40 weeks & 5 days

40 weeks & 4 days

Another nice cool day today. We got up late & while paul has spent the day fiddling about in his shed and trying to fix the mower. I have watched some of 'love my way' series 3 on dvd & tidied the house. I am feeling like being quiet, slightly withdrawn & a little impatient. I'm just not in the mood for conversation as I just don't have much to say. Think I will go and run myself a nice warm bath and listen to my calm birth cd's before dinner. I feel like beef lasagne, so might go ask paul nicely if he would make it for me tonight.

40 weeks & 3 days

Still waiting..
Paul took these black n white shots of me today, will be a nice keepsake for us, I would have liked to do a belly cast but it was expensive to buy the materials so this is just as good. Paul has a few days off now so we are just enjoying some quiet time together & anxiously awaiting the arrival of this little person. Rented the dvd Noise & paul is cooking us Thai beef sausages, mash & green beans with onion gravy.

40 weeks & 1 day

I am pretty much ready now my labour bag & the babies bag are both ready to go. I think with every new day there is a chance we will have a baby at the end of it. No signs yet though... I guess this little one is not quite ready yet. I just ordered some return address labels for when we send out our birth announcements. It has been so humid today, I am hoping we will get a storm to cool things down. It was threatening to rain earlier just as I had hung the towels on the line so I had to take them off and hang them out undercover but nothing has eventuated out of all the thunder yet. Might give the chocolate muffins another go now we have milk & finish off the Christmas sewing.

Officially overdue

Still here & barely a braxton hicks.
Paul wanted to go to pick n payless to find a spare tyre for the car & my thinking was I am not going to go into labour sitting at home waiting so I joined him for the ride. Kinda funny I think being 40 weeks pregnant walking around the wreckers yard. We found a tyre eventually & went and paid and headed back to the car only to find that we had got the size slightly wrong! I had enough of walking around so decided to wait in the car while paul went back and found the right size & swapped it. The car was pretty hot so I had to sit with the door wide open & feet on the ground to get the breeze & I was starting to get a little antsy & overheated before paul thankfully got back, someone should tell him it's never a good idea to leave a pregnant woman in a car without a cool drink for very long. On the way home we picked up some maccas drive through & I fed paul his chips because his hands were covered in black crap form the wreckers. We didn't expect the trip to take so long & paul had to rush off to work not long after we got home. I am not sleeping well at night now so by 5 I was feeling exhausted and had to have a lie down, think I slept for a few hours, got up had some vegemite toast and watched some telly. I had the sudden urge to bake chocolate muffins at 10pm, but we didn't have any milk so they turned out a bit dry. I cleaned the fridge tonight & new seals are a priority when we get the baby grant, vacuumed the floors & hung out the washing on the line inside. Paul won't be home till after 2 and I'm not tired enough to try to sleep just yet otherwise I'll just toss n turn so I might go read one of my pregnancy books and have a shower. Just ripping some tracks to MP3 format to take to hospital with me, be good to use the headphones to block out any external distractions.

1 day to go

I am sure today & tomorrow will come and go and I will still be pregnant. I can't quite believe I am here at this point and we will be meeting our baby for sure within the next 10 days. I am feeling strong and positive about labour. Paul & I took a trip to Blaxland to pay some bills this morning and then headed to Mash Cafe for a coffee & some coconut bread w lime marscapone - yum. It was so warm today, really humid - the kind of weather that makes you stick to your seat. After coffee we wandered around the local nursery to price out some pots & then headed home. I was glad to get back to our cool house & have a lie down. I had a bit of a restless sleep last night like most nights these days & just couldn't get to sleep. It doesn't help that I need to get up to use the loo a dozen times a night and as soon as I get comfy in bed I feel I need to go again. I didn't want to disturb paul with all my tossing and turning so I took my 4 pillows and went and slept in bubs room. I had to get up and let Rufus in in the wee hours of this morning because he was barking at Cats - they were fighting or something. I was feeling a little mild cramping this morning like period pain I guess, a sign things might really start to happen soon. I'm expecting that because it's my first baby the lead up to labour will be over a few days.

40 weeks

2 days to go

I completely forgot about posting yesterday. I was too busy reorganising our office & baking shortbread. I over did the reorganising and really paid for it as my back was absolute agony last night and I was having heaps of braxton hicks, least I'm pretty sure that's what they were but it seemed to just be a continuous feeling of tightness with the occasional jabbing sensation of my cervix which I have been getting here and there. Paul arrived home in time to help me with the biscuits and we were dipping them in melted white chocolate at 10.30 pm. The result a little messier than I had imagined but being our first batch it was really trial & error and they taste extremely yummy, a little too yummy as I have eaten way too many already and feel a little dehydrated from all that sugary goodness.
I really think that it won't be too much longer now, Its hard to say that as I just don't know but that's what I am hoping. I think there is a little truth in the saying 'a watched pot never boils' so I'm going to spend some time focusing on the after from now on rather than on labour as I feel I have done that enough now & need to find a focus point to get me through the hard work of labour. I had a long chat with my friend Jo this morning, I really value that friendship and the fact I have someone to talk to that I understands what I'm going through.

