Baby Update

Good Afternoon, Everyone :)

My friend Kadi recommended to write a post about where I get my pregnancy/baby information from and what blogs I follow. So this is what I'll do and I'll also add some information that I was given and found absolutely useless :D And if you are one of the lucky ladies, who is expecting your first child, you might be packing/thinking of packing your hospital bag, so I'll quickly go over what I packed and what I actually used and needed :) And a few unseen pictures of O :)

His first outing :) he is probably just a week old, and we went to town to meet my parents for a coffee

Back to the post .
I don't actually follow any blogs but there are a few I usually check these days.
When I was pregnant I read this blog by Anna Saccone Joly pretty much every week, because she was expecting her second child while I was pregnant with Oscar, and I loved reading her weekly updates, while keeping up with her first child Emilias progress. Now, instead of reading her blog I watch her husband vlogs on youtube about their family life. Their videos are the only ones I actually watch on youtube pretty much every day, as he posts a new video every evening :)
Another blog I started reading while I was pregnant is The Honeybee by Andee Layne. She wasn't pregnant anymore, but I loved how her blog is about her life and fashion and healthy eating/living with some parenting and baby updates about her daughter Ava. I still check back on her blog every now and then, but don't really follow it that much. She posts some really great fashion advice :)
A really good parenting blog is lovetaza rockstar diaries. It's about a christian couple with 2 children living in New York. The woman Naomi who is writing the blog is actually pregnant with her third now. How exciting. And she is also doing weekly pregnancy update posts :) I really love the style of her blog and the way she writes. I also love her little section called Eleanorism or things Eleanor says??? one of those :D and it's a segment she does about what her daughter does and says..it's really funny. Children come up with the funniest things :D
A quite a funny fact about the 3 blogs I do recommend/read is that all these ladies are from different places. Anna is from Ireland (they live near London now) Andee lives in the orange county and Taza lives in New York. I know orange county and New York are both in America, but they are like 2 different worlds really :D On a side note, I too went to New York and also California :) Los Angeles to be exact, but we did drive there by the coast line from San Fransisco so I can say I've seen more than people that have just flown straight into LAX.
I might actually do a throwback post about my travels ( I was only there for 3 weeks, but still) in America once I get a hold of the pictures we took there...It has been nearly 2 and a half years and I still haven't seen all of them. My friend had the camera and she is just the shittiest person to get pictures from :D
But that's all from the blogs side.

When I was pregnant I signed up with pretty much every single baby update website possible :D It's actually quite cool, you just enter your due date and the website sends you weekly updates on what to expect, most of them continue doing them after the birth, so that is also great. I like it a lot :D
I'm not going to go through of them all, but here are the 3 I like the most :)
www.babycenter.co.uk ( I actually use the US site rather than the UK one)
www.emmasdiary.co.uk on top of sending weekly updates they also have great offers and competitions. I got my baby show tickets cheaper with a code they sent me :)
www.bounty.com they are the people who give you the maternity and family packs that you can collect from Boots, Argos and now I think Asda as well. I still need to get my family pack :D
They send you ZHAMAZING offers on all baby stuff. Great discount codes and weekly updates. Now that I have Oscar I get monthly baby updates rather than weekly.

The latest pic of him smiling in his cozy footmuff. I got it from amazon and it's by Kaiser

Imagine the scariness of getting an email saying...''this will be your last pregnancy update email'' :O Week 40, this is when it gets real :D

And I also used Google search a lot :D And went on the page where ever I thought I'll find the best answer. I loved the forums, as they had real mothers giving their views and answers.

Since everything is so technical these days I did get a baby app. I actually paid for mine, but there are so many out there that you can get for free.
The one I got for my computer was called Pregnancy Plus by Health and parenting. And it would show the progress and how the baby looks, the development and all that jazz. I checked it every week. The great thing about this app is that it continues until week 42, which can easily happen with pregnancy ( I was 6 days overdue)

I also got the Parents Pregnancy and Baby Guide app, that continues up to your baby being 2 years old :) I had not actually looked at it since getting Oscar, but now after writing this post, I'll will go and see what to expect in the upcoming weeks.

