39 Weeks...

I had a great and productive week this last week...  I went to get fabric for the nursery - for the blind, bumper & lampshade cover - and I also worked on the blinds for the house & various other bits for our little girl's arrival between going to the hairdresser (so glad I went!) & doing other non-work related things.... like visiting T'Neal and Geoff and I going for a long overdue photoshoot which I got for Geoff as his birthday present last November! :)

I sewed all day on Saturday & on Sunday headed off to The One And Only for High Tea (oh my - so much cake!) in order to spoil Aline - a 'girlie' event to pamper her a little before little Aerin's arrival (in 5 or so weeks time)... Her official baby shower is on Saturday but I may not make it if I'm in the hospital / at home with my baby! :)

I had a fantastic meeting with my midwife, Sandy, on Thursday last week where I gave her our birth plan & we discussed various things relating to "THE DAY" - which seems to be moving ever so fast and swiftly closer!!!! She said that she doesn't need to see me this week & that if I do, it will be for the birth (!!!!) ...otherwise I will see Sandy on Monday (the 29th)....and I'll see Dr.Nel right in the beginning of September if no baby has arrived yet.

My hormones are doing crazy things & I have to really watch myself - calm down - take deep breaths & get things done one thing at a time. On top of being super sensitive and emotional, at this point it is hard not to feel rather overwhelmed by what may lie ahead... WHEN the big moment of starting labour may occur...? How it will feel to have her OUT rather than IN... We love her so much already, but how long it will take for us to become irrevocably smitten with her in her hold-able-in-our-arms human form? ...How sore will it be? ...Am I ready for all of this change? I can only trust that she will arrive in her own time - hopefully on the day of her choosing - and that we will somehow feel ready when the time comes to welcome her.

She's moving around quite a bit, but I can sense that she's running out of the little bit of room that she still has left... I've been feeling quite energetic again this week, but with moments of collapse which can occur at any moment.

Geoff made me laugh so hard yesterday morning:
He put his face to my tummy & said in a deep voice: "Good Morning Stella"
..and then in a squeaky voice: "Good Morning Daddy"
Geoff deep voice: "What are you doing today, Stella?"
Geoff squeaky voice: "Well, first I'm having my amniotic breakfast..." :)

Besides the house to-do list that Geoff and I have set up for the next few days:

Things to do:

• Finish Birth Plan - DONE
• Collect Birth Ball - DONE
• Buy Nappies - ASAP!!
• Make Roman Blind for the Nursery - ALMOST DONE
• Read pregnancy books
• Practice Relaxations & Visualisations
• Do my Tax - HALF DONE! 
• PACK MY HOSPITAL BAG!!!!

Baby Center Says:
Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 50cm and weighs a bit over 3.2 kg, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

How your life's changing:
At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there's still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there's an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay. While you're waiting, it's important to continue to pay attention to your baby's movements and let your caregiver know right away if they seem to decrease. Your baby should remain active right up to delivery, and a noticeable slowdown in activity could be a sign of a problem. Also call if you think your water may have broken. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in about 8 percent of term pregnancies. Sometimes there's a big gush of fluid, but sometimes there's only a small gush or a slow leak. (Don't try to make the diagnosis yourself. Call even if you only suspect you have a leak.) If you rupture your membranes and don't start contractions on your own, you'll be induced.
 

35 Weeks!

I know I am supposed to be packing, but I just can't seem to get round to doing anything that I know I am suppose to be doing, when I'm supposed to be doing it... besides the fact that I woke up at sparrows this morning & bugged Geoff until he woke up sufficiently to be amused (rather than irritated) by my chattering & trying to figure out what light was above the sea line which I had convinced myself was a UFO. Well, it wasn't a UFO, as I later discovered when being handed the binoculars: it was a ship & the sea line was higher than it looked because the wind direction was causing the colour of the sea after a certain point to look like the sky which the shop appeared to be floating in. This was followed by singing silly songs & being generally disruptive of sleep-time. It's good to see the sunrise every now and then :)

I was so very excited all day because of our scan appointment at 2pm today. We had breakfast... packed a few boxes... tidied the balcony cupboard... then Geoff went off to work & I bounced around and got some stuff done until 1pm & went to fetch him in Kalk Bay.... we got to the hospital early enough to hand our pre-admission form in... and then to our appointment at 2pm -- to discover that it is tomorrow at 2pm: not today. Not today :(

I feel like a muppet. Don't know a better word. I was so very disappointed...and I can't believe I entered the appointment into the wrong day on my calendar. I had packed the appointment card away for the move already, or I'd have seen that I was mistaken. I was so disappointed....I've been counting down the weeks, days, then hours to our last scan appointment. What a bummer. At least we have it to look forward to tomorrow.