4 days to go

I got up early this morning & made Paul a coffee before he headed off to work, did my hair & ate some buttery toast while waiting for mum to arrive to take me to my appointment at Nepean. The midwifes today were much nicer and so much more approachable than last week, the took my BP which was the same as last week 130/185 & checked bubs position which kind of was very pinchy cause the midwife had really long nails & was told that bub is not engaged yet! a little disappointing but I'm hoping I'm just one of those people that baby engages and labour will follow shortly after as they say first pregnancy bubs generally engage a few weeks before? So my next appointment is booked for 41 weeks and will be an ultrasound followed by an internal & talking inducement. I really hope I won't be making that appointment & am going to stay optimistic that this baby will get moving before I am looking down that barrel of inductions & internals. I have had some pains here and there over the last few days, more braxton hicks and sometimes I wake up during the night feeling aches which I sometimes wonder whether are real or imagined, Its getting hard to sleep as my hips & lower back ache and Its hard to get comfortable and I get up so many times a night needing to pee. This baby really is most active at night and seems to get the hiccups alot, It is a weird feeling to have hiccups in your belly.

5 days to go

It was so warm and sunny this morning, I got up and made paul a coffee before he headed off to work and hung a load of washing on the line. Then I could hear the low rumbling of thunder & went out to investigate & the sky was so black, then came the rain - big fat droplets followed by more thunder and lightning, it cleared for a while but it's pretty steady again now. I have been doing some sewing today, having a go at making a bib with some of the leftover Japanese mushroom fabric - bias binding really is my undoing! it really drives me nuts & it's so hard to get it looking neat & now I have run out of the thread I need to finish up the Christmas stuff I have been working on so I will have to pick some more up from spotlight tomorrow. Mum will be here about 11 to take me for my appointment at Nepean, hopefully my blood pressure will not be any higher. I have been a bit concerned about pre-eclampsia since yesterday when I had that headache, because that's one of the symptoms they told me to watch out for & I probably should have gone in to get checked out but it was Sunday & the panadol made it go away so I let it go. But I'm ok today, felt a little nauseous earlier on so I have just been taking it easy.

6 days to go

We had paul's family Christmas party on last night and I was feeling fine so I went & I would rather be with paul then to have to call him & tell him I need him to come home being so close now. The food was nice & it was good to meet a few of his cousins I haven't met before. That will be the last trip away from home before bub is born now.
I woke up with a really bad headache this morning so I had a shower some fruit and a big glass of water before going back to bed at around 9 & probably got up again about 12ish and the headache was still bad so I had to resort to taking 2 panadol, I have pretty much avoided taking any drugs at all during this pregnancy so this was a last resort. It made the headache go away but made me feel so tired I had to go have a sleep. I am feeling a bit cranky & resentful at the moment, I am a little anxious about how I will cope during labour & of family not respecting that this is our special time & making comments that they will be at the hospital waiting - Um I don't think so! even though it has been made very clear that we do not want anyone at the hospital that we haven't specifically invited, It is important to me that I am free of time constraints and as we never have this time again I make no apologies for how I feel nor should I. So I have made the decision there is no way we will be telling anyone I am in labour.

38 weeks 5 days ultrasound

I had my second appointment with a midwife at Nepean on Tuesday. I found her to be a little abrupt for my liking but she wasn't rude. I suppose that's the luck of the draw when using the public system and they deal with so many women every day you become a bit of a number. She took my blood pressure which was a little elevated again as it has been for the past 4-5wks and then got me to hop up on the bed to have a listen to bubs heart & check positioning & fundal measurement. She took the fundal measurement and said "your 34. You have to go for an ultrasound". That's what kind of put me off, just not used to that kind of abrupt manner I would rather be informed & the reason explained not just instructed like I have no choice. Bubs heart rate was perfect at 130.

So I was a excited and a little anxious about the scan today, i think that's normal though to worry they'll find something wrong. But everything was great and Bub is very healthy and a good size so no small baby here... hmm there goes my hopes for a neat little 6lb as the estimated size for bub is 7lb 6oz! Not sure how close to accurate those estimates are?

So we are both pretty happy with the results and just back to waiting now...Not long to go!
We parked a few blocks away from the hospital to avoid paying for parking & on the way back to the car walking through the hospital grounds I cut my foot when I collected a sharp stick between my thong and my foot. That hurt, when I looked down there was a big scratch. I kept walking but it was kind of worse than I thought and I had blood running down the side of my foot. So I walked as far as I could and just told Paul to get the car & come pick me up before I tripped over and really hurt myself. I felt a bit annoyed at his insensitivity, I just can't keep up his pace at 39 weeks pregnant! maybe now he will realise that's because I have an added 3.4 kilo baby pulling on my back as you wouldn't think so to look at me. I wonder myself? must be pretty squashed up in there.

Ooh and Yes it is still a surprise!

Amy's Birth preferences

I would like:

· Lights be kept dim & Noise kept to a minimum

· I wish to be able to move freely during labour & not tied to a monitor unless it is necessary for the condition of the baby

· To be able to eat & drink if I desire

· For the waterproof dopler to be used if I am in the bath or shower

I would prefer not:

· To have drugs offered to me during labour but would like it available on request

· I would prefer not to undergo vaginal exams unnecessarily.

