It has been quite a bit of time since the last post. Reason for this is simply that things have been going great, and there hasn't been much to share.
As of tomorrow, we are officially 34 weeks! We can't believe this little girl will be here in 6 or less weeks. Since our 20 week appointment, we have had some major milestones:
Those butterflies I was feeling in my belly turned into kicks, twists, turns, elbows, hiccups and more. I first felt her move, or at least thought it was her around the 20 week mark. I remember laying in bed and making Cheyenne feel my belly and then BOOM - he felt her twice! It was such an exciting time to see his face light up. Now if I could only figure out how to get her feet out of my ribs...
Her nursery is finished :) If you know me, that is not a surprise. I am a planner and like to get things done EARLY and have things prepared. Everything from her clothes (big thanks to her Grandmas and my best friend Janine who has 2 girls - hand-me-downs are life savers!), her crib, decorations, diaper stations and more.
We had an amazing baby shower. My mom, sister and soon to be sister-in-law threw us a lovely shower. Sophia is SPOILED to say the least. My husband's family were able to attend as well which was fantastic and baby girl felt the love! Thank you to everyone near and far that came to celebrate with us. We were lucky enough to have so many friends and family in town the night before that we had a little gathering at my parents house to spend time together. I loved seeing everyone :)
She loves to dance and listen to music. Almost every night, Cheyenne now lays on/around my belly and plays her music. It is fun watching her jump and kick around as the music changes or she hears one of our voices.
Started to get a little bit of cramping but at this stage in the game, the doctor said if there is no bleeding or it's not consistent, it's just her growing - so, go on girl, grow!
Now the big questions start to come up. She is 6 weeks away from being here... when do I submit my leave request? Induced vs not? Natural vs Drugs? Vaginal vs C-Section? Are you going to breastfeed vs bottle?
So many questions... but honestly, my only concern is she gets here safely and healthy. Whether she was conceived naturally or via IVF. I get induced vs start labor naturally. Have a vaginal birth vs c-section. Use drugs or not. Fed via a bottle or my boob. It doesn't matter, it will be how we raise her that truly matters.
Today at my 34 week checkup my doctor told me that it is recommended that IVF pregnancies get induced at 39 weeks. She said there was studies that have shown lower still births, less likely to have a c-section, and less likely for preclamsia if you get induced. I have not had any issues or concerns my whole pregnancy, my blood pressure has been great, and she doesn't stop moving in my belly. But with the medicine that you take in the beginning of your pregnancy, the hormones in your body may cause your placenta to start to deteriorate or not stay as "solid" as it would in a natural pregnancy causing you to go into labor early anyway. With her being conceived via IVF, part of me would be lying if I said I didn't care if I started labor naturally or assisted. But in the end, I just want her here and healthy. I am going to have some pretty big conversations with my husband, my IVF doctor and then with my OB at my next appointment in 2 weeks. It's crazy to think that she could possibly be here at the end of the year, 5 weeks is not a long time!
Funny story - up until the last 8 weeks, I haven't been super big. See picture below in the green shirt (literally 5 mins after taking my 25 week picture, she disappeared). Depending on what I wear or eat, she has taken advantage of me being tall with wide hips and has done all her growing secretly. Just the last few weeks she has definitely made her presence known that she is here. But, when checking out at the appointment today the nurse (new) was checking boxes and scheduling my next appointment and said "well you're not pregnant..." "UH Yes, I am... haha I am 34 weeks along." "Holy cow, well alright then I didn't realize that!"
Mom - thank you for these hips and my height, being able to wear most of my normal clothes up until this point has been super convenient. But I will say, maternity leggings - game changers!
I go back in 2 weeks for some bloodwork, some other tests but also my final ultrasound to see her before she arrives! I can't wait to get a better look at her face to see what she is going to look like.
Until then! Have a WONDERFULLLL Thanksgiving everyone and I will check back in soon.
JR
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