I've been feeling much stronger kicks for the last few days which has put my mind greatly at rest. I'm also having some pain when I walk - I think her head may be lodging itself deeper down and putting pressure on my pelvic bone & my bladder as she grows - so fast now!

3 more sleeps and we'll be in the new house. It's strange to think that it is so soon that our whole environment will be different...that we will be in the place where our daughter will spend the first year or two of her beautiful life.

Baby Center says:

How your baby's growing:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 45cm long and tips the scales at 2.3kg. Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

How your life's changing:
Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.

From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process.

32 Weeks..

Bump at 32 weeks

I kept thinking I was at 33 weeks for some reason... I don't know if it is because time feels as though it is going fast or slowly!?!

We went to Mosselbay to spend the weekend with Mom and Dad. It was so lovely to not be at home / have our stuff around us for a short change. They will be in Cape Town in the first week after our move & Mom said she'd come and help me unpack & decorate our baby room. I am SO looking forward to putting all her little things into their places & be ready for her arrival!

There are 26 days left until we move & someone finally came to have a look at the house today -- I really hope we find a new rental really soon!! We've started packing boxes, and today we did a major clean-up and sort-out. We need to still get some more boxes, but it looks as though we'll have enough time to get everything sorted. I really hope that it doesn't become a stress at the last minute!

I have started feeling new movements(!!): after dinner one night it felt like a 'nob' protruded out of my stomach (top right just under my rib) and when I pressed on it, it went away -- I am certain it was a little foot!! This is the first time I've felt a body part in my tummy & have it react to me prodding it! Its strange and wonderful! :)

Baby Center Says:

By now, your baby weighs 1.7kg  and is about  42cm long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often. You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

31 Weeks

Our little girl seems to have had another growth spurt in the last few days! ...it felt by last Thursday's midwife appointment like nothing much at all had changed in four weeks, and suddenly between now and then I look in the mirror to be HUGE! :)

We got some good news at the appointment with our midwife (Sandy): It seems that our little monkey has turned head-down! I am so happy - the closer we can get to all the elements being in place for a natural birth, the better. Her movements are different - Sandy said that it is most likely due to the change of her position as well as the fact that I have loads of amniotic fluid (a good thing) - she's not filling up all the space yet -- we have a LOT of growing to do in the next 9 weeks. The movement thing is a little worrying because although I feel her quite regularly, the feeling is quite different & seems to be less than before. It could be my imagination.

We went on a hospital tour on Wednesday last week & were pretty impressed with the natural birthing rooms. There are four, of which 2 have baths in them... Lets hope its not too much of a busy time in the hospital & we get one of the bath rooms (x-fingers!!).  I'm so tempted by a home water birth, but with the move, it will be so hard to predict how I will feel about the new house... I am concerned about temperature control etc and I also just can't think of having to move venue mid-labour. I keep reminding myself that it will be best to just be in the hospital & really trust that so long as Geoff and Sandy are there - it doesn't really matter where things end up happening.

I've been pretty preoccupied with what its going to be like in the new house... I found some beautiful wall stickers, but now I can't remember if the walls are smoothed or whether they are roughly bagged & painted...... I will have to wait to see. I think we will ask for the cot offered to us by mom & dad - the one I slept in as a baby... Dad has just restored it: its really beautiful - a metal one with brass tops.

Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed that I am so blessed & happy that I need to pinch myself to believe that its all real. All my dreams (most of which I never even knew I had) are coming true & its hard not to get overwhelmed. I really have to guard against worrying that it could all be taken away from me, because that sends my mind into spirals that are hard to get out of. I really have to trust that all will be well & that our little family will just grow in happiness & togetherness.

I am so thankful for all we have been given - I am especially thankful for Geoff: my love. I always hoped, but never imagined that it was possible to share such a deep and meaningful love. He constantly surprises me with his kind heart - it is more pure than can be measured - there are billions of little ways he constantly considers me & shows me the depth of his love. I cannot quantify the love I have for him - he moves me. After almost 7 years, I still adore every little thing about him.

I am so looking forward to meeting our love-child. The culmination of all the wonderful things that have already happened & new chapter of our relationship, our love, our understanding of one another & of this life as a human being.



