So much growth in the last couple weeks. The baby is now the size of a large eggplant. Yum! I’d love some middle-eastern baba ghanoush with fresh pitas! Yes, I want all the food all the time. It’s so hard.

At 28 weeks the baby is about the size of a large eggplant
The baby is about 2 1/4 lbs and some 14.8 inches long at this gestation (thanks BabyCenter!)

My whole life I’ve tried to limit the amount of food I ingest, but during pregnancy, I have absolutely no self-control.  I’ve gained close to 30 lbs already, insert shocked emoji here!

I try my hardest to eat super healthy, but unfortunately, that’s not always what I crave. For some reason, my go-to food group has been carbs.

Give me all the cereal, bread, bagels etc. I’ll eat it all.

The baby can now blink their eyes and they also have their very own set of eyelashes! This is the start of the third trimester, so baby’s main job is to put on weight and grown their brain by developing new neurons.

Placenta Previa Update

As per my previous post, I am very unfortunate to have placenta previa.

See all about what placenta previa is and how I’m dealing with it: My Pregnancy Journal Week Twenty-Five

This past week we had a follow-up ultrasound to see if this crazy placenta has moved at all. So we got some good news and some bad news.

Good news, it moved!

Bad news, it hasn’t moved nearly enough and is still considered a complete placenta previa because it’s still covering the cervical os.

After the ultrasound, we had an appointment with our OB who said we should probably start thinking about booking a c-section. I’m kind of upset that I won’t have a chance to try to deliver this baby vaginally. But I guess I’m not destined for a vaginal birth. The universe has decided for us how the baby will enter the world!

Learn all about what happens during a C-section right here on the blog: C-sections: What Happens in The Operating Room?

I’d love to have a natural c-section. What is that you say? It’s basically the most gentle way to surgically remove the baby from your womb. During a natural c-section, after the baby is taken out, it is placed directly skin-to-skin with the mother. Just like at a vaginal birth, they bring the baby up under the drapes and initiate skin-to-skin immediately.

With my son, I had a c-section. The surgery wasn’t so bad, but they took him away for a very long time while they were sewing me up and I feel like I missed out on a very important time right after his birth.

Right here on Babytalk, everything you need to know about skin-to-skin contact: Skin-to-Skin: The One Place Your Baby Wants to be After Birth

Start of the Third Trimester

Crazy! Time has gone by so fast. We only have one trimester left. Now the visits with my doctor will be much more frequent. We will get another ultrasound at around 30 weeks to see if the placenta has moved at all. It’s a possibility since the uterus grows a ton until it’s baby time. As the uterus grows, the placenta can migrate away from the cervix. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

My pregnant belly at twenty-eight weeks
Happy pregnant me!

Hospital Days

November 1st, 2018

Happy Birthday to me! I woke up this morning with some bleeding. It wasn’t a lot, but it was bright red and since my hospital is about two hours away from home, we decided to get checked out.

Surprise, surprise. Since I have complete placenta previa (CPP), the team decided to admit me. Now I’m going to be in the hospital indefinitely.

If the bleeding tapers off, they will most likely let me go home at some point, but because the condition can cause serious life-threatening blood loss, I don’t think they want to take any risks.

So here I am for the next couple of days at least!

Gestational Diabetes

The glucose tolerance test is usually done between 24-28 weeks in Canada. It’s done to find out whether you have gestational diabetes or not.

Since I was admitted to hospital at the 28-week mark they decided to do it here.

“Screening for diabetes in pregnancy is done to identify early insulin resistance in pregnancy. The role of insulin in our body is to lower blood sugar levels after eating and keep it within a healthy range. Insulin resistance means that your body is less sensitive to its own insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance in pregnancy can interfere with your child’s growth and development during the pregnancy.” (Source: The CRIB Sunnybrook)

If you have uncontrolled diabetes in pregnancy, it can lead to your baby growing too big, or it can cause your placenta to work inefficiently.

Your health care provider will follow you more closely and counsel you on controlling your diabetes if you are diagnosed with this disorder.

Gestational Diabetes glucose drink

Happy, happy, joy, joy! I don’t have gestational diabetes. 

This is how the test works (borrowed from The CRIB at Sunnybrook):

The Glucose Tolerance Tests

“You will be asked to complete a one-hour sugar (glucose) tolerance test. This routine test will identify your risk of developing diabetes in the pregnancy. You will be instructed to drink a cold orange drink, which is 50 grams of oral glucose (sugar), wait one hour, and then have your blood drawn. You will be encouraged to have limited activity in between the time you ingest the drink and the time you have your blood drawn.

A value greater or equal to 11.1 mmol/L confirms the diagnosis of gestational diabetes in your pregnancy. Mmol/L stands for millimoles per litre, the world standard unit for measuring glucose in the blood. (This is the unit used in Canada)

If your one-hour test results range from 7.8 – 11 mmol/L you will be asked to complete a two-hour glucose tolerance test. A 75-gram oral glucose (sugar) orange drink is given for the two-hour test. You will be encouraged to have limited activity in between the time you ingest the drink and the time you have your blood drawn at the one-hour and two-hour mark following ingestion of the drink. A result below 7.8 is considered normal.”

Since the first test was normal for me, I didn’t have to do the second test. Yipeeee!

A lot of people have told me that the drink is really gross and disgusting, but it really didn’t taste that bad. It’s kind of like Fanta without the fizz. I just drank it all really quick over ice.

November 2nd, 2018

I got the bad news today that I’ll be staying in the hospital for a while. They are hesitant to give me a date, but for now, I’m stuck here.

The bleeding tapered off and I only have a bit of spotting, but it’s enough to worry the team of doctors that are taking care of me.

Goes to show that placenta previa is no joke!

Let’s just pray the placenta moves and I don’t have to spend the holidays in the hospital. That would suck.

November 3rd, 2018

They just came to offer me a massage. Apparently massage students come to the unit every so often to offer women on bedrest their services. Ummm, yes, please! You don’t have to ask this girl twice. I’ve only been here for a couple of days and I’m already feeling sore from the lack of movement.

Massage in pregnancy is a great way to relax and release tension. Make sure you get the ok from your health care provider before booking your first prenatal massage. Also, go to a therapist that accommodates pregnant women, they will often have special tables and pillows and things that make it more comfortable with your big belly.

November 6th, 2018

I’ve been happy to be in the hospital, I feel well taken care of and safe here. The bleeding stopped about two days ago so they are going to let me go home tomorrow. Honestly, I’m so happy to be going home, I miss my family and because I feel so well, it’s weird to have to stay in the hospital like a sick person.

Although the doctors didn’t officially put me on bedrest, I’m going to stay off my feet as much as possible. I’ll have to start loving my bed and couch even more than I do now!

Through all of this, the baby has been fine. The nurses have been checking the heartbeat about every 4 hours and it’s all good. Plus the ultrasound was completely normal. So now I just have to stay pregnant for 8-9 more weeks.

Wish me luck!

My pregnancy journal week 28

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About the Author

Hanna is passionate nurse and mama of four babies. Parenthood can be hard, but you don't have to do it alone. Hanna is here for you from pregnancy, to birth and beyond!

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