Third Trimester Here I Come....

Nowadays there is much speculation on when your 3rd trimester begins. My "Belly Book" tells me that the 3rd trimester starts at like 24 weeks, which I don't believe to be true. So, as I was checking my email this morning, I had something in my inbox that told me 'Welcome to the 3rd Trimester,' and I think I actually believe this one. I'm 27 weeks along and I think that sounds just about right...

As I start the 3rd trimester, lots of changes are happening to my body. There are still times when I forget I'm actually pregnant, though. Yeah, I'm gaining weight and all, but sometimes I look down towards my feet and I still don't see a large belly...but then the day passes and my feet disappear. It tends to fluctuate quite a bit - in my eyes, at least!

Baby Hunt has started to kick a little harder every now and then. There are even times when I can see my belly protrude outward because of a kick, which is always fun to see. Baby tends to hiccup a lot, too. I didn't realize what hiccups felt like until I spent the night in the hospital last week and the nurse told me the baby was hiccuping and then a light bulb went off in my head and I remembered that internal feeling having happened before. Now I love it every time I feel it, although it's a little annoying! :)

Speaking of the hospital, I never had a chance to get online and blog about my car accident. I was rear-ended after work on November 17. The accident was very minor and actually didn't present any damage to either vehicle. The woman that hit me happened to be an OB Nurse at the IU Med Center and when I told her I was 25 weeks pregnant, she advised me to call my doctor because she'd probably like for me to be observed for 4 hours. I immediately called my doctor and she told me to stop at the nearest hospital emergency room and tell them I was in a car accident.

It took me 30 minutes to get from the accident to Community North due to rain and SLOWWW traffic, but I got there. Jeremy had already made it home and I asked him to grab me some clothes to wear and drive back to Indy...

In the hospital, they took me to the OB triage unit where I just laid there with heart monitors on me to observe the baby. Jeremy finally showed up with some McDonald's chicken nuggets (mmmm!) and some comfy clothes and we both just sat there listening to the baby's heartbeat and watching my belly move up and down with pretty hardcore kicks.

I started having some cramping in my lower abdomen and the doctor then told me they'd be keeping me overnight for observation and I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything - luckily I had just had my dinner!! They transferred me to the antepartem part of the OB floor and we were introduced to our room for the night - which was awesome. Everyone should want to have a baby at Community North - they have amazing rooms!

Jeremy had his own little cubby-hole with a couch, chair and his own television. I had a serene area in the room with a television and internet access. The bathroom is nicely decorated in small neutral tiles and the shower was VERY nice. Everything is very secure and no one can even get into your room without having a password to the key pad. It's just very nice.

I didn't get much sleep throughout the night, due to my back hurting and the nurses coming in to check on me every hour. My blood pressure was good and all of my vitals were fine - but they were pretty concerned at one point because I had been contracting quite a bit. I didn't feel the contractions, but they were able to pick them up on the monitors. At 3:30 a.m., they told me that I had 6 contractions in the last hour, so they finally gave me a shot to help me sleep and stop the contractions...and then I finally slept for about 3 hours.

By morning, the pain had mostly stopped and the contractions had stopped, as well. They released me from the OB floor at about 9:30 a.m. and told me that things seemed like they'd be okay, but I had to be released from the ER, too. Ugh. After an ultrasound and two more hours in the ER, we finally left with a clean bill of health.

I'm still nervous and scared - but every week that passes is a milestone. The closer I get to March 2, the better I feel. After having two miscarriages, it really sucks to have to be so paranoid - and after having a car accident, my paranoia hasn't slowed down.

All I know is that I have 13 more weeks to go and THAT is a miracle to me. There are ladies that I've met on my online birth board on BabyCenter who have already had their March babies and it's amazing to me to know that IF I were to go into labor today, there is a good chance that this little one will survive. I'm not ready for that, yet, but the thought of it blows my mind. In just a few short months, we'll have a baby to add to our family. We have lots to do between now and then, but I can't wait to meet Baby Hunt and finally know what I'm carrying inside my belly. Secrets aren't my forte, so I can't wait to share the sex of the baby and the name, which we won't be telling either.... :)

I'm going to try and document more of my pregnancy throughout the 3rd trimester, though. More of my body will evolve and the baby will start becoming more active. I'm so excited for what's to come...