Another week down. Another day closer to meeting this baby.
It seems impossible, but I feel like my belly grew a lot this week. I don’t know, I have been feeling “bigger” for a few weeks now, but this week, I feel really big. Like, I’ve actually caught myself reaching down and rubbing the roundness of my belly. It’s there, that’s for sure!
17 Weeks PregnantI was just talking to a friend of mine (Lynsay) via text this morning; she had her second baby last week. She lives in North Carolina and although I had sent her a few messages of congratulations, I hadn’t actually “talked” to her since the birth. I texted to check in on her when I was eating breakfast, and she ended up telling me about her labor. With her first son, she was one of the unlucky ones—she was in labor for 27 hours. But with this one? Just three hours from start to finish. She said it progressed so quickly that she almost didn’t make it to the hospital. She got there and the baby was born 20 minutes later. Yowzers.
This made me think (again) about my birth experience with Nora. It was 5.5 hours from beginning to end, and I didn’t even get to the hospital until I was nearly four hours into it. By the time I was actually seen by a doctor in triage, my water had broken, and we soon realized that things were going to happen FAST. Let’s just say that they were running me down the hallway on my stretcher to get me into a room in time. No time for drugs or anything. (Full story here.)
Anyway, after Nora was born, the doctors told me that with my next baby, I better head to the hospital with the first contraction. This morning, my conversation with Lynsay revolved around pregnancies and deliveries, and how different they can be—even for the same woman. Lynsay is a perfect example of that. So it made me wonder—what about me? I joked that I hoped I wasn’t going to give birth to my baby on the side of the road, but I also joked that I hoped we hadn’t “swapped” labors, and that I wasn’t going to have a 27-hour one this time. You don’t hear about that very often—the second labor being longer than the first—but really, anything can happen, right?
We also talked about how I seem to be bigger this pregnancy. But Lynsay, despite popping out sooner, actually ended up being smaller—and her baby was, too, despite being another boy. It’s just so strange to think about. After you’ve been through pregnancy once, you think you know what to expect for yourself… but then it can be so completely different. What is a woman with a Type A personality to do?? If you’re a mom of two or more, I’d be interested in hearing your story about how your births were different from one another.
These are the things I’m obsessing about.
No real pregnancy updates or changes since last week, except for my (perceived, at least) size. By the time I write this update next week, I’ll have had my next doctor’s appointment and the anatomy scan. I’m excited to see this little nugget again!
Other than all of that, I’m just really, really wishing for spring. The weather is really getting to me now. I am craving the warm, sunny outdoors more than I can accurately express. And I can’t wait to be able to take my weekly photos when it is LIGHT outside so they are brighter! :)
Flashback! 17 Weeks Pregnant With Nora
11 Responses to 17 Weeks: I Feel Huge Already
Leave a Reply
About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
I just wrote about how I want to take more control over my labor, delivery, and in-hospital recovery the other night. I feel you on being a Type A personality. :)
My sister’s second labor went from “inactive labor” (whatever that means) to 9 cm and a baby crowing in less than an hour compared to her twelve hour labor with her first child.
Both of my girls were born without a doctor present. One at home and one was delivered by a labor and delivery nurse… Completely unplanned! My labors were very similar in no progress, no progress, then BAM! Baby. :) I’d definitely get to a hospital quickly if I were you, but, like you said, you never know!
P.S. – Cute bump! :)
I’m hoping my second delivery goes as quickly as my first…8 hours! And that’s with 1.5hours of pushing and him being stuck! If he hadn’t been stuck it would have been shorter! Here’s hoping your’s isn’t reversed!
Well, with Avery I was induced on Thurs night and she was born Sat. morning via an unplanned c-section (yeah so like 29hrs of labor). With Cassandra my entire labor was 5hrs long and that was with an hour of pushing-med free VBAC! I showed faster with #2 but ended up smaller and Cass was 1.5lbs smaller than Avery! I have both stories in my blog as well if you want the details!
http://nitsnews.blogspot.com
I was induced with Kira at 39wks because my blood pressure was up & down the entire pregnancy; in the end it was attributed to “white coat syndrome” in the end. However induction was the Dr’s plan just to be safe.They started pitocin at 6pm on Tuesday evening, I didn’t actually start feeling any painful contractions until shortly after midnight. My water broke at noon time Wednesday, I went from 7cm to 10cm in a matter of 2minutes at 1:35…Kira was born at 1:42 & in two smooth painless pushes. Total from beginning to end: 19hrs 42min
I was also scheduled for induction with Delfina a few weeks ago because I got to my 40wk appointment/my due date & was only 2cm that I had been at for 4wks now. I went in Wednesday night, cervidil was deposited at midnight, painful contractions 2:30am Thursday. My water broke at 445am, Delfina was born at 10:32am…after 15minutes of pushing & a cord around the neck. Total from beginning to end: 10hrs 32min
So it clearly was an improvement in time not necessarily the delivery process. When we told our OB how quickly Kira was born- she was also actually held in by the nurse until the Dr arrived to literally drop her stuff, scrub up, dress & catch Kira, ha-ha- she looked at Dominic & said “Well I hope you can catch.” :p
I’m not sure there is a science but if the time come & we have a 3rd maybe I’ll leave the double digits :p
I can’t agree more that pregnancies can be so different even if the babies are the same gender. I was SO much bigger with my second even though I didn’t gain as much weight. I went into labor 5 weeks early with my first but my second was 3 days overdue. My second labor and pushing was shorter overall but for some reason I didn’t feel any contractions until past 7 cm. Thank goodness for a routine doctors appointment or I might not have gotten to the hospital in time! So, it’s true that everything could be very different! I’m very type A too and had such a hard time realizing that nothing was going as I expected. In the end, I have two equally beautiful little boys and that is all that matters. :)
You look great btw!
