39 week OB Appointment

We just got back from our 39 week OB appointment with great news! All is well with both me and bub, and I'm now favourable!! Cervix is nice and long and starting to dilate, all is progressing really well towards labour. The OB did a stretch & sweep to try to move things along. It was pretty uncomfortable, but not painful and well worth going through if it will help! The OB said he wouldn't be surprised if I go into labour within the next week.

I have another appointment booked for next week, if bub has still not arrived we will be booking in for an induction on either the 13th or 15th. Even if it does come to the induction, I feel a lot better about it now knowing that everything is favourable as it has a much higher chance of working.

I'm feeling so excited right now! I was worried that I would be told at the appointment today that everything was still locked up tight so I was over the moon to hear how positive it was. Even though I know it may still be another 2 weeks, knowing that my body is gearing up for labour has made it so much more real! Come on baby, you can do it! We are so ready to meet you!!

The Nursery

I thought it was about time that I added some pics of the nursery. Although bub wont be sleeping in there for the first couple of months, I wanted to have everything ready for when we get home. We haven't done a huge amount with the room - it is a small room and with one side taken up by windows with verticals and another by a full length mirrored cupboard there was not a lot of space to work with.

This cot was the very same cot that I was brought home to as a baby...

I love the changetable that we chose - is doesn't take up much room, but the drawers are really big so fit heaps of stuff in them. It's also a bit higher than a standard changetable which is great for hubby and I. Plus the mat comes off the top so that it can be used as a normal chest of drawers once the changetable part is no longer needed:


And finally, here is our bassinet - where the baby will be sleeping for the first couple of months. As the nursery is a fair distance away from our main bedroom, the bassinet will be in the lounge across from our bedroom. I love our bassinet, it is the first real baby purchase that we made all those months ago:

38 weeks

Just when I thought I couldn't get any bigger...

I am so uncomfortable these days, although I'd be happy to put up with just being uncomfortable to get rid of the sciatic pain. I'm not getting much sleep at all - I can't seem to find a position where I can't feel the pain shooting down my leg. I've been dealing with this pain now for months, I guess it is just starting to wear me down. Although even when the pain is bringing tears to my eyes, I still can't help but smile when I feel the baby move inside me. Not for one second have I questioned if it is worth it.

I had my 38 week appointment with the midwife yesterday afternoon. Everything is still going well. The baby is 'moving towards engagement' so still not engaged properly yet, but is apparently in a very good position for a natural birth. The midwife took some time at the appointment to run through the procedures again for labour & delivery, and although I was already aware of everything she said from the classes, I felt that rush of confidence again that I can get through this labour. She was very clear that I would have choices throughout the labour and if I wanted to try to get through with little medical intervention, her and/or the midwife on staff at the hospital are able to help me do just that.

I feel very ready for what is to come. I'm not sure if it is normal to feel this ready - I would have expected to feel quite anxious about the labour and beginning of motherhood, but I feel surprisingly confident and ready.

Mothers Group

I went to my first Mothers Group meeting this morning. I found a group in the same suburb as me - they all either have small babies or are just about to, and are all first time Mums. I think I was really lucky to come across this group because a lot of the ones I've seen have older children. Where we meet up is only a few minutes drive from my house as well which is very handy.

The meeting went really well, they are such a wonderful group of ladies. It was a great morning out, in fact I was there for a bit over 4 hours. They meet up every fortnight for morning tea and a chat. I think it will be a great way for me to get out of the house and chat with people at a similar stage as me.

I got so clucky being around all the gorgeous babies today - I can't wait for my little one to arrive! I wouldn't really say that time is dragging, but I'm getting more and more excited as the days go by. It still feels so surreal. Sometimes I get so excited that I feel like I am going to burst!

37 Wk OB Appointment

We had our 37 week OB appointment yesterday afternoon and I'm happy to report that all is still going well. He checked blood pressure & baby's heart rate as normal, as well as checking for signs of swelling. My feet have been getting a little swollen, but nothing to be concerned about. He also felt baby for position and size. Bub's size isn't as big as what my belly looks which was a relief! Position wise, bub is still head down but now with it's back on my left hand side. The only issue is that bub still hasn't dropped down low enough into the pelvis. The OB wasn't too concerned, but did say that he would like it to be further down next week. Come on baby, you can do it!

Next week will be another appointment with the midwife, the following week will be back to the OB when he will start internals to check how I'm progressing and try to help things along - how exciting!!!

Baby Shower

We had our baby shower on the weekend, it was a great success. We had both male and female friends and family together down by the beach for the afternoon. I made some yummy afternoon tea snacks - blue and pink cupcakes, fairy bread, rocky road as well as a savory roll, lollies and nuts. There was beach cricket, some baby shower games as well as general chatter and a few drinks. We were really spoilt with gifts for baby as well, all in the most beautiful packaging. It was great to catch up with everyone a final time before the baby gets here and it seemed a good time was had by all.

It's still hard to believe that we will be going to similar family/friend gatherings as a family of three soon!

36 weeks

Here is my 36 week belly shot, I think it is safe to say that I'm feeling pretty huge these days!

And here's the comparison with the 34 week shot:

I had my 36 week checkup at the OB yesterday afternoon. We ended up seeing the midwife again for this appointment. Bub and I are both still travelling along well. Baby is head down, but facing up at this stage with all limbs out to the front of my belly. Explains all the movement I've been seeing lately. It's good knowing what body parts I'm actually feeling. Hubby even got to feel the head with the help of the midwife. It has started to decend into the pelvis, but still has a bit of room to move so further to go yet before engagement.

Apparently at this stage it is looking like a very average sized baby for us. The midwife guessed the birth weight at between 7 pounds - 7.5 pounds. Definately would be happy with that!

Pregnancy photos

I had my professional pregnancy photos taken on the weekend. We had them done by a lovely ex-client of mine who did a wonderful job. Here is a sample of one of the pics:

We get to see the whole range of photos at an appointment on Friday, from what I have seen already it's going to be hard to choose which ones we want!

Pain

Naturally I expected labour to be painful, but I never expected the pregnancy part to be this painful. In the last few days I have started feeling a new sharp pain very low down that happens on occasion through the day and night. I am also feeling the same type of pain I was feeling here, but at a much worse level. Night time is the hardest - I struggle to roll over, get out of bed and limp to the bathroom, sometimes even questioning if I will be able to get there because the pain is so intense. During the day I have to painfully limp every time after sitting, even if I have only been sitting for a short while.

I guess the positive to all this pain is the possibility that it means the baby has dropped down lower in preparation for delivery. My next OB appointment is in 2 days so hopefully I will find out then.

It is also helping to prove the theory that the fear of labour gets taken over by the desire to end the pregnancy! I'm finding that I can't help but not only look forward to finally holding our baby in my arms, but also to the simple things like laying on my back, walking without pain, sitting comfortably, drinking water without getting heartburn and of course eating sushi!

Baby Names

This is one thing that I have really been struggling with. Obviously we have been discussing baby names since early in the pregnancy, but with only 5 weeks until my due date, we are yet to decide on one of the names. We have a girls name picked out that both hubby and I love, it's the boys name that has been extrememly difficult.

Boys names just seem so much harder to choose - with girls names you can really be quite creative, but when both hubby and I want a good strong boys name, it is a lot more difficult to find. I have been through so many baby name books & websites that my head is spinning, and I'm still trying to come up with a definitive short list. I want to at least have this so that we can name our baby shortly after birth.

It is just such an important thing to consider, our child will be stuck with this name for the rest of their life. I guess it doesn't help that I'm a Libra too - the worst decision maker there is!