For some, the 27 week pregnancy update may seem like a week you could pick at random, but for me the 27 week mark has always been an important milestone.
I don’t want to get morbid here, but the survival rate of babies born at 27 weeks increases dramatically (I think it’s due to lung development). And while you obviously want your baby to rest for the next 12 to 13 weeks, you also have the peace of mind that if something happens now or if you suddenly go into labor, your baby is likely to be okay there is. Pregnancy is all wonderful and exciting, but it can also be a very worrying time because you’re always hoping that everything will go well. So, at 27 weeks, I’m going to relax and start seriously planning my future with my baby girl. Yay yay!
P.S: It took me 3 weeks to work on my computer for more than 30 seconds, so I’m actually publishing this in almost 30 weeks. Also, I didn’t have any great photos to post, but I waited until the perfect opportunity to take them and before I knew it, he was 37 weeks old!
How am I feeling at 27 weeks pregnant?
I know this is a really great time to be pregnant and I’m trying to really enjoy it and soak it all up. My bump is big enough that everyone notices it (and everyone is extra nice to me!), but not so big that it feels uncomfortable.
I also have plenty of energy and really enjoy coming out of the constant tired phase. By about week 15-16 I was feeling really tired and starting to feel depressed. I was starting to forget what it meant to not feel tired, and I thought that was what life was all about. I thought it would be hard and tired and bedtime wouldn’t come soon enough. But over the past 10 weeks or so, I’ve gotten back to normal in terms of my daily energy. Physically, I’m not as healthy as I used to be, I can’t run or move, so I can’t be as active, but on a normal day-to-day level I’m the same as before I was pregnant.
In fact, I think we have some spare capacity. I am definitely in the nesting phase and am feeling an insane level of motivation and energy to clean and organize. I still think it’s incredible that pregnant women feel the extra energy they have to clean!
It’s probably worth noting that most of what I do is done at the pace of a two-year-old. This isn’t by choice, mainly because Joseph isn’t in a hurry for anyone, so we’ve all accepted that he has to do things 15 times slower than normal. But this is great for me at the moment. Because I’m content to take leisurely walks, stopping frequently to observe flowers, bees, branches, trash, bird droppings, etc. Because in almost every case (even walking George to school which is less than 10 minutes away!) everything takes so long!
Pregnancy check-ups
Joseph was a small baby, weighing 6lb 2 when he was born, and was 10 days past his due date, so we will be monitoring this pregnancy closely in case we end up with another small baby.
To be honest, this is a little frustrating. Although George and Joseph were both small babies, they were healthy and strong, so I never had to worry about them. I just want to be alone and raise my baby in peace, without stress, high blood pressure (I suffer from White Coat Syndrome!), and frequent trips to the hospital where my blood pressure is half as high. I think. That day, three or four doctors told me I was having a little baby. Yes, thank you for the update. But I already knew this.
However, I feel very lucky because I have many medical professionals around me who closely monitor my baby’s growth. We know that the risks are higher when babies are small and they are more vulnerable because of their size.
I have tests and appointments scheduled 2-3 times a week for the next month, so I’m hoping it will be less frequent after that. Also, since this is my third C-section, I have an additional appointment, and since my blood type is rhesus negative, I will be getting an injection soon. I will be going to the hospital many times over the next few weeks!
Things I’ve bought
I haven’t bought much for my baby yet. The extension work is up to my knees, and if things continue like this, the house will be turned upside down, so I’m putting off spending until the last minute!
I have a little dress that I bought before I knew it was a girl (actually I thought it was a boy). The giraffe is drawn in white and gray, making it look a little more boyish.
I just wrote a huge blog post about newborn essentials to make up for it because I want to go shopping for all the cute new baby stuff. It is scheduled to be released soon. My online shopping cart is full! I have a ton of stuff saved at H&M and a ton of stuff on Amazon, so when I’m ready to buy it, I can buy it and it’ll probably all be delivered to me within a few days. Oh, I love the Internet.
