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35 weeks… Woohoo

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So today I am officially 35 weeks by the magical dating scan date. By my dates which are obviously more accurate I am 36 weeks but hey ho either way we are getting close. Within the next month my our baby will (should) be here. That is a slightly surreal feeling. We are more or less prepared in all of the practical ways but we STILL don’t have a name so please feel free to leave all your suggestions in the comment box.

Cravings:

Nothing new this week.. Still loving ice. A lot. I still want to brush my teeth. All the time. The apple thing has returned a little.

Weight:

I haven’t gained any weight the last week or so but my bump looks seriously enormous.

Physical changes

I have Braxton Hicks contractions all day long. They aren’t painful but are incredibly uncomfortable.
Lots of pelvic pressure.. Sore and bruised feeling.
Backache constantly.
Cramps are horrendous at night when I don’t drink a Powerade during the day.
I have little appetite..I guess as the baby is taking up so much room these days.
My milk production is definitely getting in gear and breast pads are no longer optional.

Baby:

We had a scan on Monday and our beautiful girl seems to be doing well and is estimated to be about 5lbs.

Sleep:

Sleep is still pretty rubbish. I wake up more tired than when I go to bed. I remember this from last time and I know I just have to put up with it.

Preparation:

I’ve had a little bit more energy this past week and I’ve been preparing for these first chaotic weeks by making food for the freezer. So far I’ve made: Chicken Curry, Beef Stew and Cottage pie. I know I will appreciate this when I’m bleary eyed and looking after a newborn and toddler.

Izzy:

Izzy is still very loving with my bump but the past few days she is definitely experiencing the terrible twos. Tantrums and testing my patience. Still loving our time together but hope this is a short phase.

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Nothing more exciting to tell you really but here is the baby bump update for this week:

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Looking forward to meeting you baby girl 🙂

Cry me a river ….

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A few days ago my toddler made a mess eating some chocolate cake. Not exactly an unusual scenario one would think. Definitely not one which would usually make you cry for 30 minutes is it?

This week I am in my 34th week of pregnancy and well I’ve cried a bit. By a bit I mean at least once a day and for at least 5 minutes at a time.

One day was particularly bad and I cried most of the day for no reason or for completely irrational reasons.

Reasons I’ve cried this week:

* Toddler making a mess
* Toddler being loving
* OH being in work
* Cramp
* Forgetting to bake
* Being sore
* Forgetting to blog
* Feeling fat
* Worrying I haven’t gained enough weight
* Worrying I’ve gained too much weight
* Thoughtful friends
* Thoughtless friends
* Loving my pantry
* Feeling my baby move
* Watching my toddler hug and chat to my belly
* My lovely man
* The film About Time
* Surprise Surprise
* Tipping food/drinks over the floor

So why am I so hormonal?

Well firstly it’s totally normal. The Third Trimester is full of anxiety,fear and highly emotional.

I asked my twitter followers about it and these are some of the responses I had:

* Cried when boyfriend couldn’t decide what he wanted for dinner
* Cried because my freezer was too full
* Cried because OH didn’t put enough cheese on my nachos.
* Cried because daughter had nappy rash

Others said they had irrational fears or major anxiety. It seems its not just our physical bodies going through turmoil at this stage.

Anyway after shedding a lot of tears watching absolutely beautiful film About Time last night today I feel brighter and I haven’t cried once. Woohoo.

Now if someone could stop kicking me between the legs repeatedly all night long that would be great.. I mean someone must be doing that right. Ouch.

Here is a bump pic for all you bump lovers:

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Online friends can’t be real friends..can they?

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When I was pregnant with my daughter I didn’t really use social media much. I had a twitter account and used it sporadically but it wasn’t until my daughter was born and I discovered the Zombie mums that I began to use it more and more. Zombie mums (or moms) was a hashtag used by fellow new parents mostly between midnight and 5am to chat and give moral support during those early months when you feel like you are going slightly insane from the lack of sleep. I found lots of other mums and dads who I still interact with on twitter.