Obviously every baby is different, but these apps and updates give you a good outlook and overall information, so you wouldn't be surprised.
And I got one more app, and it was the contraction counter...that was very useful :)

Now to the part where I'm going to tell you about what information I found completely useless as a first time mom.
''THE WHOLE COURSE IN THE HOSPITAL''
When we were there and even after I just thought it's amazing that I took it, and I loved the information, and I loved the woman who gave the course. She was just really positive and gave us loads of information about pain relief (her view was that there is no need for pain relief if you know what is going on)
We were told that contractions are just muscles working to get the baby down and out...In reality it is nothing like muscle work.
I know you should not get stressed out and think of the pain...I was in labour for almost 2 days...and pain is the only thing you can think about. There is of course also tiredness and hunger with such a long labour. Once I got the epidural at 4am ( That was 24 hours after my first contraction) I was not allowed to eat anything...I gave birth at almost 8pm which meant that I didn't have any energy left to do the vigorous job of pushing out a baby since I had only had water for 16 hours.
I did write about my whole labour in the delivery post (I'll put a link for it below with all the rest of them as well :))so I'm not going to go through all of it, but I think the course just gave a very optimistic view of what was going to happen and when it actually did it was kind of a shock as it was all really unexpected and I felt completely unprepared.
It's a good thing the course was free as I would've asked for my money back :D

It's all worth though when you get to have this little munchkin :)

The Hospital Bag
I packed for god knows what :D Most of the things I packed I didn't even need and in all honesty they were in the way of me trying to find the things I did need.
Breast pads - Unless you have leaky breasts already when you are pregnant, there is little chance you will get them in the hospital. I was only in the hospital for 24 hours though after birth and my milk came in on the 4th day. I packed about 20 breast pads :S Next time I would only pack 2 to make them into a warm compress, as you can get sore nipples, if you  breastfeed.
Maternity disposable briefs :S I got them with the whole pack and thought they would be amazing, in reality I did feel that I needed more support down there. Pack about 5 pairs of underwear suitable for the massive pregnancy pads.
I also found that the pads they give you in the hospital were much better than the ones I brought, so take advantage of the nice staff and bag yourself some free ones :D
A whole bag of toiletries -  I only used shampoo and shower gel and also a face wash. There was no point having the conditioner and body cream and face cream and every other little pot and cream I packed. I did use a bit of make up though, I used my Estee Lauder bb cream and a mascara on the next day, just to make myself feel like a human again.
Towels - If you have long hair take an extra towel for your hair. Also take some flip flops for the showers unless you are in a private room. I was in a ward with 3 other women and the showers were horrible. I used my slippers that they tell you to take but they got wet after the shower and for the rest of the day I was wearing normal shoes (we had to go for checks with O and you have to go get your own food ...D got me mine )So instead of slippers bring flip flops.
Dressing gown - didn't pack one actually and I also didn't need it.
My sleepwear disaster :D I got a long sleep shirt from Primark when I was pregnant and it seemed to fit nicely, but after birth I think my body was just really bloated all over and the buttons would not button and I ended up being really uncomfortable. I would've been much better with a long stretchy old t-shirt.
And I also packed way too many things for O. I could've been fine with 2 sleep suits and 2 vests for the extra layers plus a hat and a nice blanket. I had D bring a fleece blanket for him for going home...they tell you not to use fleece blankets, so I brought a cellular one, but O has been sleeping with fleece ones and he is happy with the softness.
The grooming kit with a hairbrush and nail clippers :S Why did I pack it? I don't know :D
There is no need for socks and bibs, especially when you are breastfeeding.
I also didn't use the cooling spray because I forgot I had it :D
And I only had one of the snack bars as I wasn't allowed to eat after they thought I might have developed diabetes in the hospital...in a day ... it wasn't diabetes :D
The one thing they do tell you is not to use wipes and use cotton balls instead. I'm sorry, but if you are in a ward with 3 other women and one sink and no facilities to use a kettle to boil water and all the things they tell you should do then take wipes. I gave up on the cotton balls the minute I took them out of the bag and used wipes instead.
I'll do a separate post about the updates Hospital Bag List just so there wouldn't be anything confusing :)

Someone has got the case of flushing cheeks...does this mean he is teething already :( hello sleepeless nights I guess :D

But that is all for todays information :)

If you have any other questions, leave comment below and I'll be sure to answer it :)

Stay tuned

xoxo

38 Weeks Pregnancy Update

It's 26th of July and I'm still pregnant. And it doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon :D So maybe I was wrong. I don't even know why I had this day in my head....oh well. It's probably best he holds on for a bit, until the weather gets a bit cooler, because I struggle to keep myself cool, I would not have clue how to keep a baby from over heating. Okay I do have a clue. I've done some reading just in case, but it is definitely easier for him in my belly :D 
This week has gone really fast. It was D's birthday and I have actually been out and about more often. We've gone to the cinema and I've met my friend for dinner yesterday, which got followed by a few non-alcoholic beverages around Brindely place. She was driving so couldn't drink alcohol either so I had company in that department. And all in all it's actually been a really good week as I've kept myself busy. I need to plan out the next 2 weeks as well, so time will go faster.
Another thing is that my parents finally bought tickets to come visit us in August, and even though they are only coming for 5 days I can not wait :) It's only going to be my parents and my brother and then my sister will visit us some time in October. But 3 out of 4 is pretty good I think. 
Also it's Ds brothers birthday today, so it's probably best I' not going to give birth today, because no one wants to share their birthday :D 

