How far along? 31 weeks yesterday. I am only 6 days away from making my next goal of 32 weeks!
Weight gain: I gained a pound this week; I'm up to 178lbs making my total gain 39lbs. My gain range (I made a rhyme!) for this week was to be between 32-48lbs, so I am feeling good about being on target!
How are you feeling? I am feeling "great with child." And that "great" should be translated more along the lines of "enormous" than "fantastic." Yes I do feel fantastic about this wonderful, healthy pregnancy but also enormous. Enormous with child. That about says it!
Yesterday I woke up early in the morning with quite a fright. I had asked my OB what signs of preterm labor to look out for and one of the indicator was if I had a contraction strong enough to wake me up. Well, yesterday I woke up with an intense pain radiating from my right hip all the way around to the lower right quadrant of my belly. My very first thought was a panicked, "Am I having a contraction!?"
Thankfully once I woke up a bit more I realized it was "just" sacroiliac pain, something I have struggled with in the past. As the day wore on I was able to stretch that area out and today I am feeling much better. I am actually impressed I have made it this far without hip pain since I have had chronic back and hip pain since I had a bone infection as a young girl.
The scare certainly has made me feel a little more nervous about preterm labor. Each day feels like a victory now! It has also motivated me to push through my ever present fatigue and do some more cleaning around my house so that whenever I do leave to have these babies, I won't be leaving a messy house behind me!
I continue to have frequent Braxton Hicks contractions and I have now entered the swelling stage of pregnancy.
On Sunday John, Arie, and I pulled into our driveway after an outing. As John turned off our van I held my hand up to him and said, "Do my fingers look puffy to you??"
We heard Arie click off his seatbelt exclaiming, "Let me see!"
He poked his head between the two of us in the front of the van, examined my fingers and confirmed, "Oh yea. That looks bad Mom. And red."
Thank you son.
So my hands are a little sausage-y, as are my calves by the end of the day. Plus I've taken to wearing a maternity support belt to relieve the weight of my belly a little. Basically I'm looking super sexy these days.
But seriously I am totally fine with all of it as long as my babies stay in until they are term!
Noteworthy moments: At this point, the passing of each day feels noteworthy! Physically my body is essentially stretched to a full term pregnancy (for a singleton) so I'm worried it will get the wrong message and think it is done gestating. As each day closes I get into bed with a prayer of gratitude on my lips for another day well done growing two babies stronger, healthier, more ready for the outside world.
Also I had to buy new maternity pants with a stretchier tummy band. I had been trying to make it work for the last two months with my one remaining pair, but alas... I am huge and require huge pants. ;-)
Get a little spiritual: You know what the worst part of joining support groups is? That everyone brings their issues. I mean, I know that is exactly what support groups are for but it can be so overwhelming to hear about the problems people face over and over again. No one (including me) joins a support group to talk about how everything is normal and going fine.
Through various challenges in my life (infertility, adoption, ministry life) I have joined support groups and they have always been a mixed bag. On one hand I have found encouragement there. On the other hand, there have been times where I have decided not to participate because hearing about all the challenges stresses me out. It has been the same for me joining support groups for moms of multiples.
As I felt myself slipping from a place of confidence about my ability to mother twins to a place of anxiety, a verse from Philippians has been going though my head, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (4:19). I have been praying that God will give me the faith to believe that he will give me everything I need to raise my new little boys, including the very basic first things like sleep, energy, help with nursing two babies, and the ability to keep up on laundry.
It took me a few days from the time I started feeling anxious about these practical things to the time I started praying about them and I think it is because I have been so used to praying for the big miracle of pregnancy in the midst of infertility that I almost forgot how deeply God cares about even these small aspects of my life. It wasn't until I was standing in church participating as our congregation sang Hillsong's "Forever Reign." There is a very simple line in that song that says, "My heart will sing no other name: Jesus."
As I sang that line I was suddenly flooded with memories from the time I was a little girl, through my teenage years, the trials of my twenties, up until this very day of the times I have cried out Jesus' name. From prayers about little girl spats between friends, to heartbreak over boys, to the desperate cries of my heart when my mom was sick, to the powerful pleas for Arie's adoption, to the joy on my lips when we finally became pregnant with these twins. I have called out Jesus' name for years and years and he has never failed. It brings me great comfort to know that when I am overwhelmed by my mothering, I will call on that same name for strength and he will meet all of my needs.
Bump Shot:
xo
Weight gain: I gained a pound this week; I'm up to 178lbs making my total gain 39lbs. My gain range (I made a rhyme!) for this week was to be between 32-48lbs, so I am feeling good about being on target!