Baby Center Says:

How your baby's growing:
This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds / 1.4kg and is heading into a growth spurt. She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

How your life's changing:
Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless.

29 Weeks

Although I am getting through most of it, I just don't feel like doing my work. I'm in full procrastinatory mode and can find so many things that I'd much rather be doing than what I'm supposed to be doing. A part of it is that I actually only have about 3 projects on the go work-wise...and the projects of growing a baby & getting ready to pack up a house to move in 6 weeks time (yes! we got the house!!) seem much more important...so I've been in limbo between doing what I should be doing & what I also should be doing, and instead I'm blogging to feel as though I've achieved something for the day.

So: 29 weeks! 11 weeks to go & little one is getting stronger & stronger & more active all the time. I LOVE feeling her move! ...and I love feeling Geoff feeling her move!

I'm feeling a lot better at the moment -- My SPD has almost disappeared, although I have been having quite a lot of back pain in the last week or so. Its such a relief not to be in constant pain.

This afternoon we'll be attending Robyn Sheldon's course at Mama Bamba called 'unborn child awareness' which teaches parents to connect with unborn children. I am really looking forward to us doing the course & to gaining new knowledge on connecting which we can implement for the next 11 or so weeks.

Geoff is convinced that she will be arriving on the 28th August! :)
I just hope she doesn't decide to come before the 14th so we can have a few weeks to settle into our new home. (Mom said she knows of people that have picked up / moved moving boxes with their foot & its broken their waters so NOT to do that!!)

I had a chat with one of our new artist book club ladies last night & she told me that she used to be a midwife... she was a midwife for a year and delivered around 30 babies & just loved that chapter of her life... She said that I seem to be carrying perfectly for my body shape etc & that I am really looking great. (It's always good to hear nice things!).


Baby Center Says:


Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. Because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk or another good source of calcium. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.

27 Weeks

Bump at 26 weeks

We're at 27 weeks this week & our little one is moving around quite a bit inside... She's so sweet as she seems to respond with lots of little nudges when I'm feeling a bit sad. Geoff has been talking to her a lot & he is so sweet...singing songs & calling her...telling her little stories about her mommy :)

I went shopping with Aline last week & we went to the Treehouse Factory Shop. I found a really lovely fabric play mat with puffy sides & matching toy/laundry bin...one of those towel things that we can put her on to change her / dry her when she comes out of the bath...and a couple of stretchy blankets... Her Nanny is washing her first clothes for us & I've prepared a set of drawers to put her things into... Its FREEZING cold so I'm quite glad we don't have to try and keep her warm outside of me at this point! 

Geoff has put a curtain rail up & we've hung one of my beautiful silk retro curtains in front of one of the bedroom doors for temperature & light control. ...So things are moving ahead one step at a time, but at least we're making some progress.

Baby Centre says:
How your baby's growing:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

Half Way!

We hit the 'half-way' mark yesterday! 20 weeks! We have a scan in one week (next Tuesday) where we will get to see her again! I'm so looking forward to seeing how she's grown & developed.

I've been feeling lots of squirming & squiggling & a few bumps & pulls...I can especially feel them when I lie on my back & she is awake -- Its so great to know when she's awake! :)

We've booked into a weekend antenatal course on the 7th & 8th of May with Aline & Sean.


Baby Centre says:

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. He's also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom and about 10 inches from head to heel — the length of a banana. (For the first 20 weeks, when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso and hard to measure, measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom — the "crown to rump" measurement. After 20 weeks, he's measured from head to toe.)

He's swallowing more these days, which is good practice for his digestive system. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This gooey substance will accumulate in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper (some babies pass meconium in the womb or during delivery).

How your life's changing:

Congratulations! You've hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. (If you started your pregnancy underweight, you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight, perhaps a bit less.) Make sure you're getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen). During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta. Red meat is one of the best sources of iron for pregnant women. Poultry (especially the dark meat) and shellfish also contain iron. Some common non-meat sources of iron include legumes, soy-based products, spinach, prune juice, raisins, and iron-fortified cereals.

If you haven't already signed up for a childbirth education class, you may want to look into one, especially if you're a first-timer. A structured class will help prepare you and your partner for the rigors of labor and delivery. Most hospitals and birth centers offer classes, either as weekly meetings or as a single intensive, one-day session. Many communities have independent instructors as well. Ask your friends, family members, or caregiver for recommendations.