Pain Relief:

· Water – use of the shower & bath

· Massage & positioning

·I would prefer:

·To try a physiological third stage and not to have or to delay the routine injection of syntocinon to allow me to deliver the placenta naturally

· I would prefer the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before it is clamped & cut

· For baby to be placed on my chest immediately after delivery

· For Paul to cut the cord

· I would like to bond with and breastfeed my baby, please delay weighing and measuring until I am ready

Post-Natal:

· To Breastfeed my baby, No Formula or other fluids to be given unless in a genuine emergency.

· I would like time for my Paul & I to bond with our baby, no visitors till we feel ready

a shandi & star of India

Yesterday was Paul's only day off & he has been working alot lately, so it was nice to have a just Us day. After a nice sleep in we headed to Penrith to do groceries & start the Christmas organising. A must for any attempt at Westfield's is to first to have a really big cup of coffee at one of our favourite cafe's. It has been ages since we last hired a dvd let alone seen a movie, so we joined up at our new local video store & hired out Romulus My Father & Tales From Earthsea and then picked up some yummy Star of India on the way home & a turkish delight of course (my latest craving). It was pouring down with rain all evening - perfect stay in & watch a dvd weather, so I set up the spread on the coffee table, pulled out the mattress & cushions & we watched Romulus My Father & Ate till we were both very full, we started watching Tales from Earthsea but we were both too tired and starting to doze off so we decided to finish watching it later and go to bed.

I had a prenatal appointment with my GP this morning, after nearly an hour wait I got in to see her. She did the usual checks and was happy with my blood pressure & Bubs heart rate was good too. Bub is not engaged yet she said and is slightly more mobile 5/5ths head down which she suggested could indicate I still have a few weeks to go as first babys sometimes engage a few weeks ahead of the birth unlike subsequent births when baby becomes engaged labour follows shortly afterwards. She also said that me having no stretch marks makes me less susceptible to having an episiotomy - Well That's good news! so fingers crossed that one turns out to be true. I'm not over being pregnant as I feel good but Its just the wait & see part now, I don't think I will go early but hoping not too far over my dd as I'd like to avoid an induction. I'm just wondering now When.. & calling Paul to come home from work to take me to hospital could be interesting, I just have no idea how it will feel & hope I won't be doing it alone for long. I don't need the world to know I am in labour either, we will let everyone know when we are ready to. One of my biggest fears is people turning up at the hospital while I am still in labour waiting for show & tell.

This will be Our special day & I hope it comes very soon, I am ready to meet this little person.

36.5 weeks

nursery in progress

Wednesday

video reflection of Jo & I part of 'Brahma ’ s Eco ' - Firstdraft gallery

Paul & I organised to catch up with Jo over lunch & then all head into the city to check out his latest exhibition. So seeing as how close Ikea is to Parramatta, we headed there before meeting up with Jo. I have been wanting to go for ages & wanted some small storage for bubs room, I was pretty excited about the prospect of all those practical Swedish homewares! but turned out the idea was far more exciting than the doing as Ikea is a bit of a crazy labyrinth with parents letting there kids go nuts road testing all the furniture. But in the end we came out with what we wanted so it was all good. Then we drove to Jo's place at Parramatta, left our car there and headed down to Church St to have lunch at Criniti's - antipasto platter and a godfather woodfired pizza. The food is just soo good there yum yum its my favourite Italian restaurant. After lunch we all headed off to the city by train & walked up to First Draft gallery from Central station to see Paul's work which looked really great in the space. Then headed back to Parramatta, had a hot apple cider at Mars Hill Cafe & then dinner at Jo & Troys place. I hope our baby is as calm a baby as Jo & Troys little boy Tate, he is such a cutie and hardly fusses just all smiles. Its nice to see that its still possible to get out and about and be social when you have a little one.

strawberry milk & chocolate

almost 35 weeks & New hair

Mum & Dad visited for the day today, really nice of them to drive the 2hrs each way to see me
We had coffee & the muffins I made yesterday and then later on we had lunch, I showed them the nursery and mum brought me some more eco sposies and chlorine free baby wipes. Mum has lent me her sewing machine & over locker so I will have a go at making some bibs in the next few weeks if I can get a hang of the machine.
None of my clothes fit any more its all down to belly bands and elastic waists now...
Cravings for ice cold strawberry milk and chocolate, so I took Rufus for a walk to the shops and back to buy some. Feeling tired and a bit run down today, I don't sleep well at night now as it's hard to get comfortable and I had to go and sleep in the bub's room to get away from Pauls snoring last night! (like sleeping next to a bus) I woke up at 4am with a sore itchy throat which is still hanging around a bit, hope it's not a sign I'm getting sick, I've managed to avoid it for so long.

unexpected visitors

I got a bit of a surprise this morning when I went into the laundry to let Rufus out, the back door was left open last night and it was evident that we had had a birdy visitor, there was mulberry bird poo on the walls and blinds & floor in the kitchen - no bird. Poor thing must have got the biggest shock wandering in to find Rufus sleeping under the table, funny that we didn't hear any of this commotion but the laundry & kitchen are closed off from the rest of the house at night. Thank goodness otherwise it could have been much worse. You just have to laugh at these things and it wasn't really a drama to clean it up. So lesson learned - keep the back door shut at night

Ending Work

Paid work that is.. I officially finished up work on Tuesday. How do I feel? relaxed, relieved, re- inspired, a little apprehensive about money - is there going to be enough, etc. It feels good, but it will take awhile for it to sink in that I'm not going back & in about 6 weeks I will have this little one In my arms so dependant on us both, that will open our hearts and change our lives. My last day was really no different to any other day, nothing special. God how I loathed that place, the fluro box I call it - no respect & no job satisfaction. I did not expect it & I didn't get it either after 12 months service not even a good luck card! jeez pretty stingy all I got was yeah let us know how it all goes, see ya.. Just confirms everything I already felt about the place & although I am grateful to have had a job and been able to pay the bills I really feel so free having left, like I can get my soul back, a consciousness and creative mind, just be me again.