This pregnancy is different. I have used twitter a LOT more in the past 2 years. I use it to keep up with RL ( real life ) friends, to enter competitions, to keep up with news and to share my blog posts. I have gone from following and being followed by under 100 people to following 1100 and being followed by over 1600 lovely people. I can say lovely quite confidently as for the most part I interact with a good chunk of them on at least a weekly basis. I know how old their children are, what films/books they enjoy..what cake they like to eat..their political views and what goes on in their day to day life. I know more about some of them than I do my friends that I see in the flesh. But are they real friends? I sometimes try to explain the relationship you can build up with friends on social media to people/family who don’t use it. It’s hard. They don’t get it. I’ve had the sentence “it’s not like a real friend though is it?” said in different ways to me so many times.

I have a group of friends ( yes real real friends) on twitter that I know I can count on for support. I know I can text them at midnight with an issue and they won’t mind. Some of them are also pregnant and I love this. I missed having pregnancy buddies the first time round. I know they won’t look at me in gross disbelief when I ask them about an embarrassing side effect of pregnancy or think I’m being over the top when I worry about absolutely every little thing.

Things my Twitter friends have done for me:

* Sent me cards to cheer me up when I’m down.
* Read my blog, commented and tried my recipes.
* Given me moral support at conferences when I have been ridiculously nervous.
* Listened to my doubts and fears.
* Checked up on me when they haven’t heard from me in a while ( a day ha )
* Answered every possible midwifery based question I could ask..yes I’m talking to you @midwifetomum

These are things that some of my oldest friends don’t do. In fact considering I’ve had a pretty horrible pregnancy I have some friends who I have been close to for over 15yrs that I have maybe heard from once or twice. This isn’t a dig at anyone specific – in fact they don’t read the blog but just highlighting the fact that just because someone lives down the road it doesn’t make them a better friend.

The online world can be weird, cruel and dangerous but so can the “real” world. I think in years to come people won’t find it at all strange that most of your friends are people in tiny boxes on a timeline. After all most of your real life friends are thrust upon you ..be it by school/college/work etc but on Twitter you choose who to follow and therefore who to befriend so generally most of them will have common likes/dislikes with yourself. Bonus.

In the last year I have seen a world of bloggers and tweeters unite to protect and support a grieving mother, to raise money for worthwhile causes, to spread awareness of domestic violence and diseases we don’t normally hear about – for the most part these people make me want to try harder, to do better and to help others.

In summary don’t forget your RL friends but definitely open up to making long lasting friendships in those online forums n Tweeting web pages (as my mum would say). I heart the Internet.

You can follow me on Twitter if you like : @writingforfun if you interact I always follow back x

33 Week Update. Feeling positive.

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You will be happy to know that this is a positive blog post about pregnancy.

I’m 33 weeks. It’s getting closer to the big day. I’m really starting to get excited. I’m not worried about actually giving birth at all. This may change but at the moment I’m just looking forward to the experience. I know it’s going to hurt like hell. It did last time and its far from easy but there are two huge bonuses at the end:

1. I will have my baby in my arms.

2. Pregnancy will be over. Forever. Yay.

Weight:

I have gained enough weight for this stage in my pregnancy ( smack bang in the middle of the average weight gain range) yet I actually don’t feel fat. I may look it but I don’t feel it. My belly is of course huge but the rest of me seems ok ..ish at the moment. In fact I somehow managed to accidentally wear size 10 non maternity leggings the other day.. Oops. They felt rather uncomfortable by the end of the day.

Lovely dress I bought from Seraphine for a wedding:

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Sleep:

Sleep is elusive. I want to sleep but I can’t. Between the crazy dreams, toilet trips and general niggles and pains I rarely get more than about 4 hours. I am getting used to the tiredness but it is frustrating when I know I need my energy for when baby arrives. I am starting to reintroduce my daily nap which I stopped for the past fortnight as felt I didn’t need it.

Baby:

We saw the baby again on Monday. We had a scan followed by a consultant appointment. All seems well at the moment which is just fabulous news and feeling less stressed about how she is doing is definitely contributing to my current positive mood. The scan was incredible. My last scan with Izzy was at 20 weeks so seeing my baby looking well like a proper baby is a bit mad. We had a 30minute scan as they asked us if we minded also being scanned by a trainee student after the sonographer had finished. To thank us they gave us 4 photos and I thought I would share one with you as it’s so clear:

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She is head down and has had a growth spurt since our last scan which is great. I just can’t wait to meet her now.

