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24 Week Pregnancy Update and Belly Pic

I had my midwife appointment last week and apparently I gained 7 lbs in 4 weeks. I think that might be a bit off since I weighed myself 3 days before and had gained 4lbs. My fingers were kinda sausage like so I assuming I am retaining water.  Next appointment, November 14th, is my glucose screening. Yum! I love chugging that crap. ugh 

I have been feeling better overall but need to be careful about how much I lift/carry Jude because my lower back does get sore sometimes. I tend to act like superwoman and then pay for it later. Otherwise I feel good. I have been sleeping AWESOME! Since I started taking the Natural Calm I am getting some solid sleep which is a huge plus when taking care of two small children. I am also upping my vitamin D and taking some krill oil too.

Halloween is next week and I am trying to be especially purposeful about what I put into my body (and into baby) as I tend to splurge during the holidays and then pay for it come January. I am putting a little extra thought into what I consume and deciding if it is a worthwhile splurge,which most times it is not. I am finding that many of the splurgy foods I once enjoyed just leave me feeling gross these days. 

23 Week Baby Belly Pics

Time sure is flying. I am 23 weeks today. We snapped a photo when I picked up the kid's at Pete's studio yesterday because I knew I wouldn't see him for a few days. I had an impromptu trip to the midwife this past week to try and figure some things out. I won't go into detail now, but I am feeling better than I was last week. I am attending Charleston Birth Place, a local birth center, for this pregnancy. I wish I'd have had this option with the other two pregnancies but did not know of anything similar in Jersey, which is a shame. I did hop on the scale while I was there this past week but I'll wait until my official appointment to update weight gain.  I gained about 30lbs with both previous pregnancies and I am thinking it will be about the same this time around.  I have no idea what my starting weight was because I hadn't weighed myself in about a year but think it was close to 114.  

I think my belly pictures get fewer and fewer in the coming weeks with Eliza and Jude. 

23 weeks with Rainbow Sparkle

119 days to go

23 weeks with Jude

24 weeks with Eliza

Rainbow Sparkle and Cloth Diaper Rental

Eliza is very excited that I am having a girl. She is so excited that she decided to name her. Pete and I had something else in mind but Eliza insists that her name is Rainbow Sparkle. It is kind of growing on me...

We will be cloth diapering Rainbow Sparkle. I have quite a few usable diapers left from Eliza and Jude- though most will be put to rest after serving me well. I also have picked up some used diapers at a local diaper swap. I will still need to buy some new ones but will probably wait until baby is born.

Sweet Jude

I rented NB diapers with Jude and that is what I plan on doing again. Both of my kids were born on the small side which makes it difficult to use OS from the start. Plus, I still have two of the covers I used with Jude and a few I purchased recently. It worked out really well last time so I think it is the way to go. I could buy NB cloth and then resell it, but honestly I am too lazy for all of that. 

I used Nell's Natural Baby for my rentals. Here is the review I wrote after using them with Jude.

If you are interested in how a diaper rental would compare to buying disposable you can find a comparison here.

I will be taking picture of my stash (both old and new) when I get my hands on a camera.

Here is one of my favorite cloth diaper pictures of Eliza. We used Smartipants with Eliza and Jude, but the leg gussets are all stretched out so we will NOT be using them with #3.

Magnesium and Pregnancy

I started taking a magnesium supplement a few days ago at the suggestions of some local mommas as a way to help with my Braxton Hicks. I had been taking Natural Calm before I even got pregnant to help with leg cramps. These cramps had started when I was pregnant with Jude and never really went away. There is nothing more annoying than waking up in the middle of the night with leg discomfort. I am guessing I was most likely deficient in magnesium this entire time. For some silly reason I stopped taking it when I got pregnant. Most likely because the thought of ingesting anything for about the first 15 weeks made me feel gross.  I drink the Natural Calm three times a day to spread out the dosage.

Since taking the Natural Calm I have had a lot less Braxton Hicks. Additionally, I haven't had middle of the night leg cramps or really woken up in the middle of the night at all. I had been waking up almost every night unable to sleep for about two hours. Since taking the supplement my night wakings are nonexistent.

Here is an article from Wellness Mama on magnesium supplementation. Here is some more information on Magnesium and Pregnancy.

I also plan on taking some Salt baths. I was adding Epsom salt to the bath for the kids but ran out. I need to add it to the shopping list. I also give Jude and Eliza Natural Calm though I do want to get them Kid Calm but they don't sell it locally.

Have you had any positive experiences taking a magnesium supplement?

Week 21, the Move & Belly Pics

We are all moved over to the new house. Thankfully my mom and brother were here to help us get moved and settled. Even with them here, I seem to have overdid it a bit and ended up cramping and spotting; most likely resulting from dehydration and just being on my feet too much. I went to see the midwife because I wanted to make sure that the Braxton Hicks I had been having were not causing me to dilate. During my exam they saw that I have cervical ectropion. This occurs when inner cervical cells are found on the outer cervix. These cells are referred to as ectropions. So, I am going to be more prone to bleeding from physical activity of...um... all kinds. FUN!

I am not sure what is going on with week 21, but my body has decided to rebel against me. I had been feeling great aside from the BH but now my lower back is killing me and I have been very crampy.  I am taking Natural Calm which seems to be helping with the BH. I also definitely need to get adjusted soon and should not have put it off for this long.  I think it was easier teaching Kindergarten while pregnant than it is being at home with Eliza and Jude. I am keeping my fingers crossed that baby is just in a weird position and week 22 will be better.

22 Weeks with Eliza

23 Weeks with Jude

 I wonder what Eliza was doing while we tried to get this shot...I'm a hot mess. I clearly was not ready for this picture as I would NEVER be photographed with my arm flat against my body. 

Here is my current belly pic. I am 22 weeks on Monday so I can't really say this is a 21 week picture.

21/22 Weeks

They all look about the same to me.

Pink or Blue?

Boy or Girl?

What do you think?

If you guessed blue, like me & Jude, you were
WRONG! 

I really thought it was a boy this time. 

If you guessed girl, like Pete & Eliza, you were
CORRECT!