Baby #4 Prep

Yup, we started our prep for our 4th (and most likely last) baby back in April. While Larry would say we're having 16 more kids, I'm pretty firm on the 4th being our last (we always agreed between 3 and 5 and so 4 just feels like the right number). After having 3 girls we decided to research if we can do anything to try and have a boy. Now let me just say if we end up having a 4th girl I'll be just as happy, but if we can say we did everything we could to have a boy then I'll feel better. So on that note here is what we've done to prep for this baby.

Diet: There's something called a gender diet. It says for a girl you should eat more foods higher in calcium and for a boy foods higher in potassium. For a girl, less sodium and for a boy you can eat more sodium/processed foods. I started adding frozen meals into our dinner meal planning for about every other dinners. I started eating more chips and crackers and less sweets. I also stopped eating cheese and ice cream (hardest thing ever!) and more bananas and melons. For lunches I switched up between sandwiches and ramen noodles. I'm not usually one to eat ramen or frozen meals, but it does make it more convenient and quick for meal planning. I was worried we'd have trouble switching back after we get pregnant, but after a couple months I had decided to take out the frozen meals and eat like normal, but keeping in the no cheese or ice cream and adding in more salty snacks (like sunflower seeds and potato chips). I still miss cheese like crazy, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

Timing: there's a strong theory out there saying if you time "fertilization" right at or after ovulation then your chances of conceiving a boy go up. I have bought ovulation tests to track for a couple months to see what my cycles look like. Our plan has been to figure out how long my cycles run and we'll plan to hold off on any activity for a week or so before ovulation. Larry hates that part, but I really want to give it a try.

Lovely ovulation testing each morning

Mental: I'm working so hard on making sure I'm mentally ready for another baby. Lucy really threw me through a loop. She rocked my world and it was a pretty difficult transition. I've made sure to make notes that I'll add to a pad of post its to keep near me for harder days (post its so I can flip through them for each time I need a new mantra). Things that'll help me really soak up the last newborn days I'll have. I don't want to stress about sleeping or breastfeeding or anything else that may come up and just focus on what the baby needs. I've also been following some baby sleep helpers on Instagram and watching their stories and posts to help me feel better about what I'm about to get into.

Just a snippet of my newborn notes

I also was having a hard time that it was taking longer to get pregnant (we've been trying since February/March ish) so I started keeping a grateful journal to remind myself why my days were good, even if I wasn't pregnant. I also make a note on each kid and a silly memory I have of them from the day. It's really helped keep me focused on what's good in my life, rather than stressing so much.

Overall we're really excited for this next chapter. While I'm sure I'll be sad I won't experience pregnancy again after this (the sickness or discomfort isn't my favorite part, but the movements are the absolute best thing ever!), I do look forward to completing our family and enjoying the next next chapter of family vacations and sporting events and school functions.