Three Times the Charm

So the thing is, when you neglect your blog you may also neglect to share the most important news you've had all year. You may have already seen this seeing as I did post it on instagram and facebook, but just in case you missed it...

We're expecting baby number three!!

I'm 16 weeks along now and thankfully most of the first trimester symptoms have passed. To be fair though, the pregnancy itself has been a lot easier than last time. I think it's been more about having a baby and a preschooler to look after and a growing business to run that have left me super exhausted.

In the last couple of days I've started feeling the little peanut moving around, which I love so much! Each night when I go to bed I'll just lie there for a while hoping to feel it move. Oh and when typing that I automatically wrote 'him' and had to go back and change it to 'it'. Sean and I both automatically think of this one as another little boy, it's so hard to imagine anything else! A couple more weeks and we will know for sure though :).

Thinking it's a boy hasn't stopped me from daydreaming about decorating a girls room! I have so many ideas that if it is a girl I have no idea how I would actually narrow things done to one design! I'm sure I won't have to worry about that though, and with Sherry and Katie recently sharing two very gorgeous boys rooms I'm definitely not short of inspiration for another bouncing baby boy.

Max is excited about getting another brother (he refuses to believe that it could be a girl too!), part of the excitement comes from the fact that Link won't be the baby anymore because he can't wait for Lincoln to grow up enough to play with him. He asks me all the time when Link will stop being a baby and turn into a 'real kid'. Poor little Link has absolutely no idea what's going on. He will be about 21 months when the baby arrives and I'm not sure that he will really understand until he actually sees the baby come home with us. That's probably what I'm most nervous about, Link is still my baby and I don't want him to feel replaced.

All in all everything is great over here in the Riley household and I promise I will be back sooner rather than later with another post!

Lincoln

Introducing my gorgeous baby boy Lincoln.

Lincoln was born last Wednesday and has been making us smile with joy ever since. We're home from the hospital now and settling in. Most importantly, Max absolutely adores him and loves to talk to him, kiss him and smell him :)

More details to come soon...


PS. We've announced the winners of the $400 Visa Gift Card Giveaway - click here to see who won.

40 Weeks (tomorrow)

Tomorrow is my due date, I will have officially made it to 40 weeks!

I'm feeling a little angsty today, I've been sitting on the couch most of the morning alternating between hugs with Max and Cooper. I have so much on my to-do list that I want to get done, but I can't quite seem to get moving.

The anxiety I'm feeling is coming from the appointment I have with the obstetrician tomorrow. The appointment where I think he is going to tell me that time's up and I'm having a c-section. When I originally asked him if I could try for a vbac instead of repeat elective c-section he said 'yes, but if you go past 40 weeks you'll be having the caesar'.

I had one with Max, I know it's not that big a deal. But this time round I really wanted to experience what it's like to go into labour...

I'm trying to stay positive though, I still have 27 hours left before that appointment and I'm sure they won't admit me to hospital on the spot. So I figure I have a couple of days left to somehow convince this baby to come out on his own :).

Cross your fingers for me!!

{Don't forget I'm also giving away a $400 Visa Gift Card!! Entering is super easy and you've got to be in it to win it!}.

39 Weeks

I am so very very pregnant! That's all I really have to say about that... I'm thrilled that I got to experience pregnancy a second time around and am quite ready to have this baby thank you very much.

I've been trying out a few old wives tales to try and get things moving...

On Saturday my sister and I did a whole lot of walking at the Finders Keepers markets in Brisbane. Hands down best markets I have ever been too! There were so many amazingly talented designers and creators there. I picked up a print each for the boys' rooms from etsy seller Penelope and Pip.

The owl one that I purchased is a little bit different to this one and is for Max's room. When I showed it too him he said, 'that's so funny Mumma, owls don't wear hats' and then started to laugh. So cute!! When I asked for it back he refused to give it to me saying that it was his now :).

I also picked up this adorable monster bib from Columbian trio Amor Amor. I can't wait to get creative and colour it in!

While we were at the markets I also ate the best paella I've ever tasted and a ridiculously decadent strawberry sundae.

I didn't go into labour though...

On Sunday we had Max's bff and her parents over for lunch. I post about the two of them regularly (here and here most recently) and they really are just the cutest pair on the planet!