I have had 2 boys and am preggo with #3 now (we find out the gender Monday!!!). With my first I was a little preclamptic so I had to be induced when they gave me my epi and I laid back, my BP bottom out and his HR dropped. Doc says lets do c-section, I said I trust you. So from cut to sown it took 20 mins. With my 2nd, I was on my way back to my house from the lab at exactly 38 weeks and I started funky crapping, I knew it was different from BH so I got hubby home and we left for the hospital. I had to wait for an emergency c-section to get to the OR for my c-section. I have to say, back labor is the worst, with my first I never got to feel any contractions. My 2nd that’s all I felt that got worse and worse. :)
Hi Heather, even though I am not pregnant, I can definitely relate. You never know what will happen and it’s true, once you have given birth once that is an indelible memory, so much a part of you, and it is hard to imagine things going any other way a second time round. I felt no contractions with Abigail, my waters broke at home, I laboured quickly but still needed an emergency c section because her head hadn’t descended to the right position in time. A big question for me next time will be whether to try for a vbac or go for another section. In any event, as you know, it is the most incredible joy and blessing, enjoy the wonder and suspense. You look gorgeous! Vanessa (if you don’t recognise my details it is because I am just starting a new blog!)
Yup. #1 was a 29-hour affair. #2 came in just four hours start to finish.
#1 was a homebirth turned transfer, which involved shutting down labor once I got to the hospital for a good six hours and pretty much a lot of it is lost in a haze of Demerol, which I swear I will never accept again. (And hospital interventions which I won’t detail here ’cause everyone has a horror story and I won’t put you off with mine.) Nine months recovery time.
#2 was a homebirth with a competent midwife (instead of a doctor). No interventions; baby had a wrapped cord, I had a lot of bleeding. And guess what, we did great. Five short weeks recovery time.
My greatest concern was #1 feeling neglected, esp since I planned on nursing. Turned out that you could simply “plug in” the baby and go right on reading to the toddler, or rolling a ball back and forth across the floor, and both kiddos are happy and feel like they have your full attention. Much smoother than I imagined it would be.
They’re polar opposites. The older boy is shy and introverted, left-brained and quiet, an observational scientist, and an analytical, strategic thinker. He’s tall and gangly, just stepping over the threshold into his teen years, so a bit clumsy as well.
The younger girl is extroverted and social, a right-brained, creative gymnast and swimmer who knows no fear, and who shuns pink party dresses in favor of rock-climbing gear and a parachute. She’s short and thin for her age, and tends to rocket around everywhere she goes on Heely shoes with ridiculous ease.
Siblings can be SO DIFFERENT. Handle each as their own unique person.
My life was completely different for my two pregnancies, so I think that contributed to their differences in a lot of ways. With my first, I was working full time and my husband was living in another state, going through a training course for the army. I had to do everything for myself until he got home a week before I have birth. I wrote everything down and felt really organized.
My husband was home for my second pregnancy, I was (am?) a SAHM, and I had an almost 2 year old. I felt like my life was chaotic, doing everything for more people, and I didn’t get to appreciate the little nuances of being pregnant with my first. That is the only part I regret.
The births were similar in that they were both c-sections, but my first’s was an emergency, and my second’s was planned. My OB said it was a good thing we planned the c-section for my second though, because we prolly would have ended up having one anyway based on his positioning. I hardly remember anything from the first c-section (hello emergency meds!) but I remember everything from the second one.
I have both birth stories in details in my blog. The short version, first one took between 12- 13 hours from beginning to end and it was overnight so it didn’t feel as long. I got the epi with this one (I like to say I was young and clueless) and had no complications thank god.
With my second this past January it was between 5-6 hours from beginning to end. I had done my research and wanted nothing to do with meds this time around. I had left the doctors office at almost 11am and went shopping (while in labor, crazy me) then headed home to work on the nursery. By two my contractions were unbearable and I was home alone with my 6 years old. My mother took me to the hospital around 3ish and at 4:04p my baby was born. I went from 7-10cm in minutes. It all happened so fast that I had no meds at all (which was the plan anyways) and the hubby missed the birth. Just to think that if I would of waited even 15 minutes more my baby would of been born in the highway is scary. So as soon as you go into labor I would head to the hospital. I wouldn’t take a chance with how fast Nora’s delivery was.