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!

33 Weeks Pregnant

Its July and I'm having my baby in August! It's surreal but I am so happy we are this close to meeting baby Paicey! It's all I think about now. Mostly these are my thoughts... I wonder if we have a little boy or girl? What will our baby look like? How will the birth go? How much bigger can my bump get? When will I go into labour? Do we have everything we need? But mostly I just feel grateful and blessed to be carrying this baby and think positive thoughts that we have a beautiful, healthy baby.

I have a huge list of things I want to get through in the next couple of weeks. I am slowly getting through it but finding it rather exhausting despite it being a pretty usual list for me. Lots of things home and life related but other things baby related like buying things for our hospital bags and then packing them and batch cooking at least a week to two weeks worth of food for the freezer for when baby arrives. I've also been holding off booking an appointment to get my hair coloured as I think just a few weeks out til babies birthday will be best. I want to go lighter instead of the balayage dip dye I've been wearing. Going lighter will be more maintenance which doesn't really go hand in hand with a new baby but I'm feeling like a change. Im going to hold off cutting it as I can imagine Ill have an image crisis a couple of months after having the baby while I'm trying to shed the baby weight and a trip to the hairdressers for a new haircut might be handy at that point! I also need to wash the babies clothes, sheets and blankets and have gone as far as buying non bio, sensitive skin washing powder and fabric softener but thats as far as I have gotten!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was going to get the Whooping Cough vaccine. I had this last week as my midwife recommended I have it between 28 and 32 weeks.  In the UK, America and New Zealand this is offered to woman whilst they are pregnant as the vaccine passes through the placenta and gives the baby some immunity. From what I am aware It may also transfer through breast milk once the baby is born to provide your baby with further immunity until the baby is 8 weeks old and can have its first injections. Whooping Cough can be carried by adults who don't know that they have it and it can be fatal to babies. Some woman are cautious of the vaccine as it has only been given to pregnant woman for a few years. In Australia I'm fairly sure they don't offer this while pregnant but recommend the parents, grandparents and anyone else who will be around the new born have the vaccination to protect the baby until he or she has their first jabs at 8 weeks old. I know some people are also simply for or against vaccinations for their own reasons so I am not forcing an opinion, but baby Paicey will be getting immunised as were my bother, sister and I based on my Mums choices. Anyway, the injection took all of 3 seconds and was quite a sharp scratch to my arm. I had a sore arm for around 2 days, only to the touch or if I slept on it and I didn't have any other side effects which some people get such as feeling unwell.

I did a post on our travel system/ pram when we ordered it (which you can view Here) but it finally arrived! It was a pretty fun day I have to admit putting it all together despite Mr P wanting to leave it in the box for a few more weeks! I must have looked pretty funny to the neighbours taking it outside and seeing how to manoeuvre through our front doorway, as its a very small entrance with a staircase directly in front of the door, its quite tricky and I thought I would have to use the door at the back of the house, but it fits. We also ordered the Maxi-cosi Pebble carseat and Iso fix base for our car which arrived with our order and is all fitted and ready to go in the back of our car! Mainly as I didn't want it taking up the space in the house or our very hairy cat Archie sitting in it, but also because I was just very excited. So far we love the pram and can't wait to use it.

I think everything I'm feeling is pretty normal for this point. Im getting really tired in the afternoon but waking up early in the morning to go to the bathroom. My upper back has been really hurting me for the past few days which is new. Im guessing its the added weight and the way I am carrying myself now so I have been doing some of the yoga stretches we do in the pregnancy class and also laying down on my side with my pregnancy pillow to try to stretch it out. A friend of mine has told me it is my body's way of telling me to slow down but I honestly feel if I slow down ill be stationary!

Weight wise, I've put on 13 kg or 29 lbs so far in the pregnancy and I can't believe the number staring back at me on the scales. I feel less hungry than I was in the second trimester and just sticking to 3 fairly healthy meals with snacks of nuts, apples and berries. I said to my husband the other night that our baby will be addicted to berries as I eat them morning and night! Every few days I have an ice-cream or piece of cake from the shops too which is my guilty pleasure. 

I should be finished packing my hospital bag very soon and will do a little post on what I have packed for myself and for baby Paicey, as i found other posts on this helpful when making my own list.  My bump is getting bigger by the day and the movement is phenomenal. I still love the movement and you will find me happily sitting back with my hands on my belly feeling a little foot sticking right out and pressing back on it. Here is the bump at the end of week 33.

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.