By that evening I was completely over being pregnant and soooooo uncomfortable so we tried out a few more 'labour inducing techniques', we went for a walk and I ate a really spicy indian curry (which was dumb because I hate spicy food).

I woke up this morning still very very pregnant and have resigned myself to the fact that the baby will probably come out when it's ready regardless of what I do...

Although if you have any suggestions for me I'm all ears.....

Changing my Mind

I'm 35 weeks and 4 days today and I've changed my mind about how I'm going to have this baby.  I was booked in to have a c-section on the 9th of November, but I've decided it's not for me.

I had an elective caesar with Max at my Ob's recommendation. At 36 weeks he decided that Max was going to be quite big and because my pelvis is slightly tilted at a funny angle there was a 'good chance' his shoulders would get stuck and I would end up having an emergency c-section anyway. I have no regrets at all about Max's birth, it was actually exactly what I wanted at the time. Well planned, organised and structured. The only thing that didn't go to plan was Max needing to go off to the nicu for 8 hours because he wasn't breathing well - you can read Max's birth story here.

Sean, Max and Me - December 2009

Max ended up being 8 pounds (at 38 weeks) and I really don't think he was as big as anyone expected. This time round the baby is measuring quite big again, and although I've only put on 3 kilos (I had plenty of spare ones to start with), my belly is enormous. But I was like that with Max too and like I said he really wasn't very big.

At my 20 week appointment the obstetrician  I saw asked if I wanted to have a caesar or a vbac and I said that I hadn't decided yet. He then kept reading my file and after seeing I had MS said 'you're having a caesar'. At the time I just excepted it as I had always thought that's what would happen anyway.

I've had a fairly textbook pregnancy and except for a week back in July my MS symptoms have been mostly under control. I'm fatigued a lot of the time, but tell me about a 35 week pregnant mum of a toddler who isn't! Two nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night and just knew that I didn't want another c-section. I almost woke Sean up to tell him, but decided to wait until the morning. We had a good chat about it and he's happy with my choice.

I saw my Dr yesterday and she is backing me up too. So next Tuesday I'm going up to the hospital to meet with an Ob and have my plan changed. I'm fully aware that I could end up having a c-section anyway, but I really want to give it a shot. This is probably going to be my last baby and I want to know what it feels like to go into labour, I want to feel the contractions and I want to give birth to my baby. I'll probably regret all of that as soon as it starts, but that's how I feel right at this moment.

Wish me luck :)

28 Weeks

I am officially now in my third trimester!! Which I think makes this enormous belly I'm sporting a touch more except-able :)

I'm still really enjoying being pregnant, I'm uncomfortable and achy for the most part but I'm not letting that burst my bubble just yet (give me a few weeks). I have most of the same issues that I had with Max, dizziness, sore hips at night, needing to pee constantly and sciatica. Other than that though it's all going really well.

I did have a little trip up to the hospital the other day. I paid a quick visit to a local GP because some of my MS symptoms can mimic pre-eclampsia ssymptoms. He ruled it out pretty quickly but sent me up to the hospital anyway because I was just 'off'. They gave me fluids and a few drugs to help with the headaches and dizziness and I was as right as rain. I think I was probably just a little bit run down (what with my strenous 16 hour working week and all!).

I've also had braxton hicks start this week as well. With Max they started at about 22 weeks so I've been expecting them for a while. I don't mind them though, they're probably the closest thing to labour that I'll ever experience so I feel like they give me a glimpse of what it must feel like :)

The big thing that has hit Sean and I this week is that in 10 - 11 weeks we are going to have another baby!! All of a sudden it seems so much more real and I'm so looking forward to meeting this little baby.

24 Weeks

How far along:
24 Weeks. Although I feel much bigger than that. I'm sure my tummy wasn't this round at 24 weeks with Max. I had a check-up today and I'm measuring normal though, so I'm sure all is ok :)


Total weight gain/loss:
I have gained 8 kilos so far and lost 2, making it a 6kg total gain. We've started eating a lot healthier now that I am through the nauseous stage. So hopefully I can keep future gains in check.


Maternity clothes:
Like I did when I was pregnant with Max, I've been relying on belly bands and pants extenders so that I can keep wearing my regular pants, skirts and jeans. I did buy the most comfortable maxi skirt the other day, but haven't bought any actual maternity clothes yet.


