Month 3
June 13th - July 10th
Week 8: Hardly left my bed this week and was queasy through the night. This week was a wash.
Week 9: Still feeling cold all the time. Michael was out of town for 2 nights and Genevieve decided not to sleep for the first time in months. At least by the end of the week I was feeling almost back to normal.
Week 10: This week was so busy with house projects but we heard the heartbeat for the first time! I felt fine at the beginning of the week but unfortunately, I was bed ridden by the end of it.
Week 11: Still taking lots of naps and feel icky in the evenings. Somehow I have survived this all while attending births.
I can write this post now that I am about to enter the 2nd trimester. No one can prepare you to mother a toddler and grow a baby at the same time. On top of that, I helped with 11 deliveries in the last 12 weeks (some of those births over 33 hours). It's been crazy busy and slightly humorous the amount of work and lack of rest I've had. I think I handled it fairly well. When I wasn't working, I was passed out on the couch or nibbling on crackers to soothe my stomach. My husband has been a saint and has cooked every meal and taken on full Genevieve duties in the evening. My family rallied to take Genevieve for a few hours during the week so I could rest and get work done. It's been a community effort. Part of the reason I write these blogs is so I can remember how challenging certain times of this pregnancy were so I can really relate to all my pregnant clients and recall what I went through in these early weeks. Now that I am back to the land of the living, I have almost forgotten what it was like at week 6, 8, and 11 where I barely survived. I am eternally grateful for my husband and family and the support they gave me to get me this far in pregnancy!
Things that helped me survive 1st trimester:
-Early bed time and naps when possible. Letting my body rest was so important.
-Eating a few crackers right when I woke up to ease the nausea first thing in the morning.
-Spraying magnesium oil on my feet at night. The increase in magnesium really helped curb the night sickness and it helped me sleep, too.
-Taking fermented cod liver oil and Vitamin D - I added it to smoothies so it didn't have any taste.
-Eating a snack just about every hour. I ate lots of fruit. Just like with Genevieve, my aversion to vegetables is still pretty strong. Although, I have found that carrots helped with my nausea.
-Ginger - in every way possible - tea, chews, pickled straight from the jar that we use for sushi, ginger ale, it all helped.
-Diffusing peppermint oil was great as well.
Other highlights:
-We have the best friends and I love that I get to celebrate the seasons with them. Half of the group camped out but the rest of us joined in creek-stomping, campfire songs, and s'mores as we ushered in the new season by celebrating the summer solstice.
-For Father's Day, Michael and I attempted to go canoeing. Epic fail. Genevieve screamed the entire 5 mile canoe ride: she wanted to be in the water, not the boat! Lesson learned. But it was still beautiful.
-We gardened, cooked, and picked berries at the park.
-The big highlight of the month was the birth of our new niece - Ingrid Mae! It was so precious seeing Genevieve with a newborn and we are beyond thrilled for Jonathan and Sami as they welcomed a new addition to their family.
Sweet Baby,
This time around it's a lot different than your sister's arrival. You will be joining a family. With a loving mama, doting dada, and curious sister. The love we have for the 3 of us is more than I imagined and now we get to expand that love to you. After your sister goes to bed, your dad and I talk to you and tell you about all the incredible things you will get to see and do once you arrive. I know you will be massively loved because there's already so much love here. I am excited to see how my heart grows as you fill it up. You are already loved.
Love, Mama