This is what the bump looks like these days :)

A little 10 weeks comparison for you guys :)

How far along: 38 Weeks

Gender of the baby: Boy

Weight gain and measurements: I've given up on the weight thing for now because it is just too hot outside and inside, which means I have about 1l of liquid inside me at all times, which will add to my weight, so I won't be getting an accurate number. I will add my fundal height here on Monday once I've had my midwife appointment. I don't remember if I said it last week, but at 36 weeks it was 35 cm. He grows about (my belly)2 cm every 2 weeks so we will see. In one of my weekly newsletter it was said though, that I can kind of expect my belly to stay the size it is now. Which makes me happy if this is the case, because it means I will not get any stretch marks...I still don't have any :)

Preparations: We now have bought all the little bits and bobs we needed. We got 2 changing mats (1 for the living room and one for the bedroom) and I got my nursing bra's. I also got some nipple shields :D to shield my nipples, either from breastfeeding or breast pump. we got a few more lightweight blankets and towels for the little one. And more cotton pads and cotton balls. My hospital bag is fully packed and ready to go....but there is no baby :D hopefully sooner rather than later

Tips and tricks I've learnt: 

• Drinking lots of fluid will help you not get water retention. As long as you keep the drinks to low sugar and non carbonised.
• A little pampering session is a good way to relax. And in the last weeks the less stress the better, to help you get those wanted hormones to go into labour.
• Paranoia is normal. Excpecially when it's your first pregnancy. I though something was wrong every time before an appointment/scan and every time after. I was so sure something happened a minute the doctor moved the ultrasound wand away from my stomach :D I made the doctor actually count all the toes and fingers at my 3d/4d scan :D The trick is to get yourself realise you are just being paranoid and then get over it.
• I'm not sure if walking will get me into labour because I've stayed active through my work anyway. We'll see. I try to go for at least a short walk every day...even if it is a 10 minute trip to tesco for some ice cream.

Sleep: Sometimes I sleep so well and sometimes I can't seem to sleep at all. It's all different every day. I did think once though, that all those trips to the toilet during the night is a good practice of having to wake up for feedings and changing :)

Signs of labour: I am getting lower abdominal pain and a few cramps here and there. I can't stay upright for too long, because the braxton hicks will get stronger then. I have't had the ''show'' yet and the baby is not fully engaged, because he still twists around. I say twist, because he turns sides, but he is not going anywhere from his head down position now, which is good :)

Thoughts: I did think I will have the baby by the end of today, but now I'm thinking there is no way :D D told me to hold it together until he goes on his break from work, but I am aware that me and him wanting something doesn't mean it's going to happen :D 

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing my lovely friend and hearing about her engagement and her asking me to be a bridesmaid. I am so damn excited. I have never actually been to a wedding. They are also planning to have it somewhere warm in Europe, which means it's really more like a holiday. And their date is not set yet, but it's going to be around the time when the little bubba is over a year old :) so we'll be used to parenthood and comfortable with travelling, as I'm sure we would've gone for a few holidays before that already. 

Just A Little Update

I had a look through my posts, and I realise I'm now almost 38 weeks pregnant, but there is way too many baby related posts. This was not planned, I never really planned to concentrate so much on my pregnancy on this blog, but it seems that's what has happened. 
When I first started writing I figured it will be just a little hobby, I'll keep my 2 friends updated on what I'm doing, but looking at all the stats of the blog, I've realised quite a few more people are interested in what I write :) I still have only a few followers, which is slightly annoying, because I would like to see that people do actually want to keep up to date with my blog, but I guess that will happen in time.
I do also realise I have done little to none advertising for my blog. I only recently joined instagram, where I can share if a post is up. I've tried to start using twitter, but it's just not me. So I can't really be angry that no one really knows about my little blog (not even all my friends know about it). I promise I will change this factor though, as I am planning on advertising ''Life As I Know It'' on a few forums. And since I have mostly concentrated on the pregnancy/baby aspect of my life it will probably be momtobe and pregnancy/baby forums. I'm guessing, even if I don't accumulate more readers then no harm done...I haven't lost anything by doing it.
I can still see myself getting excited about 100 views a day :) 

