Mason's Birth Story!

It only took me 3.5 weeks but I finally got around to writing out Mason's birth story!  It's a good thing I kept little notes on my phone because I've already forgotten some things!  I'm so glad I wrote birth stories for my boys, I love looking back at them!

Check out Mason's Birth Story by clicking the link or just click on the tab at the top of my blog!  While you're there, you can also find all of my Mason bump pics in my Pregnancy #2 tab!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother's Day!

Bumpdate: 38 Weeks

38 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a PUMPKIN!  (This makes me laugh, haha!)

Next Appointment: April 15th...tax day!  ;)

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: As of 37w5d I was +28.

Maternity Clothes: For the most part, yes.  I'm running out of cute/comfy things to wear.  I wish I had more variety!

Sleep: Sleep is ok.  I have a hard time getting to sleep and if I wake up (which I always do to use the restroom), I can't get back to sleep very easily!

Movement: The movement has slowed down but Mason still seems to pass his little "kick count tests" that I do.  Because his heart rate has shown decelerations during contractions, I'm on orders to do my kick counts twice a day after eating.  

Food Cravings/Aversions: I've had Subway more times than I'd like to admit this past week.  Specifically a Spicy Italian sub with extra lettuce/red onions on honey wheat bread.  YUM!  

Best Moment This Week: Finally seeing my doctor instead of someone else at the office!  See "extra notes" for news on how my appointment went.

What I Miss: Flexibility!  Showers seem to be a major work out lately.  I also miss being able to easily paint my toe nails and even put on skinny jeans.  

What I'm Looking Forward To: Meeting Mr. Mason THIS WEEK!

Symptoms: Heartburn and contractions!

Extra Notes From the Week: I had my appointment on Tuesday 4/8 and finally got to see MY doctor.  When she saw me she said she was so glad I waited for her to come back.  :)  I had my NST first and we heard the arrhythmia again.  Even though it's concerning, the specialist I saw at the hospital for Mason's echo gave me a lot of confidence that the issue will (hopefully) resolve itself.  We also noticed that Mason's heart rate was all over the place (again) and would either go down really low or go up really high when I had a contraction.  We also noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated.  Nothing too concerning since it wasn't super high and my urine test came back clear for protein.  I saw my doctor next and she checked me and said "Oh wow, there's NO way you're going to make it to your due date!"  Talk about instant excitement and anxiety!  She said I was "a good 3+" dilated but she wasn't quite ready to call me a 4 yet.  I'm still 70% effaced but she doesn't think that will change until I'm in active labor.  We talked about how we felt about my blood pressure creeping up and Mason's crazy heart rate.  Because of this, we decided to schedule an induction for FRIDAY APRIL 18th!  This is almost exactly like my pregnancy with Carson.  I had the same "issues" at the end and was induced because of those issues.  My doctor isn't sure I'll make it to my induction but the fact that I'm not having regular contractions gave us both some comfort.  (Not that my doctor needs comforted, ha!)

Here's a cool thing about all of this: I was induced with Carson at 39w1d and it was Friday May 18th.  If I make it to my induction with Mason, I'll be 39w1d and it will be Friday April 18th!  So crazy!

Here's a little comparison to see just how HUGE I got in the last 10 weeks, eek!

Carson was NOT into the photo shoot this week.  Wrangling a toddler at 38w (+3 days) pregnant is tough work!

Chip and Dixie were a little more cooperative.  :)

Bumpdate: 37 Weeks {FULL TERM!}

37 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a WINTER MELON!

Next Appointment: Today (April 8)....and I'm officially 37w5d!

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: As of 36w6d I was +27.

Maternity Clothes: Yes but I found a few non-maternity shirts that will work for me still.  I can't even believe it!  (Scroll down for selfie!)

Sleep: I've been having trouble falling asleep at night so I've been reading a bit which helps make me sleepy.  I usually fall asleep some time after midnight and then I get up a few times to use the bathroom.  I've had some contractions (BH most likely) that have woken me up and I'm always paranoid so I stay awake to see if they're timeable.  So far, nothing serious!

