It seems a bit premature to write my third-trimester wrap-up, but I'm still facing a complete placenta previa, which may force me to have this baby a few weeks early. Translation: the baby may be here in less than a month! I'm simultaneously cat-cowing, acupuncturing, and praying my guts out that the placenta miraculously moves in the next few weeks, while also pumping my body full of supplements such as iron and magnesium to prepare for a c-section. The thing that feels a bit somber is that I am constantly on the lookout for blood since a previa often causes the placenta to hemorrhage, especially in the third trimester. After two miscarriages and a first-trimester filled with progesterone and a little bit of fear, I was ready to leave the days of nervously looking for blood behind me. Unfortunately, I get warned by my doctor at every appointment that bleeding may occur and to go straight to labor and delivery if it does. However, praise God, it hasn't happened at all. My OB looked at me a bit incredulously when I said there had been no blood at my last appointment. So despite a bit of sadness over the possibility of hemorrhaging, I am delighted that God has prevented it thus far. When I learned the placenta still hadn't moved after Christmas, I held my January and February plans loosely, knowing that bedrest could prevent me from teaching, attending my sister's baby shower in Texas, or making one last trip to Arizona before the baby arrives. I am so thankful that I'm now 33 weeks and still standing - literally. I am still teaching twice a week, traveled to my sister's baby shower, and just got back from Arizona a few days ago. God has been gracious. About 15 minutes before my sister's baby shower started in Austin, my midwife called to tell me the placenta still had not moved. Now we will schedule a c-section at 37 weeks, but I will get to do one last ultrasound at 36 weeks to see if there are any changes. After my sister's party, we went home to organize her nursery. I had a slight moment of panic as I watched her fold clothes and sort through gifts because I realized how unprepared I am to have a newborn in the house. In fact, if my baby comes early, my sister and I will likely have our babies the same exact week - maybe even the same day! My original "maternity leave" plan was to finish teaching at spring break, which gives me three weeks between my last class and the baby's due date. I was hoping to finish my grading and then take a week or two to rest and nest before the baby's arrival. Now it is quite likely I will have the baby days after my last class ends. I will be rushed to finish my grading and will have no time to nest and prepare. I am a very low-maintenance mom in general, and especially for my fourth child, but as I sat in my sister's nursery and looked around, I suddenly realized I had no idea where my newborn items were at home. I lent my Solly Wrap to someone and I can't even remember who. Did it ever get returned? Do I still have a boppy pillow? I need one of those milk catcher things so no ounces of milk go to waste during those first few weeks. I came home to California the next day feeling a bit anxious. It probably didn't help that I made the mistake of researching c-sections right before I went to bed before catching a 6 am flight. I tossed and turned all night and hardly slept at all. Thankfully, I pried open our baby storage tubs the day after I got back, and I found everything I need. The Solly was there. The boppy was there (Micah suggested he might have gotten rid of it.) A little handful of boy and girl newborn clothes was there. A nursing cover was there. I did a load of laundry to wash all the newborn items and took a deep breath. It will be okay if the baby comes early. I am still praying the baby comes in April, but I am ready if he or she comes in March. Either way, God is good. Either way, I am thankful. ... Read more

When people find out that we don't know the sex of the baby, they often ask me, "Has this pregnancy felt the same or different from all the others?" as they try to analyze whether I'm having a boy or a girl. I usually respond with "pretty much the same." And, that's true. I've felt mostly the same -- nausea that subsided around 11 weeks, increasing hip pain, feeling fairly energetic in the second trimester. Same weight gain, same body shape. But in a few ways, this pregnancy has been wildly different. It all started when I didn't work out during my first trimester. In my previous pregnancies, I got myself to the gym no matter how awful I felt, but this time around I couldn't muster the strength or find the time with my extra workload during the fall semester. When I hit 14 weeks, my schedule subsided and I finally made my back to the gym, excited to gently jog/walk and weightlift throughout the rest of my pregnancy. I typically run until a month before my due date. In fact, I joined Orange Theory Fitness when I was 32 weeks pregnant with Eisley, but only because they were having a special membership sale. I think the trainers felt a mix of awe and fear when they saw me hustling on the treadmill in my 3rd trimester. I'm sure they were thinking, "We are impressed with this lady, but she also seems like a huge liability." Huge in every sense of the word. Anyway, working out has always been a norm for me during pregnancy, so I recommitted to the gym in early October and worked out 2-3 times a week until mid-November when I got some unexpected news at my doctor's office. Around 20 weeks, I switched from an OB to the certified nurse-midwife team at my medical facility. I had heard great things about the midwives and was hoping for some more personalized, less-invasive care. At my first appointment with the midwife, she walked into the room with an update from my anatomy scan at 18 weeks. After assuring me the baby looked great, she informed me I had a complete previa where the placenta is attached at the bottom of the uterus, fully blocking the cervix. It can be a dangerous condition later in pregnancy and she said my chances of it resolving were about 50/50. If it didn't move, I would have a c-section, and likely early around 37 weeks. She also told me I could no longer work out and should try to avoid lifting Eisley as much as possible. The funny thing is, I loved the midwife even though she gave me some decently bad news. She was so personable and shared that she had ended up with a complete previa with her 4th child after three vaginal deliveries. She had a c-section at 37 weeks and assured me the outcome would be okay no matter what happened. I left the office feeling a bit stunned. After three regular deliveries, I hadn't even considered a c-section as a possibility. But I didn't feel too worried. Most partial previas and many complete previas resolve by the third trimester. I asked a few friends and family members to join me in praying for placenta movement, and then I thought about how restful the holiday season would be without the pressure to get to the gym. I've spent the last ten weeks NOT working out, and I will say that my hips feel much better this pregnancy. It turns out jogging at 20 or 30 weeks pregnant aggravates my hips and lower back. When I was still running in November, I had started visiting the chiropractor to get my hips adjusted. Now that I'm not running, I haven't been back since. The bad news is that I just had my follow-up ultrasound at 28 weeks and the placenta hasn't moved at all. I was hoping for good news and got the opposite. Now my chances of needing a c-section are even higher, as the placenta is less likely to move this late in the pregnancy. I have started acupuncture as a final effort to get the placenta to migrate. I am also taking some Chinese herbs and doing cat-cow poses daily. My next follow-up ultrasound is at 32 weeks. I don't feel too stressed about the situation, but definitely a bit disappointed. I am still hopeful that the placenta will move, but I am also trying to hold my plans for the third trimester loosely. I have a couple of trips in February -- attending my sister's baby shower in Austin and taking a family road trip to Phoenix -- that I am very excited for. However, a complete previa can cause bleeding, especially in the third trimester, so I may face complete bed rest at some point in the next ten weeks. The spectrum ranges from the placenta moving out the way and having a vaginal delivery at full-term around my due date in April to having an early c-section at any point in the next 10 weeks. I am fairly calm in the unknown but would love to have the answer I'm hoping for. So, yes, this pregnancy has been like the rest, except it hasn't. I've never spent my second trimester with such uncertainty. But some things that remain the same: taking joy in the baby's kicks and movements, delighting in my growing belly, and savoring the anticipation of holding a newborn in my arms - no matter which way the baby comes into this world. ... Read more