24 Weeks – V Day!

My Hope JarPregnant Again After Loss

Today I am 24 Weeks, 2 Days and we made it to V Day (viability day) as Ashley from Bs and Babies put it so perfectly!

Every milestone we reach is a huge relief and also a huge shock. I simply can’t believe we’ve made it this far! And even more shocking, that little man is measuring perfectly and I have no signs of any re-occurrence of HELLP. I am constantly praying this continues to be the case, but also feeling so much faith that it will. My doctor told us at our last appointment, that everything looks different (good different) with this pregnancy and with our little guy then it did when we were pregnant with Holdon, and my immediate response was that everything feels different to me too. Praying this is all a good sign!

I’m 3 1/2 weeks from the point when I delivered Holdon. 3 1/2 weeks. That’s it. When I look back on it and think about where I’m at right now, it’s unimaginable to me that I delivered a Holdon so soon. And on top of it all, the HELLP syndrome caused him to be severely growth restricted so he measured more around 23-24 weeks when he was born then at nearly 28 weeks. So the fact that this baby now weights more than Holdon did at birth gives me so much hope for this little man. He is growing so well, I actually caught myself calling him my chunky monkey the other day 🙂 And no wonder! I’m already so huge! I simply cannot stop thanking God, the universe and my 5 guardian angels who came before this little guy for this incredible blessing. This little man is a true miracle and every milestone we reach proves that to me more and more. Thank you too to all of my family and friends and all my amazing blogging friends for their continued prayers and support. I truly don’t think I would have made it this far without you. You gave me the strength to keep going and keep trying and to keep hoping. Thank you <3

Below is my complete 24 week progress report and some pics. Please stop here if reading these updates is just too hard for you right now. As my blog evolves, it’s important for me to embrace these milestones and I want to document everything so our miracle boy can read this one day and know everything and how much we want and love him, but I know too well how hard it can be on the other side of this, and don’t ever want to be responsible for causing anyone any pain.

***Pregnancy Update Below***

24 Week Progress Report

23WeeksBelly
Here’s my 23 week pic and my 8 week pic so you can really see how much I’ve grown. My 23 week pic was actually taken at 23 Weeks 4 Days and I haven’t taken my 24 week pic yet so this is the most current pic I have. I will be taking my 24 week pic today!

How far along?  24 Weeks 2 Days

Total weight gain? 15 lbs! I’m really starting to put weight on now!

Maternity clothes? Yep, pretty much all maternity clothes now.

Stretch marks? Nothing so far.

Sleep: Sleep is getting a lot better. I think I’ve finally gotten used to sleeping on my side. This week has been a bit challenging because we’re in the midst of another heat wave, and our A/C is still not working (long story), but I’m managing.

Best moment this week: Seeing little man at our doctor appointment and finding out he’s doing so well.

Miss anything? Sleeping on my back.

Movement: Yes! Lots of movement now. My hubby can now feel it too and we can even see it!

Food cravings/Aversions: Nothing new. I’ve had to cut back on my #1 cravings of spicy food and orange juice due to heartburn, but I still cheat a little bit 🙂

Anything making you feel queasy or sick: I’m finally feeling better on all digestion fronts. Nausea has been gone since around 14-15 Weeks, and the constipation and heartburn are now under control so all around, I’m feeling so much better!

Showing? Yes! There’s a big bump going on there now.

Gender: A boy!

Labor signs: No! and none are welcome here for a very long time still!

Symptoms: Linea Nigra has become pretty prominent the past few weeks. This never happened when I was pregnant with Holdon so I was pretty surprised to see it start showing up. I also have this weird muscle pain in my upper abdomen that bothers me if I sit for too long or when I bend over. I have been exercising quite a bit throughout this pregnancy (all pregnancy safe of course) in hopes it will keep HELLP away, and I think I might have just pulled something and/or it’s growing pains. My doctor said it’s pretty common for this to happen as the muscles move to accommodate baby growing and nothing to worry about. Yoga and lots of stretching has really helped it though so that’s good.

Belly button in or out? Out! My belly button started to flatten out with Holdon, but was still an innie when I delivered him at nearly 28 weeks, so I am completely surprised to see my innie an outie already and by how fast it popped out. My husband thinks it’s hilarious.

Wedding ring on or off? 50/50. With the heat, my eczema isn’t great right now so I have been keeping my rings off at home and only wearing them when I’m out.

Happy or moody most of the time: I’m so happy! I still have the odd emotional moment, but for the most part, I just feel so blessed and happy all the time.

Looking forward to: Our next OB appointment on September 29th.

What’s Going on with Baby:

  • At 24 Weeks baby boy is about the size of a cantaloupe.
  • His skin is becoming more opaque and it has a new pink glow as capillaries start to develop underneath his skin.
  • He continues to perform reflex movements  and the startle reflex is also present.

That’s it for today. I just received nominations from spiritbabycomehome and My Perfect Breakdown for the One Lovely Blog Award that I will be writing about in the next few days when I have a little more time to write more. I am truly honored and touched to be nominated by these amazing women and can’t wait to accept my nomination!