Movement: I think poor Mason is running out of space!  I still get plenty of movement, but he always seems to be in the same position because I can see his little tush stick out on the right and a foot sticking out on the left!  It's pretty funny but it makes me sad he can't move around as much in there!  

Food Cravings/Aversions: Still no meat over here EXCEPT I've been loving dairy meat.  I know I'm not supposed to eat it but I really craved Jimmy John's and Subway.  I also got a hot sub from a pizza place that was delicious!  This week I also craved smoothies (normal).

Best Moment This Week: I finished up the nursery for the most part!  Mason's wall art is hung, his clothes are folded in the dresser, and his bedding is on his bed!  I know he won't be in there right away but it looks cute anyway.  :)  Now we just need to put a chair in there so I can rock him every night just like his big brother!  

What I Miss: Being able to take deep breaths!

What I'm Looking Forward To: My appointment today!  My doctor has been out/busy so I haven't seen her the last 2 weeks (except for a brief meeting after an ultrasound/NST at 36w).  I'm excited to see her again.

Symptoms: I've still been having more contractions but nothing that I can time so that's good.  

Extra Notes From the Week: My doctor was out of town for the week so I was scheduled to see another doctor who I've met before.  When I got to the office the doctor I was scheduled with had left for an emergency delivery.   They had re-scheduled me with an older male doctor I had never met before.  Unfortunately I wasn't very happy with him.  He obviously didn't read my chart and was very rushed!  I had woken up the night before my appointment around 3am very nauseous with a bad headache.  When I got to my appointment that afternoon I still had the headache after taking Tylenol 3x.  When I asked him about it he just said "take more pills".  Weird that he didn't ask me ANY other questions.  He also asked "Have you started dilating at all?"  If he would have read my chart he would have seen I started to dilate at 31w!  Then he checked me VERY fast and said "What were you last time?"  I told him 3cm/70% and he said "Ok, about the same then."  I didn't feel like he really even checked!  Luckily I haven't had anything concerning going on and my headache went away so I'm just ready to see my regular doctor again!


Here I am before going to a friend's house for a "Celebrate the Pregnants" brunch.  There are currently 5 girls pregnant in our group of friends and we're all due between April and August - so fun!  Anyway, this is one of the non-maternity tops I found that actually fits still.  Probably because it looks like a maternity top, haha!

37w3d

Bumpdate: 36 Weeks

I'll be 38weeks this Thursday so I'm a bit behind on my updates again.  I always take the pictures on time but then it takes me a while to get them uploaded and edited!

36 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a HONEYDEW MELON!

Next Appointment: Wednesday April 2nd I have a doctor check and my weekly NST.

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: Surprisingly I've been holding steady at +25 for a few weeks now!

Maternity Clothes: Yes and while I'm not looking forward to that awkward in between time, I can't wait to get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  I miss having a variety!  

Sleep: Same old story.  I wake up for at least a little bit in the middle of every night.  The other night I was up for almost 2 hours so I decided to search Etsy for a newborn hat for Mason.  Insomnia productivity!

Movement: Even though I feel like movement has slowed down, every time I have an ultrasound or NST the tech/nurse/doctor will comment on what an active baby I have! :)

Food Cravings/Aversions: I haven't had much of an appetite lately.  I usually have to force myself to eat because not much sounds good.  If I was allowed, I would probably live on smoothies at this point.

Best Moment This Week: I spent a lot of time at the doctor and hospital (see "extra notes" for more details) and we got great news about Mason's arrhythmia.  The MFM (maternal fetal medicine) doctor said he's 99% sure it's a benign arrhythmia which means it will resolve itself!  He said most cases dissipate before birth but if it's still there after birth it isn't a big concern.  Usually it just means that the baby will need to be monitored.  We were praying about this and I'm so glad we got such good news!

What I Miss: Energy!  I also miss coffee lately.  I want to try the new vanilla macchiato from Starbucks!

What I'm Looking Forward To: Being FULL TERM next week!  That totally blows my mind, it went so fast!  

Symptoms: I've started having contractions that I can actually feel now.  Luckily they haven't gotten close enough together to be concerning.  I also still have heartburn (mostly in bed at night) and my energy levels are super low.  

