25 Weeks with Baby #2

This week has been busy!!  We're preparing for Mara's birthday party (blah can't believe my baby will be 2?!) while also visiting a lot of doctors and clinics around Tbilisi.  On Monday I returned to Chavchava maternity hospital.  I was able to meet with the head OB there and ask her all of my labor questions.  For the most part I heard everything I wanted to.  They tend to push natural labor with little interventions which is what I am striving for again.  The only things I disagreed with was their policy that mothers had to stay in the hospital for 3 days regardless of the type of birth you have.  I'm sorry but I'm going home!

On Wednesday we went to American clinic to talk with Dr. Nemsadze.  He comes highly recommended by other Americans who have given birth here.  We spent over an hour with him discussing expectations for birth and what birth is like here in Georgia.  Again everything seems to be in order.  We did not get to tour the hospital (where he is also the head of the OB department) but will schedule that soon.

Right now I'd say we're leaning heavily toward having this little girl here in Tbilisi.  No red flags have been raised and the stress of leaving seems to be higher for us.  We just got settled here.  Flying with Mara isn't fun and the thought of being separated for an extended period of time over the holidays doesn't sit well.  This pregnancy has been nothing but healthy and the baby is doing great.

Otherwise, everything is going well.  I don't have too many complaints this week.  I've been sleeping fairly well only waking a few times to use the restroom in the middle of the night.  My enlarged veins in my legs are doing well although the doctors here seem a little concerned.  I've been trying to wear compression leggings when I can and put arnica on them every morning. At the end of the week I did have some bruising but nothing painful.

This little one is pretty quiet in there.  I get some kicks in the early morning and late evening but nothing major.  She seems pretty content to hang out most of the time, completely opposite of her big sister.  I know this could change in the coming weeks as she gets more cramped in there so I am enjoying it while it lasts.

Our doctor's appointment at the end of the week went well.  I'm measuring a little large but I don't put much weight in that.  They are a tad obsessed about dates at the embassy and I'm just so relaxed about them.  She's cooking fine in there!

For comparison 25 weeks with Mara!