34 weeks

Nursery in progress

So much fun! Took a trip to bunnings this morning and bought a canvas, some staples & some sandpaper to start on the chest of drawers in bubs room. I stretched the Big Numbers Japanese fabric that I bought from Etsy over the canvas. The last pic is of the Wee gallery flashcards that I framed.

Only one more shift to go

Next Tuesday will be my last ever shift at IGA... that is a great feeling! This week has gone much quicker than I anticipated it would. It is not just the long hours standing on my feet but the lack of job satisfaction or any form of appreciation tends to get to your emotional well being after awhile. It is a brain numbing job. I feel like I am getting my soul back leaving that place, sounds dramatic but it is true. I am planning on making the most of this precious time to get organised and spend plenty of quality time just paul & I, before we become three.

Reading, walking, blogging, cooking, Christmas preparations,
washing,going out for dinner, catching a movie,
drinking tea in the sunshine, Doctors appointments,
Midwives clinic, Painting, Decorating, Cleaning,
Catching up with friends,Quality time just the two of Us,
Hypnobirthing, Cut & Colour, Crafting etc.......

Mail from Tokyo

I love this Fabric!! All the way from Japan. I am going to stretch the Big numbers fabric over a canvas and hang it on the wall in bubs room as a feature. The robots I will either fame or save to make into bibs if we have a boy or give some to a friend for her little man.

Bub is 4/5ths head down

Well I am on fortnightly visits with my GP now, I'm at the business end of this pregnancy now. It's going so fast. My Blood Pressure was up slightly at this visit and Bubs is definitely head down 4/5ths, not engaged as yet but not sitting high either - must be all that standing on my feet I do all day. 3 more shifts left of work to go and today I got the longest one of them out of the way, My ribs felt a bit sore today and pelvis ached a little bit but that's all normal, I have a head down there and little feet well an truly up under my ribs. Today was the first time Paul really felt bub kick, I put his hand on my belly and pressed in a little and he got two really strong kicks think he was a little surprised at how strong they were :)
Cara came for a visit tonight, the second visit of 3 before my birth, She really is lovely and I feel more comfortable with her each time we get together. I'm not anxious about birth at this stage, I feel fairly relaxed about it all just taking each day as it comes. Plenty of reading material to get through in my time before bub decides to arrive. Want to paint the small chest of drawers in Bubs room and plenty of long walks with rufus planned. I have managed to keep fairly fit during pregnancy, which I attribute to the flight of stairs at work which I need to walk up each time I need to pee which is very frequently these days. The last week I have walked to and from Glenbrook station to get to work, I'm a little short of breath going up the hills but otherwise Its very enjoyable - this is such a beautiful suburb to live in, so peaceful & calming. Keeping very active is really very important to my being able to have an active birth and how I will cope.

33 weeks

Pregnancy insomnia

I find myself spending to much of my down time surfing the web, looking, trying to source out a good deal and find inspiration as well as shopping for baby. It's not a good habit and I need to create some distance between me and the PC. I really don't like the night owl hours I've been keeping of late, I like daylight it makes me feel good and I get so much more done when I get up early. I am really very close to finishing up work now which is really exciting only one more week to go as I have decided to finish up Tuesday week, It's so draining being in that place & I'm really starting to feel it standing on my feet. I have missed 2 weeks of belly shots and have to get Paul to take one for me tomorrow as I will be 33 weeks! yep I still have the belly button but its not far away from becoming flat. Aside from how I feel when I am at work, I feel pretty good probably the best I have felt in years really, I'm enjoying being pregnant and I feel very comfortable in my own skin. I think the nesting urge has definitely set in, getting things organised before bub arrives has become my no.1 priority and I can not rest until it is done. Cleaning - not so much, but I am sure to be in a mad frenzy in the last few weeks I can guarantee it. I am almost there really just a few more essentials to buy like the change mat, tops for breastfeeding, something for me to wear during labour & a few baby basics. I won a timber change table on ebay for $103 so we will head over to Castle Hill to pick that on Sunday very pleased with that buy as I factored it in as an essential item (save my back) and was looking at $200 minimum for a timber one, we will just need to buy the mat that goes on the top.

Tuesday parcel

All these goodies arrived in the mail today! I'm really enjoying putting together bubs room and getting organised for bubs arrival. The booties I bought in white not blue and they put in a complimentary extra pair so I have a size sml and a med, that was nice. The flash cards look great in the frames I bought - a perfect fit! and put the bath appliqués on tonight they look cute in our bathroom. The mamas and papas mobile plays twinkle twinkle little star maybe something else but I don't want to wind it all the way up just yet.

prints for baby's room

Just been trying to get some idea's for decorating bub's room. I want the room to be calming yet also fun and imaginative for a young mind. I was initially thinking of framing some vintage golden book prints but I came across 'Wee gallery' whilst browsing online and have bought a set of there flashcards which I will frame. High-contrast visual patterns help promote infant brain development.