Going back to being almost 38 weeks pregnant I have found that the one thing that really annoys me is when people try to guess when I'm going to give birth.
The amount of times I get the ''oh your belly hasn't dropped yet, so it will be a while'' is just infuriating. I am a short person. The baby is already really low and has been head down for weeks and weeks now. I don't see him dropping that drastically, because there is just nowhere to go. 
Another one was actually my reflexologist. She actually told me she thinks I'm going to go 11 days over???? WHO THE HELL WANTS TO HEAR THAT?? If you can't see the future, keep your thoughts to yourself :D First of all I lied to her anyway saying I'm 2 weeks away from my due date (I say I lied, it came out of my mouth before I could stop myself :D) so how would she come to the conclusion of 11 days. 
And my pet hate...people saying ''awwwwwww'' 
?
?
?
Just ''NO'' I will walk away in a strut if you say ''awwwww'' to me just because I'm pregnant.

Also...do not comment on the size of my baby bump. You might think it's small, I might feel it's huge, but the midwife is saying it's normal. So don't get me all worked up about saying my belly is too small or too big. You have no idea...really...you don't.

The one thing I have to say is that every pregnancy is sooooo different, and comparing me with all the picture perfect/out of the movie pregnancies is just not fair. 
If you haven't been pregnant yourself then I take it you know little or nothing about being pregnant and pregnancy itself. 

And the last thing is:

Just because I'm having a baby doesn't mean all I ever want to talk about is baby/pregnancy talk. Talk to me about the weather sometimes for all I care. I am still me not just this pregnant woman. 

And on that note I am off to take a shower...because it's time for bed....Yes I am aware it's only 9.30pm...I'm pregnant...deal with it.
What? Just because I don't want you to bring it up doesn't mean I can't whenever I want to :D

37 Week Pregnancy Update

I am officially full term now. This is absolutely crazy, although I am aware that it could be anywhere between a day and 5 weeks until he actually makes his entrance to the real world, knowing me after week 40, I will just be counting days not weeks anyway. 

This weekly thing is slightly confusing me a bit lately. So in most cases and according to my app I have now actually finished 37 weeks, and some places/people/forums are saying I'm 38 weeks, which kind of makes sense as well, because my due date is when I hit 40 weeks, not when I finish 40 weeks and hit 41. Anyway I'm just confusing myself even more now :D

All I know is that I am at the last stretch and this is getting seriously exciting now. I keep having dreams that I have the baby or are giving birth, and they are not scary dreams or nightmares, otherwise I would be panicking right now, but they are actually really nice dreams.

Yes I am aware it's not going to be anything like my dreams...or will it :) It is mighty strange though how your mind changes with pregnancy. I mean I went from utter shock of finding out I'm pregnant, to absolute terror of thinking about labour to the point where I am now...absolutely content and ready for this new chapter in my life and I am not even scared of the labour anymore. I guess you might say I AM EMOTIONALLY READY :)

I'm blabbering now, so here is my week 37 baby bump update 

How far along: 37 Weeks

Gender of the baby: Boy

Weight gain and measurements: Fundal height at my midwife appointment was 35 cm. According to the midwife this is all good, but when I look at it, it's kind of on his way off the chart. This only shows the length though, not that he is a massive fat baby :D And D is quite tall as well ( I'm a midget :D) so we can probably expect him to take after his dad. I have gained a pound this week, which is normal I guess. I have heard stories that around this time your weight gain will slow down or stop all together. I'm guessing it's because there is just little or no room for food once the baby has settled into his birth position, but ours hasn't so loads of room for food in my stomach :D Also I think one of the factors for the weight gain to stop or even drop is your waters breaking. Because sometimes it's just a trickle and it might be a week before you even go to labour after they have broken.

Preparations: We found a pushchair. Ok I found the one I was actually ok with ( there really isn't much choice) D agreed and his sister got it for us.
 And it's this one from Mamas&Papas. It's plain black and it came with all the things we need, so a pushchair, carrycot and also a car seat, which won't be getting much use.

I really do like it actually, because it's compact, it's light and it doesn't hurt my eyes. It's also really easy to manoeuvre and really easy to swap all the parts and things :)

Tips and tricks I've learnt: 

• A birth ball is a great buy. It's useful during pregnancy and can be used as an exercise ball later.
• So is a pregnancy pillow. It just makes it so much easier to find a comfortable position to sleep in. And since I'm waking up like 7 times during the night. I need to find that position 7 times as well.
• walking is the easiest exercise to do during the last stages of pregnancy. I know getting out of breath in 2 minutes is annoying, but once that baby drops, it will much more comfortable...oh wait once the baby drops, going for an hour walk while feeling like you're going to pee yourself constantly is annoying as well :D don't give up though...just keep walking :D
• Keep track of your pregnancy. I've found so much looking back at my posts from week 22 that I'd forgotten. And looking your belly grow on pictures is amazing. You don't really notice it until you see how much everything changes throughout the pregnancy

Sleep: Like I said...I wake up a lot...and have been struggling to sleep a few nights, but the pillow makes it better. I've also stopped drinking an hour before going to bed, just to try to keep it under control, but it's been so hot, I'm thirsty all the time, and I think it's just better to drink rather than dehydrate.

