Wednesday, May 9, 2012

34 Weeks–42 Days Til Due Date

I am so encouraged this week and so thankful for this time at the end of this pregnancy.

I absolutely love this verse:
He sent forth His Word and healed them. Psalm 107:20a

I pray every day that more and more I will believe the Word of God is my answer for life.  Every part of life.  I pray that I will always remember that I wrestle not against flesh and blood and that God is working EVERYTHING together for good in my life.  I know this, but, LORD, help my unbelief.  So exciting that we can trust God.  So exciting.

My grandparents are visiting from Maine and staying with Stacey and Johnny on the farm.  Henry took his job of entertaining them very seriously this afternoon.
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He was the photographer today but mostly had the camera pointed to himself.
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Henry LOVES his great-grandparents and their dog.  He showed his Grampa Pease all the animals on the farm.

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How does this pregnancy compare to my last at this time?

I was working at our business pretty much until the day before my due date and I went into labor on my due date.  I definitely think working without a child while pregnant is easier than staying home with a child while pregnant.  Although, I am VERY thankful for my Henry and the distraction that he is.  While I was working during my last pregnancy, I could come home and my day would stop.  I could relax.  As a mother the work never ends.  I have to make him meals, snacks, clean him, play with him and then when he goes to bed I am get other things done plus check on him to make sure he’s breathing and not about to fall out of the bed.  That is just the tip of the iceberg as all of you know.  And it is such a privilege.  Motherhood is great medication (hopefully it works) for selfishness.  I am so thankful to be a mom and so thankful for my mom.

My last pregnancy I think I was pretty much ready to have Henry at this time and six weeks seemed a very long time to go.  Now it is flying by (thanks to Henry) and six weeks seems like very little time.
Some people go on and on about how small I am carrying while others go on and on about how much bigger I am with this baby.  I don’t know how much I weighed at this time in my last pregnancy but I know it was more than I do now.  Right now I am 25 pounds lighter (I gained too much weight with Henry and started both pregnancies at the same weight!) than when I went into labor with Henry.  Hopefully I don’t gain that much in six weeks.  I will let you know.  Here are some photos from 34 weeks pregnant with Henry:


Here I am on January 31, 2009.  Exactly six weeks before I gave birth to Henry and six weeks before my due date.  I am holding my cousin’s daughter Nevaeh.

Can’t really see me here.

Might have been 35 weeks pregnant here.  Wearing a lot more clothing because winter in Maine.
Either way, it is what it is.  Bigger or smaller – hopefully with less weight to lose at the end.
Stretch marks?  I don’t have any stretch marks on my stomach.  I did get a couple on my the back of my hips at the end with Henry but I haven’t noticed them and hopefully gaining less weight will help with this little peanut.

Movement – I am sure it is about the same.  I just don’t remember feeling Henry’s movements so defined and I don’t remember feeling like he would push himself through my side.
Eating:  I have been trying to eat dairy and gluten free.  Though on occasion I have eaten some on purpose and I think today on accident.  It makes a HUGE difference in my digestive system and over all mood.  Today, I definitely ate something that didn’t agree.  With Henry I drank milk shakes like they were going out of style until a few months after I gave birth.  I also ate cheeseburgers like they were going out of style.  YUM.  That is not happening with this pregnancy, though I can’t say I haven’t made up for it some in other areas.

Sleeping – I have never been a great sleeper.  I don’t really remember this time specifically with Henry.  This pregnancy I seem to have good weeks of sleep and weeks I can’t get comfortable.  Last week was bad, this week is good.  Though I do get up in the night at least 2  - 5 times to go the bathroom.  At the very end of my pregnancy with Henry I was hardly sleeping at all.  I was so exhausted by the time I went into labor, then I was in labor in the middle of the night and really didn’t get any sleep for another 36 hours.  I am praying (literally) not to repeat that.

Labor plans- I am having this little nugget in a local Baltimore County hospital.  I am sure it will be quite different and much more of a medical experience than my laid back rinky-dink Damariscotta hospital.  That I will miss but love my doctor and am excited to go into this one with a little more experience.  I don’t plan to have an epidural.  I didn’t have one with Henry.  Though it has crossed my mind to do it this time.  I will ask for drugs immediately if I want them.  Mostly because I have learned that I am not a good relaxer.  That quality plus labor equals not a good combo.  I can stay two nights in the hospital which, for right now, I plan to take full advantage of.

Henry plans – Our plan is to have Henry at our house with Stacey and Johnny.  Having him home will set my mind at ease.  Praying for those details.  Dave will return home at night and stay with Henry.  The Dave sleeping at the hospital thing doesn’t work for us.  Plus it works out better to have him home with Henry.

Interesting fact is this little peanut will be the first person in his direct family tree line (straight line up through me, my mom, my grandfather etc.) on my mom’s paternal and maybe my mom’s maternal side that wasn’t born in Maine since they settled after the Mayflower.  But his father and three out of four of his (genetic) grandparents were born in Maryland.  Another interesting fact since my father (born in Bethesda, MD) and no one in his family was raised in Maryland.  There are many people in his family that weren’t born in Maine.  Two uncles (my brother Stephen and David’s brother Michael), four aunts (my sisters Jana and Tia and Dave’s sisters Desi and Kelly), soon to be seven first cousins (two in Maryland, two in Arizona (my side) and maybe three in Virginia – Brandi, Shawn, Tricia, Colby, Alexa, Roman and soon to be Beatrice), many great aunts and uncles (my side since Dave only had one uncle who is deceased) and many first cousins once removed (my side – Dave doesn’t have any) including a first cousin once removed who was born in the same hospital he will be born in (my first cousin –  Mr. Samuel Isaac Luce).   Two of his great-grandparents were born in the Midwest (my side).

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