons and made me feel comfortable. She also reassured me that everyone knows what happened last delivery (My uterus started coming out and I hemorrhaged reeeeeally bad) and that it won't happen again. Well, I hope not! My doctor told me before I tried getting pregnant again that they can take precautions this time and it won't happen again.

She hooked me up to the contraction monitor and the baby's heartbeat monitor. by midnight she checked my cervix and I was still only 1 cm and 50% effaced. REALLY? All these contractions for 8 hours and nothing?! She called my doctor and Dr. B said to  recheck me in two hours because I live so far away and I was still having contractions. Those two hours were painful. The contractions got worse and they were only three minutes apart. Tommy was sleeping during this time because he might have to drive back if they decide to discharge me. The nurse came back around 3 p.m. and checked me. I was 2 cm! 

Marie called Dr. B and the doctor said to keep me until morning and she will come in around 8 a.m. to check me. Marie told me to get some rest and to call her for anything. I tried to sleep but the contractions hurt! Then around 4.a.m. the contractions stopped. I fell asleep hoping they would start back up again. I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and nothing was happening. Well there was a lot happening in the room next to me. Four huge loud screams, cheering, and then a baby cry. I pulled the blanket close to my face and thought... maybe I don't want to do this today... I can't turn back now!

Dr. B was monitoring the baby and my contractions from home (cool right?) and came in at 8 a.m. to check my cervix like she said she would. Still only 2 cm. Not the news I wanted to hear. She ended up discharging me and Tommy and I went home. We stopped and got a bagel and iced (decaf) coffee for the ride home because I was hungry. Levi is not ready to come out!


The Baby: is the size of a mini watermelon (mini? yeah, okay). Levi is continuing to build a layer of fat and slough off the outer layer of his skin. The vernix is almost completely gone and the placenta is working hard to provide the antibodies to help protect him from infections in the outside world. 

Mommy's Health: I'm soo ready to have this baby!

                     

Baby #2 Overview Weeks: Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, and Thirty-Six

Week 34: This week Tommy and I spray painted the wooden letters (L-E-V-I) that are going to hang above the baby's crib. The letters are whimsical and they fit perfectly with the nature theme. I also ordered white birch tree wall decals. They are adorable and come with brown forest animals like bunnies, deer, and birds. We are going to put them up next week! Even though this nursery is coming along slower than I'd like (because of the move) when the room is finally finished, it's going to be perfect! 

This week we had our final ultrasound. Usually, the staff is great, but this time the technician was impatient and rude. Gavin didn't want to clean up the toys he was playing with in the waiting room, so Tommy stayed with him until he cleaned up the mess and I went to the room. I asked the technician if she could wait until my husband and son were present because, obviously, I wanted them to see the baby too. She said ok, and proceeded to put the gel on my belly and started the ultrasound. I stated again, that I wanted to wait for my husband and she huffed and puffed. Then Tommy and Gavin walked down the hallway looking for me and I called out, "I'm in here," to let them know which room I was in. The tech shushed me and I gave her a nasty look. She was just plain rude the rest of the time! She told Gavin (a two-year-old boy) to shush every time he made the slightest noise. Like, seriously? Then, I was lying on my back, which causes me to get light headed quickly. I kept squirming until I finally told her I needed a break before I passed out. I turned to my left side to get the blood flow going through my veins and she was annoyed. When it was all over she gave me one creepy distorted picture of the baby that I'm not even posting. B----. Alright, I'm getting angry all over again and I'm done ranting about her. MOVING ON.

The Baby: is the size of a cantaloupe! The waxy protective coating, vernix, is becoming much thicker this week as the lanugo (hair over the body) continues to shed and may be almost completely gone by now. Levi's lungs are continuing to mature in preparation for breathing in the outside world.

Mommy's Health: I feel great! I'm getting bigger (duh) but i'm not uncomfortable (yet).