Extra Notes From the Week: SO much to catch up on.  I had a regularly scheduled appointment on 3/26 along with an NST.  I found out at my appointment that I was 2cm and 70% effaced.  The doctor said she wasn't concerned with my contractions since they didn't seem to be causing me to dilate anymore (I was 2cm the week before).  However since I was 2cm at 35w6d she said to continue my "limited activity".  I've been on limited activity for a while now so that was fine with me.  I headed over to my NST.  What they saw was that I was contracting (I wasn't feeling them....which is typical for me) and when I contracted Mason's heart rate would go down.  This EXACT thing happened with Carson!  Because of this they decided to do a spur of the moment ultrasound to check amniotic fluid levels and the size of the baby.  Mason was measuring around 6lbs7oz and the fluid levels were great, yay!  Then they put me back on the monitors.  :/  I was still contracting and Mason's heart rate was kind of all over the place and we continued to hear the arrhythmia.  Dr. G came in and said she was 90% sure everything was fine but wanted me to go to L&D for "extensive monitoring" and to get some IV fluids to stop/slow my contractions.  I made arrangements for my mom to babysit Carson and drove home to get Nick.  I was kind of panicking at this point and threw a few things in the hospital bag.  Nothing for myself but 2 blankies for Mason and his coming home outfit....priorities!  ;)  Anyway, Nick & I got to the hospital and got a room in triage right away.  They checked me and I was still 2cm/70%.  Mason's heart was doing the same stuff - dipping down low and spiking up to the 170's.  They started my IV fluids which really helped my contractions but before I was on the fluids for long, Mason's heart rate dropped down into the 60's a few times.  They checked me again and I was now 3cm/70%.  The doctor said "I'm not at all concerned that this is labor" which was comforting.  Since my contractions basically stopped I was free to go home.  They called to check in with Dr. G and she wanted me to get an ultrasound of Mason's heart the next day.  SO on Thursday 3/27 I went to the hospital again to see a maternal fetal medicine specialist.  We got an echo cardiogram of Mason's heart done which was really interesting.  The doctor only got orders to check on the arrhythmia and he said that he was 99% sure it was benign which means it will resolve itself!  I was so happy.  There is a 1% chance it can turn into a fetal rapid heart rate which would mean I would have to deliver ASAP but he's confident we're in the 99%.  The doctor said he thinks the cause of the arrhythmia is that the heart is sending 2 electrical signals to beat when it should only be sending one.  When it sends two in a row, the heart gets confused and pauses for second....that's the arrhythmia we hear.  I'm sure he explained it much better than I did so hopefully that makes sense!  Unfortunately he wasn't able to examine the decelerations related to my contractions since they weren't on my orders.  He said that's fairly normal but he was happy to hear I'm being monitored with weekly NSTs.

Carson was a wiggle worm this week!

Bumpdate: 35 Weeks

35 weeks and 35 days to go!  How is that possible?!  I remember being pregnant with Carson and panicking at this point thinking there's only about a month left.  I don't feel any different this time!  I'm totally ready to meet Mason but I still have a big list of things to do....pack hospital bag, get the infant gear out (car seat, bouncy seat, swing, rock'n'play, etc.), finish the nursery....so much!

35 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a COCONUT!

Next Appointment: This Friday, March 28th!  

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: I had an appt at 34w4d and another at 35w1d and I was +25 at both.  At least I didn't gain anything in those short few days...that would have been very depressing!

Maternity Clothes: Such a silly question.  Of course!  I don't wear maternity clothes to bed and I still wear non-maternity cardigans!

Sleep: Not so great.  I've had a hard time falling asleep and then I wake up a lot throughout the night.  I guess it's God's way of getting me ready for Mr. Mason.  I remember this happening towards the end with Carson, too!

Movement: Movement has slowed down because I think Mr. Mason is running out of room in there!

Food Cravings/Aversions: Not much sounds good these days but I have been loving icy cold water and juice!  I also still love my hummus.  I'm curious if I'll like hummus once I'm not pregnant!

Best Moment This Week: Carson has started saying "brudder" which is ADORABLE.  There are a few big sibling books we read before bed every night and he loves them.  He also took his baby doll and put him to bed in the tent with some pillows and a blanket while we were playing the other day.  Then he went back and gave him a kiss.  Heart melted!

