36 weeks

36 weeks today!  Here I am this morning...

And to compare with my last pregnancy...

Seems to me like I'm pretty similar - maybe a bit bigger?  Looks lower this time to me though.  Check out the tan though!! ;)

I had my 36 week appointment with the OB yesterday - all still going really well.  Bub is still head down and he is happy with how we are both doing.  OB thinks it's another decent sized baby (Jake was 8lb12oz), but I was also told in my last pregnancy that they expected the baby to be about 1 pound less than what he ended up being so I'm not thinking much of it!  Only thing is I have to get another blood test done today so they can re-check my iron levels to make sure the the tablets have brought them up to a more acceptable level.

I'm on weekly appointments now - I see the midwife next week, then the OB every week after that until baby decided to make it's arrival.

I'm starting to have a few more issues sleeping lately, but the pelvic & sciatic pain during the day seems to have really eased up...most days anyway.  As long as I don't do too much physically.  It's still causing quite a bit of pain at night with rolling over in particular, but while it's manageable during the day I'm not complaining too much.

Other than that, I am coping quite well.  I'm not at the completely over it stage, but I am very much looking forward to the end, being able to meet this special little one and being able to be more physically active with my family again.

A difference

A lot of this pregnancy has been so very similar to my last pregnancy that I was quite surprised to have discovered a big difference between them today.  And it's in my fingers.  Last time my fingers swelled up so badly that I had to remove my rings.  My engagement ring at around 30 weeks:

See Post Here

And a failed attempt at removing my wedding ring at 33 weeks:

here

This time however, there seems to be no difference at all in the size of my fingers.  All rings still go on and off just as easily as they ever have.  It didn't even occur to me until a pregnant friend mentioned the trouble she was having.  I have noticed a very slight amount of swelling on my feet from time to time towards the end of a day, but otherwise it seems to be mostly just a big basketball belly ;)

Update

35 weeks today...officially only 5 weeks to go until my due date :)  Of course we all know that doesn't really mean much, except that the baby should be here some time in the next 2-7 weeks ;)

Feeling ok at the moment considering.  Getting very tired again lately...of course my 5:30am start to every day doesn't help!  I've been trying to nap when I can and rest from time to time, but there's only so much rest you can get with a 2 year old.

The pain is still usually at a manageable level - I do have bad days from time to time, but mostly it's been just normal pain, not debilitating pain.  That is, as long as I am wearing a pelvic belt and being very very careful with everything I do.  The main thing I am missing is going to the beach - living on the coast we usually spend quite a bit of time at the beach, but walking in the soft sand is just too hard on my S.P.D. now and causes way too much pain for a day or so afterwards.  So most likely, no more beach trips for me until after the baby is here.

I'm a little concerned that I may be getting a cold :(  Have had a sore throat for a couple of days and I'm now starting to have sinus issues - feels very typical cold.  I guess it's at least better to get it now than in 3 weeks time.

Other than that, everything seems to be going along really well.  We are reasonably organised now too - still a bit of a 'to do' list before the baby arrives, but we're starting to get through it.  I'm trying to really lap up all the beautiful baby movements while I can as very likely this will be my last pregnancy.  And also spending these last few weeks or so relishing lots of toddler cuddles and enjoying our one on one time before our family grows.

Improvement

I'm a bit concerned about jinxing myself by writing this, but my pain levels have improved dramatically over the past couple of days.  I'm still in pain, mostly from the S.P.D. but also some sciatic pain, but no where near as bad as what it has been.  I have been doing a lot less around the house which is still a massive struggle for me, but it really seems to have made a difference to the pain level.  I'm even thinking that maybe the baby has changed positions or something because of the pain comparison in relation to the amount of reduced physical activity.  Even over the last day or so when I have done a bit more around the house (dishes, washing, tiny bit of sweeping etc), the pain level is still very manageable.  I'm still getting quite a bit of S.P.D. pain at night, but I have managed to find a position that doesn't aggravate it when I first go to bed which has helped a lot.

Now I'm just really hoping that it stays at this level for the rest of the pregnancy!

Physio Appointment

The appointment at the physio yesterday was pretty much what I expected.  I've been told I need to severely reduce the amount of activity I am doing, and add in significant rest periods throughout the day.  Um, yes, well that will be easy as a stay at home Mum to a toddler!

But she has basically explained that it is a necessity to prevent the problem from worsening and causing other problems, particularly because they are so limited in what they can do for the problem while I am pregnant.  And that if I can't rest myself at home, then they will make me with a week's stay in hospital on enforced bed rest.

My lower back is also suffering a lot more too with the extra work it has to do because of the weakness in other areas, and as the pain has caused me to develop a bit of a limp, that pressure has been added to my lower back too.  She managed to loosen the muscles there during the appointment and my back is feeling a lot better.  Not a whole lot she can do for the pubic/groin/leg pain though as expected.  She has me taking panadol in the afternoon and again before bed to help with the problem at night.  I also managed to get enough relief from the burning pain yesterday for a 45 min nap during the day by laying on my back, raised by a heap of pillows.  So I'm now trying that technique to help me get to sleep at night for the first couple of hours in particular.

So, the physio wants to see me in a week's time to check on how things are going.  If it hasn't improved at least somewhat or has gotten worse, she will be speaking to my OB about the next step.

