34 Weeks…

January 29, 2008 · Filed under 3rd Trimester · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Time seems to be flying by now. I know that will soon stop so I’m trying to make the most of it as everyone says the last couple of weeks really drag.

I’m 34 weeks and 1 day as of today. It’s quite amazing how fast time has passed. Sometimes it feels like I have been pregnant forever (I knew immediately remember), but then at other times it feels like it’s not been anywhere near long enough to actually be thinking about giving birth in 6 weeks!

My preggie twin that I met on a pregnancy forum gave birth yesterday to a little boy. We found out we were pregnant the same day, were due the same day and have become good friends over the last few months. We have never met but have a good friendship via internet and text, which has been nice. We seemed to have had the same aches and pains on a daily basis which was always, in a way, quite comforting. She ended up with HELLP Syndrome though and OC (Obstetric Cholestasis) which can be life threatening to mother and baby so she had to be delivered early. She gave birth at 12.31am this morning to a very healthy baby boy weighing 6lb 5oz! I wonder how much he would have weighed had he gone another 6 weeks! Well done Gem! I’m proud of you!

My SPD has been really terrible. I can barely walk more than 5 to 10 minutes without having to stop which is very frustrating. I don’t go out much at all as it seems pointless when it’s limited to no more than a couple of shops at a time. Even sitting down hurts and causes a lot of pain. I have weekly physio sessions but to be honest, they seem to be pointless. I’m only really going incase it gets so bad that I need serious help toward the end. I have a very attractive full body tubigrip to wear but even that doesn’t really do very much at all I’m sad to say.

I know it is all going to be worth it in the end when I’m holding our baby though. I can’t wait.

Everything is more or less done now. We are still waiting for our nursery furniture though which is annoying me. We were told 6 to 8 weeks and it’s now 7 and we hadn’t heard from them. I called yesterday and they said we will receive a call this week and the installation date will be week commencing 11th February. The problem is that until the furniture is in, I can’t put any of Flump’s clothes away. They’re all washed and need to be ironed but that’s pointless until I have somewhere to put them.

I did start getting my labour bag ready yesterday. Most of my stuff is packed, I just need to sort out Flump’s now. I need to iron a few little things and then pack them and the other essentials. It’s all becoming quite real. :)

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Happy New Year!

January 3, 2008 · Filed under 3rd Trimester · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Happy New year to everyone who reads my blog. 2008 is certainly going to be a very special and full year for Matt and I. I’m really excited. This will be the year that we get to meet our little baby for the first time. Amazing.

We’re currently 30+3 now. Every passing day just makes me more anxious about everything. I think it is finally hitting home that I, me, Debbie, am going to be a Mummy. It seems entirely surreal. I’m excited, more excited than I ever have been about anything, but, I’m also very nervous and scared too. I’m scared about actually having to give birth; terrified in fact. But I am also terrified about bringing home this tiny, fragile, new born baby and having to look after it. What if I am a useless mother? I don’t even know where to start. I can change a nappy. That’s not hard, but I have no idea about putting a baby to bed safely and bathing it and all of those things.

Fear has now set in! But I honestly can’t wait. 10-12 more (12 maximum) weeks to go and we will finally be holding our bundle of joy. I’m still glad we didn’t find out if we are on Team Blue or Team Pink as I think the suspension will keep me going in the final few weeks.

Things are getting difficult now. I can’t sleep at night so I am constantly tired. Acid reflux is back with a vengeance. Bending over hurts and sometimes Flump is so active that I actually feel nauseus. One of my main issues is actually finding somewhere to get comfy. Sitting at my desk gives me awful backache. Sitting on the bed gives me terrible pain in my hip and sitting down in the lounge on the sofa doesn’t support my back so I end up sitting on the floor now! It’s all fun!!

