6w4d ga

My energy level has been pretty good although I notice if I don't take a relaxed approach to things as my energy level is quick to drop.

My stomach is increasingly unsettled but nothing I can't manage on my own so far. I'm drinking lots of water and upping my fibre intake as some of my discomfort is due to the slowing down of my digestive system. Gaaaaaasy!

I'm feeling really determined to not feel so miserable as last time and trying to be proactive about my diet and sleep to minimize my pregnancy sickness as much as possible.

I've ordered some books for Ana that talk about being a big sister and what is going on with mummy and the baby growing inside of me. We haven't told Ana yet - November is eons away from her perspective! We'll likely tell her at the end of March though as we plan to tell the family on the Easter long weekend and the rest of the world shortly thereafter.

5w5d GA

I seem to have gotten the worst of the bloating and constipation under control. I have a 1400ml bottle on my desk that I fill and drink at least once every day at work. This is a huge accomplishment for me - humble though it may seem. I am not much of a water drinker usually but I'm determined to put off digestive upset and maternity pants for as long as possible!

Mark and I haven't told anyone yet. We're holding off until Easter weekend when well gather with the Rossi clan for dinner and make calls to my family.

Bebe Número Dos

Hurray! It only took us 13 months but we finally made another baby! I'm sure this one will be just as cute as our wee Ana.

Just like last time around I was absolutely convinced last month that I was pregnant and was pretty disappointed when I got my period. And just like last time I was equally convinced that I hadn't conceived this month. I was delighted to see the positive test sign appear on Sunday (February 24th, 2013) night.

The estimated date of birth is November 2nd, 2013 and we will be going with a midwife again. We wont be planning a home birth this time however as, if memory serves, it's not recommended for moms who had a c-section last time around. I am planning to try for a vaginal birth though so you better all cross your fingers for me that I don't have to go under the knife again. It takes so much longer to recover from a csection than it does from a normal delivery. With a busy girl already running around as fast a recovery as possible is very welcome.

So far no nausea. I've been tired and have lots of bloating, burping, and some mild constipation. I'm working on mitigating this by increasing my water and fiber intake and eliminating my fizzy drink consumption. Also, I've had pregnancy brain since a few days before my positive test! I can barely keep myself organize these days.

Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Planning and Dreaming

We gave it a try last month but didn't really try that hard. This month we've been at it in earnest! Poor Mark - a wealth of booty like he couldn't imagine. Only a few more days and then I'll leave him alone and hope for the best in early February.

If we conceive this month the baby would be due very near Ana's birthday! The due date I calculate is around October 10th - Ana's due date was the 20th and she was born on the 19th.

It will be so wonderful to watch Ana with a little sister or brother. She will make a great big sister.

BIRTH!

In the interest of completeness I'm including the Facebook note I posted on Thursday October 22, 2009, just 3 days after Ana was born.

________________________________________________

Hello all!

Thank you all so much for your lovely notes and best wishes. A quick version of our birth story which I hope to expand when my brain starts functioning again. These details are coming from my foggy postpartum/postoperative brain so I reserve the right to revise them in the future :)

I was in labour for many hours much of it back labour (translation - much more painful than regular labour). I made it to about 5cm dilation at about the 24 hour mark. I was exhausted and starting to feel like I wanted to push which is bad when you're not fully dilated to 10 cm. So we decided it was time to head into the hospital, get me an epidural, with a plan to get some rest and dilate pain free then push out a baby. After the longest 1.5 hours of my life I got the epidural and returned to the world (Mark actually said "welcome back"). Then little Ana's heart rate started to do some funny things and we decided the best thing was to get her out quickly. She was born shortly after midnight by c-section with meconium found in the waters (this is baby's first bowel movement and has a consistency very similar to tar). Fortunately the meconium stayed well above her lungs. Regular procedure is to get an x-ray of baby's lungs and some other tests and so off Ana and daddy went to the neonatal intensive care unit. While she was being tested and observed her breathing got really fast and so she had to stay in the NICU for 48 hours for observation. She is now totally well (her breathing is normal and there were no complications from the presence of meconium in the waters). I was admitted for 48 hours as well because of my c-section.

We are totally ecstatic with our lovely healthy daughter. Mark has truly been nothing short of amazing. He's been taking great care of both me and Ana. I'm really sore from the surgery and working on getting breastfeeding well established. I'll probably be MIA for the next little while as I'm feeling pretty exhausted but please know how much I appreciate all your support!

Sam

Pre-Labor Activity

Had an exciting night last night. Woke up around 2 am with mild contractions every 7 minutes or so for about two hours. I woke up Mark around 3 am and he made me some toast because I felt hungry. After a little time on the exercise ball the contractions started to be less intense and we headed back to bed. Things stopped around 4am and we slept the rest of the night.

This morning I had some bloody show (mucous plug) which means my cervix is starting to open. Things are slowing starting!

No more contractions today so far - bloody show sometimes means that labour will start in the next few days.

I've been taking it easy today. After breakfast I went back to bed because I hadn't slept very well after we went back to bed. Feeling much more rested after my nap.

One week to my 'due date'

So due dates are only guestimates of when a baby will actually be born. I'm 7 days away from my October 20th estimated date of birth.

Here's a pic of my great big belly full of baby:

39 weeks pregnant

Nothing else has happened since our false alarm of Sunday. I'll keep you posted.