38 & 39 Weeks

This post is a bit overdue... I have had my hands full as our beautiful baby has arrived! Name, Gender and Birth post to follow! Here is a quick recap of the last 2 weeks to birth.

Weeks 38 and 39 were full of Braxton Hicks contractions or practise contractions. These were completely pain free but my tummy would go into a hard ball and in regular intervals. I woke up with them at the end of week 38 and was fairly excited, got up and went downstairs and started googling whether or not I was going into labour. These are pretty common and do not mean labour is imminent as I had hoped but are good practise for your body. I was happy that it was a sign my body was getting ready in preparation for the big day. These continued on and off through week 39.

At 39 weeks pregnant, despite not being overdue I was feeling very impatient and really wanting baby Paicey to make an early appearance. I did conclude that I wasn't in any pain or too much discomfort which I was grateful for, but I just wanted to get labour over and done with and have our baby in our arms. For me, labour being imminent was not scary, it was just the next step and challenge/hurdle on the way to meeting our baby. Mr P and I researched all the usual ways to induce labour which I think are probably mostly old wives tales but we still gave a few of them a try. We went for an hour and a half long walk when I was exactly 39 weeks, and when I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I felt like I was carrying a bowling ball in my pelvis. This feeling as well as lots of lightening crotch/fanny daggers (this term still makes me laugh) continued for the next day so I do think the walk helped to engage the baby further. We went for a 30 minute walk each night to keep it going and also to get out of the house once the sun had gone down as it was so hot for me in the middle of the day being around 26 degrees. I have to admit that we stopped for an ice-cream on one of our night walks and another time we stopped and had fish and chips despite having dinner sorted at home! Every night before we went to bed Mr P would ask me if we were going to have a baby tonight.

I was given clary sage oil which you can put in the bath or dilute with water and rub on your bump which can bring on contractions however I was too scared to use it after I read a few things online. I ate a few pineapples but I heard that you need to eat about 15 or even more for it to have any effect. We had a hot Thai curry for dinner but Im sure its supposed to be a hot Indian curry. However I don't actually believe a curry would induce labour! Sex is supposed to help too with semen helping to soften the cervix. I do believe that baby comes when baby comes and if labour begins after you've tried one of the above to bring it on and it works, your baby might have been ready to arrive anyway but of course who knows and some woman swear by the above!

It seems funny now that baby Paicey has arrived but I had my little check list of things for myself that I wanted to have done before my due date. I had highlights put in my hair, my eyebrows threaded, and a  manicure and pedicure. These were probably more distraction/time filling activities however It was really nice to have these treatments done and I felt nice afterwards. The man at the nail bar wouldn't let me have the massage chair on whilst I was getting my pedicure. He said it could bring on labour and he would rather I didn't. I was in my 39th week and would have sent him a bunch of flowers if his massage chair had brought on labour at that point!

The nesting and baking was at its highest and I baked banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting from the hummingbird bakery cookbook as well as a roast pumpkin, pine nut and feta cheese quiche. I even vacuumed the house which was unlike me! Time stood still if I didn't have my daily thing to do. I still managed to get a great night sleep although I was waking at 5 or 6 am every day and then needing a nap around 10 am. It is very odd to wake up so early with nothing at all planned for the day, your body and mind just wants you up! Getting ready for no more sleep ins once your baby arrives!

As the week went on we decided that Mr P would not go to France with his team to play in a preseason rugby game against Montpellier which was 1 day before my due date on Friday 8th August. This meant that we would be able to go to Mr P's cousins wedding which fell on the same day as the rugby game, and so on Wednesday we made a late RSVP and I borrowed a Topshop maternity dress from my lovely friend Shauna that she had worn at her own baby shower. That night on Wednesday evening/ early Thursday morning I went into labour... 

Week 34 & 35 Update

Me, Archie and the bump resting my feet on my new gym ball.

