Adventures!

I'm not really sure how detailed to be on all of our adventures this weekend so I'll just type until I get sick of it... On Friday I started having stomach pains which is sadly pretty normal for me. I didn't think much of it until they suddenly changed and I could no longer help members at America First without completely messing up the transaction. All I could think about was the pain in my stomach so I finally broke down and decided it would be worth going to a clinic to have them check me out.

After many many tears and the clinic turning away a pregnant lady Nate and I finally decided to go to the ER. I felt really stupid being there because I always picture it being for only people who are on the verge of dying any moment but at the same time I could no longer walk without wanting to barf from the pain. I was in so much pain that I basically just laid down wherever there was a brief moment of waiting. My pain would go from a 9 to a 3 just by laying down so it was worth people judging me on the gross hospital floor.

I learned that being pregnant in a hospital means that NOTHING comes before the baby. The ER wouldn't even touch me until labor and delivery had checked me out and made sure everything was okay with the pregnancy. I ended up in labor and delivery for 4 1/2 hours and never even found out why I was having pain... it was a bit odd and relieving to know that they care as much about my unborn child as I do :)

So the adventures of L&D started with a really kind nurse (Karren) hooking me up to a heart beat monitor and contraction monitor. Luckily Kendrick has had a strong heart from day one because Karren said it is usually really hard to hear the heartbeat on the hookup that they had at only 28 weeks. (His heart was heard almost the entire time we were there without a single problem).

Well, naturally my braxton hicks (contractions) started up as usual and freaked everyone out. I tried to tell them that I have been having braxton hicks for a couple of months but I don't think they took me seriously. My stomach pain was on the bottom of the list of importance while they can test after test to try and see why I was having contractions. I was a really confused about why they were worrying so much when it was so obvious to me that my pain had nothing to do with a contraction. I don't think I really understood how many I was having until Karren told me that I was having more contractions than another lady whose water broke at 2 and had been in the hospital all day. I even had some that were only 2 minutes apart and I guess the worry was that they didn't want me to deliver that night. Honestly they are so normal to me that I have to consciously think about it to tell if I am having one.

Well they finally got the bright idea to hydrate me because I hadn't had anything to eat or drink in hours. Once I had a liter of fluid in me the contractions settled down enough for them to feel comfortable enough to send me home. I was given some Maalox that helped with my stomach pain and told to get a bland diet and call on Monday to see what I should do next.

I still had stomach pain throughout the weekend but nothing in comparison to the pain I felt on Friday. I called my midwife today and told her about the weekend and she wanted to see me again today. She did a couple more tests, and checked Kendrick to make sure he wasn't breached (he wasn't :) ) I now have a list of things that I get to do over the next couple of weeks while they keep monitoring my contractions and stomach pain. Luckily I get to see a gastroenterologist tomorrow so the adventures are still in the beginning stages.

I don't mind the extra midwife visits, ultrasounds, and hearing Kendrick's heartbeat but I DON'T want to deliver early. I think some of the nurses wanted to make bets on when I would deliver after I left the hospital and I hope that the latest date wins!

Week 27

I feel like each week just gets better and better. I have yet to hit the point where I hate pregnancy but I am sure the closer I get to my due date the more likely that might happen.

My belly is just big enough that I can make an outie belly button on demand. It makes me laugh every time. Nate always gets mad saying that I need to stop messing with the "baby timer" because if it hasn't popped then it isn't time for Kendrick to come. I just find it so fascinating that my belly button can change.

I am still hardly looking pregnant enough for people to tell. I feel good and prego but people are still shocked when they hear that I am pregnant... and then I have to hear all their stories about someone else who is pregnant and looks less pregnant than me.. kind of awkward at times.


I am loving the kicks and movements. I am finally to the point where I can feel Kendrick throughout the entire day. For the most part he is mellow but with each day the kicks are getting stronger and harder. I love that my little man is growing so fast.

(Our baby is about 2 1/2 pounds this week)

Week 26

I have LOVED this week. I can finally feel the bones/ limbs/ structuring of baby Crow. There have been a couple times where I could literally push Kendrick in order to relieve the pressure where he was curled up. His kicking is so strong now I just love watching my tummy make giant waves as he kicks and moves. I feel like there really is a little person in me and not just cells dividing that are making me fatter.

