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 Essentials!

With less than 2 weeks until my due date I thought I'd take some time to reflect on my pregnancy and the things that I couldn't have survived without!

Palmer's Tummy Butter

I've been lathering this all over my stomach, hips and boobs since the day I found out I was pregnant and so far, so good.  I had real problems with stretchmarks during puberty and they've now faded but are still mildly visible, so I wanted to do everything in my power to prevent them this time.  It seems to be working but there's still time I suppose!  If nothing else, it's very relaxing having a routine where I go to bed every night and moisturise with this and I'm looking forward to it even more once my bump is a bit bigger.  It can be a bit greasy afterwards so I suggest wearing old pyjamas if you're bothered about them getting a bit messy - it does seem to wash out fine though!  You can buy Palmer's Tummy Butter online or from most supermarkets and drugstores - I got mine from Boots and I'm just under halfway through my third tub.  Obviously the bigger you get, the more you use.  I have no idea if it's actually helped or whether maybe just massaging and keeping good blood flow has been more useful BUT it's a great way of bonding with baby.

Brother Max Ray Bath and Room Thermometer

During the IVF I read in a few places that having hot baths after an embryo transfer isn't good for you as you shouldn't raise your core temperature too much and the same goes for pregnancy.  Therefore, I invested in this little guy.  He's cute, easy to use and doubles up as a room thermometer.  He'll also be a handy tool to check room and bath temperatures once baby is here.  Again, I purchased him from Boots.

Ginger Biscuits

These don't need a link as you can get them from any
local store or supermarket, but they were a livesafer in the beginning.  Ginger is well known for easing nausea and I found nibbling on a couple of these first thing in a morning to line my stomach a great way of fending off the morning sickness.  Oddly enough, now I can't stand the sight of them but that's probably because I associate them with feeling queasy.


Seven Seas Pregnancy Multivitamin

I was taking folic acid (with vitamin D) for well over a year in the lead up to starting the IVF process and I continued that until I'd had my embryo transfer then switched over to these, which are more specifically designed to support a growing baby.  They still contain all the folic acid and vitamin D you need, but also other recommended supplements (such as iodine - which I read about late on, panicked and then realised was in these anyway).  They also have a little ginger mixed in which may help with morning sickness.  They're a great way to make sure you're getting everything you and baby need during those first few weeks where you feel sick and your diet is mostly eating whatever you can stomach, whenever you can stomach it.

Pillows

A pregnant woman, especially one in her third trimester, can never have enough pillows.  I've been building myself a little fortress every night in an effort to get comfortable and I've started getting a little more sleep since I padded myself out with more pillows.  I use one between my legs to ease sciatic pain, one under my bump/ribs to ease rib pain and prop up 2 under my head.  It's also helpful to have a couple behind you so you don't end up rolling on to your back.  In the last week my sister-in-law has lent me her pregnancy pillow and it has been pretty useful.  However, I wouldn't say it's a necessity and normal pillow do the trick.  You certainly don't need one of really fancy pregnancy pillows that cost around £70, a cheap £20 will do just the same job!

Gaviscon

If I could only have one thing off this list, Gaviscon would be it.  I've had chronic heartburn from around 16 weeks and none of the self-help measures have worked.  I've tried cutting out spicy/acidic foods, eating little and often, not eating/drinking for a few hours before bed, keeping myself propped up at night and every other thing people have recommended but absolutely nothing works.  Gaviscon, however, provides instant relief and is perfectly safe to use regularly during pregnancy. I've got a selection of various sized bottles around the house, in my handbag and I kept one in my desk drawer at work!  FYI I was told that once baby drops down in late pregnancy the heartburn would go away - I'm now almost 39 weeks, baby is 3/5 engaged and I STILL have horrendous heartburn.

Exercise Ball

These balls are amazing - so much so that I bought 2 of them.  I have one in the living room which I use for sitting on in an evening when I'm watching TV and for stretching/exercising and I kept one at my desk to switch out with my desk chair when I was uncomfortable, which I found especially useful for tailbone pain.  The one I brought home from work is now safely packed away in my hospital bag ready for labour.  They're also great for helping baby to engage and turning breech babies apparently - I'll be bouncing on it a lot in the next week or two to try and encourage Pip to make an appearance.