How far along: Today I am 36 weeks and 5 days along, so really running late on my updates. This is a total reflection of how I am feeling at the moment... completely wiped out and tired! I've started drinking raspberry leaf tea this week and we brought a gym ball to start bouncing on to help baby move down in position for labour. Its really comfortable to sit on when my back is achy too as it takes the pressure off.

Symptoms:  Week 34 was the start of random sharp pains down low which would really startle me. I had a very thorough GP at my 34 week appointment and she had a good feel of my bump, pressing and probing to determine the position of baby Paicey in the womb. We had great news... Baby is lying head down and 4/5th palpable, engaging in my pelvis and doing all the right things in readiness for birth. The babies head is measured in 5 finger widths and 4/5ths palpable means the GP could feel 4/5ths of the babies head above my pelvis, so our baby is just beginning to engage which she said was the reason for the sharp pains I was feeling. I can't tell you how exciting it was to hear that the baby was head down, but at this point whilst not too common, the baby can still shift position. Oh my goodness the shoulder pain on my left side was constant and seemed to be like a fuzzy nerve pain that I couldn't get rid of, and seemed to get worse by walking. I practised my yoga stretches to try to stretch it out and it would give a small amount of relief but would return a short while later. I think it was from sleeping on my left hand side and the weight of my body on my shoulder. Acid reflux/heart burn. Wow when that hits it is really unbearable. I had this earlier on in the pregnancy but nothing as painful as this. It started after I had been out for dinner with friends visiting from Australia and indulged in dessert. I've now got Gaviscon tablets to suck on after meals and before bed, plus I've given up on overeating as it was really not a fun symptom to contend with!

Sleep:  I can either fall asleep straight away or lay awake for hours despite being super tired. Through the night I usually wake up once for a quick trip to the bathroom and then fall straight back asleep and then I wake unusually early in the morning to go to the bathroom again. It is so hot here at the moment and without a fan in our bedroom so I think the heat wakes me up early as well as the baby pressing on my bladder. I cannot stress enough how much I love my pregnancy pillow. I'll be sad to get rid of it in a few weeks! But then again, I'll be able to sleep on my back or stomach so that will be a joy! 

Weight Gain: The GP weighed me which was the first time in pregnancy apart from my very first booking in appointment that anyone (apart from myself) has weighed me. I was 14kg (30 lbs) heavier than the beginning of pregnancy, with the doctor telling me that ideally I wouldn't go higher than 15 kg's in total. I wonder if only a 1kg gain is even possible with 6 weeks still to go? I have heard that in the final few weeks of pregnancy you may not put on any weight or even loose a little, due to the reduction in amniotic fluid and the fact that your bump is so big you can't eat very big meals without feeling ridiculously full. Time will tell, but honestly I don't feel that if I get to 16kg I'm going to beat myself up about it.

Food:  As it's Mr P's off season we are eating really healthy meals. We plan a menu for the week and then a shopping list so the house is only full of what we need. Still that doesn't stop me from walking to the corner store and buying an ice cream or chocolate bar... especially when I'm home alone! I'm really craving tropical fruit and have had yummy fresh mango and pineapple. I have been on the lookout for good watermelon but nothing has looked the part so far so I'm yet to satisfy that craving. I've been making sure to eat early in the evenings to try and give my body some time to digest food before laying down in bed to try to avoid the dreaded heartburn.

Movement:  The movement can be described as rolling and pressing now as the babies got much less room to move. For me it feels like the balls in a massage chair that roll around in circles. It is great knowing how baby Paicey is lying as I can tell if its a little limb, bottom or back rolling around in there. I sometimes need to press back on the foot jarring out of my stomach to try and ease the pain.

Belly Button: Its popped out as far as I think possible, but still a little bit of an innie!

Stretch Marks:  I've obviously still got the few little ones on the underside of my breasts and have one on each side of my hips that are red. Still none on my tummy which I'm really happy about and being extra vigilant in applying my Mama Mio tummy butter and boob tube lotion. 