                        
Week 35: This week we had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday, July 19th 2016, which also happened to be my 29th birthday (YIKES). My blood pressure, weight, baby's heartbeat, and my belly measurements were all normal and healthy! Everything is moving along smoothly and in a little over a month we get to meet Levi! After the doctor's appointment we went out to lunch to Chili's and had a wonderful afternoon!

The birch tree decals for Levi's nursery came in and Tommy and I started putting them on the wall. WHAT A PROCESS. They are super tall, which makes it hard to apply without air bubbles. Luckily, Tommy has the patience of a saint and was able to get all the air bubbles out. Then there are millions of branches and leaves and forest animals to apply one by one. This is going to take weeks, but it already looks amazing. It will be worth it! 

On Friday we had professional maternity pictures taken at this beautiful wild life preserve/park. It wasn't THAT hot out and the photographer did an amazing job. Gavin cooperated (for the most part) and we were able to get some really nice shots! Here are my favorites: 























The Baby: is the size of a honeydew melon! Levi's organs are nearly complete. His kidneys are completely developed and his liver is functional and capable of processing waste products. 

Mommy's Health: Happy and healthy! 
                  
Week 36: I have been feeling pressured to finish Levi's nursery, because I only have a month left before he is here and there's so much to do! After reading my week 36 post when I was pregnant with Gavin, it turns out we were still working on Gavin's nursery. This made me feel much better. But I still wanted the nursery done. Tommy and I ended up finishing it! Here is Levi's nature-themed nursery!  



This is what Levi's nursery looks like as soon as you walk in. The walls are the same sage green color that is in the woodland tumble crib set. The rug and the light-blocker curtains are from Wal-Mart. I reused Gavin's nursery furniture, except for the dresser. Gavin kept his dresser and we bought a new one that is part of this furniture set from Target.  



For the four pictures above the changing table, I spray painted Gavin's white picture frames brown. I bought tree printed paper from Michael's and my mom printed out the woodland tumble animals that match the crib set. I measured the tree printed paper to the 8 X 10 frame and cut them out. Then I cut the animals out and glued them to the tree printed paper. 





The baskets and hamper are from Babies R' Us and are filled with blankets, crib sheets and skirts, burp clothes, bibs, and swaddles.



The bench is my mom's and I have no idea where she got it. The stuffed animals are mine and I bought the plants from Home Goods.



The rocks are from Gavin's rock collection that he was willing to share with Levi and the glasses were from Tommy and my wedding. The clock is from Target and the birdhouse is from AC Moore's. Tommy stained the wood and made it into a nightlight and I stuck a bird on top!











The birch tree picture is from Target




These swings were a lot harder to make than they look! My husband made these! He took a piece of wood, cut three pieces the same length, drilled holes on each side of the wood pieces, stained the wood, put the rope through the holes and knotted it, screwed hooks in the ceiling to hang the rope from, used command strips to keep the swings in place. And I placed my mom's beanie babies that were in the shed on each swing. It was a lot of measuring and leveling to make sure everything was perfectly even. 










One of my favorite pieces to this room is this lamp! Also from, yup you guessed it, Target. 





The letters were from AC Moore's and we found the branch at a park. Tommy bscrewed the branch to the wall. I used rope to wrap it around the branch and hot glue to secure it. The letters are secured with command strips. 



My woodland tumble crib set <3 <3 <3 (THANKS MOM!!!) 





Well there you have it! I love this nursery, it's perfect. 

On top of finishing the nursery, we had a doctor's appointment (every week now). Everything is great and on track still. I had a culture swab done, which I'm sure will come back fine. 

The Baby: is the size of a crenshaw melon. Levi is still gaining weight and becoming rounder in apperance. By the end of this week, Levi will be consider full term!

Mommy's Health: I'm feeling wonderful!

                          

Baby #2 Overview: Weeks Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, and Thirty-Three

Week 31: Another uneventful week this week... However, next week is going to be busy, exciting, and oh yes, eventful!

The Baby: is the size of four navel oranges! The baby is gaining more weight because his baby fat is filling in underneath the skin. He is also becoming less red and more pink in color.  


