C – Section Confirmed

Last week’s appointment with the OB confirmed that I will need a C – Section and I have been booked in for 03/03/10 (if not interrupted by act of God). I have to be at the hospital at 6.30am and the surgery will be some time in the morning. I am nervous about having the epidural but I don’t want a general because I want to be awake to see my baby being born. For me it is about ‘letting go’ of control and putting full faith in God and the surgical team.

With less than 4 weeks to go I’m starting to take things a little easier (at least not lifting anything too heavy) or doing anything that will send me in to labour. I still have things to do and need everyday I can get. At this stage I can’t believe how fast the 9 months has crept up on me. I should have started organising things a little earlier. In fact I thought with my OCD the nesting would have started earlier but I just need to not stress and remember that when I come out from hospital the dusting will not matter!

32 Week Update…Kicking All the Way

This week I had to go for another 3D scan so that the OB could get a more exact size of the baby, they also checked the baby’s heartbeat, blood flow and kidneys. Everything is looking good and in the last 2 weeks bub has gained another 300 grams, bringing his weight to 2.3 kg which is actually smaller than the OB thought but still larger than the 1.8 kg average for this stage of the pregnancy.

My belly is still rapidly expanding and I’m finding it is getting to the stage where I have heartburn every night no matter what or when I eat and walking for extended periods of time is uncomfortable and tiring. I am hoping my belly doesn’t get too much bigger otherwise I will no longer be able to drive (about another 10cm). I have already put my seat back as far as I can while still being able to safely have control over the car. With only approx 6 weeks to go, fingers crossed it won’t be a problem.

Lots of people have asked me about the baby kicking. He has been kicking day and night (more so at night). When I am sitting up either driving or watching TV he squirms more than kicks, probably because he is feeling squashed! Bub is actually a ‘Frank Breech’ meaning that his feet are raised up by his head, meaning that the kicking that I feel is lower than if he was the right way down. His head is sitting up by my ribs. Over the weeks bub’s has less room and the kicking has been getting stronger. It started off feeling like little muscle twitches and now the kicks are so strong that sometimes they surprise me and make me jump! I also find that since I am laying down and resting more now (without sleeping) it gives me time to pat and poke bub’s so he will hit and kick back. This usually goes on for about 15 minutes until he gives up and goes to sleep. I must admit it is pretty amazing being able to have this kind of interaction already before he is even born.

Baby Shower

Last Saturday (9th Jan) was my baby shower. Although the day was hot the party went off without a hitch, thanks to Beth, Fee and Namu. Thanks goes out to Beth for the lovely handmade invites (see below), decorating the house and the creative party hats. Thanks to Fee for letting us use her house and the yummy choc-honeycomb mudcake and thanks to Namu for organising and making the delicious food (especially her secret recipe, marinated chicken wings) and for organising the games. With everyone pitching in tidying up was quick and painless and with the abundance of food we were also well fed for the next few days!

The party started at 3.30pm and with all the eating, drinking, game playing and opening pressies we didn’t finish until about 7pm. I received an array of beautiful and useful gifts for baby which were greatly appreciated and will definitely come in handy. Fiona let her creativity shine by making a ‘nappy cake’ with a toy topper and it turned out really well!

This weekend I posted out my baby shower ‘Thank you’ cards and sorted through all the pressies, attempting to arrange them in bub’s room.

For those of you that couldn’t make the party, here a few more of the memorable pics (still waiting on more to be sent to me), including; my big (and rapidly getting bigger) belly, guests, me and my pressies and the famous ‘drinking from only a baby’s bottle’ (thanks Namu)!

I will upload more photos as they come in.

Week 30 Update

Just after the new year I got my results for the glucose test which said that I have Gestational Diabetes. Basically it means that I need to go on a low GI diet for the remainder of my pregnancy and my baby will be larger in size at birth. My levels weren’t too bad and I had a feeling that this was coming.

