I’m a little late in updating this week. It’s been a lazy weekend until last night. I went to bed around 11pm, and woke up at 1:30am with horrendous stomach cramps – I knew it wasn’t labour. I thought perhaps wind. I lay until 2am but had to get up, resulting in 30 minutes on the toilet… yup… diarreah!! I took to the sofa to try to sleep. OMG the pains carried on for an hour until I fell asleep. I was so close to calling for an ambulance!

This morning I felt a little better, still slight tummy cramps and another dose of gross diarreah. I’m guessing I ate something bad, but unsure what. It was either a pasta dinner from Saturday evening or a pork pie from yesterday.

No signs of labour – I’m ok with that today though, I’m very tired from my adventures! I’m looking forward to a good sleep tonight. Bring on labour vibes for tmor

I booked my 40 week midwife appointment for Friday. Hopefully I don’t make it, but at this rate, it looks like I will. I’m hoping the midwife will do a sweep if I do get there, but as I wont be technically classed as “overdue” but only “due”, apparently they wont do anything, not even check my cervix Which means my next appointment would be the following Friday – 41 weeks – before they would try anything to set off my labour Let’s hope it’s not required!

Jellybaby update time!

Whether you give birth tomorrow or next week, it’s pretty much all the same for your baby, who is now truly R-E-A-D-Y to face the big bright world outside of your womb. Speaking of wombs, your body is priming up for the big moment and hopefully, you’re as prepared mentally as you can be. Your baby is well stocked up on fat, all their organs have put on the finishing touches. Here’s hoping your child is already in the birthing position and basically just “hanging out” waiting for that elusive moment when all sysytems synchronize in your body to trigger the labor process.

Wow!! 2 weeks to go huh!! Not too much to report on this week. I’m still feeling pretty good. Heartburn doesn’t seem to be as frequent but when I get it, it’s annoyingly bad, especially through the night. However, it’s nothing too harsh! I’m getting more indigestion after eating, but I guess with everything so squished, it’s only natural! Again, nothing too bad really. I feel like baby has dropped a bit the past few weeks, and the midwife app yesterday confirmed that. DH tells me when he sees a difference in how low my tum looks as well.

I’m enjoying my maternity leave, although getting a bit bored at times. I’m not really one to sit doing nothing, but I don’t have the energy to do much! Finally got my hospital bag finished at the start of the week, and got some food shopping in. I think it will be the last time I go to the supermarket until after baby arrives… thank goodness for online grocery shopping!!

I ordered a chair from Ebay to go in the baby’s room, for nighttime feeds. My plan (whether it works or not), is to do all feeds through the night, in baby’s room, so hopefully we can teach him/her the difference between day and night. I had an email yesterday to say it has been despatched so I guess it should arrive Monday or Tuesday! Then we’ll have to clear a space for it… goodbye ironing board – who keeps an ironing board in a nursery anyway

And how is JellyBaby doing this week?!:

As you know, you’ve arrived at the final leg of your pregnancy journey, and if you’re still carrying your little love around, they’ve just about reached their birth weight (somewhere between 6 to 8 pounds is average depending on whether they’re a boy or girl). There really isn’t a lot to report on baby this week, so lets do a quick recount of where we’re at: all internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world, they’ve got their meconium stockpile building up (their first black baby poo), lots of healthy baby fat, a rapidly developing brain (that’ll keep growing with them for years to come), and they’ve more or less reached official baby status– all they need to do is “head out” and say hello to the rest of the world and especially their ready-to-pop momma.

Technically, we are full term!! This baby can come at any time! I finally got my hospital bag finished completely today. I got new PJs and a dressing gown, also some magazines and snacks. I then proceeded to unpack everything and then re-pack to make sure I have everything. So, yup, we’re ready to go!!!!

I finished up with work last Friday, it was very strange leaving them, kinda a mixture between “i’m on a weeks holidays” and “OMG I’ll never see you guys again”, even though I will lol!! Baby got very spoilt indeed. The whole department clubbed together and bought the cot mobile and a play gym. We also got personal gifts from 3 girls. One of the gifts has become our “coming home” outfit… click here to see the outfit.

