24 Weeks: In My Prayers  

This week marks 24 weeks in this pregnancy; I can't believe Baby "C" will be here in less than four short months! The 24-week mark is one of those milestones I really focus on in pregnancy, because to me, it crosses a huge cavern in the baby's ability to survive outside my womb.

When I was pregnant with G, I knew two other women who were pregnant as well. The first--a dear friend from my old job--was due exactly 3 weeks ahead of me. The second--my cousin and absolute closest relation (when it comes to friendship)--was due 10 days after me.

Then, within the span of 5 weeks in the spring of 2008, both went into premature labor. My friend went into labor first; she was 23 weeks along. She lost her son. Then, just a few weeks later, my cousin developed preeclampsia (the same condition that forced Michelle Duggar into early labor in December 2009 with her 19th child, Josie); she was 24 weeks when she delivered her son. He survived.

So to me, 24 weeks is a critical and pivotal point. The ordeals through with my friend and cousin lived almost three years ago now reminds me how fragile life is... but that after 24 weeks along, my baby at least has a chance to survive, should the worst happen.

Gestation: I've decided to embrace the due date given to me by my obstetrician--May 1st, even though I know it's technically impossible for me to be due before May 4th. But heck, anything that gets this baby born a little earlier is motivation for me! That means I'm 24 weeks 2 days along.

Weight: Yeah, I'm done answering this question honestly. I will say that I'm gaining weight at the exact same rate as I did with G, which is fine with me. I was able to lose it rather easily through breastfeeding, and I'm optimistic I'll be able to do the same this time. C, however, is now the size of a large banana, and weighs just over a pound.

Fetal Heartbeat: I asked this time! Woo-hoo for me! It was 158, which is apparently "high" for a boy, if you believe the old wives' tale about a boy's fetal heartbeat being lower than a girl's (however, G always had a low heartbeat--in the 130s or 140s--so I don't hold much stock in that myth!

Health Concerns: None! I've had some nose bleeds, but they haven't been horrible (in fact, DH has had at least three that were substantially worst than mine, so I can't even complain). I am still exhausted, but as my OB says, I'm 5+ months pregnant and caring for a 2 year old all day... I SHOULD be exhausted!

Other Concerns: I am proud to say that DH & I (along with my parents) undertook a complete overhaul of my home and storage spaces in the first few days of 2011. My mom helped me sort through all of G's old clothes; some will be sold, some will be given to friends with girls, and most were discarded because they weren't quite in the condition I thought they were when I'd put them away. My dad brought down all of G's old baby gear from the attic and helped me take stock of what we had--and what we still needed. Then DH & I did a little shopping (I decided "C" needed a Duke-themed room, instead of the zoo theme G had). We've since built up G's "big girl" bed (a full-sized bed with a trundle), which she's slept in for the past week with a lot of success, and moved her old crib into C's room. All we have left to do is paint G's reclaimed dresser (which actually belonged to the cousin I spoke about earlier in this post) and C's room. We've made a lot of progress!

What's Different: The baby's movement--C moves way way more than G ever did. With G, I bought a medical-grade, at-home doppler to monitor her heartbeat; that's how rarely she moved. With C, I KNOW he is doing a great job "cooking" in there, because he moves non-stop. Morning, noon, night; literally every 15 minutes or so I get a nice jab. The doctor told me he's now head down (as opposed to the transverse position between my hip bones he'd staked out for the first 21 weeks), so I can now look forward to more kicks in the ribs :)

Next Appointment: January 31st--this will be a double appointment; I'll have my blood glucose screening as well as an OB checkup with my favorite nurse practitioner. After that, I only have one more "monthly" appointment before I move on to every-other-week check-ups. I can't believe how quickly this pregnancy has progressed!