What I Miss: I feel like I'm always tired and out of breath.  I miss having energy!

What I'm Looking Forward To: My next appointment!  I'll be 35w6d and I'm wondering if I will still be at 2cm.  A little nervous for that!

Symptoms: Shortness of breath, fatigue, HEARTBURN!  My heartburn has been SO bad this week.  Any time I lay down in bed for the night I feel like I could get sick.  A few nights I've actually had to sit up to give myself some relief.  I should probably just sleep in a recliner, haha!

Extra Notes From the Week: I had my first scheduled NST (non-stress test).  We still heard Mason's arrhythmia but it was still comforting to hear his heart beating away and watch him moving around.  It's also 30 minutes to myself that I was able to read a book and relax!  My mom was nice enough to come watch Carson and he had so much fun with her!  I have another NST next week before I see the doctor.  I pray every day that this arrhythmia isn't anything serious.
Another update: The nursery furniture is assembled and I've finally started on Mason's laundry!  I can't wait to put those tiny newborn outfits in the dresser drawers! 

Even though Carson looks THRILLED, he insisted on being in this picture! :)

Bumpdate: 34 Weeks

I'll be 35w tomorrow (March 20) but at least I'm just about caught up on these bumpdates.  I'm glad I didn't slack with the photos because I want to do a collage at the end!  I feel like I grew so much from week 33 to 34! 

34 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

Next Appointment: I have a non-stress test on Friday 3/21 and another NST as well as a check with the doctor on March 26th.  My doctor will be out so I'll be seeing another doctor in the practice...I'm not sure why that makes me nervous!

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: At my appointment on 3/17 I was 34w4d and I was +25 (with my winter boots, grrr)!  My appointment never seems to fall on one of the warm days where I can wear flip flops!

Maternity Clothes: The only non-maternity clothes I wear are PJ's and long tops.  My amazing friend brought over a huge bag of her maternity clothes and I feel like I got a new wardrobe!  :)

Sleep: I shouldn't say this because I don't want to jinx myself but I haven't been waking up to pee in the middle of the night!  Granted, I wake up in the morning feeling like my bladder may explode, but still...it's nice to sleep through the night!

Movement: Movement isn't as frequent anymore but when he moves he makes it known!  Sometimes it can be painful and it almost always looks funny since my belly contorts!

Food Cravings/Aversions: Nothing has sounded very good this week!  I had cereal, a cutie, and hummus for dinner one night.  I don't know why but I could totally live on hummus and fruit.

Best Moment This Week: Carson has been so snuggly (probably from getting new teeth) and in the evenings when we're snuggling and reading bedtime stories he gives Mason "Mah-deh!" a hug and kiss and says "Ny-ny Mah-deh!".  Melts my heart!

What I Miss: I miss having energy!  I feel like everything makes me so tired lately.  I can run upstairs to grab something and by the time I'm back downstairs I'm practically out of breath.  

What I'm Looking Forward To: Even though weekly non-stress tests (see update below in "extra notes") will be kind of a pain, I can't wait to hear Mason's heart beating more often! :)

Symptoms: Mostly my back pain and fatigue.  I've also been having heartburn for a few weeks which I always forget to mention.  Just like when I was pregnant with Carson, it's mostly when I'm laying down in bed.  Everything else is going great! :)