Signs of labour: Still getting the period like pains every now and then, nothing too uncomfortable or painful though. D actually got annoyed with me earlier because I'm too comfortable. I guess he wants to see things moving along as well, and I don't really have any signs of going into labour. I have been quite lucky with everything all through my pregnancy though, so I don't think there is any need to worry. I also don't think he is going to come late for some reason, call it intuition. It's not like I'm being impatient it's just a feeling...I guess time will tell

Thoughts: Thousand every minute of the day :D 

Best Moment of the Week: Getting the pushchair delivered. It just marked the time when we actually do have everything we need now :) 

Hot Summer Days

It has been so freaking hot lately. It's about 30 outside at the moment and 25 inside, and I am sweating my face off. Obviously not a day to go shopping, or I might actually give birth outside Primark. There is a food fest in the city centre though, so I'm hoping to go check that out, maybe score some funky cheese or ham or chutney...got to love chutney.

On a normal summer, I would be in the park tanning my bum, and just chilling in the sun for hours and hours, and then maybe head to a bar for some refreshing drinks later, but this summer, being almost 9 months pregnant, I just want to sit in front of a fan and concentrate on breathing, take about 7 cold showers and drink lots of water...it's not great. Still, I would take this any day to being heavily pregnant during winter, and having to wear layers and layers of clothes and squeeze my slightly swollen feet into boots and socks.

I have been off work now for a week and a half, and I must say I did panic a bit in the beginning thinking I will be bored to death, but in all honesty I'm quite enjoying not having to go to work, excpecially in this weather. I have also kept myself fairly busy. I've seen a few friends and I yesterday I went for the breastfeeding class in the hospital.

The class turned out to be really useful, because I have heard horror stories of how it hurts like hell and there is not enough milk, and all my worries were put at ease. So now I'm quite calm about breastfeeding, which is something I really wanted to do for the little one, because it is so much better for them than formula.

After the class I went to Serenity salon, which I found, do reflexology. I heard it's really good for relaxation and just having that little pamper session, before the labour. Because stress can really slow things down, and I don't want that to happen. So I'll try it out on my appointment on Monday. It might even help with my sleep, because like I said, I haven't been sleeping all that great lately. But I will let you guys know, once I've been, because there is no point speculating. I have actually had reflexology before in Tenerife, and it would've been amazing, but the spa was on the main square and there was this really annoying and loud street performer there, while I was trying to relax, so I didn't get the full experience. I'm hoping it's better environment this time :D
I have also been doing a lot of reading, mostly baby stuff. Keeping myself occupied by getting ahead of myself and trying to learn what to do when he is 3 :D But it's all good fun...like I said, I'm trying to keep myself occupied, and this heat leaves me little options on what to do.

Completely forgot to mention that I had my midwife appointment as well on Monday, where she measured the little guy (fundal height) and he seems to be quite a big baby. I mean give it 2 weeks and he'll be off the chart. Hopefully it's just the way the midwife measures me, and you can't really get an accurate size/height with a measuring tape. I am also pretty sure, that if she would be worried about the size, she would send me for an ultrasound to make sure he's not getting TOO big for me. Another thing, which I don't think has happened, but the midwife was pretty sure of, was that, she told me baby boy is engaged, which means he is head down, where he is meant to be. And to be honest before the midwife appointment I did think that he is moving around and goes sideways every now and then, but apparently that's just him stretching. But yes, that is definitely good news, as it means, my body and the little one are getting ready for the big exit :D

Another thing I don't think I have mentioned that I started out by wanting waterbirth, and then I don't know why, maybe it's because I watched a lot of videos of births, but I changed my mind. I was set on having a lie down birth, with all the drugs and epidural, then we went to the parent education class, and it was just really amazing how instead of me being scared to death about birth, I've actually changed my mind back to having a waterbirth. Obviously I will have a plan B as the hospital only has 3 birth pools, but having a water birth is definitely my first choice now. And I am aware it leaves me little to none options for pain relief, but there is always an option of getting out if it gets too intolerable :)

