32 weeks yesterday . We had our last ultrasound to monitor growth and the tech said baby girl already weights just over 4 lbs. I have a feeling she will be bigger then her sister.  She feels big to me. I feel her a lot. I feel everything and every movement.  She is very active with big rolls and kicking that makes my whole belly move. Madelyn finally caught her and was able to feel her last night. she said the cutest thing ” Hi baby, Im your big sister and I love you! Ugga Mugga! ” then she nose kissed my belly and baby kicked at that exact moment and bumped Madelyn’s face, so she giggled. It just tugged at my heart. So cute!

She has been asking me a lot of questions and telling me stories of things she is going to do with “her baby”  She tells me how she will hold “her baby” and “change her baby” and “feed her baby ” how she is going to be our “big helper” and “kiss her baby”

We were walking out of the hospital from the ultrasound yesterday and she asked to carry my water bottle so she could be my big helper. As she carried my water bottle she was so proud and asked me ” Am I good helper mama? ”

She blew me away as yesterday on our way to ultrasound we where driving in the car and she was in her car seat in the back and she says to me ” mama is the lady going to cut our baby out of your belly with a knife?” I was like WHAT!!! where did you hear that?  We have yet to talk to her about all the different ways babies are born or how she was born. I was hoping to have a discussion with her face to face and answer any of her questions but in the car was not the ideal place so I told her “no hunny we are going to have photos taken of the baby ” . I guess we better have that discussion soon.  With approx 8 weeks left now I want to prepare her as much as possible.

PKU wise I am doing well. My tolerance is 1450 mg I finally can enjoy oatmeal for breakfast. Regular bread sandwiches, lots of rice. If my tolerance continues to climb or get as high as Madelyn’s was then I have a few ideas on some foods I want to try as this will be my very last chance. I want to try a cinnamon bun, a regular Orange Julius smoothie, Chinese food buffet, and a Flurry or Oreo Blizzard!

My last level was 1.4 mg/dl I do another one tomorrow. I also have my 3rd trimester and final blood profile lab appointment tomorrow. I also have my last OBGYN appt tomorrow to then will be discharged to my midwifes primary care. I have 2 chiropractic appointments this week, and 1 massage appointment I scheduled on my birthday on Wednesday. Im hoping now that my tolerance is high enough that we can go out for dinner on my birthday.  I am going to massage weekly and just started to go to chiro 2 times a week as i have 6 weeks left on my ICBC claim and the pain in my hips has been unbearable. I found a lady chiro who has experiance with pre natal and im am comfortable with her and her treatments. My midwife recommended a few and i looked them up online and decided on this one. So far it is going well and I think it has been helping. We have gone for a few evening walks but I have not been back to the pool or yoga in a few weeks. My feet got really swollen last week so I had to go in to have my blood pressure tested and it was actually still very low so its just water and salt retention and possibly the heat. it has been 35 degrees Celsius. It has cooled off later in the week and rainy.

I am still quit tachycardic. My heart rate sky rockets when I move to fast, get up or down, and rolling over etc. It makes me dizzy and hard to breathe. I even get black spots in my vision.  I have been quiet nauseated in the evenings again which makes it hard to get much sleep.

I am getting winded faster and slowing down.  In some ways the next 8 weeks feels really long and then in others it feels so fast. I am so not ready for a newborn but excited to meet her to.

I cant wait to get started on her nursery this week.  I close my daycare at the end of this week and am officially on leave as of Friday. So then we can change the daycare around and move coles office down stairs. Then we can start on the nursery. I want to paint both girls rooms. Madelyns is still yellow since we didn’t find out with her and I want to make it into a big girl room. I have a plan for both girls rooms and a vision i’m working towards. Even though Cole has a different idea and trying to change my plan which i am finding extremely irritating.  Leading to a few arguments.  I am mostly anxious to find this baby girl a dresser and start washing all the clothes we have been given, sorting into sizes and organizing. Folding and putting them away so i can see what we have.  That is a important nesting task to me and i’m itching to get started. I will feel a lot better when that is done.  Like I can relax a little.  Even though we plan to room share for a while I want her room all set up and ready to go so all her things are in one place and not all through out the house. Easy to aces and find when needed. I learnt a lot with madelyn so i know what we need and dont need this time and trying to have a lot less. We have mostly everything now accept small things and a dresser for her room.