Strep B:

As I already know I have Strep B we have been told that we have to get to hospital as soon as contractions become in any way regular or if my waters break I need to go in immediately in order for the antibiotics to start working and to stop the baby getting the infection. This does make me panic slightly and I predict there may be some false alarm hospital visits in a few weeks. Better to be safe though and I am lucky that I know that I have it. You can read more about Strep B here

Cravings:

These haven’t changed much since last week really but my ice craving has increased massively. It turns out my iron levels are low which could explain that. I am now on an iron liquid supplement twice a day which is pleasant.. Hmmm. Anyway back to the ice. The staff in my local Asda think I’m crazy after a recent ice craving conversation and I have discovered I can recreate a slush puppy using my Vitamix to crush the ice and them adding soda stream cola syrup afterwards. Far from healthy but oh so good. Apples are still popular with me but I don’t feel the need to eat more than 1 a day anymore.

Cooking:

I am loving being back in the kitchen more. I have a new pantry – which I love and today my brilliant Dad is painting the whole room for me so it means I can’t spend anytime in there cooking but I will have a lovely fresh looking kitchen soon enough. In the past week I have made:

Slow cooker beef stew, brownies, tiffin, lazy pasta and Butter chicken curry. Yum.

Later on I plan to make bread and if I continue to feel well next week I plan to make lasagne, curry,stew and pies for the freezer ready for those first crazy weeks.

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Izzy:

Izzy is bonding more and more with my bump and loves to look at the scan photos. My bump gets kisses all the time and she will dance with my bump too. I can’t wait to see them together. I know there will be some jealousy and resentment at times but I do hope they are close. She had her 2 year assessment with the health visitor last week and passed with flying colours. She continues to surprise us with her funny sentences and the things she seems to know without us telling her. She still has the occasional tantrum but they are mostly short lived…for now.

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Work:

I am officially on annual leave now followed immediately by my maternity leave commencing and it feels really good to know that I don’t have to worry about being well enough to go to work. Kinda crazy to know I will be off work until next October! Thoroughly enjoying the extra time I get to spend with my girl before baby two arrives.

Names

We finally have 1 or 2 names that we like. Still not sure if they are the right ones but we are getting somewhere at last.

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Anyway that is enough rambling from me. Thanks for reading 🙂

Project B Box – A review

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A little while ago I spotted a tweet (on twitter..obviously) asking for pregnant bloggers to review a brand new pregnancy subscription box service.

A bit about Project B:

The box costs £14 each month.

Each month you’ll receive products, from relaxation, to healthy eating, to household, to pampering, plus expert advice to match your month of pregnancy. You can sign-up for any month from 12 weeks.

Each month you’ll receive around five items in your box; it might be a nourishing bump oil, a pregnancy-specific vitamin, a delicious snack, or a new household product.

From the UK’s leading and well-known brands, to more niche or emerging companies, products you can expect to see are Pregnacare, Palmer’s Cocoa Butter, Metanium, Weleda, Green People Nappy Cream Balm, Nakd cereal bars, Halos N Horns, Spontex, Balm Balm Rose Geranium Face Balm to name but a few.

Expert advice – Midwife and Health Professional Nikki Holdsworth RSc (Hons) RM and author of ‘What To Buy For Your Baby’ Liat Hughes Joshi both write completely independently. This means you also have some interesting information to digest in each box – specific to your stage of pregnancy.

Four large postcards will tell you about –

Your Pregnancy This Month – how big baby is growing, how you might feel, what you might expect.
Eating Well – what’s good to eat and what’s not in Box 1, and then a nutritious recipe to make in each box after that.
Staying Active – safe and effective ways to keep you mobile and help build stamina for labour.
Shopping Ideas – what to think about buying when.

What I think:

I received box 5 (weeks 30-34) and the products/information are all geared towards preparing for labour.

