Baby #3 - 23 weeks

I have been horrible about blogging overall and even worse about blogging about baby #3….a.k.a Baby Rosey! 

To catch up, here are some pictures of the growing baby bump….

17 Weeks….date night in Bahrain (December 20)

20 weeks in Washington (January 9)

21.5 weeks cheering on the Seahawks (January 19)

23 weeks (January 29)…baby bump has grown a bunch in two weeks! Which would explain how hungry I have been for the past ten days and how now my appetite has gone back to normal.

Baby #3 is growing and doing great! This has been such an easy and wonderful pregnancy! I battled with some pretty bad exhaustion up to just into my second trimester and I am sure having two other kids to keep up with, take places and take care made it much worse but after we got through that I have been feeling great. Very little to almost no cramping which is a huge praise! I have noticed when my body is fatigued that I get it more but thankfully I have been getting sleep, and have been able to keep the cramping away.

Baby is SUPER ACTIVE! I love it! Both of the other kids were not active at all and this baby moves a bunch! I love feeling its kicks getting stronger and stronger and it is amazing! The kids have loved feeling it move and it was so special to be able to share that with John when I got home from Washington.

Flying back to Washington the end of December at 18 weeks pregnant was a whole new experience. I flew around 26 weeks with Peyton from Houston to Portland but this was a whole new ballgame. Not only was it a 16 hour flight, I had two kids to manage and I was alone. Thankfully the kids and I have a pretty good system done flying together and it went smoothly. I did make sure to wear compression maternity leggings to help with swelling and walk a bunch and drink tons of water (which helped with the walking as I was going to the bathroom all the time). Our flight to Washington is during our day time so it was easy to manage the walking and I didn't have too much swelling and was pretty comfortable throughout but on the way back….not only was I further along at 22 weeks….it was a nighttime flight so I was pretty bad about walking and got pretty swollen. When we landed in Dubai I tried to put my shoes on and they wouldn't fit. I was about to have to walk off the plane with no shoes. Thankfully I got them on and just walking during our layover to our next flight helped some with the swelling but it was still pretty bad. No more flying for this mommy especially that long of a flight!

When we got home to Saudi we had our 20 week anatomy scan….at 22.5 weeks….a result of the scheduling department refusing to do it early and me being gone. The ultrasound was an experience and highlighted quickly the differences of having a baby in the States versus the Middle East. For starters, when we got to the appointment, John had to wait in the men's waiting area and me in the female waiting area. I laughed and sent him a text……

Finally it was time to go back and the technician told me that she would do the scan and then come get John and the kids at the end to see the baby. So off we went….when I got to the room I laid down on the bed…no pillow, no asking if I was comfortable and she started. I couldn't really see the screen so I asked her to turn it slightly so I could see and I was told that I will be able to see the baby at the end. Hmmm…..so I strained and could see glimpses here and there. No explaining what she was looking at our how the baby was doing….pure silence. No letting me listen to the heart beat….nothing. A very different experience than our anatomy scans in the States :) The kids and John were able to come back at the end and I was so thankful for that. She showed them the baby and all its body parts and then turned the screen so I could finally see baby. She pointed out, "head, arms, hands, belly, legs, feet….baby fine." And that was it. I asked about some pictures and was told we have to go to the liaison office and request them and pay for them and then will get them in 3-5 business days. 

So we ordered them and picked them up the other day and looked at them at home. Graham loved pressing the keyboard to scroll through the images and see all the bits and pieces of baby. He is so in love and was so excited. He sat there for another 15 minutes after we were done scrolling and pointing and giggling. Baby is healthy and breached which confirms that my body just carries babies the same way…breeched. But baby is healthy, measuring big and is doing great!

 

Our next task was to schedule a hospital tour which was another interesting experience but it all worked out and we are going on February 11 to see the hospital and then I have an appointment with the high risk OBGYN starting on the 13th. I have asked to be seen at the main hospital/clinic starting near my third trimester because of the various things that I had to have monitored with the other two (blood pressure and fluid levels) and I wanted to be more comfortable with the doctors there who would actually be involved in my delivery. It means an hour drive (or bus ride) each way but it is worth it for quality care to monitor my health and the babies health.

So, overall we are doing well. We are working one the nursery that John painted while I was gone and putting away all the stuff I bought while home and getting the older kids settled in their new shared room. It hit me the other day that I am having a baby in Saudi and I am freaking out a little bit but I am meeting with a friend who had a c-section here at Aramco and talking with her about her experience and I am hoping between that, the tour and meeting the doctors that I will start to feel better about this decision. For the most part the things that worry me and I get emotional about is handling the cultural differences and learning to be a stronger voice and advocate for what I want. Being a passive, people pleasing person over here doesn't work and I need to stand up (loudly, forcefully and more than once) for what I want for me and my baby and that is a scary thing for me. And just other cultural issues surrounding visitation, room sharing and more….but right now I am hoping that having some information in the next few weeks, processing it, praying, reflecting on my expectations and managing them and meditating on a positive birth experience will result in a healthy baby and beautiful birth experience for us.

And I leave you with some sneak peaks of items I bought for the nursery…I am in love with it and it is my favorite one we have done…..