32 week update

I made it to my 32 week appointment! I never made it with my twins. Or as Trevor says, my 32 week appointment was their delivery, haha.

I am just so grateful we haven't had this baby yet. And, I am doing better than I was earlier due to some life changing things I've implemented. I go to the chiropractor weekly. Sometimes 2x if I need it. I go in and he puts my hips back in their sockets, my tailbone back in, and occasionally my pubic bone needs to be put back in. He adjusts my back and neck. This has made such a huge difference to my quality of life. I wish I had done this with the twins! On days I am in more pain, my blood pressure is higher.  With seeing the chiropractor, it has reduced my pain, enabled me to walk again and as a result my blood pressure is better. I take epsom salt baths with mint and rosemary 2-3x times a day - as I need by the pain. The mint and rosemary are anti-inflammatory so it really helps with all of the joint inflammation and reduces the pain. The heat is amazing for all of my joint pain - but it isn't effective with the ligament pain. So for that, what really helps, is icing my vagina a couple of times a day. I know - terrible, right? Haha. I still teach in the early morning, so I wake up and sit on an ice pack for a couple of hours while I teach. These 3 things have really helped the pain and my mobility (and as a result help keep my blood pressure lower).  I am so grateful to have learned these hacks, and wish I had known them with the twins! What is interesting is I have done lots of research on the kind of pregnancy issues/pain I experience, and I haven't seen any of these things mentioned. Mostly they say do stretches - but when you are in so much pain there is just no way to do them. I stumbled upon the rosemary and mint epsom salt bath, and felt so much relief after I did research and learned they are anti-inflammatory. It's so frustrating that doctors really have no advice or even knowledge on extreme pelvic/ligament pain and can offer no help (in my experience). I am just really so grateful that through these things, my pain and ability to move has gotten much better than it was earlier.  I'm still in lots of pain and mobility is hard, but I can still walk! With the twins, I was almost completely immobile due to pain, edema,  and the preeclampsia by 26 weeks. When I had them at 32 weeks I was in such bad shape. I can still take care of my kids (although limited - which I feel so much guilt about), I can still take them to pre-school. I can still drive! I had to stop driving at 26 weeks with the twins because the edema in my feet and legs was so bad. This pregnancy has been so hard and some days I get so exhausted and overwhelmed from the pain I don't know how I can keep it up. But, when I think about it, I am just so overwhelmingly grateful that I am doing this good. Good enough to still care for my family and myself. Good enough that this little girl is still cooking! We are hoping to make it full term! What an amazing blessing and miracle that would be for us.

The twins are so excited for her. They ask how she is doing all of the time and love to feel her kick. Savannah helped me go through all the newborn and 0-3 month clothes and we have everything ready! Savannah was so cute going through the clothes - she would take out an outfit and say "MOM!! You HAVE to see this it is SO CUUUUUTTE!!"

This little girl moves so much. It is really fun. With the twins I barely felt them. I almost never felt Oliver (he was in my ribs) and Savannah I would occasionally feel kick my right side. I feel her all day some days. She wakes me up at night she will be moving so much. She responds to touches and pressure.  My whole stomach will visibly move and shake. This is something that never happened with the twins. In so many ways this feels like my first pregnancy, just because everything with them was so crazy from the very beginning.

We are so excited to welcome her to our family!