I had a helping hand to open it:

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My box contained:

* Nail girls nail varnish in burgundy

* Montezuma’s creamy white Dominican Republic chocolate with raspberry

* 3 x Pukka tea samples

* Floradix liquid iron formula

* Laboraide twin pack – natural aid to baby’s birth

* Femfresh intimate hygiene wipes

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Firstly..what I liked:

* The Floradix iron formula is a handy addition to the box. I (like lots of pregnant women) have had iron deficiency problems throughout my pregnancy and I think this is really useful. I was however disappointed that there are no instructions/dosage details with the bottle. I’m unsure if the bottle I have is one dose or more? I am going to check with my local pharmacist.

*Chocolate – I’m not a huge fan of white chocolate but its nice to have an indulgent treat every now and again and this is pretty nice chocolate.

* Tea – out of the three herbal tea samples I enjoyed two. I didn’t enjoy the ginger one but that is personal taste more than anything else.

What I didn’t like :

* Femfresh wipes – I’m not a fan of Femfresh. I really don’t get it.

* Nail Varnish – I was happy to get a nail varnish in the box especially one which is free of nasty chemicals but it was very watery and hard to put on for that reason.


What I’m undecided on:

* Laboraide – this is a new product which seems to be like a gum shield that you bite down on during labour. It has lots of exciting and bold claims on the box about reducing pushing time during labour, pain etc but until I actually use it I can’t really tell you what I think. I will update this post after I give birth. It retails at approximately £20 per twin pack so it bumps the value of the box up quite a bit.

My final thoughts on the box overall:

As a concept I love the idea of a pregnancy gift box each month. Pregnancy can be a pretty rough, emotional time and a little treat each month is a great idea. I think for me it would be the kind of thing I’d like to receive as a gift from my partner/family member or friend rather than something I would purchase for myself.

If the Laboraide works then the box is good value..however if it doesn’t I may not think it was worth £14. I did get a sneak peek at another box ( the pamper/relax month) which contained a candle worth £9 along with bio oil..face balm and skin illuminator as well as popcorn so that month sounds pretty nice!

Kiccckkiiiiingg – 32 week update

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My baby is wild. Seriously quite often I look at my stomach and you would think from the crazy shapes it pulls that she is running in there. She is so strong.

Today I had a midwife appointment, not a regular one but one of the extra appointments I’m having to make sure all is ok with me and baby.

I am very happy to tell you that for once.. In fact I really do think its the first time this pregnancy all is OK. WOOP. I wasn’t sent to hospital for monitoring ..blood pressure was all good..everything was fine. My midwife who was very rudely kicked (extremely powerfully) by the bump told me that she thinks my baby is the busiest baby she has monitored for a long time.

It’s incredible the relief I felt walking out. I almost felt like a normal pregnant woman. So I went and bought myself a big juicy steak from the butchers and 4 apples as a celebratory treat.. Well I can’t have champagne so what’s a girl to do?

By the way why did I never realise quite how amazing a good apple can taste? I actually asked the green grocer today what are the tastiest apples you have? Ha. English Windsor apparently. Drools.

At 32 weeks:

* I feel huge

* I look neat ( haha according to my green grocer – so not true)

* My skin feels oily again

* My hair is thick and reasonably glossy

* Cramps are pretty bad again. This morning I couldn’t shake it for a whole hour. Ouch.

* Heartburn is horrid – mostly at about 2am

* Baby moves a lot and with huge gymnastic type movements – I don’t remember it being quite so crazy last time.

* Baby is still head down and very low..lots of pressure but not too painful at the minute.

* My concentration is not great – I have a million things to do and a lot of blog posts to write but actually completing them is hard.

* I’m super emotional/hormonal/kind of a bitch at times.

* Everything aches. All the time.

* I’m starting to worry ( a little) about everything being ok (health wise) for the baby when she arrives.

* I’m getting excited to meet our girl.

* I’m more in love with Izzy than ever before. She turned 2 this week and she is such a special girl.

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* I’m more thankful than ever for my supportive man and family. Couldn’t have done this without them.

* I may open the babys wardrobe to look at her little shoes more than is necessary.

* I eat apples, carrots and red meat. A lot.

* I still love ice

* I still like to brush my teeth. A lot.