 

 

 

53 thoughts on “24 Weeks – V Day!”

    1. Don’t worry hon! I’m sure you’re fine. They say after the 4th month you shouldn’t lie and sleep on your back because the uterus becomes too heavy and puts pressure on the vena cava and can restrict blood flow. For optimal circulation they recommend sleeping on your side and if you can, your left side because the vena cava runs on the right.

  2. This makes me so happy to see you hit this milestone, although I know we all want the little guy to stay in there for at least another 13 or 14 weeks :). Can’t wait to see more updates as the little chunky monkey gets even bigger and you get closer to his (on time) arrival!

  3. You look so great!! And, more then anything I am happy to hear that everything is continuing to go so well!
    I am so happy you have made it past another important milestone!! And, the next big one, reaching the same date as Holdon, I suspect will be a day full of many emotions, but I hope you can hold onto the excitement of it all.
    And, I’m excited to read your One Lovely Blog Award acceptance speech. 🙂

    1. Thanks hon! It is definitely going to be a day of mixed emotions, but I think mostly I think I’ll just be so happy to get past it! Thank you so much again for the nomination!

  5. I am just SO HAPPY for you! How can you be so happy for someone you don’t even know? I guess it’s the shared joy of motherhood. I was blessed – so blessed – not to have to walk the path you’ve been on, but my daughter and son-in-law are struggling with infertility. I hope to celebrate a joyous miracle for them one day too.

    1. Thank you so much! I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter and son in-law. I’m sending you and them prayers and positive thoughts that they may be blessed with their joyous miracle very soon! And also, I just wanted to say to you that think it is wonderful that you are supporting them like this. I know I wouldn’t have gotten through the past few years without the support of my Mom too. Hugs!

    1. Thank you! Looking forward to updates from you too! Praying so hard, your little one is the one that makes it too and that you are celebrating many, many milestones in the weeks and months to come too!

  7. God is truly doing a fantastic work in your life. So grateful for this healthy pregnancy and the strong boy who is growing within you. Your bump is so beautiful and you are such a pretty momma to be. Prayers that everything will continue to go well for you (and I have full confidence that it will!)

    XO

    1. Thanks hon <3 I started to feel very light movements right around where you are now. At first they just felt like little pokes. It wasn't until around 18-19 weeks that they became really obvious and prominent, and only in the past 2 weeks that they've been every day and strong enough for my hubby to feel and for both of us to see.

      Hope you get to feel your little one soon!

  12. I was so excited to see your bump pic on my Reader and smiled all through reading your post. I am so pleased everything is going text-book for you!! I have a huge gut feeling this is your time. I am so so so happy right now which is weird because we don’t know each other in “real life”! Thinking of you, you look great 🙂

    1. Aw hon, that means so much to me. I totally believe in gut feelings! And I know what you mean, we’ve never met, but I feel so invested in you and your story and I truly care what happens to you. I am still so hopeful, you will have another baby. Thinking of you too. Huge hug!

      1. Thank you. That’s a really kind and sweet thing to say. I feel the same way and I can’t wait to see you holding your baby boy. I really believe this is it 🙂

  13. I just can’t even put into words how happy I am for you! And part of that comes from seeing how happy YOU are! I’m loving all of this, and don’t be afraid to think all these good thoughts, you deserve everything to be going right for a change. Love you!

  15. I cannot tell you how happy this post makes me.. There is so much about this post that just warms my heart. You are absolutely beautiful and I just know your angels are smiling! 🙂

  17. Aww I love the bump! I’m so happy everything is continuing to go well for you! I hope the next 15ish weeks are uneventful for both of us and the babies arrive safe and sound! With that said…the next couple of months can pass quickly! 🙂

  22. I am always so incredibly happy to read your updates. I’m so glad, relieved, excited that things are looking so good. I feel my eyes welling up with tears just reading how well things are going. Sending heaps of love and peaceful energy your way (maybe I should add healing energy for that tight muscle!).

    1. Aw. thanks so much hon <3 you have no idea how much your continued support means to me!

      I think all the yoga I've been doing is finally starting to work. It hasn't been as bad the past day or so 🙂

  23. I also feel like this pregnancy for me is very different. Funny how that is because I thought being pregnant again would just remind me of my little girl. I don’t put any emphasis on VDay because for us, 32 weeks was too soon for our girl to survive outside my womb. And like you, just wanna hold baby in to term. I’ll exhale at 37 weeks!
    You’re looking great!

    1. Yeah, I won’t really rest easy until I’m full term, and deliver this little man safe and sound, and even then who knows, but I am trying to embrace these milestones because after 4 miscarriages between my first son who we lost and this pregnancy, it’s amazing to me to have even made it this far! Praying everything continues to go perfectly for you this time around too hon <3

  25. So glad to read things are continuing to go well with this pregnancy and you’ve reached an important milestone. You and your bump look fabulous. Sending many well wishes for a continued healthy pregnancy.

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