Second Pregnancy Update: 28 Weeks

28 weeks!

I'm now in the third trimester of this pregnancy! Thank you, Lord!

Pregnancy Symptoms

This has not been the best week for sleep! As soon as I climb into bed at night, I suddenly feel wide awake. Sometimes I won't go to sleep for hours, and if I do manage to drift off, I have to wake up at least three times to go to the bathroom during the night. It's just part of pregnancy (and I'm certainly not complaining, because I'm happy to be pregnant again), and I know I'll have some sleepless nights after our sweet girl is here. Tessa, by the way, had hiccups every night starting on Sunday through Wednesday. I don't think they contributed to my lack of sleep, because they wouldn't start until I got back in bed after a trip to the bathroom. But even if they did keep me awake, I don't mind. Little baby hiccups are really cute!

We had a busy day yesterday, and when the evening rolled around we realized I hadn't gotten my progesterone shot yet. Because it was already late in the evening and I need to move around a good bit afterward to keep from getting sore, we decided I could just get it today instead. We ate breakfast this morning and I made sure to exercise before getting the shot so that my muscles would be loose (to help make it less painful), then G gave me the injection. The shot wasn't painful at all (for once), but I felt my body react in a new way. My neck suddenly felt hot, and my throat went from feeling normal to a little itchy and congested. Shortly after that, I started having a coughing fit mid-injection and I couldn't stop myself.  G had to finish giving me the shot as quickly as he could because my coughing was causing the needle to move around a lot. A few minutes after G removed the needle, things started to slow down, and a half hour later I was fine again. I drank some water, which helped the itchy feeling in my throat, and before long all of the congestion was gone! I've certainly never had that reaction to anything before and after doing some research, I found out that a small percentage of people who take progesterone shots do experience coughing fits. Since I haven't had anything like that happen so far, I'll definitely be mentioning it to my OB at my appointment on Thursday. It may be that my body is fed up with all of the needles, or I could be developing some kind of mild allergy that may require me to switch to a different brand of medicine. Either way, I don't think it was a dangerous reaction (though it was initially a little concerning because it has never happened before).

A Few Thoughts

I can't believe there are only 8-9 weeks left until the cerclage comes out! My next appointment with the perinatologist is in a couple of weeks, and we'll probably get a firm date for the procedure pinned down at that time. There are only four weeks of birthing classes left, and then everything will revolve around getting the nursery ready and attending baby showers! As much as I love being pregnant, I'm so ready to cross the 36/37 week finish line. I could carry Tessa all the way until my due date or longer but after those weeks have passed it will be okay if she decides to come. We're so ready to have her with us (just not too soon), and hold her in our arms. I wonder all the time what that day will be like. Will we get to hear her little voice? Will she open her eyes and look at us? Will we see her move? We didn't have any of that with Addie because she was so early, so I don't know what our reaction will be if we get to enjoy those little miracles that often get taken for granted.

Recently, I asked G to pray about something that may sound a little strange to most people. I asked him to pray that my mind would focus on Tessa when it's time for her to be born. Don't get me wrong, I love Addie Jane so much; but as harsh as it sounds, she's not here anymore. Her time has already come and gone, and she's with the Lord now. We truly are at peace with that, and we're grateful for the time we were given with her. While I know she will be on my mind, and that I won't be able to help mentally comparing on some level my birth experience with Tessa to the one I had with Adelyn, I want that day to about Tessa. I want to be as present in those special moments (whether it ends well or not) as I can be. While I will forever hold dear my memories of Addie (yes, even the painful ones), I don't want them to overshadow the new memories we will have on the day of Tessa's birth. Hopefully those memories and experiences will be pleasant and happy (I'm believing they will be), but either way they won't replace the ones we have of Addie. Rather, they will be a reminder that the Lord has shown mercy to us and has not forsaken us in our troubles.

"Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Lord." -Psalm 9:10