On the good side, my bump is growing nicely. In fact, we were both amazed at just how much it grew in a week over Xmas (and no, it wasn’t down to too eating too much rubbish, thanks!) This is the main growth time and boy, am I feeling it! The stretching pains are back, not as bad as they were in the first tri and second tri, but they’re there. At least with those pains it means that Flump is growing as he should so I don’t mind. They don’t last as long as they used to either.

We have more or less everything we need now. All the big stuff is either here or on order, awaiting delivery (such as the nursery furniture). We are going to get our Xmas decorations down this weekend and get them packed away so that we can get the loft sorted out for more bits and pieces from the old office to go in there so we can start decorating. We are going to paint and my Dad has kindly agreed to come and wallpaper for us (he is good at it!). The carpet comes on 14th January so it all needs to be done by then.

At the weekend, we made a list of everything we have bought and when we got it all out we just couldn’t believe it. Half the stuff we have bought over the last 10 weeks, we’d actually forgotten about. We have so much but it’ll all be used, I’m sure. We somehow ended up with 36 baby vests. I think we got a little bit carried away!

We’ve agreed not to buy any more clothing or blankets etc until we know whether it should be blue or pink. I don’t want the baby having to live in cream and yellow for the first 3 months because we overdid it on outfits and HAVE to use them!

I shall keep you updated on  our progress as always :)

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4D Scan @ 27+5

December 20, 2007 · Filed under 3rd Trimester

We attended our long awaited 4D scan this weekend. All I can say is that it was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Seeing your own baby “in the flesh” so to speak is just truly magnificent.

We took my Dad and my sister along to the scan with us. We had invited them along as we thought it would be something really special to share with them. Their reactions were just priceless. :)

The scan started with all of us looking anywhere but at the screen. This is because we want to remain “Team Green’ and couldn’t risk anyone seeing any “bits” on the scan when she put the probe on. Luckily she went straight to the head so we were safe anyway.

Flump was a little bit naughty throughout the scan. He kept putting his hands up to his face as if he was hiding away. At one point I had to press on my belly to keep his hands out of the way. That felt odd for me because it was the first time I’d interacted with him and been able to see what affect I was having.

The pictures we have are amazing, as is the DVD. It’s a good 20 minutes long and shows Flump moving his hands up to his face, putting his foot into his mouth and smiling and frowning, among many other things.

I really can’t put into words just how amazing it was, which is why I’m going to keep this blog short and add the pictures and DVD to it for you to see for yourself.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I’d love another but I think we will leave Flump in peace now for the next 12 weeks before his entrance to the world begins. :)

Here is the video. It’s had to be broken down into 3 parts as YouTube only allow 10 minutes at a time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu1ZTg0TTgk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFisPGnoWGo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho7ZPmV0c5I

And our pictures:

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Third Trimester!

December 11, 2007 · Filed under 3rd Trimester

We made it! We’re here! Third trimester!

I have one question though.. Where did the last 13 weeks go? I feel like I slept through the second trimester as it flew by so quickly.

Now, I KNOW I didn’t, because it was too painful and what with the early worries, I know we went through it. It just seems to have whizzed by. Not that I’m complaining.

I love being pregnant. I love knowing that there is a baby, OUR baby, growing inside of me. I love being an incubator and I hope I’m turning out to be a good one? But the faster this all goes, the sooner we get to meet our little miracle. Flump isn’t a miracle because he took ages to conceive or anything like that, but as far as I am concerned, he is a miracle because he is ours. We created him and that’s not something that anything can beat.

On a daily basis, Matt and I roll around in our heads the fact that just six months ago we decided to do this for real. Never did either of us think that by Christmas that I’d be six months pregnant. We also roll around and try to really come to terms with the fact that WE are having a baby! Of course, we’re not stupid. We know we’re having a baby but the concept of what’s happened over the last 27 weeks is just so much to take in, if I’m honest.

Flump has gone from being a tiny little blob of cells, to basically, a fully formed baby inside of me. How do you ever really get your head around that? I love feeling him wriggling and squirming and kicking and punching inside me. That too is very odd but it’s the most comforting thing in the world. Words cannot describe how his movements make me feel. I can’t even begin to think ahead to March as to how I am going to feel when I touch his soft peachy skin for the first time.