I have finished gathering all the materials on my home birth list and now just need to wash it all and put it together in a rubber maid tote so its all together in one place and easily accessible for when needed.  I am feeling good about trying for my home birth and the thought about being able to stay home and not have to deal with that hospital but i also know that if i have to move it will be ok and i can be flexible, my only goals are to avoid a C section and have a healthy birth and healthy baby.

Crazy , approx 8 weeks to go!

Here is what babycenter.ca has to say about week 32 ~

#32weekspregnant

Your baby now weighs approximately 3.75 pounds/ 1.7 kilograms and is about 17 inches / 42 centimetres long from head to toe. Although her lungs won’t be fully developed until just before birth, your little one is inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise her lungs and practise breathing.

Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps. Thick hair at birth doesn’t necessarily mean thick hair later on but children with fine hair in childhood usually have thinner hair in adulthood.

#32weekspregnant #maternalpkusyndrome #mpku #maternalpku #mpku #wecanpku #canpku #mpkumentor #pku #pheylketonuria #pkuawarness#pkuadult #lowprotein #pkuproud #iampku #lowproteinlife #PKU
#babynumber2 #babygirl #babysister

We are in the home stretch now! Give or take 9 weeks till we meet this precious baby girl . I will admit I am so not ready! Scared actually.

I just keep thinking of everything we have to do. We havent even begun on her room , I still have to go through all her clothes, bedding, etc and wash and sort and fold. I dont even have a dresser for her yet. I mostly need small things other then a dresser and  a swing.

I have started to collect items from my home birth list so I also need to go through and sort them out, wash everything and put it all together in one safe place. I will still pack a hospital bag for myself and cole and madelyn just in case. Hopefully we wont need it.

The anesthesiologist from pre surgical called me the other day regarding my up and coming “delivery” and want to meet with me in case I end up with an epidural. They want to go over my PKU again and my injuries to my back and hips.  The appt is 4 hours long , i dont feel its necessary and have no idea why it needs to be 4 hours.

My schedule is pretty hectic over the next 2 weeks until the daycare closes. I have weekly massage and bi weekly chiro appts to manage the pain and get me through to due date. As well as midwife appts, one more ultrasound and one more blood profile panel to be done.  Come july our focus will shift to the nursery, relaxing and spending time with Madelyn before she becomes a big sister.

I am stressing out alot about the heat and hot weather and how dry it is. I am terrified of a wild fire , having family evacuated and staying with us as I dont want anyone here for the birth accept us.  I am worried about us getting evacuated, i’m worried about our home. I use to love summer so much, I lived for it. I come alive in summer, but now its so much stress because the last 2 years have been the worst in my life that i have ever seen due to wild fires.  Our province has been ravaged and scarred. Its so sad.

But im trying not to focus on it to much.

We sold our hamster Gus-Gus today, I am so sad to see him go but by the time the daycare closes at the end of the day, and the kids go home I shut off the lights and go upstairs so I dont get to spend the time with him or cuddle him as much as I want to. I dont even see him awake that often. It has become a chore to clean his cage and never intract with him. its not fair to him either. He needs love and attention.  so he went to a good home with kids who will handle him and love him everyday. Our daycare butterflies will be released soon to. Then we just have 1 more hatch left for our chicks. They are expected to hatch in about a week from now. We get to keep the chicks 2 weeks again then they go back to the farm.  So everything is winding down and ramping up all at the same time!

Here is what babycenter.ca has to stay about week 31 !

#31weeks down to single digit weeks !

