7 Month Bump Update

I hit 28 weeks this past weekend, but I’ve waited until today to post an update because I had my OB appointment this morning and had to down 50 grams of sugar in less than five minutes (on an empty stomach) before I hit the road. I passed easily during my first pregnancy, but failed it my second pregnancy and had to take the three-hour test (aka chugging one of these bottles every hour for three hours). I think that experience trumped any nauseous experience I have ever had in the past. So, least to say, I was a little apprehensive about this morning’s appointment.

To the best of my memory, I fasted completely for the test during my first pregnancy, but I think I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast before the test during my second pregnancy. So this time around, I ate and drank nothing after dinner last night, hoping it would do the trick of a passing score. But let’s be serious here, I think this glucose test is a little outdated. There has to be a better, healthier way to test women for gestational diabetes.

I walked into my OB’s office with 5 minutes to spare since you’re supposed to have your blood tested an hour after you drink the sugary stuff. Within about a minute of pricking my finger, the nurse looked up at me and said, “You failed.” My heart sank. Downing that one 10 oz. bottle in less than 5 minutes was rough and I was trying not to gag. I couldn’t imagine enduring the three-hour test again. I asked if I had any other options besides enduring the three-hour test, and she said I could do the Gestational Diabetes education course, which also involves testing your blood sugars four times a day. When my OB came in, he said he wasn’t worried since I passed the three-hour test easily last time, and that he thinks I’ll only have to check my blood sugar for a week or so before they give me the OK. So there is a small ray of hope in the whole blood sugar testing debacle.

My iron levels were good though (yay for red meat!) and Baby Scarlett seems to be measuring on track. I had gained 18 pounds as of my appointment this morning (28.5 weeks), but that was on an empty stomach with no food or fluids. As I was getting ready to leave, my OB mentioned that my beloved midwife, who delivered both of the Rowdy boys, had recently moved practices. Nothing like another blow when I’m already down 🙂 I think the world of her and am definitely disappointed. I’m hoping to meet with the new midwife in a few weeks and hopefully she’s just as great.

After fighting Atlanta traffic to the appointment, failing my glucose screening and learning my midwife had moved, thankfully I came home to find these three crazy boys being just that–boys. How could this simple joy not turn my day around!

Life has been busy the past month, and to show for it, I don’t seem to have many bump pictures. It’s weird, because around the 26-week mark, I started to feel really good the majority of the time. The month prior, it was a toss up as to how heavy and achy I’d feel any given day. But lately, I’ve felt good the majority of the time, which has been quite pleasant and unexpected. I have no idea what to attribute it to; all I can think is that maybe Baby Scarlett changed positions a bit so that her head isn’t so deep in my pelvis.

Since it had been 4 months since my last haircut and color (I’m getting back to my natural brunette), I was quite overdue for a trim. And I thought, why not chop off a few inches since half my hair falls out a couple months postpartum anyway? The baby hairs that frame my face from my postpartum hair loss after Beau have now only grown out about 3 inches. So maybe in roughly 3 years, I’ll have decent hair again. Until then, I’m thankful that hair loss is one of my biggest physical postpartum complaints. It could be much, much worse 🙂

During the past month, I’ve gotten to squeeze in a couple date nights with this guy. Going kidless is very rare for us, so I try to soak up every minute and pretend I’m 25 again with tons of energy. It works for about the first hour, then once the sun goes down I do my best to stifle my yawns 🙂 I keep telling myself that a year from now sleep deprivation will be on the outs as Scarlett nears 1 years old.

James Michael is already as sweet as ever when it comes to Baby Scarlett. He loves talking about her, putting his hand on my belly and also placing toys on my stomach so he can share with her. Beau, on the other hand, is clueless, as expected. He’ll hit my belly, then after I say, “Be gentle,” he’ll laugh and hit it again.

Despite chasing after the Rowdy boys and being on my feet most of the day, I’m also squeezing in more traditional forms of exercise. We go on long stroller walks to the walking trails and playgrounds within our larger neighborhood a couple times a week. And I get in quite the workout on these 3- to 4-mile, 2-hour adventures as I struggle to push the double stroller up rolling hills and rocky terrain. Obviously (from the pic above), the boys love kicking back and relaxing while Mama does the hard work. But now that the weather is cooling, I love getting them outdoors to enjoy nature and run wild.

I’m still making it into the gym to CrossFit about two days a week on average. Some days I’ll get lucky with three, but at this point I’m happy with two. Most lifts and movements are still feeling good, so I’m just taking it day by day when it comes to programming. I can still do kipping pullups, but what you don’t see in this video is me scaling the deadlifts from 155 lbs to 55 lbs 🙂 After two rounds of sciatic nerve pain last pregnancy, I’m trying to be very careful about any posterior chain movements. This weekend I did light tire flips (100 lb tire) and they felt good as well.

I’ve scheduled chiropractic appointments every two weeks until my due date, and those are really helping me to feel good after working out and just helping with pregnancy symptoms in general. A few years ago, I wouldn’t dream of seeing a chiropractor because the thought of popping things makes me nervous. Now, I can’t imagine not having routine visits.

See past bump updates.