Baby #3 Update

I'm just over 20 weeks with baby number 3 now, which means I'm half-way there by normal standards and probably a little over halfway if this kid follows in his/her sisters' footsteps. We've really got to come up with some sort of gender neutral nickname. We called Sierra "Lil' Bit" and we called Sedona "Hill version 2.0", this poor kid is just "#3"--there's got to be something better than that we can use.

Because we're most likely going back to Texas to deliver the baby, we have continued working with our midwife there (with the understanding that if she tells me I need to see a doctor, I listen) instead of seeing anyone here. Prenatal appointments at this stage are supposed to happen about every 4 weeks and I just do them myself and report in to the midwife. I know, shocking...I'm being trusted to be responsible for my own medical care--inconceivable! This is slightly easier because we have our own sphigmomanometer (otherwise known as a blood pressure cuff thingee), a pack of urine test strips, and knowledge to accurately measure my fundal height. So when it's time for a check (or any other time I think something might be up), I just weigh myself, take my blood pressure, measure my fundal height, and test my urine for protein/glucose/white blood cells/nitrites. I record the numbers and also check in with the midwife to share with her and we discuss how things are going. I think she also feels a little better about not seeing me in person because she knows that while I'm doctor averse, I definitely appreciate the talents and resources of doctors and hospitals when they're needed...after all, less than 3 months ago it was my own idea to go to the hospital and I actually pushed to keep an IV in as long as I could.

But back to the actual baby update. My blood pressure hangs out around 110/60, which is typical for me when I'm not pregnant. No problems with the urine checks. My fundal height (how big my uterus, and presumably the baby, is) is right on track, and was just very slightly bigger than expected this week (both the girls always measured slightly ahead too). I am finally gaining weight--about one pound a week. I have one more pound to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. This isn't great, but it's a huge improvement so hopefully the trend continues. I am having contractions already, but that's not at all unusual for me. The contractions are MUCH more infrequent than they were with the girls. I think that's because this is the first pregnancy where I'm not trying to work. We have taken several trips and I've gone on short hikes and I'm home alone with the girls all day, but I've always felt like it's not the physical stress that causes my contractions, it's the mental stress. That seems to be proving true. I'm not dilating at all (I had by now with Sedona), so that's good too. In another 6 weeks or so, I will need to check my glucose to screen for gestational diabetes (which I can also do at home) and get another CBC to check in on my iron levels (quite frankly, that might happen at home too--Josh has blood draw experience and it just needs to get sent to the lab).

Sierra is excited about another baby coming, but I'm definitely getting more questions this time around. She had the idea in her head that you just randomly become pregnant with no control over it whatsoever. I did my best to correct her without getting TOO into the details. She really wants another girl baby and is trying her hardest to convince us to let her name the baby. She's pushing for "baby Kate" or "D.W." (which stands for Dora Winifred) because Arthur is one of her favorite cartoons.

Sedona's also getting more interested. She has started coming up to me all the time and saying "may I pwease feel momma's baby?" (yes, her pronunciation may be bad, but I think her grammar is better than Sierra's). Yesterday, she asked to feel the baby and I said she could try, but I thought the baby was asleep. She put her hand on my tummy and said, "wake baby up! make baby kick!" She has started pointing out every baby she sees, but I'm not sure she really gets it like Sierra did at that age (Sierra had gone to work with me her whole life and been around newborns a lot). It is a little concerning that while she wants to take care of her baby dolls, she also periodically throws them on the ground and then says, "oops! baby need to go to hospital!" when she wants to play doctor. Sedona keeps saying it's a "pink baby" and I tell her we don't know if it's a boy or a girl and she'll say, "boy baby!", but she also insists there are two babies in there (and we've had 2 ultrasounds...definitely only one!!!)

Baby is very active (I think more like Sierra was than Sedona, which is kinda scary!) and has settled into definite sleep/wake cycles. Josh jokes that some sort of kung fu is going on in there sometimes--we feel some really big, hard kicks!