Your baby’s arms, legs and body continue to fill out — and they are finally proportional in size to her head. She weighs about 3.3 pounds/1.5 kilograms and looks more like a newborn. She measures about 16 inches/ 41 centimetres from crown to toe.

You may notice your baby isn’t moving around as much. Don’t worry; she’s just running out of space in your uterus. As long as you can feel her squirming, you’ll know she’s just fine. Believe it or not, she still has plenty of growing to do. You can expect her to gain at least two more pounds/900 grams before delivery.

I am not sure what it is about that number “30” weeks but it really is starting to feel pretty real , pretty fast. Not that it hasn’t but its like the final stretch kinda feeling? Give or take 10 weeks to go. So close to single digital weeks, so close to ending work, so close to summer vacation and then Bam! baby!

Things like labor and birth are becoming a forefront for thought again. Even though I have been through it before , i am actually more scared this time! Now I know what to expect lol. I am remembering the pain.   I know best that you cannot control labor or birth, to be flexible and be open. All the matters is a healthy baby and  healthy me.  However I like to have a plan. Even tentatively.  I like information. I like to know options and scenarios and what ifs so I can know what id decide before that happens.  Last time I went in thinking I dont want to drugs but If i end up needing them thats ok to. I made it pretty far to. I was 28 hours in to my labor when I finally agreed to take the epidural and omg I am so glad looking back that I did.

This time , I am hoping for a water home birth. I have my same supportive wonderful midwife who has faith in me, even when my faith is beginning to waver. I fear my ability to get through the pain.  I am worried it will be to much to bare . I am worried if I will have the strength. I was so tired last time. I stalled at 8cm for 12 hours!

I have so many anxiety this week. How will Madelyn react to meeting her baby, and then realizing baby is staying forever. How will our little life change? How will we cope with the changes? Will we get through it? What about sleep? How am I going to be able to manage to be awake all night with a newborn then awake all day with an active busy toddler while still giving her the time and attention she deserves and not loosing my patience? How will it change my relationship with Madelyn? How can i love another like I love her? How does my heart have the room?

Will I be able to breastfeed this time? That was harder then pregnancy for me !

With the pain i have been already having in my hips and abdominal’s will it hamper my ability to labor this time?

All things considered, much like with Madelyn I have had a fairly regular pregnancy. No real issues.  My levels have been fantastic again. For the past several weeks we have been chasing them. Every week they have been coming back under 2.  My latest was 1.4 mg /dl and I was increased to 1075 mg phe . I have been eating a lot of minute rice and avocados for dinner. I have my low protein breakfasts, and lunches but dinner is all about the regular food!  my blood pressure is great , my heart rate is still erratic and i have trouble breathing sometimes. I havent vomited. I have had some heart burn.  I havent really gained any weight. I am starting to now,. but im still  below my pre pregnancy weight. I currently weigh 192 . Keeping in mind I started at 195 and went down to 184.  I dont feel that big, just awkward.  I have tried to keep up with swimming and yoga but i have noticed im more tired.

I am still doing my blood dots twice a week. I have one more ultrasound coming up in the next couple of weeks. A teleconference scheduled in july with my PKU clinic.  One last blood profile to check my nutrients and re check my iron, one last OBGYN appt and now 2 times a month mid wife appts that will change in july to weekly.  I feel like things are winding down and ramping up all at the same time. My schedule is slowing down, my pregnancy is coming to an end but we are amping up and preparing for baby.

Once im done work and my daycare closes we can begin the renovation and making of our nursery. Baby girls theme is “winnie the pooh”

Im still wrapping my head around this is my last baby, my last pregnancy. In some ways its gone by so fast, in others it still feels so unreal and surprising to be even having another already.  Im trying to remember and blog as much as I can so one day I can look back. Life with  a toddler is a blue and im always in awe how much she has grown and how far she has come and how can she already be 3? I am sure it will feel even faster when there are 2 running around. I honestly dont now how mamas of 2 or more do it!

