27 months, 1 week old – promotion to big sister! 🥳

Last photo of me pregnant at 38 weeks and 6 days

27 months, 1 week old/118 weeks of motherhood:

Dec 15: This morning while still in bed, the little one kicked up towards my belly as per usual and I think I could actually feel the sole of the foot or the heel. So neat! 😄🥰
9:30am, feeling some cramping. There’s a big snowstorm coming into the city today consisting of mixed snow and rain, forecasted to arrive in the afternoon and into the evening. I told the baby yesterday to either come before 9am or would have to wait until Friday after the storm passes in order for a safer drive. Let’s see… 38+3 today.
Dec 16, 5:50am: Another day before baby’s arrival meant we crossed out a few more to-do’s on the list. We joked that of course the baby hasn’t arrived yet; we haven’t even finished prepping for the baby yet! Lol. This meant taking out the baby bottles and pump parts and Haakaa and drying racks out of storage. It meant finally making that call to SC for grandma to update her address – long overdue. It meant having time for DH to install the new curtain and rods for bb’s bedroom. So glad we got a few more things done. Glad that this baby also isn’t a risk taker by making us drive halfway across town in the snowstorm for their arrival 😜.
38+4 gestational age today, which was when the older sibling arrived. So curious to see when this baby will arrive — three full days left for the baby to decide/choose on their own and otherwise the bday will likely be the 18th or 19th.
Still gotta make those padsicles too.. pack extra clothes and underwear. And pillows.
Poor 2yo was constipated last night and crying and holding her belly. DH did the “paddleboard” soothing that we hadn’t done since she was an infant and it did seem to soothe her. So glad that before bath time, she had pooped twice and ridded herself of two diaper-filled poops.
She regularly has been asking me to see pictures of “Grace jei jei” on my phone. I let her and she’ll expertly flip through/scroll on my phone. 🤦🏻‍♀️ A monster has been created. But luckily, she listens and stops when she’s had enough and I tell her to rest her eyes or distract her with some magnetic tile invitation to play.
Getting sick of eating 6 dates a day.. I’ve been doing that since week 34.
Been craving and eating croissants lately. Mmm, the buttery goodness 😋. I don’t spike from it either. Well, firstly because I only eat about 1/4 of a whole croissant each time anyway and also it’s fatty enough to balance out the carbs IMO.
Fasting numbers have been in control with the 17 units of nightly insulin. Mealtime numbers have been fairly low too, usually in the 5s. Counting down to the number of insulin jabs and finger pricks I have left to do before Sunday! 🥳
Bb has been playing the dog puzzle daily. She’s super quick at finishing it now by herself for the most part and usually only needs one of us to sit beside her for moral support. When she’s done, she likes everyone in the room to clap and applaud her. She also requests us to clap a certain way.. the hands have to be slightly diagonal 🥴🙄.
Still so satisfying to feed her the rest of breakfast whenever she has leftovers on her plate. She would push aside the utensil if she’s not finished chewing yet.
As much as I was intending to naturally induce this baby out on my own before the 18th, I realized over the past couple of days that I didn’t want to do that. No amount of exercise, curb walking, sex, raspberry leaf tea, acupuncture, acupressure can force the baby to come out if they are not ready to. Maybe the baby needs more cooking time. EDDs could be inaccurate. I settled on the decision to just let induction happen on Sunday if the baby doesn’t plan to join us before then. Originally, I had planned to visit the TCM doctor on Tuesday for acupuncture, but then I wanted to see if the sex worked. Then I pushed it to Friday because of the Thursday snowstorm and now, nope, forget it. I’ll just wait and let baby keep cooking and developing their brain and lungs in utero further first.
Nervous about the induction since I don’t really know what to expect. All my OB told me was I’d be getting my water broken first.. scared about it failing and needing further interventions or that it’d decrease the fetal heart rate leading to C section. Basically the route of a C section is not at all desired and I’m not mentally prepared for one (although I am writing about it so I do know it could happen). But my mom reassured me that basically if it did came down to that, I wouldn’t have a choice anyway and it’d be whatever is best for me and the baby. Sigh.
Mild period-like cramping happening now as I type, but it’s been on and off like this for the past week. The cramping has to continue and increase in intensity into contractions before I can tell I’m in labour. I’ve also been checking my post-pee toilet paper for signs of a bloody show like last time. So far, still nada.
Dec 17, 9:20pm: Feeling emotional and weird tonight before we go into the hospital tomorrow morning for the induction at 9am. This must be what it feels like for c section moms and other induction moms too – knowing the eviction notice that will be served to the baby before they naturally want to come out. Feeling emotional tonight that this is the last night/was the last day for the firstborn to be a singleton and then her life changing forever too. It must be the hormones. Odd knowing I won’t be pregnant tomorrow. I have enjoyed being pregnant so, so much and while I have been uncomfortable and had challenges with this pregnancy, I still can never feel this way ever again. The kicks, the squirms, the movements inside of me. The responses I get when I rub my belly or place my hand on it and the baby responds to my touch… I’m going to miss it so much 🥺🥺🥺 *tears falling. I feel bad kicking the baby out before they’re naturally ready, that I won’t have a spontaneous labour this time, but I know it’s safer for everyone involved. The GD this time was not controllable by myself and the insulin was what made the induction a thing. 😦 It makes me sad to kick this innocent one out before they’re possibly ready.
