Eggshell Green

Baby Update at 31 Weeks

Do you know the Gonads and Strife song? The lyrics don’t matter so much, but the title of that song pretty much sums up what pregnancy is all about right now.

At my last visit to the midwife, I was told that I don’t have swollen feet because she can still see my ankles. Welllll… the developing cankles this week beg to differ.

Toilet trips are getting much more frequent. I pee, flush the toilet, then a couple minutes after getting on my feet again, I need to pee. And although it feels like my bladder will explode, it’s usually a disappointing tinkle. I don’t bother flushing every time now – may as well save some water.

The baby seems to be the most active it’s ever been. It’s not so great when she’s jabbing my guts, ribs or bladder. And she apparently has fully formed finger nails and toe nails at this age, which feels horrible when she’s scraping my insides! Great to watch her squirm and kick though. Sometimes she’s bunched up on one side and my tummy is lop-sided. It’s quite bizarre. I wonder when I’m going to start seeing the hands and feet that people talk about?

Sneezing is a bitch! Sometimes I lose the sneeze because I can’t get enough air into my squished lungs. And when I do sneeze it’s sometimes quite violent and I worry about hurting bubs. Then there are the blood noses that like to accompany the sneezes.

31 weeks 6 days pregnant

I’m feeling rather heffalumpy these days. As soon as I plant myself down somewhere, I don’t want to move. It’s too much effort and if I’m lying down it can hurt if I’m not careful.

I think I need a La-Z-Boy hover craft that works using impulses from my brain. It should preferably have a magical bladder emptying device too.

Three more weeks of work – wooh!

Tags: baby, pregnancy

Baby Update at 30 Weeks

“Stop playing with my perineum”… I bet LadyHawke never thought her My Delirium song would be twisted like that, but if you know me at all I make up lyrics and they are often crass. At least this one’s relevant because if the baby doesn’t fit through they will cut your perineum! OUCH! And first deliveries are likely to end in perineal tears anyway. Just another thing I’ve learnt about the glories of birth.

Moving along…

We had our second antenatal class last Wednesday. The hubby was on his way back from the Tech Ed conference (a geek thing) in Auckland and only made it to the last half hour. The first half was focussed on the choices that new parents make around things like vitamin K, sleeping with baby, child care, and breast feeding. The second was about massages. Being the odd one out without a partner made me the default massage model. I didn’t mind as I was getting massages from a professional masseuse :)

30 weeks 6 days pregnant

This week I bought a tri pillow. I’ve been told it’s really helpful for breast feeding and helping to hold the baby if you just want to rest her on your lap. Also it’s supposed to help with sleeping in the later months of pregnancy. I tried it last night and it wasn’t half bad.

I’ve discovered that there’s only one comfortable sleeping position that avoids putting too much pressure on my vena cava and at the same time reduces the carpal tunnel syndrome pain in my hands/arms. That position is a compromise between lying on my left side and on my back. I’m mostly on my back, but a pillow props my back up enough so I’m also on my side, and I can have both arms more or less alongside my body.

Baby is twisting and kicking lots. My belly sometimes looks distorted when she decides to stick her butt out or some other lumpy part of her (as I can’t tell what’s what). She should be starting to turn soon and head downwards. Her head was in the ideal place at the last midwife’s appointment, so let’s hope she’ll be good on the day.

(By the way, our good SLR camera is playing up and being looked at. So lately I’ve had to use the old point and shoot which often results in photos that are reflective, washed out and grainy in comparison. It better be fixed before baby arrives!)

Tags: baby, pregnancy

Baby Update at 29 Weeks

Resources tell me that my blood volume is now double the normal. That explains the blood noses I’m having at least twice a day.

My belly button now looks like a moon crater with raised edges.  I wonder what it will do by the end of this trimester…

On Sunday I had my baby shower. Thanks to my cousin and Ms Constantine for organising things, and everyone who made it there.

Of course I had to make cupcakes and opted for the favourite black forest. I also made a lemon coconut flavour so I could make use of the dessicated coconut that I finally got around to getting (although I only used it on the icing).

Baby shower cupcakes

I opted to ice the lemon cupcakes by using a layer of butter cream and then plonking a giant marshmallow on top. A sprinkling of coconut made them look extra fluffy. Some royal icing helped to cement the teeny fondant flowers on top to complete the baby girl look. Lazy but quite effective I thought. I also learnt that I need to use more butter cream because the marshmallow may look like frosting but doesn’t give the same moistness and finger licking quality as frosting :)

The hubby made some cookies that I put away in Chinese takeout boxes for the guests.  Mmm, chocolate cherry, and almond and white chocolate…. He thinks he may have missed an ingredient from the chocolate cherry ones because they turned out rather flat and floppy, so apologies. I think they still tasted good.

The baby shower was great fun. We also got a lot of useful stuff that will help us get started when the baby arrives. Baby clothes, especially girls’ things can be unbelievably cute! Can’t wait to use everything.

We also had our first antenatal class last Wednesday. It’s quite scary learning what is going to happen. My cervix is apparently going to expand to nearly the size of a compact disc and that’s before I can start pushing the baby out!

Tags: baby, baking, cupcake, pregnancy

Baby Update at 28 Weeks

*Yawn*. Yep, the fatigue has definitely kicked in again.

I took a sick day last Monday – hands were too sore to be spending the day on the computer, and the tiredness from my lack of sleep due to said sore hands made it double pointless to be at work. I spent most of that day asleep on the couch with Fez. He’s my perfect dog. He’s always ready for a snooze. He loves cuddles. He’s mild mannered, fun, and oh so cute!

The diet this week has gone downhill. The bad taste in my mouth that I had early on in the pregnancy has resurfaced in a way, and I just want food that tastes good rather than food that’s good for me.

Indigestion and reflux has also made a comeback. The little girl is certainly taking over my tummy space, and I find myself overeating before I know it.

My I’m thirsty these days! I seem to be drinking loads but still feel dehydrated. It’s ironic that you have to drink lots of water to combat water retention. My hands are red, blotchy and fat, and my feet are catching up.

The weird baby dreams have started. The giant jelly baby dream wasn’t so reassuring!

The baby is getting feisty! She sometimes manages to kick and punch me at the same time on opposite sides of my tummy.

Lots of mild blood noses this week.

Have I mentioned that I now have a painful twang in my foot when I walk? The midwife called it ‘pregnancy wear and tear’. Not only do I have a waddle, I also have a limp now. Maybe I can get a cane to go with my hand brace.

At the end of 28 weeks

And one of the buttons on my ‘little red riding coat’ popped off on the bus. Just happens to be the one where my belly is the most pokey-out.

I lost my button

As a side note, my parents are visiting for six days from tomorrow. It’ll be the first time they’ve seen me since I got pregnant. If you know my parents, you’ll be wishing me luck… I wonder what other weird ideas they’ll have for me…