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Baby #3 – 1st Trimester Update

So after we made our fun announcement last week I totally owe you all a big, fat baby #3 update. So buckle up, here we go!

Baby #3 – 1st Trimester Update

new baby

Finding Out

So a couple days after Christmas life slowed down a bit and I realized I was late for my period. I kind of freaked out for a second, but I’d been faithfully taking my birth control so I figured the busyness of the season was just getting to me and I hadn’t been super-regular since my period returned after having Barrett. So I grabbed a pregnancy test from my “panic stash” (please tell me other people have these!) completely assuming it would be negative and my period would start the next day. I almost died when I saw a faint line. I seriously couldn’t believe it. Nate immediately saw on my face that something was “up” and while my first reaction was panic, his was to laugh. <<<classic us

In early January we did a dating ultrasound because I am not a responsible adult and hadn’t been tracking my periods. (Did you know there’s an app for that? I didn’t.) I was in some serious denial, but that tiny heartbeat started to make things real for me. We were also given a due date at this time, September 7th.

How I’ve been feeling

Around the same time as the dating ultrasound I began to feel sick, exhausted, hating food except carbs, bloated, all the pregnancy things. The hallmark symptom of both my pregnancies has been just sheer exhaustion and that proved true in this one as well. Thank goodness both my children still nap and nap at the same time. I was also nauseous most of the day, but as long as I kept food in my stomach I was able to keep things down without problem. Now that I’m 14 weeks I’m starting to feel some energy return (not ALWAYS needing a nap) and most of my nausea has dissipated. Praise Jesus!

Gestational Diabetes

Because I have a family history of diabetes I take the glucose test once in my first trimester and again early in the third trimester at the usual time. Unfortunately I failed my 1 hour glucose test and had to sit for the three hour test when I was 11 weeks pregnant. The three hour test was AWFUL. I thought I was going to be sick multiple times and was so weak and exhausted by the end. Two days later I found out that I failed the three hour glucose test and was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.

Right now that means that I test my blood sugar via finger prick 4 times a day and manage my blood sugar with a controlled carb diet. I have met with a nutritionist twice and she gave me a prescribed calorie limit and carb count for each meal and day. There are certain foods that I am going to have to avoid for the rest of my pregnancy, mainly sugary or extra fatty carbs. So goodbye french fries, doughnuts, ice cream, most baked goods, soda, juice, and candy. It hasn’t been a bed of roses, but it’s not the worst either. I think the hardest thing for me is the absolute-ness of some of the boundaries. It’s not a 80/20 lifestyle (80% healthy, 20% what tastes good) by any means, more of a 99/1. There is not much joy to be found in eating because I’m always checking the carb counts and being aware of how food affects my blood sugar. Plus there’s not a lot of yummy, fresh fruits and vegetables available yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to spring and summer farmer’s markets. There is also no “this sounds good so I’ll eat it just because” foods any longer.  Which is sad because a cinnamon roll sounds sooo good and I’m pregnant for heaven’s sake! But in some ways it is easier to make these healthy choices because it is absolute and it’s not about vanity or even ME, but truly for the health of my baby.

greek yogurt bowl

Moving forward I will continue managing my gestational diabetes with diet and exercise (lots of walks). As I get farther in my pregnancy I will have more checks and ultrasounds to make sure that our baby is staying healthy and growing on track.

Thoughts and Feelings

*Trigger-If you’ve struggled with infertility or lost a baby at any point in pregnancy or afterwards you may just want to skip this*

So in case you missed it in the first paragraph we were completely surprised by this baby! Completely. I’m a person who loves to have a plan and loves sticking to the plan! In December around my 30th birthday I sat down and wrote out some goals and plans for my 30th year, having a baby was not in the plan. So I struggled with the very idea of being pregnant for the first 8 weeks or so of my pregnancy. My expectations for motherhood and our family were not met and I was disappointed that my plans were changed. (Completely normal and healthy emotions, by the way.)  I was sad because I was seeing the things I was losing…my body, independence, the idea in my head of what my family would look like, time from my other two kids. It was hard for me and I spent some time being sad about those losses. (Once again, completely normal and healthy.)

But in time I was able to see all we will be gaining in September…a darling baby (of course!), a chance to lean on my spouse and grow together, an opportunity to rely in such an intense way on Jesus, siblings close in age (hopefully leading to close relationships), and a tremendous amount of joy. God is so good at unexpected joys. This child was carefully and wonderfully planned by Him. He is the builder of our family and I trust He knows that our family needs this exact sweet little one.

crazy kids

There are no rose-colored glasses on here, I know with three kids three and under things are going to be *ahem* a bit hectic. But I’m choosing joy in the chaos and am starting to feel excited about adding this little guy/girl to our family. And yes, we will be finding out the gender! We’ve also told Layla and she is very excited about the “tiny baby” in mommy’s tummy. She has such a sweet nurturing heart; I’m sure she’ll continue to be an excellent big sister and a strong leader of our little trio. Barrett is completely clueless about the new baby-all he cares about is food and playing with his big sister’s toys. Also, I’m totally showing, my body quickly remembered what pregnancy was all about. 😛

So there’s all the nitty-gritty on baby #3 for you!

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6 Comments

  1. Oh, that 3 hour test is the worst! I had to do that too with Emma. The only thing that kept me from passing out was telling myself over and over that I did not want to have to do this again. I’m sorry you have gestational diabetes but I’m thankful you have doctors who are monitoring you and baby. Unexpected blessings indeed! Glad you are feeling better with more energy again!

  2. Excited to meet this little baby <3 I'm always thankful the Lord knows better than we do because really, it's the only thing that keeps me head above water sometimes!

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