Baby #3 28 week update

I guess it's about time I posted about our happy little news! Baby #3!

We were terrified to have another baby, if we got twins. And also the twins were just so dang hard (and awesome!) that we just kept delaying. But we ideally wanted our kids to be 2 years age difference, and that just was not an option. We got pregnant right after the twins' 3rd birthday which will make them nearly 4 years apart and I did not want such a large age gap, but honestly it's been perfect for me. The twins were seriously so hard from about 16 months until 3.2. I seriously thought I was going to lose my mind. It was so, so hard having 2 in the terrible 2's. But then they hit just after 3 and it's been amazing! They/we still have our moments, but 3 has been complete bliss compared to the 2's.

We had high hopes this pregnancy, with a singleton, would be easier. That has proven to be true. But still it's been terrible. I got really sick at 7 weeks, and couldn't open the fridge or cook or anything until 16 weeks. Which meant I couldn't clean the kitchen, the bathrooms, couldn't cook for my family... the house fell apart and we were mostly eating out. Plus the fatigue, and teaching at 5am. It was rough. And then pelvic pain started at 12 weeks again, just as it did with the twins. It was bad, but I could push through it. We went to Florida and Saudi where I walked a lot. It was really painful but I just walked through it (it actually was less painful in the humidity than in Utah, so that was nice). But then in Saudi we all got really sick. With me getting so sick, all my terrible symptoms came back and I was  nauseous all the time, throwing up... it was terrible. After maybe a month I was ok enough that the symptoms started to wane.

Early it was hard, because I had horrible cramps from 5 weeks to 14 weeks. I thought I was miscarrying that entire time. It was really stressful and painful. I struggled to sleep because it would get worse at night. And then I'd incorporate the cramping into my dreams and dream I was miscarrying. Not fun.

I started to get big quick, and at 20 weeks my uterus was measuring at 24 weeks. At 24 weeks my uterus was measuring 29 weeks. So we will see where I am this time.

My blood pressure was still good at my 24 week appointment, but over the last week I have not felt right and my blood pressure is rising, a sign of preeclampsia again.  That has been hard news, as I was hoping to not get it this time. It's scary to think I could end up in the hospital again, with a premature baby, having to be on magnesium. I had so hoped for this pregnancy to be healthy and to have a normal experience and a normal birth with a full term baby. I'm on moderate bed rest and that is helping my blood pressure.

I had to go into Labor and Delivery 2 weeks ago for pre-term labor. They monitored me for 6 hours and I am having contractions but it is not dilating me, so that is good. It's so stressful to be having these contractions and just praying I don't go into early labor again.

I still have that awful pelvic pain, but this time I have a diagnosis, which is oddly comforting. SPD. Basically the hips separate further than they need to, earlier than they need to, causing lots of pain and the ligaments to stretch. It feels like my hips and tail bone are out of socket and the whole weight of my midsection in on my ligaments. It is so indescribably painful. I've been going to the chiropractor weekly, and that is the only way I'm still walking. He has to put my hips back in their socket every week, as well as my tail bone every other time. Then I'm in so much pain for a couple days after, as everything adjusts to being in place. So there are some days of the week I am actually doing ok, and others where I can't even walk the pain is so bad. I am grateful because at this point with the twins, I couldn't really walk, so I am doing better. SPD gets worse with each pregnancy as well.

Overall, I have done way better than with the twins. My early sickness wasn't as bad and didn't last as long. It is crazy how much more comfortable I am with just one baby. By this point with the twins I was so uncomfortable from them. I couldn't breathe well and every position was uncomfortable. It is obviously uncomfortable, but I really can manage well with my belly and it isn't bad.  With the twins my hair was so tangly I couldn't even brush it. This didn't happen this time.  If it wasn't for the cramping/early labor and the horrific pain, this pregnancy would have been manageable!  This is for sure our last. I can't physically do this again. Plus the toll it has taken on everyone.

We are just praying that I can manage my blood pressure, the chiropractor can keep me walking and this little girl can continue to grow until she is full term.