Pregnancy Update

the first and last day of July

I've been in the third trimester of pregnancy for about 5 weeks now and I thought it was time for another update about Baby Charles.

how far along: 33 weeks or a little more than 7 months

symptoms: heartburn that is described as "fire acid", headaches, back aches, trouble rolling over in bed, stretchmarks (increasing quite rapidly now), a linea nigra (line on my stomach that will fade after birth), and some other things you really don't want to know about
 

our new dresser!

food: I didn't eat a lot during the first trimester because I just wasn't hungry, but once I hit 16 weeks and the nausea was gone I haven't looked back! My favorite foods right now are cucumbers, salsa, and sweet breads of any kind.

weight gain: As of my last appointment I had gained a total of 18 pounds, so I'm just back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I'm hoping that I only gain the recommended pound a week from here on out.

nesting: We were showered with love, affection, and gifts twice while I was in the States. Since I've been back in Haiti, I have been busy getting everything sorted and out of the way for now. The crib is up. We had a dresser made last week that will double as storage and a changing station. The clothes and diapers are washed. Now we just need to pack a bag for the hospital and put the carseat in the car. Oh, and take all the junk out of the crib so our baby can sleep there!

crib with lots of stuff

birth: I'm starting to get a little anxious about the birthing process. I've been reading books, watching videos online, and just trying to learn all I can to be prepared. We are having the baby at the maternity hospital in Petion-Ville. It's about 20 minutes from our house.

Currently we are praying for the following regarding birth and would love it if you prayed with us:

• that baby will move into the head down position, he's currently laying sideways and if he doesn't move, it's an automatic c-section
• that we will be able to have a natural birth with no interventions (I don't want pitocin, an episiotomy, forceps or the vacuum)
• that labor and delivery will be as fast and painless as possible (I can hope, right?)