It's just that I think I should take advantage of having an option to have a water birth, because it's only available if you've had a straight forward pregnancy with no complications, which I have had. And the stories and all of the midwives opinion on it has been so positive, I just figures why not :D

Have you had a good waterbirth ? let me know how it went :) It would be great to hear more stories

36 Weeks Pregnancy Update

36 weeks today :S time is just flying by. I'm not complaining though. I absolutely can't wait for him to be here. All the preparations are now done. It is actually 7 am at the moment :D I couldn't sleep so I figured I'll get up and finish this post, as I've got plans for later and probably won't have time to do it then. This way I can just upload the pictures before I leave and enjoy the rest of my day. And if I take them before going then at least I won't be in sweatpants again :D
We are actually going to get the pushchair and a few last things for the baby today, so it's really exciting. because these things are literally the last things we need :S

How dusty is my mirror :D ? 

How far along: 36 Weeks

Gender of the baby: Boy

Weight gain and measurements: I have gained 2 pounds this week :D I don't know how or why, I'm not very bothered either. Also they say that around this time the weight gain will actually start to slow down and even if it doesn't...I mean, how much weight can one person gain in less than a month.
Fundal height at my 34 week midwife appointment was 33 cm...that is actually bigger than average, even though I don't really feel bigger than average :D I've got my 36 week appointment on Monday, so I'll be getting an updated measurement and also apparently at this appointment, when your baby is still in breech position, the midwife can arrange an ultrasound....It would be really cool to see the little guy once again before he comes :) But knowing me, everything will be bloody perfect won't it :D

Preparations: The bed is ready to go...I've got the bedmat under the sheet for me (just in case my water breaks in the bed...) and all the little clothes are now washed and ironed. The bath got delivered by our friends(it's so big:D)  I have also packed my hospital bag. I only packed one overnight bag, it's quite big so it fit all of mine and the babies things. I will do a separate post on the bag though as I'll accompany it with another video. And by the end of today we will have a pushchair, either being delivered or we actually have it...I'm not quite sure you can take it with you on the spot...I don't know :D we will see once we get there and actually find one :D

Tips and tricks I've learnt:

• Keeping active will help you have a pregnancy with less problems...I mean I had a pretty intense job and even though right at the end I did sit down quite a lot, most of my pregnancy I kept working, doing around 20-25 hours a week :) They tell you to take 30 minute walks, so I took 6 hour walks at work :D 
• If you keep your diet pretty much the same (if you were really unhealthy before pregnancy, change it obviously :D) but if you keep eating your fruit and vegetables and have a varied diet, then you need less supplements...the only vitamins I take are the multivitamins by Pregnacare throughout your pregnancy ones, that have all the good in them. I don't and don't need to take any extra iron either
•  I keep doing my pelvic floor exercises, but lets be honest I forget about them most days :D still no leaks though...
• Don't spend a lot of money on baby clothes, and organise a baby shower instead (or have your friends organise it for you) It's a great way of having friends over to talk babies and get all the essentials you need for the first few months :) 
• Don't over think it...I know they tell you to call your midwife or the hospital every time you think something is wrong and I'm not telling you not to, just don't think every little sign means something bad. For example diarrhoea in the late stage of pregnancy might mean you're going into labour, as it's the bodies way of clearing its passages for more bigger things to come through :D If you keep thinking something is wrong all the time you will end up hating being pregnant (I'm not saying I love it, but most of the time I don't even feel different). Take it easy and enjoy it. 

Sleep: Some days I sleep like a baby, some days I wake up for toilet breaks and can't go back to sleep for what feels like hours. It feels really heavy to turn as well, which is probably a good thing as this way I don't turn too quickly. But it is getting slightly harder to find a comfortable position. Also, the weather is really hot lately, which makes it even more uncomfortable to sleep...maybe it's a good thing D is a duvet hogger :D

Signs of labour: Still get the lightening feeling every now and then. I know he is not fully settled though as he does still move I'm also still getting period like pains, but they are not strong at all and only come every now and then. No braxton hicks contractions as of yet...or maybe I just don't realise I'm getting them :D
You know how I said I get cramps in the palms of my hands...I realised I sleep with my hands in strong fists :S this is super weird, it's like I'm ready to fight someone :D