Wedding rings:  Still on but I really should take them off. They are really tight and leaving indentations on my finger after a walk outside in the heat but are OK in the house. I really don't want to take them off!

Baby's Gender:  Unknown but more and more curious as the weeks roll on. We have a list of names picked out for both a boy and a girl but hard to really push for a name until we at least know the gender. Its so exciting and I can't wait for the moment we find out if we have a son or a daughter!

Bump:  Huge! Its seriously hard to move off the bed or the sofa. I have to basically roll off now and if I drop something, it has to be something important for me to pick it back up! I can't wait to be able to bend in the middle again.

Bumping out at 35 weeks!

29 Week Pregnancy Update!

There really isn't a moment now that I'm not aware of my pregnancy. In weeks gone by I could go about my business and momentarily forget I'm pregnant, just going about my day with loads of energy. But now, the bump is big and the baby is moving around like crazy! Things that were once easy have become hard. Shaving my legs has to be done sitting down in the bath and I can no longer get to my toes to paint my toenails. Breathing has even become a big job... I'm starting to run out of room in my abdomen and if I laugh or lay down I often get shortness of breath. All this and I'm still loving being pregnant! For me it's a beautiful time of anticipation, excitement and wonderment. Don't get me wrong, I am nervous about labour and birth, the first few weeks of sleep deprivation and learning to look after our baby, but the excitement about meeting our little one by far overrides the nerves.

We had a little shopping trip this week and brought a few more bits and pieces for the baby. I am planning to breast feed but may go with a formula dream feed during the night or express some milk to give in a bottle so Mr P can help with the odd feed, so we brought a set of Dr Brown's bottles. We have been recommended these colic reducing bottles by friends and they have great reviews. We also brought a steriliser for the bottles and cleaning utensils, a padded nappy changing matt to go on top of the dresser in our bedroom, and a few more new born one pieces which were on my earlier wishlist post. We ordered a simple white moses basket and sheets from John Lewis and a Prince Lionheart white noise bear which we hope will help baby Paicey (and us!) get a good night sleep listening to sounds of the womb.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was looking forward to starting pregnancy yoga. I've since been taking a class for the past 3 weeks and its really enjoyable. I sometimes don't feel like going as I'm getting tired around that time of the day but it is so good and refreshing once I am there. We do a lot of stretching, light yoga poses, breathing and pelvic floor exercises which will be beneficial during labour. The instructor is a gorgeous woman who has a lot of energy and loves to talk about pregnancy and babies. It may not be for everyone but we focus on our babies and send love and positive energy to them during the class, which I love. It feels wonderful to stretch out my body in a safe way for pregnancy and learning the breathing techniques feels empowering in the lead up to labour. Its also nice to be in a room full of other pregnant woman and have a chat afterwards about how they are feeling.

We have been undecided on whether we should move from our 2 bedroom house to a 3 bedroom once baby arrives as we like to have a spare room for family to stay when visiting from Australia. We think we have found the perfect solution as we love our little house and have renovated every single room in the 3 years we have lived here so are quite attached. So this week we had a few building companies come over and provide quotes to add another floor and create a master bedroom with ensuite and dressing area in our loft space. I think we are going to go with this option so it is quite exciting, however the 8 -10 week building time will not be quite as exciting!

On Friday Mr P, the bump and I ventured out for dinner on opening night of a new restaurant that opened up on the lovely Kingston river front. We were lucky enough to be invited to sample their delights free of charge and had the yummiest food and drinks. My mocktails were so divine I didn't even miss not having alcohol! Check out Busaba Eathai Here for their yummy menu and locations. I wore a pre pregnancy dress of mine that really revealed the bump which I was a little self conscious about at first, but we had lots of smiles and well wishes on our night out.

Next week I am off to the doctors to get a Whooping cough vaccination so wish me luck on that one. I can't believe i'll be 30 weeks next week! Have a great week x

Baby bump stepping out for dinner at 29 weeks.