The first 9 months

My little lady is going to be 9 months old soon, she will officially been outside for longer than she was inside!! This is a scary thought.

The first 9 months have been hard. There have been times when I have wanted to punch my other half in the face! There have been times I have wanted to lock myself away from the world. But we are still moving forward and our beautiful little girl is not so little anymore. She is weaning, has two teeth, she's had her first cold and I have now returned to work full time...

We have a whole bundle of items to review that we have adored. So I am just going to start working through them one by one and adding my reviews.

Is there anything you would like me to review? Is there anything you'd like me to discuss, how have I done certain things or managed to overcome obstacles.....

Possible Induction :(



Soooo. Monday saw the last of 5 or 6 growth scans. Basically because I'm a plus size mummy there was some new guidance which showed I may benefit from extra scabs throughout my pregnancy to measure my little princess to make sure she was growing properly.

For the first two scans she measured perfect, she hit all targets and was within the healthy ranges. However, on my "final" scan, on August 1st, there were some concerns about her Estimated Fetal Weight (EFW).

The sonographer takes three measurements to come up with the EFW. Head Circumference, Femur Length and Abdominal Circumference. So instead of weighing 6.5lbs at 37+1. My darling was estimated to weigh 5.5lbs. This prompted a review of my notes by a consultant,  who explained that my babies Head Circumference was measuring a few weeks smaller than it should , which was bringing the EFW down. But they weren't concerned as it was most likely a miscalculation as her head has been well and truly engaged for weeks.

I had two more scans arranged and I've now had them both. Her head, according to the sonographers measurements, still hasn't grown. She is however now measuring 6.5lbs, so has gained 1lb in two weeks. All of her measurements indicate that she is 39+1 (which she was on Monday) apart from her head which measures 36 weeks.

Now I'm not saying I disagree with these measurements,  but according to the precise numbers, her head actually shrunk by 0.5cm over the last two weeks,  while she gained over 1lb in weight. That doesn't sit right with me. But nonetheless, after a very lengthy 5 hour wait to have my notes reviewed, I finally saw a doctor.

They basically now feel that they need to consider inducing me if my daughter doesn't arrive of her own accord within the next few days. I am scheduled to see a consultant to discuss my options tomorrow morning and see how he thinks we should proceed.

So yeah. She's so comfy, I'm 3 days from my due date with no signs she's going to make an appearance anytime soon. I'm still suffering with anxiety and pelvic pain/sciatica and just finding the whole thought of induction quite daunting.

The reason I'm finding it daunting is that my entire pregnancy I've planned to only use gas and air to get through the pain. I'm told with induction, it can be significantly more painful and it increases the chances of requiring a c section, epidural etc as 1. It may fail resulting in the need for a surgical birth (c section)  2. Because the Labour is trigger by synthetic hormones. Your body doesn't combat them with its own hormones to fight the pain resulting in it hurting a hell of a lot more.

I just don't know what to do. For 9 months I've had a plan, and in the final week it looks like it's all going to pot. I see my consultant early tomorrow. Wish me luck xxx

Braxton Hicks

So I have 9 days left until my due date! 

I'm laid in bed at the moment contemplating moving, my bestie is coming to pick me up soon to take me to lunch. It feels like the last supper. My final meal as me and not as a mummy!

I've been getting pretty regular Braxton Hicks contractions for about a week now and last night they kept on most of the night.

I know they're braxton hicks because there is one major difference between normal contractions and practice ones. The practice ones don't hurt. They're just uncomfortable.

Regardless though I don't think my little beauty is going to keep us waiting much longer. Though I have to say, the waiting is getting harder to cope with. If it all started right now, this minute,  I'd just get on with it and I think I'd be okay. But as it stands I'm struggling with my anxiety. The more time she takes, the more chance I'm having to worry about things and freak out over nothing. I spoke at length with my BF about this last night and he feels the same. So it's nice to know it's not only me!

We had a worry last week. I went for what should have been my final growth scan, and the sonographer couldn't get a clear view of my babies head. When she finally got one, she said it was small and that it had brought her EFW (estimated fetal weight)  under the centile. So I ended up going for an extra doppler this week (which was fine) and I have another growth scan on Monday. Joy.

