36 Weeks - and in our new home!

My Love & I with our Bump!

Geoff and I moved on Saturday which was a rather epic day! ...we packed until about midnight on Friday night. Everything went quite smoothly on the day which was great. We had a look at the house on Thursday afternoon & thought we'd made a mammoth mistake as it is quite run-down, with issues like the cornices being loose in our intended baby's room, cracked tiles etc etc. But when all our stuff stared arriving & we arranged things in our home, it became wonderful and warm and very homely.

Geoff has set up studio in the extra little 'office' space off the bedroom... and we have doubled my office & the guestroom in to one space. It's great because its right near the kitchen and the dining room table (which is where I anticipate doing a lot of work / craft etc!)

Mom and Dad arrived on Tuesday & they painted our baby room yesterday. It looks so much better (the walls were cream, but we painted over them with our favorite colour - "Magic Mist" (which looks white until you put it against white, and then one can see that its got lots of life in greyish-purple tones). We also sorted out her clothes etc -- I will post a pic as soon as the room is complete with canopy & special light fitting etc...

I have been feeling quite light-headed and a bit dizzy for a few days now. I think its most likely exhaustion from the move & having to deal with unpacking & people being around etc. Also, 2 male baboons came through the kitchen window yesterday. They ate so much of the contents of my fruit bowl, smashed eggs & destroyed a flower vase & a glass jar of oats that was on the kitchen counter - turned the bin over -- I tried to get it out which let another one in & they upturned the bin full of fruit and veggie peels which ended up all over the floor with the oats & broken glass...and they poo-ed in the lounge. I shut myself in my office with the door closed - they were HUGE & not responding to me chasing them out - a baboon monitor (I phoned them in a panic) and Geoff arrived - Geoff got here in record time from Kalk Bay & did most of the cleaning up for me as I was pretty shaken.  I'd just got our new kitchen sorted out & it ended up in such a shambles. I am still feeling quite nervous about any sounds I hear that seem out of place - any bumps..and I had a dream last night that intruders had made their way in. I'm keeping the windows closed for now.

Our appointment with Dr.Nel went really well on Thursday last week... Stella is weighing an estimate of 3.2kg and her foot measured at 7cm (which is rather huge for someone who still has to grow for another 4 weeks or so before being born!!?). Dr.Nel pointed out the hair on her head and that she was sucking the side of her thumb (cute!). She is still lying to my left & her head is nicely engaged in my pelvis.

Today my bump feels as though it has dropped since yesterday...although, it may be my imagination, but it does seem that way!  I read that this is a good thing because it means that she's descending into my pelvis and the dropping can happen up to 4 weeks before birth, so our little monkey is behaving perfectly & all seems on track. I am so very excited to meet her! :) She's been kicking and moving frequently & seems very happy and well.

Mental birth preparation feels to me at the moment like I think I'd feel if I were preparing for a first time skydiving experience. I know that it (birth / jumping out of the plane) is something I have to do in order to get to the other side of the experience, but I have no idea what it might feel like.
There seem to be lots of unknown factors that can only be dealt with when the time comes: it's all theory. It can be dangerous & exciting...and certainly rewarding! I have no idea exactly what's going to happen and when & how my body / mind etc might react... how long it might take - how how long it may be perceived to take. (Hopefully adrenalin won't be an issue with childbirth though! )


Baby Center Says:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 2.7kg and is more than 47cm long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

How your life's changing:
Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs!

You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes.

Even if you're enjoying an uncomplicated pregnancy, it's best to avoid flying (or any travel far from home) during your final month because you can go into labor at any time. In fact, some airlines won't let women on board who are due to deliver within 30 days of the flight.