Mommy's Health: I am still sick. My nose is still stuffed, I'm still sneezing, and my throat still hurts. I hate taking medicine, so I'm just going to ride this cold out. The strange part is, I was also sick during week 31 when I was pregnant with Gavin. They are already acting alike!

                         


Week 32: My family and I have some big news to share, WE MOVED INTO A NEW HOME IN A NEW STATE!! We are so happy and blessed! This beautiful house on a half of an acre is in a gorgeous neighborhood full of nature, the friendliest neighbors, a pond for fishing, and a park. The schools are top notch, blue ribbon, award winning schools. There are many farms and we are excited to live the country life! This feels like a dream! I am thinking about starting a blog about our new house. My country decor ideas, furniture, and colors are going to make this house even more perfect and I can't wait to share my ideas! 

We moved over an hour and a half away from my doctor and the hospital I'm delivering at, but we will just have to commute until the baby is born. I am not going to switch doctors and hospitals two months before my baby is born, especially since my doctor is familiar with my uterine atony  risk. I just hope I'll make it to the hospital in time!!

The Baby: is the size of a Jimaca! Levi is plumping up and will gain almost half his body weight by the time he is ready to come into the world! This baby fat will help to keep him warm in the outside world. The layer of soft lanugo hair is also starting to shed.

Mommy's Health: I'm feeling much better! Good thing because these next months are going to be especially busy because we are settling into our new home and before we know it Levi will be here!!

                       

Week 33: We, I mean Tommy, has been so busy moving boxes, painting, and putting new furniture together. Gavin's room and Levi's room are our top priorities. Gavin is keeping the nautical theme and his room was painted a light grayish-blue. Levi's room is the sage color that matches his bedding set. I want the rooms finished and decorated, but there aren't enough hours in the day!! Plus, I am next to no help being 8 months pregnant... My poor wonderful husband! He has a lot to do!

On top of settling in, we had to drive to our doctor's appointment. We will be driving to the doctor's once every week soon! Thank God Gavin is great in the car. Levi is still measuring right on track to the day! His heartbeat is great and so is my blood pressure. SEVEN MORE WEEKS!!

The Baby: is the size of a pineapple! Levi's skeleton is hardening, although the bones in his skull will not fuse together completely, but will overlap allowing for continued growth all the way until early adulthood.

Mommy's Health: EXHAUSTED! I usually get more than 8 hours of sleep a night, but now I go to bed super late because I'm cleaning and unpacking, then I wake up super early to get more things done before Gavin waked up. I need to make sure I start getting more sleep!!

                                           

Baby #2 Overview: Weeks Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, and Thirty

Week 28: I am now officially in my third trimester! I love being pregnant and I can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going. I am cherishing every second!

For my Mother's Day present, I, I mean my husband, ordered me a Nesting Days carrier. This skin-to-skin (or over clothes) newborn carrier is beneficial to the baby and the mommy. Nesting Days is like a second womb for newborns and can be used up until the baby is 20 pounds! Here are some more benefits:

The design is functional and holds the baby safely next to mommy's heart. There are NO buckles, straps, belts, or wrapping (THANK YOU GOD!). The material is very soft and the criss-crossed wings hold the baby in a natural curl. Nesting Days also promotes breastfeeding and you can actually nurse while using it! It is so comfortable! I used the Ergo Baby with Gavin and I did not like it. It was hard to put on by myself and I felt like he wasn't secured properly. I can't wait to use my new carrier!





Here is where I got my facts and where you can get more information: https://www.nestingdays.com/

In other news, I finally picked out the bedding for Levi's nature themed nursery. Although it wasn't easy to find (or cheap) I couldn't settle for anything I didn't love. This discontinued pattern called "Woodland Tumble" by Dwell Studios took a lot of time and patience to find. With help from my mom, we were able to track down and purchase the pillow, blankets, bibs, burp cloths, and every piece of bedding (except for the bumper because I purchased a safer breathable bumper). Everything is made with organic cotton. We also found the rug, but it's $550 because it's made from some fancy Australian whatever. I already tried reasoning with Tommy for the rug, but we've already spent enough on everything else. Here is the beautiful woodland tumble pattern:


  


The color of the walls will be the sage green that is in the pattern. I can't wait to get started!!