All in all other than having to pop Izzy to the hospital for mysterious rash check its been an ok week which compared to the past 6 months is pretty amazing.

32 weeks:

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For reference this is a Jicama ( I had to google it) a kind of Mexican turnip.

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Another week..another worry

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The last few days have again been difficult. My little monkey of a baby has decided to give me severe back pain, contractions and various other issues meaning I had to be admitted to hospital and have been given a steroid injection with one more to follow tomorrow to prepare her lungs in case she makes an early exit. Please don’t little girl, you are so small and just a few more weeks will make things so much easier for you when you arrive.

After a positive growth scan last week I did feel that maybe things were improving and that she would settle down a bit but it looks like the last trimester will be just as difficult as the first two. Hey ho I guess now it really is the final run and I just have to concentrate on staying relaxed, positive and heathy for my girl. I also really need to finish up on preparations for her arrival.

Spending nights in hospital when you have a toddler is so hard, I missed her, my OH and ..my pregnancy pillow more than I could tell you. Hopefully that will be the last stay until baby 2 arrives.

I still have no mattress for the Moses basket,no car seat and did I mention that we still don’t have ANY ideas for names ..as in any at all. Oops.

It will figure itself out.

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for all of your support both on here and on twitter – it means so much to me and really cheers me up so thanks very very much.

And as I know you all love a foodie pic.. Here is what I dined on last night:

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Return of the nap

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According to my dating scan I am 29 weeks today, according to my dates I’m more like 30 but either way I am into my third trimester and don’t I know it.

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The daytime nap that I haven’t really had since the first trimester has had to return. I’m pretty useless at napping, I find it hard to sleep during the day but the last few days I have had to have some 10 minute snoozes here and there or I can’t function. Typically nighttime sleep is getting a lot more difficult with the cramps, discomfort and running for a wee in the early hours. I am so thankful for my maternity pillow from Theraline which I’ve been reviewing for a few months – I actually don’t know how I managed without it last time.

Ankle swelling, heartburn, pelvic pressure and general aches are in abundance but manageable.
Earlier in the week we had a growth scan which showed that the baby is doing well at the moment so yay for some good news.

I seem to have a lot on my mind at all times right now, not surprisingly I guess.

I worry that we aren’t fully prepared for the baby arriving, we haven’t bought a tandem buggy or a car seat yet but all her clothes are washed and ironed ( priorities right?)

I want to cook a lot of meals ready to freeze but I’m just too tired.

I think I’m going to really miss the one on one time with Izzy when the baby comes but then I feel guilty for feeling that way after all we want this baby so much obviously. It’s just that we are so close at the moment and I worry she will resent the time away from her that the baby will demand – any tips on dealing with this gratefully accepted.

Nesting has kicked in and I really HATE my house being untidy. With a toddler this is hard but as long as it clean and tidy when I go to bed I feel a bit better about things. There are at least 3 big jobs that need to be done before the baby comes: the kitchen needs to be repainted, the bathroom needs a complete overhaul 🙁 and the chimney needs to be removed and our bedroom repainted due to a leak. If these things get done I will be more relaxed.

The countdown is on, the final 10 weeks ( or 7ish if we go by the fact that Izzy was early).

One thing I really don’t worry about is actually giving birth, although I distinctly remember just how painful it was last time this time it marks the end of pregnancy for me so I can’t wait for it. I do however worry about getting to the hospital in time for my Strep B antibiotics to kick in – they need 4 hours in my system to prevent it being passed onto the baby so I imagine my local labour ward may hear from me a lot in the last few weeks with every twinge being a possible labour warning!

All the worries aside we really can’t wait to meet our girl. I will be much happier when she is here so I can check on her and know all is really ok.

Me and my girls:

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Coming up soon ..preparing the hospital bag! What did you put in yours?

Pregnancy Essentials

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There are some things you NEED in pregnancy..chocolate and cake being just two of these things.

