project baby #3 {week 24}

{week 24} Not gonna lie, guys, this week felt pretty devastating. I am grateful for a healthy pregnancy (thank goodness it wasn’t that!) but there were a lot of emotions happening.

First, it would be impossible not to acknowledge the enormity of the death of George Floyd and the rising up of the Black Lives Matters movement, both locally and nationwide. As much as I am not a news reader (it’s terrible, I know, but really important for my anxiety levels) this is news that cannot be ignored. Racisim, police brutality, and white privilege are crucial pieces to the BLM movement. We, as a family, have committed to confronting our personal biases, engaging in our community, educating our children, donating to related causes, raising awareness and encouraging voter action in primary elections and those in the fall, and becoming allies to the Black communities both here in Seattle and across the nation.

It has been unsettling to see updates coming out of our city of buildings on fire and clashes with peaceful protesters and rioters. We have witnessed Seattle under strict curfew orders for most of the week which is frightening. And while I don’t feel like it’s safe for my family (given the potential for violence, my pregnancy, and young ages of my children) to join protests all around the city, we hope that we were/are still able to support those who can and for the larger movement overall.

And while we’ve witnessed some pretty horrific events and fallout as related to race relations in this country, we had some (personally) devastating news of our own this week. On Monday, I received an urgent phone call from my midwife who let me know that, due to decisions made with the medical practice, that midwives would no longer be able to deliver babies for any patients.

Guys, to say I was devastated doesn’t even begin to describe it. There are SO MANY unknowns that hang over our heads in this pregnancy, mostly due to COVID, that make me/us feel totally helpless, and it was important for Aaron and I to have stable and supportive care from midwives that I have been seeing for over 6 years. And beyond that, I ADORED my midwives. They have been like family to us during our prenatal and immediate post-natal times with both of our girls. Sarah was present at Eloise’s birth and delivered Daphne; Erica has been such a friend and support thru my two pregnancies and beyond. These are women that have cared for me and that I completely trust with my life and our infants. It’s really hard for me to not be emotional about the entire situation.

I know that I will receive top-notch medical care throughout the remainder of my pregnancy and my delivery, but I am being forced to find an obstetrician with just 16 weeks left in my pregnancy. I have chosen to stay on with the current practice (in order to maintain some sense of continuity and to ensure my delivery at Swedish First Hill hospital), and Aaron and I have decided on an OB within the practice to switch my care to. There isn’t much we can do at this point. It’s still pretty emotional for me, but I am hopeful our new chosen OB will be a good fit for my delivery wishes and needs.

Lastly, I had my 24 week check-up (via phone) and everything is still going well with my pregnancy. The only real thing that was of concern was that I wasn’t able to successfully wean off of my B6 + Unisom (anti-nausea) regiment over the past four weeks. When I asked the benefit of coming off of the medication, the midwife stated that there is a minor concern with a consistent dosing of Unisom (a sleeping aid) over time. It’s better if I’m not on it, basically. So at her advice, I am going to be attempting to switch to Zofran (a prescription anti-nausea medication) in hopes that it will ease my morning sickness for the remainder of my pregnancy.

And here are the weekly updates for Eloise and Daphne!

It is interesting that in both of the girls’ updates I noted that I am getting full during a meal and still being hungry. That has started being true for me this week! I don’t want to feel like I am snacking all day long (especially since it’s something I don’t want the girls to be doing – because if given the choice, that’s what they would choose over meals) but having first and second meals is probably what’s going to start happening!

Also, it makes me feel better that the midwives weren’t concerned about taking my belly measurements (fundal height) that is used to help track baby’s growth with my previous two pregnancies. I am not having that measurement taken now, given that it’s been 8 weeks since my last pre-natal in-person appointment.

Happy 24 weeks!

M