Leggings

Black leggings from Pep & Co (usually found inside Poundland stores) have been an absolute life saver.  Every time I've got bigger I've just bought a pair in a bigger size and it's not broken the bank as they're around £2.50 a pair!  As I got rounder I found that my work trousers wouldn't fit and I couldn't fit any smart maternity trousers that I liked and that were a reasonable price, so I switched to wearing dresses and tights constantly.  Then, when I got to the point that getting tights on was just too much of a fight I swapped to wearing these under my dresses with a pair of black socks and nobody was any the wiser.  These are going to be perfect for after baby is born as well as they're soft, stretchy, comfortable and easy to get on and off.

Nursing Bras

Although these are more essential after baby is born, they've been brilliant for taking the pressure off my ribs which have been hurting for a good couple of months now.  Any underwired bra would do the same job and I spent most of the first trimester in sports bras when my breasts were really tender.  I bought a pack of 3 from Amazon seeing as I was going to need them after birth anyway and they weren't expensive at all.  They're incredibly comfy but I haven't posted a link as one of the straps on one has already torn so you might have to shop around a little!

There are various other things that I have really benefited from such as good apps on my phone (Pregnancy+ and Baby Centre are 2 of my favourites), slip on shoes over the last few weeks and, possibly most important of all, a good solid exercise regime but the above purchases were all well worth going out specifically to buy!

What were your essentials for pregnancy?  I'd love to hear about them - particularly anything a little unusual that people might not think of!

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.

Pregnancy - 36 week update

How far along?  36 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a romaine lettuce (or a chihuahua)  - around 47.4 cm and 2.6 kg (5.7 lb).

Total weight gain/loss?  64.9 kg today - another oddly timed weight measurement but I would say this is probably about right.  It means I've put on a total of a stone so far from my weight at 4 weeks pregnant.

Waist?  36 inches which is quite a significant increase, but I could have told you that without measuring it just from how I feel and how my clothes are fitting.

Stretchmarks?  No but I'm increasing in size quite rapidly so I'm in the danger zone.

Maternity clothes?  Same as before.

Sleep?  I have been quite uncomfortable in bed this week but with the aid of a lot of pillows I've managed to sleep relatively well.

Best moment this week?  Finally having a garden!

Movement?  Plenty, although it's obvious that little Pip is running out of room in there.  The movements feel like he/she is trying to stretch out without really having the space, some of them have even hurt a little.

Food cravings?  I really fancy KFC at the moment and have done for a week or so now, maybe I'll treat myself at some point.

Food aversions?  Nothing, just generally still quite nauseous with a variable appetite.

Gender?   Still no real idea.

Labour signs?  Nothing at all - I'm starting to wish I'd at least had a few Braxton Hicks, just so I can get a bit of an idea what very early labour might feel like.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Pretty much still going through the lot - fortunately I haven't had much swelling though and I've still got my wedding ring on.

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

What I miss?  Being able to curl up.  I'm used to sleeping in the foetal position but as my ever-growing bump is where I'd like to tuck my legs (and curling up gives me horrendous heartburn) this is a thing of the past.  I'm looking forward to being able to lie comfortably once Pip arrives.

What I am looking forward to?  Finishing work!  It's my last day on Tuesday next week so I only have 4 working days to go.  I'm definitely getting ready for finishing so I think I picked a good time.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I saw the midwife today and all was fine.  I see her again in 2 weeks then again on my due date.  I always thought you went every week towards the end but she seems happy with fortnightly visits.  I won't actually see her again as she's on holiday for my next 2 appointments and then 4d my Consultant has booked me in for a sweep on 6th November (after my due date) if I haven't had a baby by then.  So the next time I see my own midwife will likely be when she comes to visit me at home after Pip is born.  No more scans now, the next time we see our baby will be when it's born!

 Weekly wisdom?  Listen to your body BUT don't always expect it to be right.  After some overtime this morning and my midwife appointment this afternoon I was planning on going swimming when ALS went back to work at teatime.  I made the fatal mistake of lying down for a bit and decided that I'd stay home and have a nap instead.  I've woken up from this nap feeling absolutely shocking!  I can't say I ever feel worse for exercising so I think the swim would have definitely been the better choice.  I may be sickening for something though as I keep going cold and shivery and my nose is running constantly.

Milestones?  We are now into the final 4 weeks (hopefully) and my toes have well and truly disappeared!

Bump picture: 

Sometimes I find it incredibly hard to comprehend the fact that there's a whole, albeit small, human inside there!  It's such a miracle and I'm so in love with my own body for what it's doing.

Pregnancy - 35 week update

How far along?  35 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a honeydew melon (or a mini-lop rabbit)  - around 46.2 cm and 2.4 kg (5.3 lb) - although according to our scan he/she is a bit bigger than this!

