From A to Z: Baby #4 - Second half

24 weeks - glucose test. I had been gaining 2 lbs about every four weeks so far, this time I gained 8. Passed the test. Kind of liked the drink. Really liked the hour of alone time. Measured right on. 145 hb.

28 weeks - met with the midwife, Abby. Liked her a lot, a lot. Talked about birth plans and signed off for circumcision (this is my first time delivering with this practice.) Emily's baby Wilson was born this day. He is so tiny and snuggly and delicious. Couldn't stop smelling him. #highonlife Between those two events things started to feel very real now. I measured at 27 weeks and gained almost 2 lbs.

Sunday, August 21 - woke up feeling off. The day before I had lots of contractions and lower back pain, today I decided I'd time the contractions because they started to become noticeable thanks to the sharp back pain I'd have with each one. Zach took the boys out of the house so I could rest. By 11am he had called in PTO for the next morning even though I said I wasn't going to bother my doctor about it. Ate something, slept more. Decided we'd do church at the 5 o'clock. Listened to the sermon, got super hot and left to sit in the atrium. Mass texted family and friends in the birth-know about what the H was up. Some thought it might be a kidney infection due to the back pain so we got home and called Grandma Darlene to sit at the house so we could go into L&D and get checked out. I had dilated a little and was having consistent contractions so they gave me two shots and I immediately felt better. (Funny- my nurse was also pregnant. We ran into each other in the church nursery late October and we put together that we had been both been in labor at Bromenn at the same time, baby's born just slightly apart.)

32 week appointment - gained TEN POUNDS since my last appointment thus breaking the 30 pound barrier. Discussed my little L&D trip. Doesn't sound like I'm likely to have an episode like that again until I'm full term. High probability I was just over-heated/or dehydrated/or a freak thing.

34 week appointment - nothing exciting. Measuring right on. Only gained a pound this time yet have done nothing different. Crazy how much I've fluctuated this time.

37 weeks -Friday, September 30 - consistent contractions all night. Tried to drink water, take a bath, and sleep but nothing got them to stop so we excitedly called Grandma Darlene to announce "it was time!" My last two pregnancies had lasted until 38 weeks and everyone knows with each baby you go sooner and faster. We better get moving we thought! The best part of this was that Zach's sister Luba was having her baby today so the cousins would share a birthday! Arrived at the hospital and got hooked up to the monitors. Hey contractions hadn't slowed but they weren't picking up- try walking the halls they say! We walk. Zach's parents are there for his sister so they walk with us. We run into every nurse we've ever had because we are Bromenn frequent flyers and we love them all so much we've forced them to be real life friends with us. It's a party. After two hours we hook back up. Also going to note, my triage nurse and I look strikingly similar (I also had her with Levi?) Zach comments how weird it is to see myself treating... myself. The verdict... no.progress. -___- Walk of shame back to the car. Ha. Ha. HA. 4th pregnancy, fooled by false labor.

38... 39... 40... so many contractions, so little labor. By 40 weeks 2 days I had officially been pregnant longer than I ever had before.

Differences
More emotional.
Most active in-utero babe (movement is my favorite part of pregnancy.)
Sickest.
BEEN PREGNANT THE LONGEST.
Black out migraines in the first trimester.
Better skin.

Similarities
Same 132-145 HB (I am a BIG heartbeat prediction believer. low = boy, high = girl.)
Carrying the same.
Varicose veins out the wahzoo.
Genuinely believe, with every fiber of my being, this is a boy.

My friend Jourdan is amazing and offered to give us a 4D ultrasound with her company. She knew the gender from this point on and kept it to herself, not even telling her husband (also our friend.) They were also our backyard neighbors so we literally see them EVERYDAY. How she didn't not slip I do not know!