Our Little Peanut: The 3rd Trimester

3rd Trimester (Weeks 28-40; April 24-July 17)

Favorite Foods: 
Fresh fruit, especially berries
ice cream
cereal with almond milk
Slurpee
in general I really don't have much as far as cravings go

Foods I Avoid:
Still not much interest in steak and seafood

Smells to Avoid:
Nothing much comes to mind

How I Feel & Baby Predictions:
I felt pretty good until around week 32 when my ankles first experienced the "cankle effect". In general besides the ankle swelling, around week 37 I began to experience sharp knife like pains up my uterus and then extremely itchy stomach due to stretch marks and the heat. Four days before my due date I began to get a 2nd wind of energy that lasted for only 2 days. My sister, Kelly, says that is "nesting."

I feel really lucky that I have not experienced heart burn at all during my pregnancy like most women. I have had a lot more sleeping issues this trimester --- I have had to sleep sitting up at least partially most of the time due to the weight on my lungs and can't really sleep on my side either.

Everyone thinks I am crazy that I am working up until my due date. Week 38 I met with my boss and some other people and my boss had a near panic attack that I had not already installed the car seat and placed the hospital bag in the car. He predicted that I would go out that weekend (just at 39 weeks).

Omar's Aunt Tina from Honduras said that July 15th is a full moon and predicted that today was the day I would have the baby. It is just funny that every time I talk to anyone they think I am going to have the baby.

July 14th and 15th I had Retail Leader Meetings. Everyone said in June that there was no way I would make it until the July meeting. I told them, I would be here and they were shocked when I showed up and when I had so much energy that I even went to dinner with them. I think this baby is just happy growing and staying where she is. I really haven't experienced any contractions, from what I know.

On my due date, Friday, July 17th, I was extremely exhausted. I spent most of the day sleeping on and off. I noticed I would randomly have a thud noise right below my breast bone about once an hour. I didn't feel anything along with the noise. It was never rhythmic and I figured it was not a big deal, but called to make sure it was ok as I had never had that happen. The nurse called me and told me she had never heard of something like that before in all her years of practicing. She went and asked the midwife on staff and she said that it was the baby hitting the piece of cartilage right at the breast bone.

Changing OB's:
When I got pregnant I didn't "shop around" for an OB. I asked some of my friends who all used the same practice, Sekine, Rasner, & Brock and they were all happy with them, so assumed I would be too.

From our first visit, with my husband in tow, all of our visits meant 1.5 hours+ of waiting before we saw the doctor and the office staff were not friendly. When I experienced an issue and tried to see the doctor they said they could not see me for over a month and I had to beg and plead to even speak to a nurse practitioner over the phone. When I finally spoke to them they told me to go to the ER. I pushed back and asked if this was really ER-worthy and they said that if they can't see me to just go to the ER. I went to my primary care physician and they were able to help the next day. No one ever contacted me to follow up to see if all was ok.

I did what they suggested and scheduled appointments with all 3 doctors in the practice because there is no guarantee who would deliver. Each time something seemed to happen. The visit for my gestational diabetes test happened and it had been a few weeks since my issue took place and I asked them to check to make sure everything was okay. This was my first time meeting one of the doctors. I was told the doctor would be right in after I had already been doing the testing for over an hour and I sat basically naked on the exam table for over 45 minutes for the doctor to come in. When she finally did, the first thing she said to me was, "So you failed your diabetes test, didn't you?" No, "Hi, I'm Dr. ___, I haven't met you before." or anything of that nature. Just - you failed your test. I was really shocked and didn't know what to say and what next steps would be. After crying after all the things she said to me and realizing that I would need to take the 3-hour gestational diabetes exam. Before she walked out, she said, "Oh, why are you naked?" Just another unpleasant doctor visit.

After taking my 3 hour exam, I had scheduled my next doctor visit to find out the results. On my way to the office there was a bad car accident that was going to cause me to be 15 minutes or so late. I didn't think it would be a big deal since I always waited over an hour and half to be seen. I have never been late to a doctor before and thought it only right to call and let them know. Unfortunately these days you have to go through multiple phone numbers and IVR systems to get to a human being. When I finally spoke with the receptionist and told them what would happen they told me not to bother coming and to reschedule my appointment if I wasn't there within 5-10 minutes scheduled than I need to reschedule. I told them how long I have waited for all my other doctor appointments and the response was that the doctor had other plans and that in general they recommend being the first appointment after lunch or when they open in the mornings. I told her I had done that before and it didn't matter because I still waited the same period of time and that they never had openings so it would be a long time before i would get in another appointment.

I drove home, not bothering to stop at the doctor - crying the whole way. I remembered that early that morning around 5AM I had a dream with the last bit of sleep that I had that morning. The dream was about that doctor visit and that something was going to happen to cause me to cry and be extremely upset and to leave that doctor's office.

Right after the phone call with the doctor's office, my sister-in-law Megan called and caused me to remember my dream and convinced me to not be scared to leave my current doctor. I went home and posted on Facebook asking for doctor recommendations.

After doing my own research and taking into consideration reviews, I chose Dr. Phelan who is the only physician in his practice but overall he is part of a larger practice, NFLOBGYN. He is one of, if not the longest practicing OB in Jacksonville and his practice overall is the oldest in all of Florida. His practice is near our new house too. The feel of the doctor's office, the length of wait, speaking with the doctor is much more comfortable too.

REAL Doctor Visits:

May 15th
Blood Pressure 102/64
Gained 5 pounds this month for a total of 29 during the pregnancy

This was my first visit at my new doctor's office, Dr. Phelan, who is the only doctor in his practice but is part of the larger group, NFLOBGYN (North FL OBGYN). The feel was completely different - much shorter wait, all the staff was really friendly and nice, and took their time. The atmosphere overall was much improved. The good news is that I finally learned that I past my 3 hr glucose test.