13 weeks to go, or there abouts. I can’t wait, but I will. :)

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Quick Update..

December 5, 2007 · Filed under 2nd Trimester

Well, I know I have been pretty quiet lately. Things have been busy in one way or another and I just feel I haven’t had time to sit and write a Blog. Today is the first time that I have really had time in between work and everything else that has been going on.

Since my last update, my sisters family have all been ill. Firstly there was a stomach bug which was awful. This landed the youngest, Callum in hospital, then two days later, Kaden was in hospital with croup. It was horrible as he could barely breathe when he was admitted and was given a nebuliser and steroids which eventually perked him up. They are both pretty much fine now which is pleasing but it was scary for a while and very stressful too. Their Dad has just had his huge hernia fixed at the beginning of this week and he is also on the mend. Hopefully everything will be fine in time for Christmas. :)

Regarding pregnancy, everything has been going well. Apart from SPD. That has been getting increasingly painful to the point that I can’t lift my leg in and out of the car at times. I feel like an old woman and I don’t like it. Six months ago I was running a couple of miles a day. Now I can’t walk a mile without wanting to burst into tears.

We went to see Wet Wet Wet last night at the NEC and on the way out we were going to wait for the bus to take us back to the car park but since the queue was so long, I decided we would walk. BIG MISTAKE! The walk was a good mile and took around 15 minutes. By the time we got to the car I could have cried. Today I can barely move which is fun and I feel so tired after such a late night, I can see myself being asleep by 8pm!

If nothing else, Wet Wet Wet were fabulous and Flump certainly seemed to enjoy the music as he was squirming and kicking all night long at the concert and also on the way home and again first thing this morning. He MUST be tired now after all that – just like his Mummy!

Acid Reflux is another thing that is getting to me. No matter what I do, I seem to end up with it at least two or three times a week now. If I eat, I get it, if I don’t eat I get it. I can’t win and the doctor won’t prescribe me anything for it. The pain and sleepless nights on top of the sleepless nights I have through general pregnancy discomfort is sometimes distressing. You just have to get on and deal with it though.

We have our next scan in just over a week. It will be our long awaited 4D scan so we’re both very excited. We invited Jac and my dad along too as we thought it would be nice to share the experience with them. I hope they really enjoy it.

We have our crib and have chosen our travel system now. We went for the Jane Slalon Pro with the Matrix Cup and also the Rebel Pro car seats. We chose the Marine colour which is green and blue. We both love it and we already have the rebel car seat here and are awaiting the pushchair and the matrix Cup car seat to be delivered.

Jane Slalom

As for the rest of the furniture we want, we are having major problems getting hold of it. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that we will be lucky and be able to get all of it.

We’re in the process now of switching our office to our “spare” rather messy middle room so that after Christmas we can crack on with the nursery. I feel we are running out of time now as you lose a few weeks for Christmas and by New Year we will be 30 weeks! Where has time gone? I know everyone said that the 2nd Trimester goes quickly but I never realised I’d miss it! LOL.

Anyway, that’s all for now. This weeks we will be decorating and clearing out, helping my dad move and preparing for Christmas. Big week coming up!

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BabyBond Scan @ 23 Weeks

November 13, 2007 · Filed under 2nd Trimester

Yesterday we had a third BabyBond scan to see how much Flump has changed and grown since our last one. We kind of felt that with our previous scans that we had been robbed each time as something bad had always cropped up beforehand so on one hand I was nervous that *something* would happen in the morning or on Sunday night, which I’m pleased to say, it did not, but on the other hand I could hardly contain my excitement!

The scan was at 1.45pm and as we had to travel to a place called Uppingham, we left early in case of traffic (the roads turned out to be clear and Sat Nav got us to the location really easily), which in turn meant that we arrived much earlier than expected. Luckily though, we seemed to have been in between appointments, so as soon as we had paid, they took us straight upstairs to the lovely little room, which was very cosy with dim lighting and soft music playing in the background. I positioned myself onto the bed, rolled my jeans down and she squirted the lovely warmed jelly onto me. Matt sat in a rather comfy looking black chair to the side of me.

