Other than the last few weeks, this pregnancy has flown by! I’ve felt so good, but this last week or so has definitely slowed me down. (It doesn’t help that the heat index is in the 100’s and I have an energizer bunny as a toddler.)
I remember so vividly last pregnancy feeling great up until the day I gave birth. My doctor had given me the option to schedule a c-section for Theo anytime after 38 weeks since he remained breech, but I kept pushing it off in hopes he would turn head down. (You can read my post here about everything we tried to get him to move.) Everyone was surprised I didn’t want to do it as early as possible, but I honestly felt completely fine and wanted him to cook as long as he was ready to!
It was just so different with a breech baby though, that I didn’t realize the type of pressure and aches that happen when you do have a baby that’s head down! Theo didn’t drop down until my water broke, so I never experienced these feelings in the weeks leading up to delivery. I also was working in an office where most of the day I sat down, and could come home, put my feet up and go to bed as early as I wanted.
Pregnancy when you already have a baby is a much different experience. My days are so busy with Theo that the time has flown, but my days are so busy with Theo that I also don’t have a second to sit down so by the end of the day I’m wiped out. (And the second I do sit down he’s jumping on my back and using my belly as a trampoline so it’s not exactly relaxing.) I wouldn’t change it for the world, I absolutely love spending my days with him and am so grateful to be carrying another healthy baby- but I definitely took my first pregnancy experience for granted!
Since I’m 37 weeks now I’ve started weekly doctors appointments. They’re pretty uneventful- just listen to the heartbeat and measure my belly. The amount of time it takes me to get Theo and I out of the house, him loaded up in the stroller with plenty of snacks, trek though the doctors office and wait for our apt to start is crazy. Especially since the appointment from start to finish is always under 10 minutes.
At my last visit baby boy still seemed head down and I was slightly dilated which is all a good sign since I’m going for a TOLAC /VBAC this time around! (TOLAC = trial of labor after cesarean / VBAC = vaginal birth after cesarean). If you’ve been following me since I was pregnant with Theo, you know I was extremely disappointed to have had a c-section, and tried every method possible to get him to turn head down before delivery. While the actual c-section experience itself was great (I did a ton of research and opted for a “gentle c-section” and my hospital/doctors and nurses were so accommodating to following those wishes. So thankful for them!) I did have an awful recovery leading to hemorrhaging and blood transfusions. (You can read his birth story here). So with that, I’ve been extremely motivated to have a vaginal delivery this time around in hopes that recovery is a much different scenario.
Even if my recovery had gone perfectly I still would opt to try to for a VBAC. Having a c-section is MAJOR surgery and until you’ve had one, it’s hard to explain what those first few weeks are like. I can’t imagine having to do that with a toddler, so if I’m able to avoid it, I will! And I give all the credit in the word to the mamas who’ve had multiple ones.
So for now I’ll be spending these next few weeks on my yoga ball, eating pineapple and dates, while walking running around with Theo and taking evening primrose oil until my labor starts. Any other wives tales I’m missing?!
Just kidding. (mostly)
I’ll be soaking up my last few weeks with just Theo and I. It’s literally been the best two years of my life and it makes me emotional to think of our family dynamic changing. Even though I know he’ll be so happy to have a little friend and be the best big brother, I’m happy to have all the extra time with just us.
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