Thoughts: I keep telling this to everyone, actually have been for a really long time, that I will go into labour on the 26th of July. No one believes me obviously, I don't even believe myself :D The thing is that the 26th is exactly my 38 week mark, and maybe I just got it stuck in my head that I won't be the one going over my due date. I'm just thinking that everything has felt so normal and good that he just doesn't need to stay in there for much longer :D Then again I won't be disappointed if he doesn't come early. Another thing is that all these talks that first time mothers go over their due date are not based on any study. Actually the studies and researches that have been made on the subject show that there is no difference whether you are a first time or second time mother. There is also no proof that age plays any effect. So I am not actually quite sure where people are taking this information. Just because a few more famous bloggers/youtubers/celebrities have gone over??? It just shows you not to believe everything you hear.
OMG more news, I heard this from my friend Marta yesterday, but apparently you don't get periods when you are breastfeeding. I couldn't believe it. Apparently this is your bodies way of preventing another pregnancy while you still have a little one to take care of....how awesome is that...on the other hand...don't count this to be your only way of preventing an unwanted pregnancy :D

Best Moment of the Week: That last shift at work. It was a pretty easy lunch shift and I actually felt pretty unemotional when I left about it, but it just meant that I'm at the last stretch now :)

Baby Shower

On Saturday I had my second baby shower. This time it was just friends, no family and I actually organised it myself :D

Everyone was saying that I'm a bit ocd because apparently your friends are meant to do it for you, but I really enjoy hosting and none of my friends are very good at organising...no offence to anyone :D But it's true.

So the guests were invited for 1pm, but everyone arrived early (if you know my friends, you know this never happens...you invite them for 1, knowing very well, they will come around 3 :D)so I actually wasn't even ready with anything...and it also meant I couldn't get ready the way I wanted, which meant I didn't really take any pictures, as I felt I wasn't looking all that great. 

Anyway since they did come early, I made them help me out a bit with putting the food out and doing a bit of table cleaning :D

All in all it was such a great day, and I just feel so blessed to have the friends I do. We got so many present for the little one it actually took me and D a good hour to sort everything out and put it away :) Now the only thing we still need (I feel like I've mentioned this one too many times :D) is the pushchair, which I know now, we're going to go get with Ds sister on Saturday and a changing mat. 

Here are just a few out takes from the day :)

Me with the pile of gifts 

And the lovely ladies (missing Anj, who was taking the photo and Jana, who hadn't arrived yet)

And I think we should be ok with not doing any laundry when the baby is here for at least a month :D Obviously it won't get that bad, but It's good to know it can :D 

Anyway...I decided to go for food that people can just snack on rather than a whole meal, so I did a cheese and ham board and I had bread with 3 types of hummus and pate(I can't eat pate, but doesn't mean no one else can't) and fruit and I also made an estonian style pasta salad, which was a big hit. 

For sweet things I made chocolate chip cupcakes with chocolate frosting and had fruit on the tables as well. The funny part of the party was, that only about 3 people actually drank alcohol :) Everyone else was either driving or just didn't feel like it or had work after. So we had some squash and coca cola, a few sparkling non-alcoholic drinks and ice tea :) 

I had some fruit and cheese and ham on the coffee table

And this is the main table. I forgot to put a few things out :D but no one left hungry I don't think so no harm done by my pregnancy brain :D

Like I said, I have the best friends in the world :) and since they got me so many things, it would be silly to take separate photos of all of them. So here is the video I did on all the goodies we got :) I did miss out a few things, because I just couldn't find them from the pile :D

I might actually start doing a few more videos, because I realise that sitting down and writing, might get a bit hard, when you're busy dealing with baby poop and breasfeeding and feeding yourself :D 

OK. So I did get a video editor as well, but I can't actually use it yet :D so this is an uncut unedited version :)

35 Weeks Pregnancy Update

You guys are just going to have to deal with the pj photos, because I've forgotten to take any better ones during the week :D But I wanted to get them up here, so there is a comparisement with week 36 photos :) 

Messy bed and no make up...let's all concentrate on the bump :D

How far along : 35 weeks

Gender : Boy

Total weight gain : It's a total of 20 pounds now I think. I chug a lot of water these days, and when I say water I have squash, because water does nothing to me taste wise :D Also since I know I only have 5 weeks left, I feel like I can actually let go a bit these days and have that extra piece of chocolate if I feel like it  ( I say piece :D I mean actually another chocolate bar :D) 

Cravings : Chocolate obviously. I think that's about it though. 

Sleep: Sleep is not very good. I wake up around 2 am for my first toilet break and find it really difficult to go back to sleep after that. I get cramps in my feet and also palms of my hands....it's really weird. D told me it's because the way I type...is this some kind of a weird blogger thing :D 

Stretch marks : NONE. So happy 

Movement : He is moving so much and his little foot is constantly sticking out on my right hand side :D so I sometimes have to give it a little push for him to pull it back a bit, because it does get a bit painful sometimes. Other than that I think he's quite comfortable. The midwife confirmed that he is head down but sideways which is why I only feel kicks on my right hand side...because that's where all his limbs are :) The thing is though, that because he is head down, he sometimes pressures my bladder, so I feel like I'm going to pee myself :D it hasn't happened yet, but only because I try really hard to empty my bladder as often as possible.

