2nd Trimester down - 10 weeks to go!

I'm almost 30 weeks...which means, if all goes as planned, Baby Coppola should make her debut in about 10 weeks. In ways, it seems like I've been pregnant for an awfully long time. But in other ways, I can't believe that I just have over 2 months left. As I mentioned in a past post, I haven't been great about documenting this pregnancy. Let's hope that I'm better with documenting the baby's first year! :) So I wanted to take a few minutes to just write down some thoughts about the 2nd trimester.

-We have a baby name picked out and have been calling her by name for the past 3 months or so. Since we talk about her name at home, Carter knows it, and has been more than happy to share it with whoever asks. So, although we kept our names totally top secret when Carter was born, we're a little more open with people knowing the name of this baby. Not everyone in our family knows it yet...but it's just a matter of time.

-Despite having an ultrasound at 18 weeks that informed us that this baby is a girl, I still do not feel completely confident that it's true. I'm not sure why and whenever I tell people that it's a girl, I always follow it up with "so they say." I'm hoping to have another ultrasound before the baby arrives. And if the doctors don't think I need one, I'm tempted to pay to have one done. I think most people think I'm being crazy about this...but that's okay with me. I'd just like to have a little more verification that this baby, in fact, is a girl!

-Carter really "gets" that he is going to be a big brother. He talks about the baby often. He has felt her kick in my tummy. And he talks about things that he'll do when the baby comes. One of my favorite stories is when Cary was putting Carter to bed one night, Carter said "When the baby comes, I'm going to rock her and put her in her bed and then go downstairs and watch a movie with Mommy and Daddy." Little does he know that Mommy and Daddy need that down time in the evenings and so he'll likely be in bed also.

-A couple of weeks ago, Carter told me that the baby is going to break out of my tummy and a doctor is going to help me. We're not sure where he heard that or if that's something he thought of on his own, but he's on the right track.

-At my regular OB appointment last week, I told Carter that we were going to hear the baby's heart beating. He didn't want to leave the room after the appointment because he kept asking me when he got to hear the baby cry. He'll be sick of that cry before long!

-The baby's heart rate is in the 140's and 150's. A little lower than Carter's was, but still right in the middle range.

-I have had no cravings at all this entire pregnancy, and haven't had morning sickness since about week 14. Halleluia! In general, I have felt really well and haven't had too many pregnancy-related problems. I tend to be tired a little earlier than normal and I took a nap nearly every day this summer while Carter napped. I've also had a few headaches on and off... but those usually go away with a little caffeine and a Tylenol.

-Speaking of caffeine...that's one thing I'm missing. I was never a huge caffeine consumer, but there are days that I would love to have a coffee in the morning AND a pop in the afternoon. During the pregnancy, I've been careful to just have one serving of caffeine a day, and most days I don't have any at all. Lately I've also been dreaming of having a cocktail or two. On these hot summer days, I'd love to have a beer in the evening or a glass of wine at dinner. And the more I think about not being able to have one, the more I want one. It's a minor thing to give up for a healthy baby, but I will be enjoying a glass of Reisling come November. :)

-I've been able to feel the baby kick and move around for the past 10 weeks or so. She tends to move around in the evenings, but I feel her on and off throughout the day. Just recently I've been able to feel a foot or elbow pushing hard against my belly, and if I push on it a little, it quickly pulls back in. Kinda creepy and kinda cool. And in the past week or so, I've also started noticing that she has the hiccups...a lot!

-The biggest issue of this trimester was my battle with kidney stones. What I thought was a UTI ended up causing a tremendous amount of back pain and constant discomfort on and off for about 2 weeks. After 3 trips to the emergency room, one overnight stay, and several types of pain medication, it finally all just went away. Since I have a history of kidney stones and they are more common during pregnancy, none of the doctors seemed surprised that I was having this issue. Unfortunately there aren't many tests that can be done to determine that it is for sure a stone, and there isn't much they can do to help the stones pass while I'm pregnant, so I just had to drink a ton of water, keep up with my pain medication, and wait until they passed. I'm happy that that episode is over and I'm praying that I can make it these last 10 weeks without any more issues.

-As of now, I have very few hesitations about labor and delivery. I know it's going to hurt and I remember all of that with Carter, but I'm definitely not afraid to do it again. I don't stress about it or think about it very often. I'm praying that this labor itself goes as smoothly as Carter's did. My concern is, however, about getting to the hospital in time to get the antibiotics that I need for Group B Strep. Carter contracted this during delivery and ended up spending 10 days in the NICU. Group B Strep can be very dangerous to babies and we were so lucky that Carter never showed signs of having it. This time around, the doctors will just automatically treat me as though I have it, and so they will need to give me 4 hours of antibiotics during labor. Their solution is to have me come in at 39 weeks, start me on the antibiotics, and then induce labor. As of now, I feel comfortable with this plan and pray for the best possible outcome - a healthy baby!!!

-More than anything, I'm just excited to meet the baby and reach this new milestone in our life. I know that the transition from one to two is going to be hard, and I remember how hormonal and sleep-deprived I was after Carter was born. I am under no illusion that the first 6 weeks are a piece of cake. In ways, I'm anxious to get the baby here and get into a routine with her. In other ways, I'm enjoying these last few months of being a mom to one pretty independent 2-year-old who sleeps through the night and makes life so enjoyable!