'Wee gallery animals are designed to interest baby differently at different stages.
At birth, she is fascinated by the details of the
design, and as she grows older she points out the
animal by name'

I really love them and there are 6 different sets to collect as well as gorgeous wall graphics and canvas prints

I purchased them from here but they are also available here

Life after Work

I'm really excited to be finishing up work, I have put in my official notice to leave on November 2nd but am seriously considering making it the week earlier. I might just not work the Thursday and Friday night shift of my last week so that would make the 31st Oct my last day. I can no longer cope with standing on my feet for hours at a time and the continuous manual handling/lifting I'm required to do as they really have not made any exceptions for me at work apart from the ones I had to push to get. I really don't want to just sit around all day when I finish, I like to be busy but I also need to make the most of this time to rest up and prepare for bubs arrival. To be very honest I feel a little guilty about not working when Paul has too but Its not really just about me - it's just not healthy for bub and It's important I look after my body in order to make sure this bub is healthy and happy that's my No.1 priority.
So many things to do and ends to tie up before bub gets here; getting the Nursery ready, my birth plan, washing, my labour bag & hospital bag, Christmas preparations, cooking, freezing & more cooking etc...

Me

Rasberry Leaf Tea

It is believed that Raspberry leaf, if taken regularly through pregnancy and labour can:

	Sooth and prevent bleeding gums which many pregnant women often experience.

	Relax the smooth muscles of the uterus when it is contracting (Burn & Withell, 1941).

	Assist with the birth of the baby and the placenta.

Its is suggested that it is best taken in the third trimester in the lead up to labour up to 4-5 cups per day. I purchased some red seal raspberry leaf tea bags from the health food shop in Glenbrook today and found it to be very drinkable, light and subtle tasting. Bub seemed to get lots more active when I drank it though somersaulting around in there

more Baby shower pics

Baby Shower

Wow.. what a day - beautiful food, gorgeous gifts, I feel totally spoilt!
Angela & Lisa outdid themselves with the food, it looked and tasted amazing. I got so many gifts for the baby everyone was just so generous. The boys went to the pub for a few hours and left us girls to our own devices. It was great to catch up with everybody, eat and drink tea in the sunshine. Really enjoyed myself...

almost asleep on my feet

I have found since I hit the 30 week mark I just tire so easily now, really starting to need a nanna nap in the afternoons. The only way I manage work is to take a little longer coming back from the bathroom so I can sit down for a few minutes and rest up otherwise I would probably pass out, my feet really start to hurt by the end of a shift. I really really am looking forward to finishing up work It can't be good for the baby when my body gets that tired. So glad it's the weekend! I can sleep in a little and start organising our new home putting things in their place and then on Sunday I am having my Baby shower, get to catch up with friends and just enjoy myself. The boys are being relegated to the local pub for a few hours - no complaints from them. My belly is getting big, I feel I follow it when I walk and its hard bend down, baby definitely does have certain times during the day that its awake and very active mostly at night and early mornings although I feel him moving around here and there over course of the day seems to be lying towards my left side at the moment. Really can't tell what is what but my GP seemed to think bub is head down now. I have my second appointment at Nepean on monday morning so it will be interesting so see if that Doc tells me any differently.

Results - I got the all clear

Sigh of relief... I received the message on tuesday that my extended glucose tests have come back all clear & I do not have gestational diabetes. So grateful for that. I think that would have really put my plans for a natural birth out as there would be much higher a chance they would want to induce me at a certain point. So baby is all healthy and I am feeling good only 9 weeks to go now to my guesstimated due date and 4 weeks till I finish up work at 35 weeks! which is 2 weeks earlier than initially planned but I am getting tired easily now and standing on my feet and lifting continuously is getting too hard. I think me and bub will be much better off this way. Now we are finally moved I can enjoy the downhill run to meet this little person. I am not anxious about the birth at all just going to go with the flow trust my body won't let me down. Start working on my birth preferences plan now, I think the main thing for me is having space & being free to choose how I want things to go. For Paul and I to have special bonding time just us and baby in the first few hours after the birth is very important to me. I want to be without the pressure of expectations of family and friends we will introduce our new little bub to everyone when we feel ready too - most likely we will want to do this straight away, but I don't want to tie Us to a time frame. I am less anxious when I feel in control of my situation.

Packing Cleaning Sorting = moving house

I'm surrounded by bits and pieces of my life, boxes, glasses, clothes and books, furniture being taken apart, cupboards being emptied and wiped out. All in preparation to move house over the next 5 days. This weekend we will move the vast majority of our belongings to the new house and then spend next week cleaning this place till we hand in the keys late Thursday afternoon. I have been feeling pretty relaxed about it all, I'm very ready to get it all over and done with and get sorted before we welcome a new person into our lives. I've been pretty preoccupied with house hunting and stress bought on by that over the last 6 months, It will be nice to be able to just focus my energies over the next 10 weeks or so on being pregnant and preparing myself for labour, birth and looking after a new little life.