I find myself wondering what they will be like as sisters, what this new baby will be like as an individual, who will she look like? how will we feel when we meet her?  Will she have hair like her sister? will she cry alot or not much like madelyn? What will we name her!!! that is my biggest question. We are still no closer to a name then we where before we knew she was a girl.

I cant wait to get my next blood phe results back from the blood dot I did on Thursday. i should have it back late tomorrow or early Tuesday. I am hoping for another increase. I am so close to being able to eat out, have avocado sushi or chow mein again! By the time madelyn was born I was up to 2000 mg phe so fingers crossed I get there again!

Im finding it easier to eat this time around as the nicer weather means more salads and fresh fruit. In the winter I tend to comfort eat warm foods.

Right now I could really go for a big bowl of cereal but im not quiet there yet if I want to have rice for dinner to.

Here is what babycenter.ca has to say about week 30 !

**** Your baby’s lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. While your baby may soon slow up growing in length, (she measures about 15.7 inches/ 40 centimetres from crown to toe by now), she will continue to gain weight until she’s born.

This week your baby continues to open and shut her eyes. She can probably see what’s going on in utero, distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move her head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow. Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. But don’t expect 20/20 vision when your baby is born — newborns can see a distance of only about 8 to 12 inches/ 20 to 30 centimetres. (Children with normal vision don’t reach 20/20 vision until about age 7 to 9.) To complete the picture, your baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes.

*** source babyceneter.ca

#30weekspregnant #babygirl#10weekstogo #almostthere#holycrap #eek!

#babygirl #babynumber2 #10weekstogo #almostthere #thirdtrimester #babysister

#maternalPKU #PKU #pkuawarness #phenylketonuria #PKUproud #PKUstrong #WECANPKU #canpku #Pkuadult #maternalpkumentor #dietforlife #lowprotein #dietforlife

Hello 29 weeks and welcome to June ! 26 days until my birthday, 28 days till my last day of work. This month we start bi weekly midwife appointments.  I have one more ultrasound and a full PKU blood profile panel schedule this month.  I am starting to think more about birth and what that might look like for us this time. I have borrowed some birthing books from my midwife and bought a few on my amazon kindle. This is what im currently reading :

It is really making me think about things I had not considered yet . I still feel its to early to make any decisions but I guess its something I will have to face soon enough so better to start thinking and preparing now . I know birth is unexpected, and that you need to be flexible but I like to have a tentative plan , and know what my options are for each scenario. I like to prepare as much as I can , and then in the moment I feel more like I can relax and the process take over , with out stressing or thinking about details and what ifs. I have always been the type of person where the more information the better. I make lists, asks questions, plan out scenarios and outcomes. I research and I read.  this is maybe why I found pre natal classes so helpful last time. I need details, I need to have a picture painted for me.  Then when I was in labor the first time with Madelyn i need what signs and stages i was going through, what was normal, what to keep in mind, what to watch for and how to cope. I could visualize each step and it helped me get through, Because I felt prepared I was more easily able to give in and let go.

When I think about what I want for birth this time, I know what I want an intimate setting again, just cole and my midwife and Madelyn for as long as she can. I dont want any interruptions or visitors. I want quiet and peace.  I want soft lighting if its night or no lighting during the day but natural light. i want curtains open if its night time so the moonlight can shine in, if its daytime i want natural light but privacy . I have not decided what room I want the birthing pool in, i dont think there will be room in our room so probably the living room or dining room.  I want my essential oil diffuser, and I want to be able to move freely . I want my back rubbed until I dont. I know when im ready I dont want to be touched.

If Madelyn has to go with my best friend for a bit when they bring her back I just want her to drop her off and go, not to visit. I want Madelyn to meet her sister with just us. Friends and family can come and visit when we call. I wont be telling anyone i am in labor or calling anyone till after she is born and we are ready. I want to be able to shower after again like with Madelyn. I want plenty of skin to skin until im ready to get up and move. I want to establish breastfeeding and allow baby to breast crawl should she be able to. I want delayed cord clamping and de layed first bath.

