I cannot believe how quickly this pregnancy is going! I am well into the middle of the 25th week of my pregnancy and in three weeks I will officially reach the 3rd trimester.  Baby Boy Clough is growing and getting stronger! As I write this, I can feel him kicking and moving inside me! His kicks are much more noticeable.  Both of my girls were so excited when they finally were able to feel their baby brother moving around.  Adelaide announced the other day how excited she is to meet him in (most likely) just 13 short weeks.  It’s so crazy hearing that said out loud! I’m having a baby in 13 weeks!!

24 Week Baby Bump

Now that I am feeling and seeing my baby move, it’s making the realization that I am having a baby seem more like reality.  For the first half of this pregnancy, I really kept my guard up.  I know it has been a defense mechanism.  I didn’t want to get too attached to this pregnancy knowing that life is crazy and that many different things could happen in nine months that may prevent us from bringing home a healthy baby.  I’m beginning to tear down some of those barriers.  I know my baby could still die.  That’s a reality you can never let go of once you’ve experienced Pregnancy & Infant Loss.  But it’s time to prepare and also time to bond with my baby and enjoy the parts of this pregnancy that I still can. 

I made some big steps this past month.  In mid-November I went shopping at an annual Winter Holiday children’s consignment event called Rhea Lanas.  I STOCKED UP on baby gear! After having three little girls, my house is definitely lacking in the boy’s department.  I have every girl item you can imagine, but nothing for little boys.  It is so weird walking into the nursery, opening up the closet, and seeing handfuls of baby boy clothes hanging up.  It is hard buying clothes and other items for a baby when you still harbor doubts as to whether you will even be able to bring them home or not.  There are some new outfits I cannot bring myself to wash until his due date is closer.  I’m still waiting to place the final finishing touchings to his nursery.  But I do have a great start! And tomorrow, if my baby were to be born, we would have all the basics here at home ready for when he would leave the hospital.

On that note, I have past the 24-week mark! What is the significance of 24 weeks? 24 weeks is widely considered the first viability milestone! This means that if I were to go into premature labor or if something were to happen that would cause my baby to be born today, that my baby would have a fighting chance of survival.  It’s kinda funny, I remember when I was pregnant with Adelaide and also Emilia, I got SO excited when I reached the point of viability.  I took this milestone almost as if it were gold.  I breathed a sigh of relief and was so naively reassured that no matter what happened during the rest of my pregnancy – if something were to go south – my baby would be delivered and would survive.  It never crossed my mind that one of my children would die before she even took her first breath.  While reaching this milestone does give me a bit of relief, I still know I am “not out of the woods”.  I am never out of the woods.  I also have the realization that even though my baby’s odds of survival greatly increased at 24 weeks, things can always still happen.  A baby born before reaching full-term will face many obstacles and challenges and survival is never a guaranteed outcome. 

So, to Baby Boy Clough:  You keep cooking! We are not even going to entertain the idea of you making your beautiful appearance any time before 37 weeks.  Grow big and grow strong and we will see you in 13-15 weeks!