Glucose Tests = human pincushion

A few weeks ago I went and had a Glucose challenge test which required me to drink a 50g glucose/ 300ml - very sweet drink and sit in the pathology waiting room for 1hr then get a blood test. It wasn't too bad I did start to feel a little flushed by the end of the hour though.

I hadn't heard anything so I was assuming everything was good but the other night I got home and paul told me my GP had rang and said my Blood sugar levels came back too high and I would need to go and do a more extensive test for gestational diabetes.. crap!! she left a referral at the desk for me so I figured that meant it was obviously pretty important for me to get it done asap, so I took today off work and booked in to have the test done. This time round was much more intensive - I had to fast for 12hrs (except water) and when I got to pathology at 9.30 this morning I had to give them a urine sample followed by a blood test, then drink an even sweeter glucose drink and wait 1hr before having another blood test and then another hour before a final blood test. I coped pretty well & the nurse was very quick and accurate with taking my bloods so not to much discomfort on my part. So next Wednesday when I have my routine prenatal with my GP I will get the results, hopefully all is good and It's just a false alarm, because gestational diabetes means the baby can be big and can lead to more intervention for labour & birth - not what I want.

30 weeks

Moving in October!

I am really both excited & happy that we finally got approved on a new rental property. Seems things are slowly beginning to fall into place, it is the perfect time & perfect spot. Wow... feels good.
So come October we will be moving to the beautiful sunny suburb of Glenbrook.
I will be able to set up the nursery for bubs arrival which I am looking forward to do. Now to start packing!

boy or girl

seems lots of people like to tell you their personal predication on the sex of the baby. We are not going to find out, well not for another 13 weeks at least. In the last week I have been told by a few people that they think I'm having a boy because I'm carrying it low. I don't have any preferences at all on boy or girl, just that bub arrives safe & healthy is all that I wish for. But from the very beginnings I have felt like I think it is a boy that is just my instinct but I could be wrong, for a short while there I thought girl but it was when I was looking at girls names. If it comes down to food like some of the Old wives tales say sweet for girl & savoury for boy well I've craved both sweet and savoury foods but I did the pendulum test on myself today with a ring of mine & a hair from my head and seems to go round & round which supposedly tells me I'm having a boy as side to side is a girl.

In the last week bubs kicks are noticeably stronger and I find I can now feel bub moving lots more often especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Found myself very restless last night kept getting up and down and couldn't settle till I put the hypnobirthing cd on & that always works a treat - I'm out to it & most times find I get a better nights sleep after listening to it.

27 weeks = third trimester

In search of a pram

well the end of another week and I just feel so depleted. We faced yet another rejection this week in our hunt for a new place and it's getting harder to pick the pieces up after continuous disappointment.

I need cheering up right now and something to distract my mind away from it all, getting organised makes me feel secure and safe so right now that's what I really need to be doing.
Tomorrow we will go and put a pram on layby and maybe go and look at other nursery stuff. The car seat has been purchased and mum and dad will bring that when they visit on the 17th they have been fantastic with helping us get ready for bub which we are very grateful for. I have organised a loan of some of the major essentials like the bassinet and baby bath and a friend has convinced me I should go ahead and have a baby shower - It's really the best chance and probably the only chance I have to catch up with friends before bub arrives.

Swan - Beema Q elite

Update....

Pauls mum met us at Baby Co and we put the pram on layby so that's a small weight off my mind, went with the portafino (red/black) will go and purchase a sun cover later as I think it's an essential. Then we headed off to Babies Galore to have a browse & we have decided on the boori - paddington cot which we will puchase after bub is born and the baby grant comes in.

Lunar Eclispse

Last night there was a lunar eclipse and the moon turned a deep red orange colour, It was beautiful & the night sky was clear and perfect for seeing this phenomenon that we won't see now for another 4 years. I set up the camera with the long angle zoom lens on a tripod in the front yard and took this shot I think its pretty special.

Book in @ Nepean

Yesterday at 2pm I had my appointment at Nepean for the initial book in, I made the appoinment more than 2 months ago & this was the first time they could give me. Just shows how high the birth rate really is down there. So I went to admin to fill out forms and then they sent me up to women & children outpatients ward where I met with a Midwife - debbie did not keep me waiting long at all & once in the consultation room I got handed my Bounty bag - basically a pregnant womens show bag! full of goodies and magazines to read. Then I was weighed, blood pressure checked and bubs heart beat checked - all perfect... she asked me alot of questions about my lifestyle & family history which is added to my file at the hospital. I got given the yellow card which I have to take to all my appointments from now on (it's basically a medical history that is portable). I got to ask questions and I was really pleased with the outcome of it all, has put my mind at ease and so far come across as being open and supportive to a few things that may be considered alternative to some. This will help me put together my Birth Intentions sheet over the coming weeks as I now have a much better idea of the kind of things I need to write in there and the kind that I don't. We finished off with a wee sample to check if I had any urinary infections - I don't, and I was out of there on time, perfect.

Paul picked me up out front, the car full of lengths of timber from his trip to bunnings - we really need roof racks! I don't like being in a car with potential spears right behind my head. Such a beautiful day, it was actually quite hot, balmy almost. Days are definitely getting longer as It didn't get dark till around 6ish, after doing some grocery shopping & on our way home you could just smell bbq in the air. This weather just makes me feel so good.