All I want now, is to get the house cleaned and I’ll be a happy camper and ready for this babba!! The Braxton Hicks have increased over the past few days, nothing sore just a little uncomfy. Good ol’ uterus getting prepared!!

Jellybaby time!!

It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby’s weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 7 lbs and 20 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within their physical capacity when your little fighter is born.

Yep, only 4 weeks to go now!! Starting tmor, this is my last week of work. I’m getting to the stage where I’m needing the rest now. Especially after having a weeks holidays… going back in last Friday was very hard going!! 5 more working days though!!

We have the parenting class on Thursday night. This week is about labour and “typical, normal” delivery. Should be interesting!! And I have the midwife on Friday for my 36 weeks appointment, despite the fact I’ll be 37 weeks. Our doctors were closed last Friday so it’s delayed a week. I am looking forward to seeing if the midwife says baby has engaged further, I feel like there has been a slight drop. I am feeling movements lower down *there* so I’m guessing so!!

My cold have virtually gone now, I’m left with the horrible catarrh aftermath now lol!

JellyBaby time!!

The countdown continues… and in fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we are structurally ready for a secure launch. In physical fitness news: their muscle tone has also improved over these past few weeks, and you’ll definitely be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm). And in genital development: if you’re having a girl, her labia are now fully developed. Finally, in the fluids/excretion department: the amniotic fluid-to-baby ratio has fallen over these past weeks, although they’re still swallowing fluid (building up even more meconium for that historic first poop), and some vernix caseosa. They will be more than ready to swallow and digest milk after birth. Just in case you didn’t get it quite yet: you’ve got yourself an adorable and hungry 6.5 lbs 20 inch baby—are you ready?

And the very last picture in “how big is baby”… the next one will be a birth weight & picture of our baby!!! 

So, what’s new this week? We had the midwife on Fri for our 34 weeks check up. All was fine apart from a slightly raised sugar level – she took blood from me for testing. If it shows anything she will phone me tmor, and I’ll have to arrange to go do the glucose tolerence test, if I hear nothing, it came back fine. I hope it’s fine  I really don’t like the sound of the glucose test, seriously think I’d vomit!!Baby is head down and 4/5’s engaged. Blood pressure was fine. So all in all a good app.

I’ve managed to book DH & I on the parenting classes – the start on 8th January and are weekly for 4 weeks… ending the day before my EDD Eek! Supposing we only get the first 2 classes I’ll be happy, week 1 is about labour and “normal” delivery, week 2 is about ventouse, forceps and c/sections, weeks 3 and 4 are about feeding and caring for baby.

I still feel pretty good for the most part. I get rather uncomfy if I’m walking for any length of time, and the more I walk, the more baby’s head presses on my bladder… making me worried I’ll have a little accident Heartburn and achy ribs are still present but I think that’ll be with me until bubbs arrives now. It’s not bad enough that I can’t cope or anything, just annoying! Sleeping is getting a little more tricky, I can only get comfy on my left side, which means by morning my left hip is achy. But it’s fine as soon as I get up. 2 bathroom trips through the night appear to be common occurance now Luckily I can get back to sleep pretty quickly after these though. So it’s not all bad.

I must pack my hospital bag this week or perhaps next week once Christmas is past!

JellyBaby time!

Your amazing baby is on the move! They’ve been riding fairly high in your stretched-out womb till now (while kindly compressing your poor internal organs), but now they’re planning on making the big move to your pelvis this week. If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift that signals that your baby is most likely out of breech position, with their head now resting on your pubic bone. In liver news: although not quite fully formed, your little miracle’s liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste. In general, most of your child’s prenatal physical development is pretty much up to snuff and ready for the outside world. Naturally, further weight gain is expected—so you’re still not at maximum capacity despite probably feeling like you definitely are maxed out.