Total weight gain/loss?  64.1 kg today (working again so weighing at a different time to usual).  That's 1.3 kg on since last week but only about 0.6 kg from the week before so maybe last week's dip was just an anomaly.  

Waist?  Not measured this week because ALS stole my tape measure for work again!

Stretchmarks?  No new ones - the Consultant even commented on the fact that I'd not developed any marks!

Maternity clothes?  Same as before.

Sleep?  I'm really struggling with sleep - comfort is hard as baby's feet are in my ribs and I'm having to go to the toilet up to 20 times a night (no exaggeration) because it's headbutting my bladder.  I could do with a nice nap in the middle of the day - roll on maternity leave!

Best moment this week?  Seeing our little monster wriggling around on the scan.

Movement?  Lots - I've noticed baby having hiccups for the first time this week as well.  It's had them every day since the weekend.  It also keeps sticking a foot out in my right hand side which is both weird and cool!

Food cravings?  Nothing really this week.

Food aversions?  Nothing, although I've felt quite nauseous on and off this week.

Gender?   Still no real clue.

Labour signs?  Nothing at all and I'm happy to keep it that way for at least another few weeks.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Pretty much all of them - I'm just about getting to the point now where I drop something on the floor and spend time considering whether I actually need it any more because picking it up is just hard work haha.

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  Being able to fasten my shoelaces without having to be a contortionist - at least I can still do it myself though!

What I am looking forward to?  Getting the garden turfed!  My dad is coming over this weekend to help us, we've ordered the top soil and turf and hired all the tools we need - then we will finally have a garden.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I see the midwife again next Wednesday (4th October) and my Consultant has booked me in for a sweep on 6th November (after my due date) if I haven't had a baby by then.  No more scans now, the next time we see our baby will be when it's born!

 Weekly wisdom?  Don't underestimate how hard it gets towards the end at work.  Whilst I'm still coping pretty well and managing to exercise plenty, trying to sit at my desk for 10 hours a day is becoming really, really hard.  I was off work last week on holiday and going back over the last few days has been really hard work.  It sounds daft but sitting too much is the worst.  Getting comfortable at my desk is impossible so I've just been walking around often and counting down the days - only 2 more weeks to go! 

Milestones?  I don't think we've hit anything in particular this week - for some reason 35 weeks pregnant seems SO much further along than 34 weeks.  It's getting very real.

Bump picture: 

It may just be how I'm standing or how my clothes are positioned but it definitely looks to me like my bump has dropped down a bit this week.  I was hoping that would give some relief from my rib pain but clearly it's not dropped enough yet!

Antenatal Class & Growth Scan

Antenatal Class 1 - Labour/Delivery:

Our first antenatal class was last Wednesday and was all about labour and delivery.  My lovely mother-in-law accompanied to me as ALS wasn't able to make it due to a change in dates (see my 33 week update).  Quite honestly, I don't think I learned anything that I didn't already know.  However, I assume that was mostly because I've always had such an interest in pregnancy, I've read every book/website that I can lay my hands on and I work in a the Maternity/Gynae Department at my local hospital for a while.  These were the sort of topics that were covered:

- How to know when you're in labour and what to do during the early stages.
- How to time contractions.
- When to call the hospital.
- When to call an ambulance.  FYI the only time this is acceptable is if there's a head poking out!
- What types of pain relief are available.
- What happens after delivery (delivery of the placenta, baby checks, feeding, going home).
- When you'll be visited by the midwife once you're home.

It was a good opportunity to meet other couples, although we didn't really speak much and I think my wish to make mummy friends might be a bit of a long shot given that the most of the couples there were very different to ourselves and I didn't really "click" with anyone.

I think next week will be a bit more informative, especially for ALS, as it is all about newborn care and the first few weeks at home with baby.  Whilst I have experience with babies, ALS is very new to this and only held a baby for the first time a couple of months ago.  Even from my point of view, I'm hoping it will be useful for things that I've never experienced such as breastfeeding and bathing a baby - it'll be nice to get to go together as well.

34 Week Scan:

Today we had our 34 week scan (at 34+5 weeks) and things are all going pretty nicely.  Baby is head down with its bottom under my ribs on the left hand side and its feet pressing up into my ribs on the right (the source of much of my discomfort).  It was pointed out to us that baby is growing nicely and that its head is on the larger side and is on the 95th centile.  This was a source of much amusement to us, as ALS has a rather large head and as a family we like to remind him of this often.  It was also a source of some panic from me - nobody wants to hear that they got to push out a giant head! 

