27 weeks - Baby #2

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along :  27 weeks (only ~90 days left!!)

Size of Baby :  ~14-15" long & ~2 lb

Total Weight Gain : ~13.5 lbs. My weight has fluctuated this week. After massive weekend indulgences I was up almost 15 lbs, but eating healthier and flat out less has caused it to drop back down to the 13's again. I'm now at the very bottom of my lowest estimates for recommended weight gain, but I'm less worried about the weight and more worried about my digestive comfort at the moment (see symptoms). 

Maternity Clothes :  100%. I've gotten so fed up with my over-the-belly pants not staying up that I've started wearing my under-belly pants again. Unfortunately I only have one pair; I'm going to wear a hole in them before this pregnancy is done, I think.  I need to buy more tunic/long shirts so I can wear more leggings, the most comfy option outside of pj's... maybe even including pj's :)

Best Moment This Week : I've enjoyed picking up the Game of Thrones books again. I started back at the beginning of book four, and then even backtracked into the end of book three a little, since it's been a couple years since I left off 1/3 way thru book four and forgot enough to need a refresher. I'm reading during nap and at my leisure (occasional tho it may be) or on the elliptical at the gym, and enjoying it immensely. 

Gender : It's a boy!  And we've finally settled on a name.  Cole Garrett Idigpio.

His initials are CGI, which is funny but not tease-worthy.  Ash & Cole (coal) are both products of a fire, again funny but not embarrassing.  Unintentionally we're naming him after me since my middle name is Nichole, so the meanings are the same (victor/victorious).  And Garrett is Brother John's middle name, which was also PopPop Pete's middle name.  

[For those few of you who were curious, the name I had fallen in love with that got the veto was Evan.  Just a name, but it had all the features I like.  It's only 4 letters (I like the short names), it ends in n (a pattern that emerged when I made my list; apparently I like them), I'm not close to anyone named Evan or with kids named Evan, and it carried LOTS of meaning.  Evan is a derivative of John, which means God is gracious.  It was also a way of naming him after tons of my family - Brother John, daddy (Roger John) and both my grandmothers (Eva & Evangeline).  I still like it, but Cole Garrett sounds better to my ear than Cole Evan, plus Josh pointed out that it's just a mumble away from being coal oven :-D  LOL  There were a LOT of good names on the list (Evan included), so I have no doubt that we'll have plenty to choose from if we end up with a third boy someday.]

Movement : Little Cole is a mover! You can SEE my belly jump sometimes when he's being active. He's most active when I'm still and after meals (which happen to line up often), as is typical.

Food Craving : None actually. I've been feeling icky enough to not really want to eat much of anything. I do miss being able to drink coffee w/o reflux, and celebrated feeling mostly better today with a small light Frapp. 

What I Miss Most : Same old, being able to move quickly and being comfortable. 

Sleep : Sleep at this point is just hard. I'm waking every few hrs to roll over or to pee. But the extra iron supplement has mostly ruled out the need for naps (I still like a nap from time to time, but don't find them necessary), so I'm making do just fine on the interrupted sleep at night. Prepping for newborn stage, right?

What I Am Looking Forward To : My regular OB appt is on Monday. I'm looking forward to talking to Dr Weary about my lightheadedness and my stomach pain (see symptoms below), even tho I know they're pretty much nothing to worry about. The solution to them both plus my reflux & B.Hicks is the same - stay hydrated, eat small snacks/meals often, stay in shape and rest when your body needs it. But it's always reassuring to hear him say he's not worried. And to hear that Doppler. Tho at this point, Cole is so strong and active that I don't worry about him; I know he's healthy!! But it's still nice to hear his heartbeat :)

Belly Button : same. I wish it would just pop all the way out or disappear altogether; I don't really like it. 

Symptoms : So, the new symptom this week was stomach cramps.  I had sharp pain in my stomach for days. It usually hurt worst when I ate, which made me figure I was just backed up and bloated (hard to tell for sure when your insides are all a jumble and your belly is huge no matter what). So I started adding items into my diet to get things moving, hoping that maybe if I could clear out my digestive tract I might feel better.  Bought kefir & probiotics, prune juice, peaches (canned), raisins, etc. The diet changes helped some, but by evening I was feeling pain despite meds, so yesterday I went and bought a laxative & stool softener to really move things along. We'll see in the long term if this provides more than just temporary relief. Here's hoping for continued improvement. I really am a stomach wimp. 

Aside from that, it's the usual reflux and exhaustion and back aches. Nothing major. 

Compared to last time : I've never experienced stomach pain like the pain I've had this week, but I'm still grateful to report no carpal tunnel. I wonder if my efforts to stay fully hydrated and gain the minimum amt of weight have helped me dodge that bullet...who knows. 

27 wks