The Baby: Levi's brain has developed more tissue and has formed grooves on the surface. He is also starting to develop a more regular sleep schedule 20 to 30 minute intervals. 

Mommy's Health: I feel great and I am excited to meet my baby boy soon!! 

                                         

Week 29: Well it's week 29 and if you're like me and are a negative blood type then you know it's time to get the Rhogam shot. If you're not like me and have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll fill you in. My blood type is B negative. We do not know Tommy's blood type. If Tommy has a positive blood type, there's a 50% chance Levi will have a  positive blood type too. If that's the case, my body may develop antibodies towards the baby. If a small amount of the baby's blood mixes with my blood, my body might respond as if it were allergic to the baby. This means my antibodies can cross the placenta and attack my baby. The antibodies break down the baby's red blood cells and can cause serious illness, brain damage, or even death. The Rhogam shot prevents the antibodies from attacking the baby. This shot is given at the hospital I will deliver in. First, I had to get blood taken to confirm I am a negative blood type. Then I had to wait an hour for the results to come back, so Tommy, Gavin, and I went to Applebee's for dinner. Once we arrived back at the hospital we go up to the maternity wing to get the Rhogam shot. There was a mix up and something was filled out wrong by the nurse who set up the blood work and we had to wait another hour. I love this hospital, but I was not happy to hear I had to wait another hour with a 2-year-old who was ready for bed. I got the painful shot, we said our hello's and "see you soon!" to the nurses, and then we went home. 


While reading back on my blog, I found my birth plan from my first pregnancy and let's say things went a lot differently than planned because my uterus started coming out (Uterine Atony). I would definitely change some things this time around. 

MY BIRTH PLAN

LABOR:

1) Allow me to push and birth in any position of my choice for as long as it takes until the baby is born. NO C-SECTION unless the baby is in danger.  

This one will stay the same, but it's one my doctor also believes. 

2) Allow my placenta to deliver naturally without Pitocin.

This one will be taken out because I will have to get Pitocin so my uterus can contract right away. Otherwise it will start coming out again.  

3) Save my placenta for encapsulation.

I did not do this, I completely forgot about this because I blacked-out after Gavin was born. I think I'll take this one out too. 

4) Please do not perform an episiotomy. 

Even though I had an episiotomy with Gavin, I want to try to deliver Levi without an episiotomy this time.

5) Delay cord clamping until the cord has stopped pulsating.

My hospital already does this.

Baby care

1) I would like baby placed on me directly after birth. Baby will breast feed, so only offer my breast and no artificial nipples. 

YES!

2) Do not bathe baby- I plan to bathe baby after I have had time to rub in the vernix.

YES!

3) Shots and ointment will be given to Levi in my room with Tommy and I present (vitamin K injection, hepatitis b vaccine, erythromycin eye ointment)

My hospital does this too. The baby stays in my room the whole time. 

I pretty much know what's going on this time around and I feel way more confident.

We also had a doctor's appointment this week and Baby Levi is good and healthy! His heartbeat is great and my belly is measuring right on track to the day. Now my appointments are every 2 weeks!  

The Baby: is the size of a butternut squash! Levi will be in for a major growth spurt over the next three months. He will become more cramped inside the womb (that's for sure!) 

Mommy's Health: Levi is growing and moving higher up. It's especially hard to breath while sitting up because he has less room. It's only going to get more and more cramped! I remember being uncomfortable the last month with Gavin, so I'm sure it will be the same. I handed in my maternity papers to HR at work, so now I have to wait to be approved by the board. Yay!