I’m currently using Love Leggins maternity leggings. I mentioned them in a previous post, but didn’t rave about them because they didn’t fit me properly at the time. But now that my bump has grown, they fit perfectly and I know I’ll be wearing these often over the next few months.
Names?
We’ve decided on a name for our baby, but we won’t know until he’s born. It’s great to have a name for her because it’s one less thing to think about and it makes her feel like a real person.
George and Joseph
The boys are very excited about their baby sister. I really didn’t expect them to be so excited and so sweet. Every night before bed they gave me a hug and a kiss, then gave the baby a gentle hug and kiss, and Joseph whispered, “I miss you!” I don’t think he really knows what this means, but he clearly means something like “I can’t wait to meet you!” I feel energized every night!
George always asks me about the baby where will she sleep? what will she eat? Would she like watching Power Rangers with me? Can she push her stroller? What does mom do when she works?
Looks like George is seriously thinking about having a baby!
George buying things for the baby is also very cute. His favorite activity these days is searching for baby clothes using his H&M app on his phone. This is a special treat when he’s doing well. He can use my phone to put together a quick outfit. She’s really cute and she’s actually really good at it. He chooses an outfit that matches all the accessories and saves it to his favorites in the app.
Cravings?
I have no appetite. I also didn’t do it when I was pregnant with a boy. I enjoy Coco Pops, but…any excuse for Coco Pops is fine!
The excitement!
Words cannot express how excited I am for this baby. There’s something really special about having a third baby because I don’t have a lot of anxiety or worry and I’m so excited.
When I was pregnant with George, I was so nervous. Giving birth to her was stressful, but so was caring for the baby. I didn’t know what to do with a real baby!
Then 18 months later Joseph arrived and I was so busy caring for a toddler that I only had two seconds to sit back and enjoy my pregnancy. I knew I would have my hands full once he arrived and part of me wanted to delay his arrival for as long as possible!
But this time it feels quite different.
I’m not nervous about giving birth, as it will be my third C-section, but I know exactly what to expect. I’m aware of all the risks, and I know it’s a major surgery, so I’m a little worried, but I’m mostly calm about it.
Now that I know what I’m getting into when it comes to caring for a newborn, I’m going to enjoy the newborn period more.
George will be 4.5 years old when the baby is born, so he will be in school full time. Joseph is now 3 years old, but he is very independent, so he has plenty of time to devote to his baby girl.
I know it’s going to be a lot of work, but it’s also a lot of fun.
How am I prepping for baby?
I haven’t done much shopping yet, but I’m slowly starting to prepare for the birth.
I started batch-cooking soups and storing them in the freezer so I could have a hearty, healthy lunchtime meal. I’m planning on starting dinner soon, but I’m going to stock up on Cook.net meals in the freezer. These are actually great frozen foods and aren’t too expensive for what you get, so I’m probably going to order a bunch of these when baby arrives. I’m also going to order a lot of kids meals so I don’t have to worry about cooking for George and Joseph for the first few weeks.
I don’t worry or stress much about having three kids, but dinner time and the boys’ bedtime are often the most stressful, chaotic, and noisy times in the house. I know that. So we want to do everything we can to make it a little easier. – If that means a cooked meal, so be it!
I reread some of the toddler books I read with the boys. I really just skimmed through it this time, just to reassure myself that I knew everything.
Working?
As you may have noticed, I’ve been traveling and working pretty much normally, but all my recent trips have been to the UK. I still feel like it’s okay for small trips of 2-3 days, and I really enjoy small excursions, so I plan on continuing to do this for as long as I can.
I’ve booked a few more trips with my kids for the summer, but I haven’t booked them too far in advance. I don’t want to book anything and disappoint anyone because I know that in a few weeks I might feel very different from how I feel right now.
That’s all the latest information about my 27th week of pregnancy! If you’re interested, I’ll do it again in a few weeks. It’s crazy to think that she’ll probably only write 2-3 more pregnancy updates before the baby is born!