Baby #3: Week 30 Pregnancy Update

Baby #3: Week 30 Pregnancy Update

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How far along?

30 weeks… Basically, two months to go!

How is baby developing?

According to the growth estimates, the average 30-week baby is about 15-16 inches long and about 2.5-3 pounds. Unlike with our second pregnancy, we are fairly confident that the due date and, therefore, the baby’s age is accurate this time around. Baby #3 (aka Pumpkin) is extremely active, though he has less room to rock and roll now than he did previously. Some evenings, I can not only feel him rolling around but see my belly wave and ripple as he moves.

Baby #3 is due in late June.
This is an ultrasound image of Baby #3 (aka Pumpkin) from our first scan in late January 2019. He was so wiggly!

How am I feeling?

More or less the same as I have been for the last few months: extremely achy, very tired, and suffering from severe ligament pain on the underside of the belly and going down into hips, groin, and inner thighs. It is very challenging lying down and then shifting positions. Going from a seated to a standing position can be painful, and sometimes I have a hard time getting in and out of our car (an SUV). The Maternity Belt and Pregnancy Wedge Pillow by Jill and Joey have helped tremendously.

New in the last week or so is some occasional heartburn, which is a bit uncomfortable, and slight difficulty breathing.

I also feel HUGE! My protruding belly is officially larger right now at 30 weeks than it was when Peanut was born at 38 weeks and Pickle was born at 40-ish weeks. For the first time ever, my belly button is half-popped, and I think I’m beginning to see the darkening as a linea nigra is forming. Never had that before, either.

I need to get a few belly photos but the only time I have to take them is on the weekends, and I’m too exhausted by then.

Jacquelyn Van Sant. April 11, 2019
A quick selfie taken after completing the glucose test. It was a gorgeous morning so I was taking advantage of the sunlight and fresh air.

Had any appointments?

During week 27, I had my regular doctor appointment and in week 28, I did the hour-long glucose test. My blood sugar levels came back normal, my uterus size is spot-on, and baby’s heartbeat was great. My doctor was concerned that my iron levels had dropped quite low, and she told me to ease up on my physical activity (aka no “extra” walking or physical exertion like climbing stairs).

I have been supplementing on top of eating more iron-rich foods, and I have been trying to avoid too much physical activity, but between stairs at home and meetings across campus at work, it is hard.

I have my next doctor appointment on Wednesday.

Baby prep?

We have not done as much baby prep this go-around as we did with Peanut and Pickle. We already have the crib set up in the boys’ room, and the bassinet that the little one will be in for the first four or so months is disassembled underneath the bed in our room. We have gone through the majority of our baby clothes to find the ones that will be season-appropriate. I also started a list of items that we’ll need, but we have not gone shopping yet.

At the moment, we are getting our oldest Peanut ready for potty training and are about to transition Pickle into a toddler bed. It may seem overly ambitious, but I would love to have these monumental tasks completed before the baby arrives. I really don’t want to have 3 in diapers at the same time or be struggling with a newborn and a toddler who won’t stay in his own bed.

At work, I have completed the parental/family leave request forms and will be submitting them to my supervisor upon her return from vacation next week. I will also be taking the physician form to my appointment next week to get that done as well. I have made a checklist of everything that needs completed before my leave, during the leave, and upon my return to work to make this time a lot smoother than last time. (There were a lot of issues during my leave with Pickle.)

Random thoughts?

Every pregnancy and every baby is different, and this one has definitely been a challenge on me physically since the beginning. That is understandable. My body has done this twice before so the muscles and ligaments are used to stretching, but I also did not have enough time between pregnancies to get back into shape, strengthen my muscles, and re-build my own body’s nutrient storehouses. When Pumpkin is born in June, I would have been pregnant or post-pregnant for 3.5 years straight. That is rough!

While I am glad our three boys will be close in age (and, hopefully, close in heart!), I would not necessarily recommend such quick subsequent pregnancies to others. I understand now why it is important for the mother to have a break between pregnancies to recuperate physically and mentally, and I recall reading somewhere that the World Health Organization recommends a two-year gap between children for this reason.

Jacquelyn Van Sant and her two sons.
My boys and I lounging and napping on the couch yesterday. I was home sick due to seasonal allergies. Miserable but happy to spend extra time with my boys!

For about two months after Pumpkin is born, we will have three boys under the age of three! Oh, my! What were we thinking? Well, they are adorable.


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