Bags are all packed. Just need to throw in the last toiletries tomorrow. Actually still didn’t prep the padsicles yet either but I’m not too worried.. Scared I’ll need a c section. Anxious about the induction process. Lots of positive induction stories in the December fb group which should motivate me but labour and birth are always unpredictable and there is no formula for it. Excited to meet this new person and see whether we have a son or daughter. But before that, still lots of unknowns and new territory.
Last insulin shot tonight (been experiencing some pain when injecting and sometimes there is blood afterwards — I must not be angling the needle 90 degrees?).
Bittersweet. It is all so bittersweet. Pregnancy is such a special, special part of a woman’s life and in the blink of an eye, it will be over soon. 🥺
Took more belly selfie shots and videos tonight in the mirror to encapsulate it all. 🥺🥺
Funny how bb came up with a final Chinese name that we all like. It has a high score too.
We were able to enjoy an almost 2-hour brunch at a local spot today. Bb was so well-behaved. The next time we dine out, it will be different and likely difficult too. It’s been easy with a table of 4. Table of 5 will be much harder. No more easy booth seats. No more of me munching away while DH takes care of bb. We’ll each have to take care of one.
Wondering how the personality of this new person will be like. Clingy? Hard to feed or sleep? They’re certainly restless in the womb. Yesterday, their feet was in the right-hand side and today they shifted their feet to the left side again.
Last night, slept with a pillow (in preparation for bringing it to the hospital) in between my legs for the first time and it was so comfortable. Why didn’t I do this before?! I actually slept through the night too.. or more like I did wake up in the middle but because I didn’t drink as much fluids as usual, I didn’t have time get up to pee which helped me fall back asleep again easily.
I look so, so tired in photos. I guess it’s because I still sleep around midnight-ish and not as early as I should be? Or this pregnancy and a 2yo toddler is seriously wearing me out. How am I supposed to have energy to push if I look like a zombie already now? 😅
Funny that this morning, bb brought me the book “We’re having a baby” to read. It’s real now. She knows it too.
Dec 18, 12:13am. Glad I released my emotions earlier. I’m ready now. Baby has to be ready too. Ready or not, we will be evicting you from your sweet home for the last nine months and placing you in mommy’s safe arms and your new home too. Hoping for a safe, easy, and successful induction for an easy and effortless labour and birth. Hoping mom and baby will be healthy and safe too.
I will miss being pregnant but look forward to this very new chapter of a family of 4, mom, dad, toddler, and newborn (5 including grandma). Hope breastfeeding will be easy and natural too.
Dec 18, 5:20am: Up since 4:30am unable to sleep. Had a dream I delivered a baby girl. Also had a dream that DH’s dad came to visit at the hospital to stay for the delivery because he wanted to be one of the first to know about baby’s arrival and the sex 🤦🏻‍♀️. Turned out the entire adjacent room was theres and DH’s mom showed up too and they were all sitting there waiting. There were some other people too including someone in the shadows sitting in the floor. I felt so uncomfortable like I had an audience waiting and giving me pressure. It was a big no.
Found it really difficult to even get into bed last night… I had my right knee on the mattress but couldn’t for the life of me lift my left knee onto the bed for a cat-cow. Tried twice and it didn’t work and couldn’t get into bed lol…. Finally tried the left leg first and was able to lift the right leg then. Wow, what gives lol.
Found the padsicle stuff with DH’s help before going to bed and they are ready to be made with mom’s help. Yay!
Been feeling the occasional deep pressure down in my pelvis which I’ve been breathing through. It doesn’t feel like contractions or cramps, but just really strong pressure down there.. had them yesterday morning as well as just now at 4ish. Could they be contractions without me realizing? Super curious to get to the hospital for them to do a cervical check and see how much I have dilated and/or effaced, if at all.
DH and I watched some of the Bridget Teyler’s birthing videos last night too. He’s never watched them before. The support person ones helped to remind him of his role tomorrow and the breathing one was good for him to know and to remind me how to breathe through the surges tomorrow. The destressor breath and the J breath 👍🏼.
Dec 21: The newest baby has arrived!! Will post a separate birth story. Until then, to sum: it was a successful induction (oxytocin and breaking of waters) which led to the unmedicated vaginal birth.
Since then, we’ve returned home and are settling in. Took a video of bb reacting to seeing her sibling for the very first time.
Grandma introduced the set of 5 Chinese fable books to her while we were in the hospital and bb has been enjoying them so much. I instructed grandma to tell her that the books are from the new baby as a gift to her (and then later she will have a gift for the baby too).
She has asked for the books to be read to her repeatedly and even can fill in the blanks for some of the lines too. Soo, so impressed!!
She can finish the dog puzzle completely by herself with no help whatsoever. Also the new bus puzzle too! She likes to put it together and then take it apart to place back into the box.