                           



Week 30: Nothing eventful happened this week. I had to give my bank account a break, so I didn't order anything and there were no doctor's appointments. 

The Baby: is the size of a cabbage! Levi is now able to get hiccups, although he started getting them weeks before. Some things happen earlier the second time around!

Mommy's Health: I caught a cold this week. I've been sneezing, my nose is stuffed up, and my throat hurts. I'm drinking tea with honey and trying to rest as much as possible. I hope this doesn't last!!



                            
TEN MORE WEEKS!!!! 

Baby #2 Overview : Weeks Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, and Twenty-Seven

Week 25: There is a lot going on in my family's and my life. I can't wait to share the exciting news at the right time!! Besides that, I have been in a nesting mood this week. I've been shopping around for crib bedding, rugs, curtains, wall decals, decor, and lamps. Tommy and I looked in Babies R Us, Target, KMart, and even Walmart, but couldn't find anything I liked to go with my nature/woodsy theme. Looks like i'll be shopping online.

The Baby: is the size of a rutabaga! Levi's body parts are continuing to become more proportional to each other. Baby fat is also continuing to fill in his wrinkled skin for a smoother look and more hair is growing, developing texture and color. 

Mommy's Health: My belly is getting bigger by the week. It's becoming more and more uncomfortable to sleep. Even the Boppy isn't helping.


                                    

Week 26: The nesting mood continues. I washed all of Gavin's infant clothes, blankets, swaddles, baby towels and wash cloths, hats, and socks. I folded and put them away. They were clean in storage, but I wanted them to be rewashed and fresh for Levi. One of my friends from work gave me her son's baby clothes, so I washed them too. She has great style, so of course her kids have great style too. I love everything she gave me!


The Baby: is the size of a cucumber! Levi's lungs and brain are much more developed. He can detect light and dark through optic nerve. He can also hear outside noises, like people's voices and music. 


Mommy's Health: I'm still having trouble getting comfortable at nights, but that's going to be the same throughout the rest of this pregnancy.


                                    

Week 27: This week I ordered new big boy furniture online for Gavin  (since I'm using his baby furniture for Levi). I got a good deal at Target for bunk beds. I love the idea of getting bunk beds!! When Gavin has friends sleepover, they will have a place to sleep. Also when Levi is old enough, they will share a room. It is so important for brothers to share a room and strengthen the bond between them. They are going to be best friends!! Another plus about these bunk beds is they come apart to make two separate beds. Just in case they can't stop fighting over the top bunk. I'm thinking too far ahead... But aren't they cute?


 

I'm keeping Gavin's nautical theme. His nursery isn't babyish at all, so I can use the same decor for my big boy. I also ordered from Target a tall dresser that is part of his current bedroom set. That way when they share a room, all the furniture will match. Seriously, waaaay too far ahead...




And from Target I ordered two twin comforters that come with a matching pillowcase. I bought two pillows from Target and navy bed sheets from KMart.



Last but not least, I finally ordered a new monitor. I've been debating on whether or not to add a new camera to my current monitor or get a whole new one with two cameras. I found one I really liked, but it costs $300. It's so cool though! It's called the Summer Infant Dual Video Monitor, with two cameras. This thing is like the Mercedes of baby monitors. It features two cameras that can pan, scan, and zoom, two-way communication, a large 2.5 inch monitor in color and night vision, SPLIT SCREEN (which means I can watch both my children at the same time!!!), 600 ft range, and you can add up to 4 cameras. I was not about to spend $300 on a monitor, so I found it online for $127.00!! It was already delivered and I tried it out. It's awesome!!! To add a camera on to my existing monitor would be about $80, so instead I got a new advanced system for $40 more! I never buy anything without a good deal. 


 

The Baby: is the size of a cauliflower! Levi's immune system and lungs are continuing to mature. His lungs are breathing the amniotic fluid in the womb. This helps him practice breathing for when he takes his first breath of air! 


Mommy's Health: Tired, but so excited! I can't wait for our new addition to the family!