How are you feeling? I am feeling "great with child." And that "great" should be translated more along the lines of "enormous" than "fantastic." Yes I do feel fantastic about this wonderful, healthy pregnancy but also enormous. Enormous with child. That about says it!
Yesterday I woke up early in the morning with quite a fright. I had asked my OB what signs of preterm labor to look out for and one of the indicator was if I had a contraction strong enough to wake me up. Well, yesterday I woke up with an intense pain radiating from my right hip all the way around to the lower right quadrant of my belly. My very first thought was a panicked, "Am I having a contraction!?"
Thankfully once I woke up a bit more I realized it was "just" sacroiliac pain, something I have struggled with in the past. As the day wore on I was able to stretch that area out and today I am feeling much better. I am actually impressed I have made it this far without hip pain since I have had chronic back and hip pain since I had a bone infection as a young girl.
The scare certainly has made me feel a little more nervous about preterm labor. Each day feels like a victory now! It has also motivated me to push through my ever present fatigue and do some more cleaning around my house so that whenever I do leave to have these babies, I won't be leaving a messy house behind me!
I continue to have frequent Braxton Hicks contractions and I have now entered the swelling stage of pregnancy.
On Sunday John, Arie, and I pulled into our driveway after an outing. As John turned off our van I held my hand up to him and said, "Do my fingers look puffy to you??"
We heard Arie click off his seatbelt exclaiming, "Let me see!"
He poked his head between the two of us in the front of the van, examined my fingers and confirmed, "Oh yea. That looks bad Mom. And red."
Thank you son.
So my hands are a little sausage-y, as are my calves by the end of the day. Plus I've taken to wearing a maternity support belt to relieve the weight of my belly a little. Basically I'm looking super sexy these days.
But seriously I am totally fine with all of it as long as my babies stay in until they are term!
Noteworthy moments: At this point, the passing of each day feels noteworthy! Physically my body is essentially stretched to a full term pregnancy (for a singleton) so I'm worried it will get the wrong message and think it is done gestating. As each day closes I get into bed with a prayer of gratitude on my lips for another day well done growing two babies stronger, healthier, more ready for the outside world.
Also I had to buy new maternity pants with a stretchier tummy band. I had been trying to make it work for the last two months with my one remaining pair, but alas... I am huge and require huge pants. ;-)
Get a little spiritual: You know what the worst part of joining support groups is? That everyone brings their issues. I mean, I know that is exactly what support groups are for but it can be so overwhelming to hear about the problems people face over and over again. No one (including me) joins a support group to talk about how everything is normal and going fine.
Through various challenges in my life (infertility, adoption, ministry life) I have joined support groups and they have always been a mixed bag. On one hand I have found encouragement there. On the other hand, there have been times where I have decided not to participate because hearing about all the challenges stresses me out. It has been the same for me joining support groups for moms of multiples.
As I felt myself slipping from a place of confidence about my ability to mother twins to a place of anxiety, a verse from Philippians has been going though my head, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (4:19). I have been praying that God will give me the faith to believe that he will give me everything I need to raise my new little boys, including the very basic first things like sleep, energy, help with nursing two babies, and the ability to keep up on laundry.
It took me a few days from the time I started feeling anxious about these practical things to the time I started praying about them and I think it is because I have been so used to praying for the big miracle of pregnancy in the midst of infertility that I almost forgot how deeply God cares about even these small aspects of my life. It wasn't until I was standing in church participating as our congregation sang Hillsong's "Forever Reign." There is a very simple line in that song that says, "My heart will sing no other name: Jesus."
As I sang that line I was suddenly flooded with memories from the time I was a little girl, through my teenage years, the trials of my twenties, up until this very day of the times I have cried out Jesus' name. From prayers about little girl spats between friends, to heartbreak over boys, to the desperate cries of my heart when my mom was sick, to the powerful pleas for Arie's adoption, to the joy on my lips when we finally became pregnant with these twins. I have called out Jesus' name for years and years and he has never failed. It brings me great comfort to know that when I am overwhelmed by my mothering, I will call on that same name for strength and he will meet all of my needs.
Bump Shot:
As a follower since the IF online support group days, I am incredibly excited to see you so GREAT with child. I will join you in prayer for stamina, health and continued gestation! Congratulations and God Bless the burdens!
ReplyDeleteI love reading your blog. Praying for you and your fam! :)
ReplyDeleteI love reading updates and seeing pictures! You are such a sweet and darling mom and I am so happy for your family. And GREAT with child is amazing!!
ReplyDeleteJillian...you look amazing. Honestly.
ReplyDeleteSo very exciting to follow your journey. Hope this last stretch goes smoothly. Xx
Always so encouraged in my walk with God through your posts...thank you! May your pregnancy continue to be healthy and strong and may you find all the strength you need in Jesus!
ReplyDelete