Ambulance Mini
Time for a drink
Can you spot the fish?
Sunsettting as we head home:
Well I didn't have much to write for these weeks but hey, here goes, I've not been working which is fantastic and to be honest i don't know whether i'd be able to cope with it at this time really.
Sleeping has been a lot more difficult, and i find myself waking up throughout the night to go to the loo, i swear my little man is just sitting on my bladder on purpose, lol. Also sometimes i wake up really early absolutely starving so i have to get up and have breakfast regardless if its 6am or not. lol.
I had my 36 week check up with the midwife, everything was ok, bp 120/60, belly measuring 38cm which was alright, little man still not engaged which i knew anyway, he's quite happy where he is. I had my last NCT class as well on the same day which was good, a little sad to be finishing them but really looking forward to the next stage of this journey now.
I also had my 36 week consultant appointment and it was ok although they found traces of protein in my urine which they sent off to the lab for testing and it turned out i've got a slight water infection, great stuff, antibiotics for me. Not bad considering i've got no symptoms and haven't had one in years! My consultant also gave me a quick growth scan and said our little man was a "normal weight" no idea what that means but he had enough fluid and everything so its all good. Plus i got to see him again which i totally wasn't expecting.
37 weeks (FULL TERM!! Woop Woop!!!)
Little man's head is now supposed to be cradled in your pelvic cavity, surrounded and protected by my pelvic bones. This position clears some much-needed space for his growing legs and bum, bless him. Average weight is now 6.5lbs.
38 weeks:
Not really much happening, just sorting odd bits at home, making sure everything is ready for when our little man decides to make an appearance. Weight wise little man weighs about 6.8lbs supposedly. He's still very much happy where he is, driving his mummy a bit loopy when he decides to go mad when i'm trying to get to sleep but honestly i don't mind, he's my naughty little monkey.
Bump pics:
From side:
From Above:
Me at Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth at 38 weeks
4th October:
I just had to share my day with you. My boyfriends mum invited me out to a girly lunch today earlier this week with her and my boyfriend's stepsisters, i thought great, haven't been out to lunch for a while, its not unusual for her to go out to lunch in the slightest so i thought nothing more of it. When she picked me up she said she thought we'd go to frankie and bennys as the girls like it and so do i, no complaints here i thought!
It turns out that my sister had organised a baby shower for me!!!
It was so nice, we got there and there was my mum, sister, sisters mother in law and a few of my best friends who i've known for years as we went to school together.
My mum made this gorgeous cake:
The baby on the top is actually fully handmade including the face and hands, my mum is so clever!!
We had a gorgeous meal followed by my favourite dessert - cinnamon waffle crunch, (yummy!!!). I also got some lovely presents too - vests, sleep suits, a lovely photo album, a babies first thing that hangs on the wall which has got space for hand/foot prints, pics etc. Plus some random baby bits like booties, muslin squares, scratchmits and socks etc.
I feel so spoilt and actually had absolutely no idea that my sister had had planned it. She is an absolute star!!
35 Weeks (20th Sept)
Well i had my last day at work on monday (14th) and i have to say its fabulous! I am so pleased that i have finished. Its given me a completely new lease of life, its amazing what a difference it makes.
I had my 34 week mw appointment at 34+2, all was well, measurements - Fundal Height 36cm, BP 130/70, everything else was fine. They took some bloods to check my iron levels etc.
I thought i'd share some belly pictures, stretch marks and all, lol.
I had my first NCT class and it was so nice to meet one of the girls from my baby website - Helen at last! I'm looking forward to the rest of them too. There are 5 couples in our group, 3 of us ladies are all due on the same day. How weird is that?
This week i have started doing all the organising that i want to here and it feels good that things are starting to come together.
This week our little man weighs about 5.5lbs, his fingernails have reached the tips of his fingers. He is getting chubbier and his shoulders are plump at this point. He also begins to develop his own immune system.
36 Weeks
Only 4 more weeks to go!! Eeeek! I haven't done much this week, i've just kind of been pottering round the house, doing odd bits, watching baby programs. Sleep is becoming more and more difficult. Its a struggle to get comfortable. I've had a few afternoon naps when i've needed them, mainly because i've been wide awake at 6 or 7am and usually hungry at that time too. lol. I am tending to get tireder quicker now too, i think my little man is stealing more of my energy.