My pregnancy cravings have been junk junk and more junk this week. Basically I wanted Greggs Sausage Rolls, and KFC Gravy. The Greggs Sausage rolls really hit the spot. I indulged my KFC craving last night with a boneless box with a side of Gravy. I was so disappointed. It's almost like the Gravy recipe had changed. It just wasn't right.

Anyway. On that total let down I need to love you and leave you. I'm going to get ready for my matedate.

Cya
PV xx

The Bump

So... My bump is officially huge in shadow form!!!

I've had a really busy few days and it's really wiped me out. I keep meaning to get some decent photos of my baby stuff but I have not got the energy at the moment hopefully tomorrow I'll get more done and feel better sharing.

Besides, I'm not embarrassed to admit I've put the changing table on my travel cot together upside down,  I'm a complete liability!!!  But in my defence the instructions weren't great. Even though the cot is perfect, absolute bargain and well worth what I paid for it!

I've been feeling uncomfortable today, a bit like a stitch but it's not bothering me at the moment. My little princess is currently playing around in there. So cute. I'll miss feeling her move I think, even though it's getting really uncomfortable due to her lack of space. I think she might actually have hiccups right now!!!!

Anyway. Good night. Peace and love.

Vamp

This heat is unbelievable



Oh my goodness.

This heatwave is absolutely unbelievable.  I am really struggling with it. I can't seem to get cool even with a fan circulating the air in my room.

24 degrees Celsius at 10am this morning.

Is anyone else struggling? The only way I am finding to cope is to drink plenty of water. Keep my curtains closed and eating a lot of ice pops.

No hot drinks. No caffeine at all (I honestly couldn't get out of my routine of having one cup in the morning - until now) and I'm just lounging.

I always struggle in heat but this is by far the worst I've ever been. Even in Cyprus last September I managed better. But there everything is Air Conditioned and white.

I daren't even go outside as I know being pregnant makes your skin more sensitive to UV light. I burn at the best of times. I am a full on Lobster Queen.

Anyway. That's my weather moan out of the way.

I'm going to lounge around uncomfortable a bit longer and later today I'm going to write a blog on my pregnancy experiences so far :)

Thanks for reading :)

PV

35 weeks eek

Oh God. It's getting closer.

I had my second growth scan on Tuesday and the Sonographer was amazing. They currently estimate that our beautiful daughter weighs around 4.4lbs and is within normal limits for her gestation. Our bedroom is finally decorated and we've moved in. The moses basket is ready, just a few more bits to get on with and we'll be ready for her.

I have even packed her hospital bag, though mine is taking a bit longer to put together.... I really need to finish that!

I am now officially off work. I've been seeing a physiotherapist for the last 2 months due to increased back/pelvic pain. Unfortunately as it's mainly sciatica that is being made worse by the increased pressure I'm my pelvis, there is nothing they can do at this point until our bundle of joy arrives. Crutches and pain relief are the only courses of action.

I have found it increasingly difficult in the third trimester.  I am tired all the time, I struggle with my mobility, and the constipation is terrible. No one ever warned me about that. I'm currently managing to go to the loo once every 4-5 days! Which is so uncomfortable. Not to mention the pressure from the baby. It literally feels like I've been kicked in the crotch. Hard!

My stretch marks have finally made an appearance... I'd hoped I'd got away with that. But alas no such luck. So at some point I'll trial some creams and things for you all. I had been using the Palmers Miracle Oil and Stretch Mark cream up until this point. But I have to admit I've been a bit lazy with it so it's my own fault.

I had some reduced movements a few weeks ago and went to the day unit to be checked over. I spent an hour or so on monitors and had an examination to be finally told all was fine. I think she was just being lazy that day. But it did worry me, I now find that laying on my side and drinking something cold/fizzy will get a response. Sometimes even an ice lolly or some ice cream...  It's the change in temperature that makes her move again.

I'll post more soon, as I'm going to have a lot of time on my hands until she arrives now.

I'm so tired!

Peace out :)