Sleep:
I need to pee constantly so I am waking up 4 or 5 times a night. My hips and back have started aching at night too, so that's also keeping me awake. Plus Max likes to climb into our bed at random hours of the night and wriggle around. I have pretty much accepted the fact that it will be a few more years before I get a good nights sleep!


Best moment this week:
Having people comment on my belly. I love that I'm at the stage where people that don't know me are sure that I'm pregnant and not just really chubby :)


Movement:
I have been able to feel him move since about 16 weeks, and Sean felt him move for the first time two weeks ago. He has been kicking like crazy these last few days and I love it!!


Food cravings:
Berries and vegemite. Not together, that would be gross. Vegemite seems to be the big one at the moment, I can't get enough of the stuff. Spread with cream cheese I'm loving it on toast, on sandwiches and on rice crackers. Yum!


Gender:
Boy!!


Labor Signs:
Thankfully none :)


Belly Button in or out:
Still in, but getting very shallow. Although it didn't pop with Max, so it might stay in again.


What I miss:
Soft cheese, an occasional glass of champagne and sleeping through the night.


What I am looking forward to:
Introducing this little guy to Max.


Weekly Wisdom:
Best advice I can give myself - enjoy every moment I might not get to experience this again.

Milestones:

Seeing the baby at our 20 week scan, having Sean and Max feel the baby kick for the first time, and no longer throwing up every second or third morning.

20 Weeks

Yep, we're halfway!!

I had my 20 week scan today and I am beyond excited to say that everything went perfectly. We even took Max along with us so that he could 'meet' his little brother for the first time. Max squealed out loud when we showed him the baby on the tv screen and said 'that's my baby!'. He asked a million questions while we were in there about the jelly on my tummy, what the sonographer was doing, if the baby was coming out now and more. He is such a clever little guy :)

I feel the baby kick so much at the moment, so it was no surprise that he wriggled around for most of the ultrasound. We got to see everything we needed to in the end though and our baby is looking healthy and happy.

The absolute highlight for me was when we were watching the baby touch his face and put his fingers in his mouth in 3D. I looked over at Sean and Max and saw that Max was smiling and watching the monitor. As I said to Sean 'do you think Max understands what he's looking at?', Max lifted his hands up to his face just like the baby was doing and said 'look he's touching his face!'. Such a beautiful family moment!

This scan is a real turning point in our pregnancy, from now on in we are no longer considered to be high risk. Such a feeling of relief after the last 5 weeks of uncertainty.

Back on the 16th of May (my birthday, and 6 days after our 13 week scan) we got a phone call from the hospital saying that we had been placed into the high-risk category for genetic defects and that we would need to come in for genetic counseling.

We went in the very next day and they explained to us that whilst my scans looked normal, the blood-test results had indicated that my hormone levels were not in the 'normal' range. We decided to book in for an amniocentisis, but had to wait two and a half weeks before I was far enough along for the procedure to be possible. To be honest I took it pretty hard at first. I got really depressed and was convinced that the baby wasn't going to be ok. I couldn't shake the negativity and kept thinking that this was a continuation of all the health issues I had developed over the last couple of years (MS and the symptoms that accompany it). When I wasn't thinking about that, I was really scared that we would have the amnio, find out everything was ok and then lose the baby (a 1/100 risk that is associated with the test).

Thanks to the most amazing, supportive and positive husband and the support of our family and some of my closest friends I was able to turn myself around in the last week leading up to the amnio and start focusing on being positive, praying for my baby and being grateful for the beautiful family that I already have. Changing my mindset made a huge difference and by the day of the procedure I was really optimistic that we were going to have a positive outcome.

The amnio and scan was done at 16weeks +6 days and went really well, no issues at all and the baby looked really good on the scan. We got a phone call 24 hours later (almost to the minute) saying that our initial results came back showing that all of the baby's chromosomes were exactly as they were supposed to be. Sean was at home with me waiting for the call and I can honestly say that it was one of the happiest moments of our lives. We were elated! We also found out on that phone call that we would be having another boy. Double celebrations!

We were told that within two weeks we would get a phone call if anything abnormal showed up on the other tests and that if all went well at our 20 week scan we would no longer be considered high risk.

Which brings us to today. Our scan went perfectly and we got the confirmed results back from the long-term tests saying everything is a-ok :).

A very happy day for us here in the Riley household!!

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