Pregnancy - 40 week update

This update is a little late as, last Wednesday on my due date at 5:30 am my waters broke!  It will also therefore be a bit of a messy update but I'm doing it for completeness.  We are enjoying adapting to our new life as a family and there will be a birth story and pictures in my next post.

How far along?  40 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a pumpkin (or a red panda).

Total weight gain/loss?  I'm going to guess I ended at around 65 kg (with my waters breaking I didn't weigh myself at 40 weeks) so that would be a total weight gain of 6.5 kg (just over a stone).

Waist? I didn't get to measure my waist either but I'm pretty sure it hadn't grown much from the week before.

Stretchmarks?  None whatsoever, which I am very proud of and thankful for.

Maternity clothes?  Exactly the same as before - I spent the last week in my leggings and stretchy t-shirts.

Sleep?  A bit broken over the last few nights but not too horrendous.

Best moment this week?  We went out for a lovely walk to our local park at the weekend, it's been great staying so active until the end and it was a nice day out as just the two of us.

Movement?  Still plenty, still mostly at night.  Lots of hiccups!

Food cravings?  Nothing in particular.

Food aversions?  Nothing really.

Gender?   Just that very strong feeling that it's a girl.

Labour signs?  A few crampy period pains overnight for the last few nights - I went for a really long walk yesterday and we had sex last night so maybe something will start (obviously it did).

Pregnancy symptoms?  Heartburn is still in full swing, as is the backache.

Belly button in or out?  Still just flat.

What I miss?  I'm starting to miss being able to curl up comfortably in bed and the closeness with ALS.  We've not cuddled in weeks because I'm surrounded by pillows all the time. 

What I am looking forward to?  Meeting my little one - 2 weeks maximum wait now!

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I am due to see the midwife again today and  I have a sweep booked with the Consultant on 6th November (40+5) if Pip hasn't made an appearance by then.  

 Weekly wisdom?  Enjoy your last few days of relaxation, any one could be your last day pre-parenthood so make the most of it before the biggest adventure of your life starts! 

Milestones?  Due date today!

Bump picture: 

This ended up as my last bump picture and was actually taken very early in the morning after my waters had gone.  My bump actually looks a really different shape - the photo wasn't taken very well as I was half asleep and a bit overexcited!

Pregnancy - 39 week update

How far along?  39 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a mini watermelon (or an American short-haired cat)  - around 50.7 cm and 3.3 kg (7.2 lb).

Total weight gain/loss?  I'm 64.7 kg today so no real gain or loss over the last couple of weeks.  I've heard it's not unusual for your weight to plateau around the end so I'm not really expecting much change. 

Waist? 36 inches so no change again (possibly creeping up to 36.5).  I'm pretty sure the baby is getting bigger by the week but my body is refusing to expand any further, which is rather annoying because it's getting pretty cramped in there.

Stretchmarks?  Still none - I can't believe how lucky I've been.

Maternity clothes?  Still loving the leggings!

Sleep?  I'm getting a good solid 4-5 hours between around 2am and 6-7am most nights but prior to that I'm up and down a lot peeing or trying to get comfy.  I tend to doze til around 9am but I'm trying not to lie in any later than that.

Best moment this week?  We had a lovely day on Saturday meeting my friend's baby for the first time and then visiting more friends for dinner and pumpkin carving.  It's nice to still have the chance to get out and socialise this late on!

Movement?  Still plenty - most nights he/she goes crazy when I'm trying to sleep.

Food cravings?  I'm back on the coleslaw again... just enjoyed a lovely jacket potato with cheese and coleslaw.

Food aversions?  Nothing but I'm still feeling quite nauseous on and off.  Last Thursday I couldn't keep anything down all morning and my stomach has been upset since - all normal I understand towards the end.

Gender?   The general consensus is still that it's a girl - not long until we find out now.

Labour signs?  I've had an upset stomach on and off for weeks now which people keep telling me could be a sign that things are imminent but I'm not taking it to mean anything.  I've still had no real signs at all.   We had sex last night and I wondered if that might start anything but other than some crampy pains on and off overnight (more like a constant period pain than anything else) it didn't have any effect.

Pregnancy symptoms?  The heartburn has been horrendous for the last few days and my sciatica is worsening by the day, although bouncing around on the exercise ball has helped a lot with this.  

Belly button in or out?  Kind of flat.  I'm wondering if it'll fully pop out at any point or not.