Baby's weight currently was estimated at 5 lb 13 oz - which is quite large in my opinion.  If it puts on the expected half a pound a week, then it'll be nearing 9 lb by due date and 10 lb if I end up going to 42 weeks!  However, everyone I've spoken to recently has found their estimated birth weight was quite a bit higher than baby ended up being and the sonographer did say that the head measurement may be skewing the calculations a little.  Considering I've gained less than 10 lb so far, I'd be surprised if a whole 6 lb of that was baby but we shall wait and see!

I'm absolutely thrilled that baby is the right way round and apparently it is at a 4/5 position in terms of engagement, so just dipping into my pelvis.  Time for lots of bouncing on my ball to get it lower down ready for the big day.  As there are no concerns with the growth, this will be our last scan and I won't see the Consultant again now until 6th November (40+5 weeks) for a sweep, if I've not had a baby by then!  It's all starting to feel very real.

Pregnancy - 34 week update

How far along?  34 weeks

How big is baby?  The size of a cantaloupe (or a quokka)  - around 45 cm and 2.1 kg (4.7 lb)!

Total weight gain/loss?  62.8 kg on the scales this morning which is actually a 0.5 kg (1 lb) down from last week.  I'm trying not to be concerned about this but my bump doesn't look like it has grown much either - very glad we have a scan in under a week!

Waist?  34.5 inches so another increase, which reassures me a bit regarding the above.

Stretchmarks?  No new ones - although I think I may have a couple just starting to show up, they only seem to be visible at certain times though.

Maternity clothes?  I'm off work on annual leave this week so living in my leggings - SO comfortable.

Sleep?  I've not had a lot of sleep this week due to difficulty getting comfortable but, as I've been off work, I've been able to have lie ins which has helped.

Best moment this week?  Spending some quality time with my sister-in-law and nephew yesterday.  He's 3 months old now and 9 lb 4 oz - the thought of giving birth to something that size was a little terrifying when I held him yesterday so hopefully Pip will be a little bit smaller.  Judging by the size of me and my bump, I'd be very surprised if Pip ended up being that big though!

Movement?  Lots, I'm noticing a lot more overnight now too.  A lot of the movements are right on my right-hand side and there's often something large and hard sticking out there (I'm guessing a head or a bum) so I think baby is lying sideways at the moment.  If Pip isn't head down by my scan on Monday it'll be all systems go to try and get him/her to shift round.

Food cravings?  Broccoli... how odd.

Food aversions?  Baked beans - I've been eating them since my craving last week but as of last night they're no longer appealing, I think it's the texture.

Gender?   Still thinking it's a girl but no real clue.

Labour signs?  Nothing at all and I'm happy to keep it that way for at least another 3 or 4 weeks.

Pregnancy symptoms?  Pretty much all of them - I'm just embracing it at the moment.

Belly button in or out?  In.  

What I miss?  I really fancied a cocktail the other night, but it passed pretty quickly!

What I am looking forward to?  I have my first antenatal class tonight!  I'll do a post dedicated to that a bit a later in the week once I've been but I'm looking forward to it.

Upcoming appointments/scans?  I have a scan and Consultant appointment on Monday (25th Sept) and then see the midwife again in 2 weeks on 4th October.

 Weekly wisdom?  Ask about your antenatal classes early!  My midwife didn't give me the form to fill in to book onto them until I was 25 weeks and said form should have been returned by 24 weeks.  We ended up being put on classes for 4th/11th October which would make me 36/37 weeks and I thought this was a little late personally but accepted it.  Yesterday they rang me to say there aren't enough people booked on so we'd have to move to the next block, which would have been 25th Oct/1st Nov which would be at 39 weeks and on my actual due date!  I told them this and they've squeezed me on ones tonight and next Wednesday.  However, due to the short notice, ALS can't make the one tonight because he has clients booked in.  I'm taking my mother-in-law instead, which she's excited about and she'll be great support for me, but as it's the one about labour/delivery tonight I think it would have really benefited ALS.  I've done a LOT of reading so I already have answers to all my questions, whereas he was mostly relying on the classes for his information - I shall have to make notes!

Milestones?  Nothing specific this week although we are at a point now where, if Pip decided to make an early appearance, providing there were no other complications, he/she would have around a 99% chance of survival!

Bump picture: 

I thought I'd add a shot from the front as well - I can't believe I still have a waist at 34 weeks pregnant!  I've not been trying to keep my weight down but I guess the regular exercise to keep myself fit and healthy has done that for me.