{week 25} This week always feels more official than the previous ones. I’m not sure why. It’s not really the homestretch, but with more weeks behind me than ahead of me, it’s feeling like a sprint to the end!
This week was a much better week, both emotionally and physically. I was able to (mostly) successfully transition from my old anti-nausea meds to Zofran which is great! At first, I thought I could just go completely off meds, but that proved quickly to not be a good option. I’ve found that taking one dose at breakfast and another one in the late afternoon or with dinner is working pretty well. I’ve been feeling nauseous off and on since making the switch, but not as bad as being off meds completely! So I am crossing my fingers that I can get thru the coming weeks mostly nausea-free.
I have had SO MANY Braxton-Hicks contractions over the last week. It’s a tightening of the belly which sometimes can be uncomfortable. I will never call them painful after experiencing real labor pains. They are a walk in the park in comparison! But, they tend to catch me off-guard and definitely make me stop whatever I am doing until they pass (which is generally about a minute, if that). And this baby isn’t a big mover yet – knock on wood! – but still has it’s most active period in the late evening and right before I go to bed. I’ve seen my belly jump a few times and I know that will be a much more recurring thing in the weeks to come.
As I mentioned above, things are feeling much more official at 25 weeks. We have the baby’s car seat (we got this Chicco Fit2 one that should last a little longer than a traditional bucket seat) since the one we used with the girls is expiring. It will feel even stranger and more real once we install the base in the car, likely in mid-September. We still have to figure out what the layout of car seats will be in our new car, given that we have a third row now. Daphne is still rear-facing in a convertible seat, but will likely meet the weight requirement to forward-face by the time the baby comes (she’s just a few pounds shy), and Eloise is in a 5-point booster seat which is much slimmer and less bulky than her old convertible car seat. Ideally, I would want all three seats in the second row, but I don’t think they will all fit safely. So likely, we will put Eloise’s seat in the third row, move Daphne’s seat behind the driver and put the infant seat behind the passenger; our new car allows for the second row to fold forward to access the third row, even with a car seat installed, which was a huge reason we went for the SUV that we did. BUT, all this car seat and car talk seems a little crazy given the fact that we basically never use our car (except for Aaron to pick up groceries each week or run quick errands) and the girls and I stay home 99% of the time. Some day we will use our car again??
Along the same lines, we also have the baby’s bassinet (this BEAUTIFUL one along with the stand that Aaron surprised me with for Mother’s Day) that will stay in our room and serve as baby’s bed for the first weeks (or maybe months). Since Aaron is working from home, he is using the nursery, so baby will live in our room for as long as that works. We used the (now defunct) Rock N’ Play bassinet for both of the girls when they were newborns, but one of my gripes with it wasn’t a flat sleeping surface; for Eloise, it was a huge issue and one of the biggest things we had to address during sleep training. This bassinet is flat on the bottom and can also move around the house (like upstairs) when needed.
I’m really trying hard not to over-buy for this baby, even though I ADORE shopping for baby stuff and COVID-related online shopping is a real thing! We have been generously given so many things from friends – like a play mat, bottles, cloth diapers (if we choose that route at any point), a pump, and some clothing – and I have picked up a few newborn-sized clothes too. After Daphne turned one, I basically gave away all of our itty-bitty stuff and only saved the stuff that was super special, so I needed to (and still need to a bit) fill in some of those early basics. I do need to order some things (like newborn diapers, pacifiers, burp cloths, pumping supplies) but mostly I think we are good with the basics.
And here’s my weekly updates with Eloise and Daphne!
Happy 25 weeks!
M
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