Anxiety

I am a bit of a night owl it's a habit I've developed living with Paul as is the life of a bartender. But not long after going to bed last night I awoke feeling anxious for no particular reason , maybe I ate dinner too late before going to bed? But it's not a nice feeling it's like a sensation of closing in, quite overwhelming if you let it take over. So I got up and filled the sink with hot water and used my lavender body wash and a hot towel all over, made sure I was breathing through my nose and then went back to bed listening to some relaxation music which all seemed to help calm me. I then just sat up in bed for a while just watching my belly move as bub kicked and they were quite strong, I am finding that bub is responsive to my touch now.

I hate the feeling of being out of control of my own body which is exactly what the feeling of anxiety is & I know this will be something I need to deal with more as my pregnancy progresses and my body changes and becomes more uncomfortable as well as during the pain of labour, but I know I can get past it with relaxation techniques as it is after all "all in the mind" so I will be glad when my Hypno birthing book finally arrives and I can get started on preparing myself more for labour & giving birth.

25 weeks

Pure exhaustion

I am very literally almost asleep on my feet tonight, work was a major struggle today I just felt absolutely exhausted and kept getting light headed on and off all day which made me feel very crappy. I try and focus my mind on something else when I feel a bit dizzy, deep breaths to stop the anxiety creeping in and lots of water and I get through it ok. It was the opening night of Helen Lampiere show at Art Space last night, I am soo proud of Paul being selected to be part of it & his work looked great.

We trained it to the city and walked across the Domain to Woolloomooloo, It was windy and very cold & my new shoes kept slipping on me and I constantly had to stop to fix the insoles so they would stay on and I could walk. There were lots of people and smoke and noise which made me tired quite quickly, standing on my feet I felt a little light headed so had to go and sit down and kind of demand I really needed to eat. We went and had a pub meal with some friends and then on to the Bells which was very noisy but the music was good - Bob Dylan, Paul Kelly, Metallic songs all the old favorites. Bub was certainly very active in response to our surrounds. I felt such a ball and chain as I was just so tired and a little put out that all the smokers had to sit out side in the freezing cold, sure ok if you have a little alcohol in the system to keep you warm while here's me completely sober and not wanting to second hand smoke for the health of our child so I was left hanging about inside. The train ride home was extremely long and cold, I was very glad to get home for a hot shower. This morning I woke in the early hours and felt very sick & then in my head I was so worried I'd hurt our baby by being out so late and getting so very cold and breathing in more smoke than I would have liked to, I felt so guilty.

Feeling big

I'm feeling big at the moment, it's only in the last week that I seem to have gotten bigger and the belly is more noticeable when I'm doing things, it's starting to get in the way a bit and I have to lean over it at work. I am 6 months this weekend another little milestone and bub has been more active in the last few days. It seems to be on and off some day's go by and I hardly notice any movement then there will be several days in a row that bub makes their presence known. A girl who left work on maternity leave about 2 weeks ago had her bub on Wednesday morning, makes me feel excited that it will be me soon enough. We are still looking for a new place to live which is very frustrating and we may even have to move completely out of the area, somewhere that is family & pet friendly. Thinking about South Windsor which is an area I have always loved but of course it will throw my pre-natal care plans out of the water and I will have to change hospitals but If it's meant to be then I think we should just go with it. I want to live somewhere that has a sense of community and is family orientated where I can easily get about and meet other young mums and raise our child in a safe, happy environment. Windsor also is partly still a rural area so there's plenty of green spaces. I really like the idea of moving there.

Maternity

My eBay purchase arrived in the mail yesterday so I now have three new tops to wear. I am finding even the longest of my regular pre-pregnancy tops starting to ride up and expose my belly so I have invested in buying some well fitting maternity tops from an Aussie designer's Ripe & Szabo. I really love them and they make me feel good so I have requested a mail order catalogue from Ripe so I can buy a few more things.

22 weeks

22 weeks

Your baby is about 7.6 inches long and weighs about 12.3 ounces. Your baby's muscles are developing and becoming stronger week by week. During week 22 of pregnancy, your baby will respond regularly to sound, rhythm, and melody. The sounds that your baby hears in your womb will soothe him or her after birth.

At this point in your pregnancy, your baby's brain and nerve endings are formed just enough so that the baby can feel touch. Other developments include the eyelids and eyebrows becoming well developed, the fingernails are completely formed, and taste buds have started to form on your baby’s tongue

At this stage in my pregnancy I'm feeling pretty good apart from a few aches and pains in my back and behind my knees but I have lots more energy than I did in the first trimester. I have a belly now but it's not too big just yet - I can still see my feet & it's not in the way. I feel pregnant when I see my belly getting bigger, it seems to be slowly growing. Sometimes I have had to take a reality check that I'm really going to have a baby in four months, it blows me away but I'm excited about meeting our little one, wonder what he or she will look like and how we will handle this new part of our lives. I woke up the other morning feeling baby kicking and they were stronger than I had felt before, I grabbed Paul's hand and put it on my belly so he could feel them too. I find our baby is most active in the mornings and late at night when I am lying still I can feel movement and little kicks. I haven't bought much stuff for bubs arrival just yet as I'm just waiting till we get settled in a new place which I hope is very soon. I want to make an effort to update this journal on a more regular basis as things change so subtly and quickly and I want to be able to look back and know how I was feeling. I bought some Johnny Cash the other day as I have been meaning to for quite some time, that voice.. I really want to buy some Fiona Apple as well really into her right now.

starting to show

somebody actually asked me the other day "Is this your first baby" that's when I realised I've reached the point of looking pregnant & not just fat. Which is really nice and made me feel good, I like my round belly. Now my shirts are getting too short to cover my belly so I have to wear a longer top underneath.

