30 Weeks and a Blessing

I can't believe that I'm 30 weeks along now. I'm not sure where the time goes anymore - the days do seem to drag by, at least until my husband gets home, but each week seems to be over before I know it, and the weekends are over even faster.

My little list of third trimester woes has increased. I'm getting that fun numbing/burning sensation when I lay too long on one side that I got with Brooklyn...I remember this was the symptom prior to the shooting pains in my legs that I got with her. Pregnancy is just not nice to my body it seems, or at least not yet. Maybe once I lose even more weight, the next one will be easier on me (I can only hope!) I'm already wondering how soon after delivering I can start running again. It was so therapeutic to run, and I miss it, but there's no way I can be out there with my 30 week pregnant belly trying to run; just getting out of bed too quickly hurts! I think I'm starting to waddle while I walk too - I look like a penguin.

This Saturday we have our second 3D/4D ultrasound. I'm looking forward to seeing Eden again, and I've been praying that we get some great pictures of her little face. I bet her cheeks are getting chubby now! I know she's grown a ton since our last ultrasound, so she won't be able to wiggle out of view like she did last time!

At the beginning of this pregnancy, I explored the options of having a midwife for my birth. It's something I really wanted, but our insurance doesn't cover it, and paying out of pocket just wasn't possible at this time (remember that roof I think I've mentioned before? We had to decide between a midwife and a roof...obviously we had to do the roof.) I had met with a midwife, Terina, that a friend of mine recommended, and I really liked her. I was really disappointed when James and I decided that having a midwife wouldn't be financially responsible at the time, and that we had to go with an OB that would be covered by our insurance. Luckily, I ended up with a wonderful OB.

A couple days ago I was speaking with someone about how I want to donate breast milk after Eden is born, and they said that there was a midwife who picked up breast milk and found mom's to donate it to around this area. When I asked who it was, it turned out it was the same midwife that I had met with! I decided to email her and ask if she'd like to pick up breast milk from me when I start pumping, and she said she would. She also offered to take birth photos for us, and photos of Eden once she is born free of charge. God once again answered our prayers! I had been worrying about being sure we'd have a photographer there (even though I know logically my support system wouldn't let us go without), because the coordinator from NILMDTS wasn't sure if she'd be able to find a photographer to attend our birth. She had said that she would do it if she couldn't find someone, but she's out of Branson, which is over 100 miles from where I'm delivering, and that makes me kind of nervous. I'm so entirely grateful to Terina for doing this for us. It's a true blessing.

Here is a picture of me from 29 weeks to 30 weeks. I think there is a huge difference!