As the scanner was placed on my belly, the image of Flump’s head came straight up on to the screen. I was instantly amazed at how much bigger he looked. Everything is now very well defined on the scans. His ribs, spine and features are clear and she was even able to tell us that he has a little turned up nose.

She had to be careful as she was aware that we don’t want to know the gender, which makes her job harder, but she did well and we didn’t see anything. She did show us the feet and legs though and at one point asked “Ok, so who has a gap between their toes?” I just cringed because Matt has a gap between his big toe and the one next too it and I have to admit, I hate his feet. Always have, always will! LOL. Sorry Matt… nothing you’re not aware of though ;)

Anyway, after a few giggles and me giving Matt a few “how could you pass that on to our gorgeous little baby” looks, she moved on and she showed us his stomach, bladder (which was full of fluid which he will be weeing out into me – nice!) and even the diaphragm. As usual his little heart was pounding away which was lovely to see. He spent most of the scan wriggling around, which is how I like it as I wouldn’t want to see him just laying there asleep really as when they are active you certainly get to see more. He had his hands up to his face and at one point even yawned and rubbed his eyes. Very cute indeed!!

All in all, we loved it. It lasted 10 minutes, which is great, but you are always left wanting more. If I could have lay there on that bed with the wand attached to my belly til my due date, I probably would! It’s just such an amazing experience and you could never get bored of seeing the little miracle that you and your partner have created.

Here are the pictures we got from the scan;

Side profile – hand up

Front profile of face

The ‘gappy’ toed foot

Cute profile again

Glimpse of 4D

Same 4D picture but with the bacground around Flump darkened

And finally, the un-edited version of the DVD can be seen here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VosN4QnQVMI

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Doctors Surgery = My New Best Friend

November 8, 2007 · Filed under 2nd Trimester · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m starting to feel like I live in the doctors. I feel like I am ALWAYS there.

Before getting pregnant, I rarely went to the doctors. This time last year I was a bit poorly with a stomach complaint (and a lump in my abdomen which worried the hell out of me) which saw me lose over a stone in weight in just over a week. That was scary and I was even sent to hospital to have a scan on my aorta just to be on the safe side in order to rule out an aneurysm. SCARY! All was fine though…. The lump is still there and I am still alive. Apparantley it is a muscle. Weird.

I feel like I have weekly visits there at the moment for one thing or another. The last one was my ante-natal appointment and the on before that was because I was worried about some pains I was getting in my belly and wanted to make sure Flump was ok. Which he was and is. :)

This time, I was there because I have been experiencing some quite bad pains in my back, hips, groin and thighs – kind of stabbing pains sometimes. So much so that I was unable to get myself off of the sofa in my sisters on Bonfire Night. (Yes, we ended up having fireworks after all, LOL).

Anyway, I decided to make an appointment to get it checked out as it’s been making me feel so sore and useless over the past few days that I have been in tears twice.

Funnily enough, I felt okay when I went in to see her. She made me touch my toes, bend backwards, bend to the left, then to the right and turn to the wall moving just my torso. All felt fine. Then she got me to lay on the couch and raise each leg, then bend them and she then pulled each leg out to the side and back in. The only pain I felt at that time was in my left hip.

She wasn’t sure what it was and then looked up SPD (Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction) and started explaining it to me. I told her I knew all about it as my sister had suffered with it too. What she read out matched my symptoms so she has referred me to physio. I asked if it was worth waiting a while before making such a referral (I like minimum fuss) but she said it could take weeks to come through anyway and that if I felt I didn;t need the appointment at that time then it was better to have it and cancel it then end up suffering and not have anything at all. Matt jumped in and said “take the referral now!” I think he is worried that I’d decline and in 5 weeks be bed-ridden LOL. So, I’m to call them on Monday and see what they say.