Although after even 1 day of doing basically nothing yesterday, I can notice the difference this morning.  Still pain, but a definite improvement on yesterday morning.  I'm not the type of person who can just sit back and do nothing though, so it was a real struggle to do it for even one day.  But I don't have a choice, I need to take care of my body so that I'm able to properly care for both my toddler and baby in 5-9 weeks time (yes I am counting!).

Limits

Between the SPD and the sciatica, I have been trying to limit my physical activity as much as possible when I'm experiencing pain.  I'm trying to get light exercise, while not overdoing it and still trying to get some rest.  I'm trying to sit the right way, walk the right way, turn the right way, get in and out of the car/bed etc the right way, roll over the right way, sleep the right way etc etc.  I'm wearing the support strap during the day and only taking it off for breaks, particularly where I am sitting or laying down.

But the pain level seems to have doubled over the last few days.  I can't do anything without feeling pain - even sitting or laying still most often causes a strong burning pain in my groin.  Feels like I am being stabbed with a hot knife.  Walking is painful enough that I cant help but limp a lot of the time - whenever I put any pressure on my right leg, I get the pain from both the SPD as well as the shooting pain in my RH lower back from the sciatica.  After laying down in bed for a couple of minutes, I start to get a burning pain in my groin so bad that it brings me to tears.  It lasts for about an hour and I can't seem to find any position that makes it go away.

I'm off to the physio again today, but not expecting her to be able to do much.  I've come to the realisation this morning that I just have to accept that my mobility is decreased severely and will be that way until the birth.  I find it so difficult to sit back and do nothing, particularly with a toddler who wants me to run around playing and dancing with him like normal and still has times where he wants to be picked up or carried.  He doesn't, and shouldn't have to, understand why I can't.  But I just can't handle this pain anymore, I don't have a choice but to limit my activity to a much more severe degree.  I don't want to spend the rest of this pregnancy in tears.

32 Weeks

Here I am this morning at 32 weeks...

And compared with my last pregnancy...

So maybe a bit bigger, but looks pretty similar to me!  I've now put on around 12kg compared to the 11kg I put on in total last time, but I'm still 3kg lighter than my finishing weight last pregnancy.

I had my 32 week OB appointment yesterday which was pretty uneventful as usual...just what to hope for.  My blood pressure was pretty good at 105/60, baby's heart rate was 140.  OB just wanted to make sure that I was taking iron supplements, but other than that had no concerns.

The pain is still hanging around - both from the S.P.D. and sciatica.  I'm still seeing the physio every 2 weeks which helps a little, but only for a few days.  The midwife has recommended a remedial massage therapist now as well, but I must admit that I'm more than a little skeptical.  The last few days have been particularly painful, but I've also been at home by myself with a toddler over the whole weekend.  The pain seems to be very closely related to the level and type of activity I do throughout the day.  I'm trying to take it easy as much as possible, but there's only so much I can avoid as a stay at home Mum.  I'm also trying to wear the support strap as much as possible - not sure how much difference it makes though.  I try to wear it in the mornings when I am getting the most work done, but it's pretty uncomfortable and the baby doesn't particularly like it, especially if I sit or lay down.  I really think it is just something that you can get minor relief from while pregnant, but that won't go away until after the baby is out.  Even though he wont directly say it, I get the feeling that my OB agrees.

Hospital Tour

Ironically, after waiting an extra month to do the hospital tour because of the hubby's last minute work commitments, he ended up having to work again...the joys of business ownership!!  But I didn't want to chance waiting another month so I headed off to the hospital tour on Saturday morning myself, toddler in tow.

It was of such a great benefit to me - it really made a difference being able to see the place where our baby would be born.  The tour started with all the general information you would expect about labour and the actual hospital stay in particular from one of the midwives on staff.  This was the second hospital midwife I have met and she was just as lovely as the first one.  We looked through the rooms, as well as the whole ward in general, nursery & birth suites.

This hospital is so different from my last one.  It's not as 'pretty' to look at, the rooms are all smaller and older, but there were other differences that made it seem so much more 'homely'.  For example, at my old hospital, the bed was THE major furniture item in the birth suite and the constant fluro lighting made it seem more like a hospital.  These birth suites still contain a bed, but they are not the major feature of the room, and even the midwife commented that they rarely get used, only really for epidurals.  There's also beanbags, mattresses, fitballs, couches etc.  The lights are dimmed too which makes it seem a lot less like a hospital.  They also have ensuites with a large corner bath that I'm hoping I will be able to utilise for a water birth.

The rooms were simple, but clean and tidy.  All rooms are private rooms, mostly singles with just a single bed,   big comfy recliner, ensuite, tv, phone etc, and all except 2 of the rooms also have their own balcony.

I also noticed that this hospital seems to allow mums more privacy than my last one.  Last time, it was very rare to have an hour go by without someone coming into my room.  Here, they deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner to your room, but morning & afternoon tea is delivered to the kitchen so you can wander down and help yourself if you want them.  There's also a fridge filled with juices, softdrinks etc, as well as tea and coffee that can be accessed at any time.  They even have a sign for the front door of your room that you can use if you want to have a sleep - like a do not disturb sign effectively.  You have the ability to get your own fresh linen or extra supplies for the baby if you wish too.  Particularly as this will be my second baby, I love the sound of being able to have that extra privacy if I want it.

The tour has left me so excited...I want the baby here now!!  It also made me feel even more comfortable about the labour.  I wouldn't go as far as to say that I'm not scared at all, but it has definitely made me feel a lot more relaxed about it and in a way, excited to see how it will all happen and hopefully being able to have that 'healing birth' that people talk about.