I am debating having a Douala present but I cant really afford who I want so it might not be an option.

I am having so much pain this past week. I feel like my hips and pelvis are separating. I feel like my low back and tail bone are in agony.  I have woken up in tears many times through out the night . I have been waking up at 3 am in so much pain I cant get back to sleep so i end up getting up at 5 am and going for an Epson salt bath. Which leaves me tired and crashing through out the day.

I feel like i might have split my abdominal muscles the other night when i rolled over in bed. I am very thankful for weekly massage or im not sure how i would cope. If I had benefits or any medical id be open to trying chiropractic and acupuncture. Its going to be a very long 11 weeks till baby if the pain keeps coming on like this.  I also have very low iron and i read that could be a problem in the book i am reading so i am working on making sure i am getting all my supplements in. I am going to ask my midwife at our next appointment this week about this and about how this pain will effect my ability to deliver at home.

I am still 5 lbs below my pre pregnancy weight and my clinic would like me to start gaining 0.5 lbs a week .

My latest phe level was 1.4 mg/dl so my clinic increased my phe tolerance to 950 mg phe and +2200 calories ( im getting around 2500-3000)  I am thoroughly enjoying having minute rice again for dinner. I am relying very little on low protein foods for dinner but still use them at either breakfast or lunch.

Here is what babycenter has to say about week 29 :

** SOURCE BABYCENTER.CA

Your baby now weighs around 2.5 pounds / 1.1 kilograms and measures about 15 inches / 38 centimetres from head to toe. In boys, testicles descend from near the kidneys through the groin en route to the scrotum. In girls, the clitoris is relatively prominent because it’s not yet covered by the still-small labia. These will grow to cover it in the last few weeks before birth.

#29weekspregnant
#babygirlnumber2 #trimester3 #maternalpku
#mpku #pku #phenylketonuria #pkuawarness #29weekspregnant #trimester3 #babygirl #babynumber2 #maternalpku #mpku#pkuer #pkuadult #pku #phenylketonuria #pkuawarnessmonth 

If you or anyone you know has had a home birth with PKU id love to hear from you!

Hello third trimester! What a big week and milestone it has been.  My levels bottomed out once again and dropped down to 1.1 mg./dl , So my tolerance was increased to 800 mg. Seems we will be and are chasing it again.  I am having pressure in my hips and back.  Well not just pressure but pain!! my legs to. I am getting leg cramps in both my calfs and my thighs. I even pulled a cramp in my shoulder. I am getting tired easily and its getting harder to breathe. I swear baby girl is sitting on my bladder!  my feet hurt to, like burning , like ive been walking on a hot surface.

I can really feel her so much. I can feel her weight and her pressure . I feel like its all baby all the time.

Trying to wrap my head around that I have 5 weeks left of work and approx 12 till this little girl arrives.  There is so much to do!

I am hungry alot of the time now so happy my tolerance has gone up to allow me bigger portions. I have yet to gain any weight and still below my pre pregnancy weight. I am 189.9 so i am up some of what I lost but it does not count til I break over my pre pregnancy weight.

I am still having tachycardia every day, i can really feel it, and its giving me headaches.

I just got back in from what I thought was a routine ultrasound , but boy was I surprised.  I had the most amazing and friendly tech ever. She spent a good hour with me and after she got all her measurements she totally surprised me by flipping on the 3d screen and I finally got a real glimpse at this baby girl. She said she thought it helps with bonding and was she ever right. I hadn’t really had a lot of time to sit and process , things have been going along so fast. I mean yes im pregnant and yes we are having a baby but now i after this experiance today i do feel bonded, I feel like I know her a bit better and that i got to meet her. I could really see her for the first time. I seen her stick her tongue out, open and shut her lips, move her hands over her face, punch and kick. She has the cutest little nose and chubby cheeks. She even has hair! It really hit me and I even cried. I had tears running down my face.  I cant wait to really meet her now and hold her. I cannot get over all the images the tech gave me to take home.  Of course the one appointment cole and madelyn miss. Madelyn has been to all my ultrasounds and appointments but today she wanted to stay home with daddy and go for a bike ride.