When we left the surgery, as soon as I stood up, I could feel that I was sore again after the bending, stretching and manipulating. By the time we got back to the car I had a pain soaring through my bum cheek and hips. Here we go again…

I also mentioned about acid reflux whilst I was there (well, actually, Matt did), and she said that there’s not really anything that is safe to take in pregnancy for it so I had a big bottle of Gaviscon prescribed. Not that it does anything for reflux but it’s handy to have for heartburn and I am getting through the bottles as we buy them. (At least this one was free).

So all in all, not great. Possible SPD and acid reflux raging but at least little Flump is fine… even if his Mummy is getting a battering!

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BabyMecham.com Is Now Running!

November 7, 2007 · Filed under Other · Tagged , , , ,

Matt has been working hard on Flump’s website and I have to say, I love it!

I just thought that I would add a link to it here for those who don’t know about it yet. We hope to add a forum to it soon too for everyone to keep in touch!

BabyMecham.com

Do go and have a look. All you need to do is click on the banner above :)

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Remember, Remember…

November 2, 2007 · Filed under 2nd Trimester, Other

Next week brings 5th November again, better known as Guy Fawkes night or bonfire night. We usually end up at one organised display and then one home display which my sister and her fiance organise.

I don’t think we will be bothering with the home display this year.

We went to a free display last night at a local(ish) shopping centre called ‘Springfields’ (no, Homer was not there!) and having left later than intended, we arrived late due to a shocking amount of traffic and ended up parking on a dark, muddy field. Great start!

As we got to the centre, the display was just about to start. When I realised how loud it was and how much the massive bangs were vibrating through my body and through the floor, I have to admit that I did become a little concerned that perhaps Flump would be startled or scared. Now, I know he is encased in a bubble of fluid etc, but as a Mum-to-Be, you can’t help but to worry about these little things. My sister ended up taking her youngest, Callum (9 months) into a store as he was so scared, so I decided to follow her in so I was also shielded which meant Flump was too. Lucky we did because the end of the display was just one massive bang after another. The display lasted all of 7 minutes so it was the biggest waste of 2 hours in the car I’d ever experienced, but we all laughed about it.

On the way home, I was driving and all of a sudden I felt a huge kick from Flump which startled me so much that I kind of yelped in shock and then started laughing. Matt didn’t have a clue what I was doing until I said “wow, that was big”, then he asked if I should be driving. His kicks are definitely getting stronger now and they’re enough to make me feel quite startled sometimes and to make me hold my breath for a split second. I love it though!

Anyway, we’re going to a hallowe’en/fireworks party tomorrow night at my Dad’s work but Monday’s fireworks have been cancelled as not only would Callum hate it, Kaden also wasn’t overly keen on them either. Ah well, quiet night in front of the TV instead. I won’t complain. ;)

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21 Week Ante-Natal Check Up

October 31, 2007 · Filed under 2nd Trimester

We have just returned from our 21 week ante-natal appointment with the MW. The one I saw last time, if you re-call, was efficient but quite po-faced and didn’t make it an overly enjoyable experience, so I was pleased to see a different face this time.

The MW I saw was young (probably not much older than us) and she has just returned to work after having her 2nd baby which is nice because actually being pregnant and having a baby (including all the worries) are all fresh in her mind!

She asked both Matt and I if we had any questions (the last MW looked annoyed that he had dared to even come in with me) and answered everything I asked about my pains/aches etc. She said it was all normal and that unless I am crippled with pain that I shouldn’t worry. She went on to explain that my uterus is still stretching a lot and how it’s gone from being flat like a carrier bag to more of a balloon. We talked about the discharge I had last week before my scan. She’s put my mind at rest about that too.

She checked the heartbeat, which she said sounded “lovely” and also checked the fundal height which is measuring 2cm bigger but she said that’s fine too.

All in all a nice appointment Very Happy Seeing her again in 4 weeks Very Happy

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