I’ve been meaning to write an update on this pregnancy for awhile but somehow haven’t gotten around to it. It is rather different from Martha’s. For one thing I can really tell the difference in placement of the babies. Martha was sort of higher up on my right side, so I felt most of the movement on one side of my body for the longest time. This little person is right in the middle and lower down. The placenta is also on the front of my uterus so I don’t feel as much movement but what I do feel is very distinct. With Martha I could feel much more subtle movement. I remember with Martha I hated those maternity pants that pulled up over my belly and preferred the under belly styles. This time, it’s exactly the opposite. Anything that fits under my belly feels too constricting.
I’m not so worried this time around either. I think partly because I just don’t have time to be worried when I’m busy trying to keep up with a toddler. And because I know everything worked out fine last time. It’s sort of a mixed blessing. I’m not overly stressed, but I’m also not as prepared as I could be. I’ve been meaning to begin the self-hypnosis training again and just haven’t done it. Part of me feels like if I don’t get to it, it’ll be ok, but it would still be a good idea. And there are some other little things: we don’t exactly have names picked out, we’re still toying with room arrangements, we’ve talked some about our plans for labor and delivery and what to do with Martha at that time, but nothing is set. Currently this is the middle of week 26 so I’m not even into the final trimester quite yet, but there is also a greater chance of preterm labor since Martha was preterm so there may not be as much time as expected despite the weekly hormone injections that are designed to help prevent preterm labor.
And yet, I’m still not overly concerned about any of it. The pregnancy seems to be proceeding along as normally as possible. All the midwife visits have gone well. Measurements are lining up with the estimated due date, ultrasounds look good, heartbeats sound good. I feel pretty good although at this point carrying around extra weight is beginning to become a little bit of a physical drain. I’ll have to go back to taking naps in the afternoon pretty soon.
I do worry about how I’m going to handle having an infant and a toddler. I remember not being very fond of the infant stage. But then again, there were some good things about it. A week or so ago when we were in the hospital with Martha for croup, she curled up on my chest and fell asleep and it reminded me of how she used to do that when she was a baby. I wouldn’t mind doing that part again.