I love talking to Kendrick and having him kick back in response. There was one night where I would tap my tummy and then he would Kick my hand.. I felt like I could have done it all night and still been giddy about the whole thing.

On Thursday I finally had someone ask if I was pregnant. It made me self conscious and happy at the same time. Kendrick is making his appearance into the world now… no more hiding. My only hope is that I am tall enough to scare people away from ever putting their hand on my tummy. I don’t mind sharing my baby bump with family and friends but I am not too excited about baby happy ladies putting their hand on MY belly. We shall see what the future of getting bigger holds.

Front picture for Jessica

Can you smell how close I am to the end of my pregnancy LOL…

My sugar addiction..

So I just LOVE sugar. I pretty much think it is the best thing ever. I think I love food in general because I also love my fruits and veggies, but I crave sugar more than most. This isn't a pregnancy thing just a Melanie thing.

I have been reading some childbirth books that say that you have to get rid of fear in order to have a pain free childbirth. The only fear that sometimes comes to mind is that I might not be able to have the willpower to stay focused during labor without drugs. That is why this post is about sugar. It is a major part of my diet and I decided today that if I could eliminate it from my diet than I could do anything I set my mind to... including delivering a baby naturally.

I have confidence that I will be able to handle the pain because I have broken an arm and had my wisdom teeth pulled without feeling any pain from either incident. I personally think that I have a high pain tolerance and if I can keep focused on the end result I know that delivering a child naturally is possible.

This post may not make a ton of sense because of how tired I am, but basically I am going to cut out sweets from my diet until I give birth. I need to be able to make it through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas without gaining more weight than what is necessary and I need to know that I can do something hard. Not eating sweets is going to be something that will be really really hard for me mentally. If I can go three months without sweets I will have more confidence that I can put my mind to anything.. like having a baby.

Wish me luck because the first week is always the hardest!

Week 25

I realize that I am a day early in posting this but I just had to say ONLY 99 DAYS UNTIL KENDRICK SPENCER CROW IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE!! We are down to 2 digits now and I can hardly believe how fast time is flying by.

This week has been pretty basic. There are times Kendrick stops me in my tracks and makes me take a moment to smile because I realize the crazy movement in my belly is just him. My favorite thing that Nate does is say "Kendrick I am your Father" to my belly in the Darth Vader voice. It makes me laugh every time and also appreciate the fact that we are not naming our baby Luke. I am determined to start reading books to Kendrick this week. I want him to love reading/ listening to good books so I'm hoping that if we start the habit while he is in the womb he won't be able to resist : ) The library is going to be my favorite walking to, through, and from once Kendrick is here so I hope he can enjoy it as much as I do.

This week I am on a hunt for a Hypnobirthing class. I want to start as soon as possible but I am still having a hard time justifying the money. It is about as expensive as an epidural so as long as I follow through with everything than I guess it all evens out.. except insurance pays for the epidural and I pay for the hypnobirthing : (

No pictures this week... just imagine my belly and behind bigger and that should be enough of a image.

Week 24

I had to post the t-shirt picture because I was excited to prove that I am finally big enough to show through a normal t-shirt. Kendrick has grown and grown this week making jeans and big meals very uncomfortable. He is kicking so hard! I would have posted a video of my tummy that has him doing karate kicks but I couldn’t figure out how to edit it. I am continually surprised at how hard he can kick now. There are times where he will flip in my tummy and it makes me feel like I am on a roller coaster ride where you get the sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach from going to fast. My all time favorite thing is to have Nate put his hand on my tummy and have Kendrick kick his hardest to show off for his daddy. I still can hardly wait until they get to meet! Only 15 more weeks!!

I have been loving my sleep the past few weeks. I am usually in bed before 10, and amazed if I can last longer than that. The discomforts that come at night are bunches and bunches of leg cramps. I don’t have to get out of bed yet in order for them to go away, but I feel like when I’m stretching my foot to get rid of one, there are five more that form. I am not a fan of them, but I’ll take it over the no sleeping phase :) Only 3 more weeks until I’m in my 3rd trimester and onto all new symptoms and changes!