Every Pregnancy is Different

**I should probably put a TMI alert at the top of this post.**

Every pregnancy is different.  I have to repeat this to myself multiple times a day.  You would think that by now I’d have the concept down pat…but I’m a little hard-headed sometimes.  And this time?  So many things seem so different.

The nausea came and went like it usually does.  I still pee on myself when I cough, sneeze or laugh too hard.
And that’s where the similarities end.

Thankfully, the headaches only lasted a little while this time.  (Here’s to hoping they don’t come back and that I won’t need Stadol again, right Christi?)

I can assure you that this is the most active baby I’ve had so far.  Which…Lord help me if she ends up being my most active child.  I’m not sure I can stand a more active child than Captain Destructo.  She is partial to bouncing around from 11pm-1am and 8am-10am.  And as promptly and randomly as it starts, it stops.

Don’t get me started on indigestion, which I never really had to this degree before.  I’m all fine and dandy until I try to lie down, and I have now resorted to sleeping in the upright position-which is  as uncomfortable as it sounds, I promise.

And the Braxton Hicks?  Well, the first go round I hardly noticed them.  I would feel my belly tighten externally, but not really feel much internally.  With the other two…it was something I noticed a little bit at the end, but it certainly was never more than annoying.  This time…it’s actually uncomfortable (like catch-while-I’m-walking-and-take-away-my-breath kind of uncomfortable).  I don’t know that I’d say that it’s painful, but it is far from the “minor discomfort” that’s mentioned in all the literature.  I have definitely figured out some of the things that trigger them like not drinking enough water or holding in my pee. But I’ve also found that if I get too active or I pick up Asa, I can set them off too.

But you wanna know what’s (nearly) impossible for me?  Avoiding picking up Asa.  And avoiding too much activity is a great big joke when you have 3 other children that are 5 and under.  And so I breathe in deeply, drink more water and hope that maybe this time my body will do it’s job.  And maybe this time I’ll avoid being induced.  And maybe this time I’ll avoid a vulvar hematoma.  (I’ve done that twice now, and I’ll spare you the details. But if you’re really curious, go here and scroll down. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. And whatever you do, don’t do an image search. I’m telling you that for your own good.)

And hopefully soon(oh.my.goodness…SOON!!!!!!!!) we’ll bring home a happy, healthy little girl.  And maybe, hopefully she’ll have a nursery by then.  Because right now it looks like this:

And I was pretty okay with that ↑ until this afternoon when my OB nurse practitioner said, “Well considering your history, you probably only have what…about 6-8 weeks before she arrives anyway.”

Oh.my.holy.hell…6-8 weeks.  How did 40 dwindle down to that so quickly??

I’ve got a lot of stuff to do between now and then!
I’ll get right on that…right after a long winter’s nap!