Extra Notes From the Week: I had an appointment on 3/17 at 34w4d.  I had another cervical check and found out I'm now 2cm dilated....eek!  Every time I have a check my doctor says "Ok, I feel the head..." and it always freaks me out.  That makes it all seem so real!  With Carson I was 3cm from weeks 36-39 so I'm hoping Mason can hold out just like his brother!  My blood pressure was higher again and because of that, Dr. G ordered an ultrasound to check Mason's growth.  She also said she wanted me to start coming in for weekly non-stress tests since Carson's heart rate dropped toward the end of my pregnancy last time and Mason's has been sporadic.  (This week on the doppler it was 150-160 and it had been 120-130 the past few appointments.)  A surprise ultrasound is always fun - my last one was at 18w and I wasn't expecting anymore!  The ultrasound went great and Mason was measuring in at an estimated 5lbs 13oz.  Wowza!  We also could already see that he has hair - just like his big brother!  Unfortunately, we couldn't get any good pics because his head is so far down.  Crazy boy, his brother was the same way!  During the ultrasound when we were listening to Mason's heart, we heard it skip a beat a few times.  The ultrasound tech went to speak with the doctor and Dr. G ordered a non-stress test for today.  I assumed this meant I could cancel the one she had wanted me to schedule for Friday so I was excited to save myself a trip.  I sat on the monitor for about 30 minutes while trying to entertain my poor toddler who had been at the doctor for way too long (thank goodness for Sesame Street songs on YouTube, cheez-its from the nurse, and Mommy being silly)!  While on the monitor we heard Mason's heart skipping beats quite a few times.  The nurse also noticed I was having contractions.  [I had contractions with Carson and didn't realize so I wasn't surprised it's happening again!]  They said that Mason has a fetal heart arrhythmia but it's most likely benign.  They will continue monitoring it during my weekly NSTs and they will also closely monitor my contractions (especially since I can't tell when I'm having them).  If Mason's arrhythmia doesn't go away by the time he is born, he may need to get an electrocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).  While on the monitor, his heart rate would go as low as 113 and as high as 170, it was so bizarre.  I'm praying this corrects itself and is nothing, but I won't lie - I'm a little worried for my little man.  One thing that brings me comfort is that his 4-chamber heart looked great in the ultrasounds we have had!  My next NST will be this Friday so I'm hoping it goes smoothly!

Someone was a little sleepy during our photo shoot this week!

Our bodies are pretty amazing!

Bumpdate: 33 Weeks

I hit 33 weeks on March 7th and luckily we found our camera to snap my first bump pics at the new house! 

33 Weeks!
Baby is currently the size of a DURIAN FRUIT!

Next Appointment: St. Patrick's Day!  (March 17th)

Gender: Adding another BOY to our family!  Check out our reveal photo.  

Total Weight Gain: At my last appointment (32w4d) I was +22.  It seems like I'm going to surpass my weight gain from last time.  So much FUN!  ;)

Maternity Clothes: Yes and I'm running out of things to wear!  At the end of my pregnancy with Carson it was warm enough to wear t-shirts and tank tops.  Now it's still too cold for that and I don't have many long sleeve shirts suitable for large and in charge bellies!

Sleep: I fall asleep SO easily which is great!  Once I'm asleep I still do tons of tossing and turning which is just annoying.  I PROMISE if I have a third child I will be buying a pregnancy pillow in my first trimester!  :)

Movement: Mason has been crazy this week!  My belly looks so funny and so many people have been able to see my belly shifting around while Mason practices his karate in there.  I love it, but it does get painful at times when he pushes up into my ribs!

Food Cravings/Aversions: Fruity things!  This past week I had a few smoothies, an arctic freeze slushy thing from Dairy Queen, juice at home, lemonade, fruit leather, and more.  I can't get enough!

Best Moment This Week: Getting moved into our new house!  It was quite the task at 8 months pregnant ...especially when I had strict orders to take it easy and not move anything remotely heavy.  I'm a do-er, not a director so that made it very hard!  I think I did a pretty good job and we're now almost totally moved in!  

What I Miss: I miss bending down easily.  I'm always bending down to get things off the floor (from our move and from Carson) and I feel like I'm an elderly woman when I try to get back up!  I practically have to push off of the floor to give myself some momentum, haha!

What I'm Looking Forward To: I can't wait for my next appointment to hear Mason's heartbeat!  I can't believe I'll be 34 weeks at that point!

Symptoms: I had a few headaches this week but they could have been from stress and/or fatigue.  The move was really hard on me so I'm glad it's (almost) over!  I also had a lot of back pain but I have been wearing my SI belt that my physical therapist recommended and it has helped a ton!

Extra Notes From the Week: We moved into our new house and I survived!  Carson LOVES the house and he already knows where Mason's bedroom is.  :)  It made me so happy to hang up some of the clothing we've received as gifts for Mason and I'm really excited to get out Carson's old newborn clothes and get them washed up for Mr. Mason!  Hopefully I can update with some nursery progress soon, too!