It was his birthday on friday and we had a big BBQ with all our friends yesterday so we have been sort of celebrating all weekend. I am happy for him he really deserved something nice. We have both been under a ton of stress.

After seeing this baby girl today im reminded how worth it is . Life is truly miraculous.  I am trying to soak these special moments in as they come as its been to busy to enjoy the day to day life. So moments like this I try to hang on to , and reconize this is my last pregnancy my last chance to do this again.

I am so happy!

Tomorrow is my bi weekly blood draw and i will take it into the lab tomorrow afternoon. I suspect my tolerance will keep going up rapidly. I am also beginning bi monthly appointments with my midwife in June.

Things are moving along! 12 more weeks!!

eek!

It’s a big week! Monday I have a lab appointment to get my antibodies checked and re do my gestational diabetes test because it was done to early. I need to get my antibodies tested as I need to get my RhoGAM shot at my midwife appt on Wednesday.

I need this special shot because I have RH negative blood. RHESUS factor is an inherited protein found on the surface of red blood cells . My blood lacks the protein ( I’ve always wondered if there is a connection with my Pku. ) so I am Rh negative plus A- blood. very super rare. When a mother is pregnant with an RH positive blood baby the mothers immune system could attack the baby’s blood. So they give us this shot now in case that our blood mixes at delivery for some reason. Luckily Madelyn has the same blood type of me so risk to this baby is low. Had Madelyn had a different blood type and her blood was left over in my body it would have been bad for this baby. 

Here is what babycenter.ca has to say about week 26

*** Measuring your baby from top to toe with her legs extended, she is about 14 inches/35.6 centimeters. She weighs a little more than 1.6 pounds/ 760 grams. Your baby’s eyes begin to open around now. Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete. She also continues to take small breaths and although she’s only breathing in water and not air, it’s still good practice for when she’s born.

Since your baby is now growing so fast, and brain development is so intense at this stage, your nutrition is very important. Continue to eat a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of grains and vegetables. Fiber-rich foods, including whole-grain breads and cereals, lentils and brown rice are high in vitamin B and help fend off constipation.

We wont be doing prenatal classes this time as we did them with Madelyn. I will start reading some breastfeeding books again tough, My favorite is by Ina May guide to breastfeeding.  I am also thinking of some post partum work books for anxiety and the “fourth trimester” as i have been battling with a lot of anxiety around birth and having 2 kids.  I am getting closer to deciding on a home water birth vs hospital and still leaning towards home but having a lot of anxiety about keeping it private, not wanting to have any family at our house or staying with us, but what to do with Madelyn. If I let someone take her for a couple hours, when they come to bring her back they will want to see baby and i dont want any outside interruptions or visitors for at least 24 hours. I want the time for us to bond as a family of 4 with out grandparents, aunts, uncles or friends. Many people are telling me this is unreasonable and making me feel bad and pressured. I would rather Madelyn go across the street to our friends and come back asap if need be. But i’m worried that when its time they will be at work and we wont have anyone when we need them.  So I still have a lot to think about and time thankfully to think about it.  I want to be comfortable and I want to be respected and listened to and I want to be heard but I am having trouble speaking up about what I want because I dont feel supported in my wants.

here are some photos of some of my favorite meals I have made this week.

One thing I am really looking forward to is to be able to indulge in Chinese food again ! i cannot wait for a big bowl of chow mien noodles dripping in sweet and sour sauce and some veggie spring rolls!

I cant wait for my tolerance to really start to climb. It is a lot slower then with Madelyn as at this point i was already at 1150 mg phe.  But i am approaching 3rd trimester in the next couple weeks and will all the development and system building nearly behind us baby will be working hard to gain weight for birth and thats when my tolerance really starts to go up.