What I miss?  I'm missing work a little bit already - I've only been off work for 2 weeks but I'm starting to get a bit impatient for baby to arrive and keep me busy!

What I am looking forward to?  Halloween!  It's my second favourite holiday (after Christmas) and, although we won't be doing a lot this year because we didn't want to make plans and have to cancel them, we are going over to my sister-in-law's for movies and stuff so I'm looking forward to it.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I see the midwife again on my due date.  I have a sweep booked with the Consultant on 6th November (40+5) if Pip hasn't made an appearance by then.  The Health Visitor also came round today to introduce herself which was nice, although a little unnecessary if I'm honest.

 Weekly wisdom?  You'll never feel ready!  I've been desperate to have a baby since I was a teenager, we've planned this for a long time and with the IVF it's definitely been a long time coming.  Then I've had the last 9 months to prepare myself but I'm still starting to get a little nervous about the fact that there will soon be a tiny human who is entirely dependent upon us.

Milestones?  Being physically ready for baby.  The nursery is ready, the house is clean, our bedroom is ready, the changing/feeding stations are ready, the hospital bags are packed, the freezer is packed with meals, we've made arrangements for the cats and we generally couldn't get more more prepared now.

Bump picture: 

My bump seems to flit weekly from quite round to quite defined but it doesn't really seem to be getting much bigger.

Here's a little picture of our pumpkin family, just for fun.  I'm very attached to our little Pip Pumpkin!

Pregnancy - 37 week update

How far along?  37 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a Swiss chard (or a striped skunk)  - around 48.6 cm and  2.9 kg (6.3 lb).

Total weight gain/loss?  I'm 65.6 kg today - gained just over a stone in all  (7.1 kg) which is not bad at all when you consider almost half of that will be baby, then there's the placenta, extra blood volume and fluid to take into consideration.  

Waist?  36 inches so no change this week.

Stretchmarks?  Still surprisingly not, although as you can see from the picture below my old ones are showing up a little more!

Maternity clothes?  Just living in leggings and long tops for the next few weeks until baby arrives now... with a healthy amount of PJ time!

Sleep?  I have managed to sleep a little better this week - sometimes getting a whole 4 hours in between bathroom trips!

Best moment this week?  Finishing work - as of yesterday I am now a lady of leisure until Pip arrives.

Movement?  Still plenty - some of which can be quite painful now, especially when the kicks are directed at my ribs.  I'm pretty convinced that if I'm still pregnant in another 4 weeks then Pip may actually just kick/punch it's way out like something out of Alien!

Food cravings?  Cereal... without milk.

Food aversions?  Nothing but my appetite is still down.

Gender?   Generally still feeling like it's a girl but it's all guesswork. 

Labour signs?  Nothing at all and Pip is still very high.  I'm going to spend plenty of time on my exercise ball this week to try and get him/her to drop down a little bit, even if just to give my poor ribs some relief.

Pregnancy symptoms?  I spoke to soon last week - on Thursday and Friday I had horrendous swelling in my feet, ankles and lower legs.  With an increase in fluid, moving around at work more and plenty of gentle exercise I've managed to get it to go back down though fortunately.

Belly button in or out?  In - although it is starting to flatten out a little bit.  

What I miss?  I'm not missing anything at the moment although I was thinking last night about how I'm going to miss the gym once baby is here.  I know I can still work out at home but I won't really be able to get back to powerlifting as there'll be nobody to have baby (I could go to the gym alone and leave it with ALS but when I'm doing heavy lifts I like to have him there).  I've missing training with ALS whilst I've been pregnant but that's been due to me doing different exercise (more classes) and his busy work schedule so I guess things would have changed anyway with his new job even if I'd not been pregnant.

What I am looking forward to?  Getting the house completely ready and nesting like mad for the next week or so!

Upcoming appointments/scans?  Midwife next week (18th October) and then again on my due date (1st November).  Booked in for a sweep with the Consultant on 6th November if there's no sign of Pip.

 Weekly wisdom?  Sitting too long causes swollen feet/ankles... so does walking or standing too long.  Keep moving but with plenty of rest too and lots and lots of fluids.  It sounds daft that more fluid prevents fluid retention but it's true!

Milestones?  Reaching full term today!!

Bump picture: 

I think it looks quite a bit bigger this week - if it's possible it feels like it's getting higher!  I'm guessing that's just baby growing and not having dropped down yet.  Shout out to my white sheet for emphasising just how pale I am.