June 4th 
Blood pressure 120/68
Gained 7 pounds for a total of 36 during the pregnancy

I was gone so much during the month of May between the Sales Consumer Conference for the top producers of the company, to going to Utah to visit Omar's family. This visit I had my last sonogram completed. Could see that the baby has big lips and hair. We could see her eating and got a lot of facial/profile shots. Baby measures longer than most babies and weighs approximately 5lbs and 11 oz. which is weighing a week ahead (35 weeks instead of 34 weeks). If she stays on track she would weigh 8 lbs and 11 oz. at birth.

semi profile

Baby looking at us - eyes open

Baby looking at us

First Footprint

Check out those lips --- huge!

June 18th
Gained 3 pounds for a total of 39 during the pregnancy
This is the first of my weekly visits until I go into labor. Pelvic exams began and I can only imagine how painful labor is going to be after starting these exams.

June 25th
Gained 1 pound for total of 40 pounds during the pregnancy
Blood pressure 122/70
Spoke to the doctor that the only thing that I really cared about as far as a birth plan goes is delayed cord cutting, if possible. He compares birth to an Indiana Jones movie ---- you make it up as you go along. I still have no idea what exactly I want to do when going into labor, I think I'll just see what happens. Dr says that he thinks he will see me a few more times but if I want to be induced at 39 weeks he is willing to do that. My only concern is that I don't want to have a c-section and my fear is the baby is going to be too big.

July 1
Gained 3 pounds for a total of 43 pounds
Blood pressure 132/65
Effaced: 1 and 50%

July 10 (week 39) - met with the midwife
Gained 1 pound for a total of 44 pounds
Blood pressure 118/60 --- they said my blood pressure is AWESOME
Effaced: 1 and 70%
Baby heart rate: 144
It was explained to me that Group B Strep is extremely common from what I understand. The baby will not be able to fight off Group B strep which means that if my water breaks that I need to go immediately to the hospital as I have to have 2 dosages of some medication prior to giving birth. Also, since I live a little further away from the hospital if I start having contractions 7-10 minutes apart I should go to the hospital, rather than waiting until they are 5 minutes apart.

July 16 (week 39 - the day before week 40 and due date)
Gained 2 pounds for a total of 46 pounds
Blood pressure was normal
Baby heart rate in the 140's
Basically I am a 2
My doctor before doing the pelvic exam told me that he would look at scheduling me to be induced the next day (on my due date) so long as I am able to be induced if I wanted to. If not, than he would look at scraping my mucus lining which typically induces labor within 24 hours. The thing is that he is going out of town for a week starting on my birthday, that following Monday, July 20.

He checked me --- super painful - and he said the baby is still really far up and is so far up that I can't be induced and he can't scrape the mucus lining. I started crying. I don't know if it was from ...
- the pain of the pelvic exam or
- knowing that I would have to continue to endure the pain of a blistery/itchy stomach
- continue being extremely uncomfortable with sleeping
- need to postpone stopping work or
- that I changed doctors only to probably be delivered by a stranger,
...  or just a little of everything including being a hormonal pregnant person.

I went to the hospital to meet my child birth teacher. I asked her for any suggestions and she basically told me that sex, and nipple stimulation are the best things to induce labor. I just had to laugh. I think this baby is on her own schedule and will come when she wants. I was born on July 20 but my original due date was July 4...maybe that means I still have 2 more weeks before this baby comes. Who knows, maybe my doctor will be delivering her.

Belly Pictures:

28 Weeks (April 26)

Week 29...75 days to go (May 3)

30 weeks ... Biltmore Estates (May 10)

58 days to go

32 weeks - Boca Raton, FL Sales & Consumer Conference

39 weeks

cankle issues --- 7 days before

still ... 39 weeks

Classes (Breastfeeding/Birthing & Hospital Tour/Picking a Pediatrician)

We went to a 2 hour breast feeding class at Baptist South on June 18th. It was really informative and I'm glad we went. I'm not sure if Omar was excited as I was.

We took our childbirth class at St. Vincents Riverside on June 20th. It was an 8 hour long class. Omar really did not want to go, but he was a great partner and it would have been really weird going by myself. They did breathing techniques, help the men with coaching us during labor, and taught about all the labor items so you can make a decision as to what sort of birth plan you want. In Omar's opinion the class was a spa day as the men practiced a lot of massage techniques. We also took a tour of the maternity suites since we would be giving birth at the hospital now. There were 4 other couples in the class and we found out that one of the couples, Tabatha and Michael, live about 5 minutes away from our new house. They are due on August 10th so now we have some friends that we can hang out with in our new area.

We went on July 2nd to Carithers Pediatrics for their new parent orientation. The practice we will go to is in Riverside which is close to our new home. They have good office hours, reviews from people, and they even are value based providers --- which means the way they care for their patients is top notch. Following the meeting Omar and I went and ate dinner in Downtown Riverside.

Installing the Car Seat & Packing the Hospital Bag

I started packing the bag during week 38. Made a huge treat bag for Omar --- has candy, chips, pop-tarts, soda, and who knows what else...want to make sure he stays awake during my labor.

Then started on the other hospital bag for me. I didn't end up putting it into the car until week 39.

As for the car seat --- you can't take the baby home unless your carry them out in a car seat. Everyone says how challenging it is to install a car seat and so you should go have it done at one of those car seat events. It took me forever to find somewhere that I could have it installed. All events were full and booked and then I found a fire station in Jax Beach that you could make an appointment for. They were very kind and helpful.