Here is my list ( which I will probably update sporadically) of the products/services etc that I feel are my essentials. So in no particular order:

1. Comfy bras – this really is a must. Your boobs will hurt. A lot. They will grow and feel tender to the point where your normal bra will feel like an object of torture. For bed I am currently wearing an Asda comfort bra which is simply a seamless/hook and wire free bra – almost like a crop top. Super comfy but with support. For daytime around the house I use a Bravado bra which is also really comfy and if I want a really nice shape but still non wired I use one that I bought in my last pregnancy from Mothercare. I do need more so your recommendations are appreciated.

2. Comfy knickers – normal underwear in a larger size doesn’t really cut it unless you want a fit around the belly with a saggy bum. I have maternity ones from h&m but my favourite ones are seamless black shorts from Primark – buy these in your normal size as they are super stretchy and are great for post birth too… Oh and very cheap.

3. Gaviscon/rennie/indigestions tablets – I use the cheap antacid tablets from Asda that are suitable for pregnant women. I keep a roll in my bedroom/kitchen and handbag. You will NEED these.

4. 4Head – hormone headaches are a bitch. I try to avoid painkillers as much as possible and 4head works really fast. The head massagers that look like this:

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as also really helpful.

5. A pregnancy pillow. Last time I bought a cheapy pillow from eBay and it made no difference at all. This time I was offered a Theraline pillow to review and its made a huge difference to my nighttime comfort. I will be posting a review of this soon and can’t recommend it enough.

6. Good quality maternity clothes – I didn’t really do this last time and regret it. This time around I’ve had some great things to review from Blossom, Seraphine and Isabella Oliver and I’ve invested in some fab basics from ASOS and H&M. It makes you feel so much better about yourself.

7. Body lotion/oil – I’m not really a believer in the whole oil up and you won’t get stretch marks myth as I bathed in it last time and guess what? Stretch marks. But your skin does get tight and dry particularly on your belly so a nice lotion like Palmers cocoa butter or Bodyshop scented oil is handy.

8. Babycentre app or similar – I relied on this more in my first pregancy if I’m honest but I still like to check in occasionally and see what size/development the baby has had that week.

9. Netflix – this time around I have loved netflix. When you feel rubbish or can’t sleep it’s a great way to pass the time and there are lots of baby/pregnancy related films that you can watch like: Friends with kids or What to expect when expecting etc.

10. Lots of good food – some days you won’t want to eat much and having the food around that you love means you are more likely to have at least a nibble throughout the day.

11. Isotonic drinks – not ENERGY drinks. Isotonic drinks such as blue powerade help replace lost salts and really really help with nighttime cramps.

12. Flat, comfortable shoes.. Like Sanuks or Vans.

13. Twitter – support from other pregnant people/helpful advice from other parents. It all really helps.

Here are what the lovely people of Twitter suggested:

* Heartburn meds
* Pedicures
* Palmers pregnancy cream/body butter
* Exercise ball
* Bio Oil
* Maternity Pillows
* Long vests
* Massages
* Halloumi
* Nipple cream

What are/were your pregnancy essentials?

Dear Bump

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It’s been 161 days since I found out about you. 158 days since I told your Daddy on his birthday that our family was growing. 161 days of loving you, being scared of losing you and looking forward to meeting you. Approximately 25 hospital visits, 8 scans .. And counting. Numerous blood test and urine samples. Scary consultant meetings X2, hours spent in waiting rooms ..A LOT..Speculum tests-too many. Vigorous kicks and punches to my belly from your growing limbs..100’s, kisses to my growing belly from your proud sister – 10000. Cheerios placed in my belly button to feed the baby..7.

I spend so much time laying on a hospital bed listening to your precious heartbeat and you swimming about that I feel like I know you already. You hate the monitor on my stomach and protest wildly, the same goes for scans – you definitely make the hospital staff earn their wages.

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Like your sister you already have a better wardrobe than I do. Mostly because you are having all of her hand me downs but you already own 3 pairs of Vans..how cool are you?

I want you to stay in my stomach, safe and warm for at least another 80 days – I want you to be strong and healthy when you are born and that is the safest time. 80 days seems like an unmanageable, amount of time right now but you are worth every second. That much I know.

I want to thank you for being such a little fighter. Taking everything my pregnancy has thrown at you and saying Pah I can handle that. You are such a big part of our family and we can’t wait to meet you.