I have been more stressed than I should be of late due to issue's at work and the thought of moving as we found out the other day that an offer has been made on our house, which pretty much means it's sold so getting official notice can't be far off. We have started to seriously look now for a new place and I'm very keen to get settled somewhere soon, be able to start setting up for bub's arrival. We have looked at two places so far, the first one was in a quiet street in Penrith but it was a total dump, real estate pic's were extremely deceiving. The next place we looked at was in Emu Plains and it is in the process of being renovated - new bathroom, new carpets and timber floors with a big yard and good fences, so we put an application in for it today, It would be really great for us as it's so centrally located about 15 mins walk to the local shopping centre. Hopefully we will get approved.

20 weeks GP visit

Well I'm here. the official half way point and it's gone so quick. Monday I had a routine prenatal check up with my GP, all is good - weight, blood pressure, measurements & position of uterus (which is up to my belly button now). Dr Rachel used the dopler to have a listen to bubs heartbeat- last time it was hard to pick up and lots of static noise but this time you could hear it straight away so loud and strong. I'm trying to watch what I eat so that I am getting enough nutrition but I'm feeling really good at the moment, lots more energy now than I had a month ago. Have to look into buying some maternity clothes very soon - still fitting into my size 10 jeans but find I have to undo the button when sitting or after eating as the pressure on my belly is uncomfortable. Work keeps me active, lifting groceries all day and theres a flight of stairs to get to the bathrooms & I'm walking up and down those at least 4 times a day. Paul and I went out for dinner in Newtown last night which was great, so good to get out of our immediate environment and spend some quality time together. We had dinner at Newtown Thai II - super yummy. curry was only mild but after eating a bit and being inside with the heater on I got really flushed and my heart was beating really fast, till I drank some water and took a few deep breaths. Then a beer at the pub (cranberry juice for me) after that we ended the night with pistachio & rum and raisin gelato at Ice n Splice.

20 weeks

I am at the 'half way' point now. They say that the baby now measures about 22 cm from head to toe and weighs about 340 grams. I'm starting to feel more movement now although it is still very subtle.

In week 20 baby's nails form and their fingerprints are now visibly engraved in their fine skin. Their permanent teeth now appear behind their baby teeth deep within their gums. The bones in your baby's inner ear and their nerve endings are now developed to the point where it is possible for them to hear sounds.

waiting for movement

I look at my reflection in the mirror and think it's so hard to believe there's this little baby in there, I have definitely gotten bigger bump wise but am still quite neat. It's the ultrasounds and feeling baby move that confirm what's really going on inside, at this point I have felt a sort of shifting and the occasional pop or bubble but no strong kicks as yet. They say for a first pregnancy weeks 20-24 are when the first movements can be felt, I'm looking forward to that. Every day is a progression and brings subtle changes. I worked out that I have four months left of work before I go on maternity leave, that's not very long at all. Before we know it our baby will be here and our lives will change, we will be learning so many new things & finding our own feet as to how we raise our child.

Today is my birthday, another year older & being 19 weeks pregnant makes it all the more special. Paul made me ham & cheese croissants & coffee this morning and gave me a beautiful bunch of pink roses. I couldn't have asked for a nicer day spent with my gorgeous thoughtful man soaking up the sunshine.

18 week Ultrasound

I had my last ultrasound today so technically the last time I get to see bub before he or she is born. Our appointment was at ten to 9 at Nepean hospital, it was very difficult to get out of bed this morning I had a restless nights sleep full of weird vivid dreams and I awoke to a tension headache behind my eyes. I worked the close shift last night and found myself getting so drowsy mid way through so I bought some natural jelly beans to munch on for the rest of the shift to keep me awake, thus the weird dreams and sugar hangover this morning.
It was difficult to find a park at the hospital & we ended up having to find a spot on the street a few blocks away, not so good for a pregnant woman with a full bladder, but we made it there on time anyway and didn't have to wait very long before we were taken in for the scan. A student sonographer performed my scan initially then the qualified Sonographer took over at the end, It was a very comprehensive scan and went for much longer than my other scans which didn't bother me as I got to see bub for longer - every time I have a scan I am just amazed to see that I really do have this baby growing inside me, getting bigger and stronger every day.
Lying flat on the bed for so long left me with a sore back, the walk back to the car was a hard one as my back kept cramping up which is very painful.

We are starting the house hunt now as I just want to be able to feel secure with a new lease and be able to start organising things for when bub arrives, I just can't do that here as they won't give us any indication of what's happening with the sale of the property, all we know is we get our quiet Saturday's interrupted for an hour while the real state bring strangers through our house. There's two places we are keen to see locally and hopefully we will be able to go through them very soon, around here places go at the snap of a finger so you have to be quick and jump on anything that's suitable.

18 weeks & 5 days