25 Weeks

25 Weeks

Haddie is the size of a Cauliflower

Another week has come and gone! They are starting to fly by! The countdown is officially less than 100 days until our due date! Let's recap the events of this week...

Nothing really exciting has happened in the pregnancy symptoms department. I thought I was officially on the weight gain train, but apparently not. I haven't gained anymore weight. I am not sure how to feel about this. Mixed emotions. Of course, I don't want to gain "too" much. That will just make it harder to lose after she gets here. At the same, I want to gain what I need for her and me to be healthy. I guess I will just keep doing what I have been doing. I eat when I feel hungry and snack quite often. I am definitely not starving myself, but I am not pigging out either.

I can tell she is growing! Her movements are starting to pack some punch. I can't imagine what it will feel like when she weighs 5+ pounds. She can rock my whole belly now. It is crazy to watch! Speaking of movement, Ed actually felt her move!! It happened about five minutes after I submitted the post last week. We were resting in bed and she had starting doing some small movements. I have noticed that when she does move, it is usually a few big ones, or she will start out doing some small "twitches" and then a big one. So, I quietly motioned to my stomach. It actually worked! The look on his face was priceless. Since then, she has been sneakier than ever though. I am just glad he finally was able to feel it. Not that I am used to it and I don't notice, but I remember how great it was the first time I knew it was definitely her.

We celebrated the Fourth of July this week. I love holidays!! I can't wait to celebrate them with Haddie. I also love fireworks, and I couldn't wait to see if she responded to the booms. The city of Chattanooga has an annual celebration for the Fourth: a concert and fireworks. I also love Downtown Chattanooga! So, of course, we go. Poor Ed has been working in this record heat. I know the last thing he wanted to do was get off work (after working over time), come home and shower, and get right back in the heat. But he did. For me. Parking is sometimes a challenge when Downtown. I wanted to go to Coolidge Park to watch the fireworks. I thought it would be easier to park across the bridge and walk, instead of trying to find a spot on the other side of the river. Needless to say, we did quite a bit of walking. We actually got halfway across the bridge and changed our minds. Coolidge Park was PACKED! So, instead, we walked back down to the Riverfront. Turns out we had the best seats! The fireworks were amazing. Although, I don't think Haddie even noticed. Maybe it just means she wont be a jumpy baby.



On the way back to the car, my stomach started feeling funny. We had brought Subway to eat on our picnic blanket while we waited for the fireworks. I had gotten the Tuna, since lunch meat is sketchy for pregnant ladies. I don't have a great history with Tuna from Subway. But, I got it anyway. As I was saying, the walk back to the car was up some pretty decent hills in still 90+ degree temperatures. At first, I thought that my stomach wasn't happy about the tuna, but it scared me because it still felt "different." Once we got to the car and started home, it eased up. I was exhausted when we made it home, and went straight to bed.

I woke up the next morning and felt terrible. I was nauseous and my lower stomach was cramping. I went to the bathroom a few times and it just didn't help. I was beginning to get a little worried. I thought this was the beginning of morning sickness. I nibbled on some crackers, and took a safe, chewable, nausea pill. Eventually, the nausea wore off. However, this weird feeling in my lower abdomen was still there. This really scared me. It wasn't the tuna, and it wasn't morning sickness.

I instantly began "googling." This is probably the worst thing to do. Of course, PRETERM LABOR is instantly what I come across with my symptoms. There were a few other things that I found. The rational side of me was convinced that I had just over done it the night before, and because my body is definitely changing, I was just having some muscle cramps. Round ligament pain. Normally, this is quick, sharp pains, but occasionally can last longer. I stayed in bed all day. I had decided that if I woke up like this the next day, I was going to call Mary. Luckily, a few hours before bedtime, the tightness eased up.

I will definitely mention this episode at my next appointment. I think that because I have had an extremely smooth sailing pregnancy (knock on wood), that any little bump or pain will throw up a red flag. It is just a scary feeling when you are concerned for the safety of your child. Whether they are on the outside or not!

Other than the excitement on the Fourth, Week 25 has been pretty laid back. We are still trying to stay cool and relax. I have already started to prepare for the upcoming school year. I really don't want to be in labor writing lesson plan outlines for the long term sub. My plan is to work the month of September, and then start my maternity leave at the beginning of October, two weeks before my due date. Of course, when it comes to baby, all you can do is "plan."

Thanks for stopping by, and try to stay cool!