I told Madelyn today that her sister can now hear her when we talk and sing so Madelyn wants to sing ” twinkle twinkle little star ” to her tonight when we go to bed! I thought that was so cute.

I find myself getting more and more tired , I actually napped today. I am also finding my belly hurts! I can feel stretching and muscles tearing. I am getting blue veins and stretch marks, something I have never had before.  I am rubbing my belly alot and find going up and down the stairs difficult or getting up and down alot . By the end of the day when they daycare kids go home I am so beat!  I am looking forward to being done work at the end June.  and enjoying the summer building memories with Madelyn before she becomes a big sister and our family is completed!

We had such a busy week I forgot to post! We have been working on a complete redo of our back yard to create a family friendly kid safe green space. After not having a usable back yard for 5 years this has been a huge project. I also had a garage sale on Saturday but it was a bust.

I am finding that i’m getting tired a bit more easily this week. My belly physically hurts. It does not itch but it hurts. i find myself rubbing it even when I dont know I am doing it. i am guessing it is the skin stretching. I have seen some light stretch marks showing. Baby girl has been move active through out the day and I can actually see my belly moving from the outside.  This week I have been struggling with acid reflex , I can literately taste it in my mouth and feel it in my throat. it is worse at night when i go lie down to go to sleep.  It makes me nauseated through out the day randomly.  I am also still having tachycardia ( rapid erratic heart beat)

My phe level from April 29th came back on May 3rd and was 1.5 mg /dl so my dietitian said to increase to 525 mg phe and I just got the news right now that my Phe level from May 2nd has just come in at 1.3 mg so I am being increased again to 575 mg.dl as of today.  My weight has had its first increase in many many weeks . it has been sitting at 186 lbs since the beginning of the first trimester. Today it was 188.2 lbs so that will make my pku clinic happy. I couldn’t care less either way as long as baby girl continues to grow. I started off this pregnancy obese . I was 195 and went to 184.8 lbs and have been sitting at 186 for many weeks. I didn’t really gain with madelyn until about 30 weeks . I really dont need to gain that much. That being said I still have 3 months left so anything can change. It is always upsetting to see the scale tip over 200 but at least its all for baby!

I have had to start adding tyrosine to my formula now as I’m not getting enough anymore for baby and I. Tyrosine is an amino acid of phenylalanine. It is only found in phe . So normally people get it when they consume high amounts of protein rich food. When people with out pku eat protein there body breaks down phenylalanine into tyrosine which is used as a neuro transmitter in the brain to produce dopamine. Because I can’t break down phe I can’t get enough tyrosine on my own and I can’t get it in my diet. My tyrosine is monitored when they test my blood phe and it has now dropped below normal levels and my baby really needs it to grow. So just like with Madelyn I have to supplement it with a powder. I weigh and add 5 grams to my formula and will be continued to be closely monitored if we need to change the dose again.

Right now my favorite foods are low protein grilled cheese , low protein enchiladas and low protein tacos and lots of avocados or roasted beats over low pro rice ! I am also really enjoying my low protein “omelets and sausages  ” for breakfast every day this week!

Baby center.ca app had this to say about week 25!

The baby now weighs nearly 1.5 pounds / 660 grams and is approximately 13.5 inches/ 35 centimetres long from crown to heel. She makes breathing movements but has no air in her lungs yet. At 26 weeks, fetal brain scans show response to touch. If you shine a light on your abdomen, your baby will turn her head, which according to researchers, means her optic nerve is working.

Tomorrow we have a busy day ahead. Madelyn starts tot soccer, I had a massage therapy appt and a dentist appt . Having to really keep on top of my oral health as it can effect babies growth and have been going for a cleaning and check up every 3 months since i have always suffered from sensitive teeth and gum disease. Only ever had 1 teeny tiny cavity after Madelyn that they where able to fix with a lazer. Apparently a cavity per child is normal in mamas who knew?

Sent off a blood dot yesterday so should have the results back tomorrow some time! Fingers crossed for another phe increase.

Check back next week for my weekly update.