Most of the baby stuff is now all ready now. There's a few little things that i bought yesterday that i need to wash but everything else is washed and ironed and put away ready for him. We've got enough nappies, wipes, baby smellies etc for when he is born. I've got pretty much everything i'll need both for my hospital bag and a few bits for at home too. I've roughly packed both my hospital bag and a bag for our little man although i'm sure i'll probably repack them both, i know what i'm like.
This week our little man weighs about 6lbs. He is almost full term! So exciting!!
According to what i've read i should of written a birth plan for now but i haven't written anything. I don't have a specific plan, i know that i want a natural as possible birth and i don't particularly want to be given pethedine as i've heard some people have had hallucinations with it. Other than that, i just want to go with the flow really. Is that so wrong? I know people who have their heart set on a certain birth and then its all gone out the window so my logic is that if i don't do one, then i can't be disappointed right?
Week 32 (30th August)
Our little man now weighs about 4lbs and is around 42.4cm long from head to toe. Although his lungs won't be fully developed until just before birth, he is inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise his lungs and practise breathing.
He is enjoying kicking my ribs at times now too – OUCH!!
Overall I am feeling absolutely knackered and have to come home and have a lie down/sleep when I get home from work. My boyfriend has been fab though, taking care of me and making dinner most nights.
Week 33 (6th September)
Our little man now weighs about 4.4lbs and is around 43.7cm long from head to toe. He should already be getting ready for birth by turning upside-down – his head should be pointing down, ready for birth. His skull is still quite pliable and not completely fused, so she can ease out of the relatively narrow birth canal. But the bones in the rest of his body are hardening. His skin is also gradually becoming less red and wrinkled as fat builds up underneath.
With the exception of crying, he is now capable of doing everything that a newborn baby will do. He is restricted inside of my uterus, but still can kick and move. Supposedly he sleeps a lot of the time, just as newborn babies do. His eyes move in the manner of REM sleep and researchers believe that babies can dream vividly in uterus. When he is awake, he is listening, feeling and learning.
I know that some women get swelling in their hands/feet too around this stage but so far so good. I have noticed that I have lost my appetite though, strange I know. I am trying to eat properly even if I am not really feeling that hungry.
Bump pic for 33 weeks:
Today I went to my nephew’s 5th birthday party too. It was so nice to see lots of my family and spend some time with them.
Now onto my last full week of work hopefully!!
It feels like another milestone really. I have no idea where the time has gone really, it seems like only last month that we were trying.
Overall i've been feeling alright, same old stuff really, tired and got heartburn but hey, its just the joys of being pregnant and it'll all be worth it. Its been a good week overall, we went for our 2nd attempt at a 4D scan and it was just amazing! (see my other journal for more info and pics). It was the best scan i've ever had. This was my favourite picture, its my little man playing with his foot:
Our little man's lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. His growth in terms of length will soon slow down but he will continue to gain weight until he's born. He can open and shut his eyes. He can probably see what's going on inside my uterus, distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. Supposedly if i shine a light on my stomach, he might move his head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow.
Week 31, omg, only 9 to go!! (23rd August)
I find myself touching my belly more often now and sometimes its itchy, i guess thats just my skin stretching.
The only thing thats happened this week is that i went for my GTT. It was awful! I never ever wanna have another one if i can help it. The way my hospital do it, is cruel. I arrived just before 9, they took a vial of blood, then i had to drink the glucose solution which was just like fake fizzy lucozade. They then took vials 1 vial of blood at 9:30, 10, 10:30, 11. 11:30 and 12. They didn't put anything in my arm, she just used the needle thing each time. As i have bad veins, i only really have one good one that they can get my blood from so she took all 7 vials from the same place! OUCH!! She tried the other arm but didn't have much luck.
Bump pictures:
We also went out with some friends that i used to work with on saturday night which was lovely. I haven't seem them for a while and they seemed all excited about our little man too which was nice. We di
dn't get in until half 12! Way past my bed time. lol.
Our little man's legs and body continue to fill out and they are finally proportional in size to his head. He weighs about 1.5kg and looks more like a newborn. He measures about 41.1cm from crown to toe.
His organs are continuing to mature and he is passing water from his bladder. Also the bone marrow has taken over from the liver in producing red blood cells. This week marks an incredible milestone in his lung development too. Before now, the air sacs and branches in his lungs were present but not functional. His lungs were not able to inflate properly. However, now there is surfactant being produced in his lungs.prevents his lungs from collapsing outside of the uterus and the he is able to take in air and breathe properly. Awww!!