Today I went for my 30 week check-up and although I have lost 1kg, baby has gained 830 grams (all in 2 weeks). This brings his weight in at 2.27kg (or 5 pounds). He is still sitting breech and at this stage the OB has decided to schedule me for a caesarean in the first week of March. Due to the baby’s size and position there is no chance of a natural birth. I am a little disappointed but in the end all I really want is a healthy baby! Based on the speed of the baby’s weight gain, if I was allowed to go to full term it would end up being a 11 pound baby! At that size it would probably make the news or the Guinness Book of Records (DEFINITELY don’t want to be famous for that!) The OB is also going to send me off for another 3D scan to confirm the baby’s weight and the development of his organs.

Below is a ultrasound pic of bub with his eyes open and his fists up by his head. The OB thought it was cute so he printed it out for me.

Boxing Day Sales

OK, I’ve managed to avoid the Boxing Day sales for the last 5 years or so and didn’t plan on going this year especially in the heat and the crowds but Mum and Fiona were going and after looking at the catalogues I decided to brave it in the hope to ‘bag a bargain’ for bubs. After 3 hours at Target, Kmart, Dusk and Spotlight (with a break for lunch) I managed to get a few things for myself plus a heap of clothes for baby. Good ‘ole Grandma and Auntie Fee couldn't stop themselves when they saw all the cute baby clothes on sale (below are some of the things they picked).

Last night I also realised that by Christmas next year bubs will be 9 months old and I should make an effort to put up some traditional Christmas decorations. As many of you know each year I have been putting up less and less (especially since I’m the only one who gets to see them) and my Christmas decorations aren’t exactly what you would call traditional (this year I bought black and silver 3D glittery flowers and butterflies). In the past I’ve had everything from masquerade masks in purple to blue glitter high heel boots. I want my baby boy to know what a Christmas tree ‘should’ look like when he has to draw one at school! Anyway, so today I bought some tree decorations, tinsel etc. to at least get a head start on next year.

3rd Trimester, the Home Stretch

Today was my 28 week check-up. I can’t believe that I am officially in my final trimester. Although most of the prep for the baby’s arrival has been done, I don’t feel prepared at all!

Baby is still in a breech position but my OB isn’t worried about it to much as he said there is still plenty of time to turn. Baby is now 47.5cm in length and weighs 1.44kg which is on the high side of the normal range, but he is definitely strong and healthy.

As for me I have lost 0.5kg which is no doubt from all the Christmas pushing and shoving at the shopping centre (definitely not from watching what I’m eating!). Tomorrow I have the dreaded GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test), meaning fasting from 10pm tonight and 2 hours tomorrow morning sitting around drinking glucose liquid and having blood tests. Yuck! Fingers crossed that it will be in the normal range and I won’t have to finish my pregnancy on a restricted diet.

So far I haven’t found the heat too bad. WA hasn’t been too hot and for every hot day I plan on staying home and hibernating. I’m not looking forward to Feb which will be a scorcher if the past is anything to go by, which is why I want everything done by then. Besides dealing with the heat I am going well, back to being tired and some heartburn but other than that I’m just taking it easy, lying down and reading since sitting has become quite uncomfortable.

Cot Assembled…Tick, Stroller Assembled…Tick, Baby Shower Thank You Gifts…Tick!

Yesterday Fee came over and put together baby’s cot and stroller. After putting the cot together in the lounge (in record time and again without instructions) we tipped it sideways and managed to manoeuvre it to the door of baby’s room. That’s it. No matter how much we tipped it, flipped it and removed the wheels, it was not going to go through the bedroom door. In the end we had to dismantle one side and give it a good shove before it went in. Champion Fee then had to re-assemble the cot in the bedroom. After all that she then volunteered to assemble the stroller. When it’s Fee’s turn I’ll be sure to return the favour :).

With a huge list of things to buy we headed over to the shopping centre and bought the final items for the thank you gift bags for the guests of the baby shower and stuff for my maternity bag. With that done we looked around and I couldn’t resist buying more stuff for bub, including; a pair of shorts, 2 blankets and door stoppers (they were all on sale though…that’s my excuse!)