Signs of labour: I'm getting period like cramps every now and then. And pain in my lower back after I've been standing or walking a lot. That's all normal I guess. I shouldn't really be on my feet hours in a row and I know that, but I can't stop myself. I do put a chair for myself at work though, so I can sit down every now and then :D I only have 2 shifts left. That head down position  that he is in now and the feeling of pressure down there actually has a name and I think it's called the lightening of crotch. Then again this should .mean that he is in the right position and has nestled himself for the birth, but sometimes he definitely goes sideways and moves around, so I'm not quite sure if I do have that :D 
I don't know which way is better though, him being head down, but pressuring my bladder, which is uncomfortable but not painful. Or him being sideways and I actually get to go about with my day, without having to go to the toilet every 10 minutes. But the sideways position is a bit painful at times :S because he is stretching and it kind of hurts my skin??
I don't know...

Things for the baby: Taking this one off the list now, because there is just so many things now. I'll let you guys know once we get the pram though :) because that is the last thing we really do need. I have to say that I'm so lucky to have the friends I have...the amount of things I got today at the baby shower was just insane. I'll do a post on it next week. 

Thoughts :  I think all I want to do is sleep on my stomach and walk up a flight of stairs without loosing my breath :D I honestly just miss the most simple things. It's not alcohol and things I'm not allowed to have, it's the little things in life that just annoy me now :D So what they say about it getting harder at the end is true. It really feels like these 5 last weeks will just drag :S Maybe I shouldn't have taken the maternity leave so early (30 days before the due date) just so I would be occupied with something to make the time pass...Maybe I'm just being stupid and the last 5 weeks will just fly pass :D Plus, I get tired walking to work (I live 15 minute walk away...takes me 30), let alone working sometimes 8 hours, so I don't see myself doing it for much longer. 

And people don't really understand, that everything is so much harder when you're 8 months pregnant (in technical terms I'll actually be 9 months next week) Just being on my feet for an hour is hard work for me. I mean I work 4 hours and I feel like I used to feel when I had done a 16 hour shift :D it's no joke. I still try to be as efficient as possible, because I don't want to look lazy, but I just need to sit down every 10 minutes, and it's annoying me so much. Also my uniform at work is not very flattering, so people don't even realise that I'm pregnant, so there is no sympathy :D I just keep thinking that everyone just thinks I'm a chubby woman with no stamina, so when I was expecting the tips to get better, they actually haven't gotten better at all :D I have noticed that I'm nicer to people though :D 

Notes: Completely off the name Adrien now. Once someone mentioned that people might start calling him Aids, the name lost all of it's appeal. So now our baby boy is without a name once again....any suggestions?? anyone??? is anyone even reading this, or am I just fooling myself into thinking someone cares :D 

Big Baby Haul

Hello my friends :)
I know it's been awful long since my last post, but I haven't done much.

I had a mare of a pedicure appointment on Tuesday, and on my way home I though about writing an angry post, but then I had some food and calmed down :D 
Basically the pedicure was really bad. It lasted for 2 hours and I had leg and bum cramps and my back started hurting...it was just really bad. The massage I was hoping was going to relive my leg cramps lasted all in all maybe 3 minutes ? And I still have tough skin on my heels...so At One Day Spa in the Western Arcade can suck it. I am never returning there.

But this post is not about that experience, it's about all the things we have accumulated for the baby boy this week. It's mostly been D I have to admit and a few things I got for myself for the after match of labour :D (also I ordered quite a few items from tesco direct (clothes) but they will arrive tomorrow, so I'm not able to take photos.

Anyway, pictures speak louder than words, so enjoy them :) 

So this is the part, that is actually for me. I ordered this Essentials Maternity pack from MamaBloom. I had a code from Bounty, so I got it for 16 pounds.
It includes bed mats, breast pads, maternity towels and also disposable briefs. 

D ordered diapers and wipes from amazon, which according to my friend who has 2 babies, will last us for about 2 weeks (we thought we're good for a month :D) we got loads of wipes and 3x74 size 1 diapers. 
Also got some more casettes for the Tommee Tippee Nappie Disposal bin.

And today we got the delivery from Mothercare. That's all that D ordered :)

This cute teddy

Some flat sheets for the co-sleeper.( I also got some new Matthew Williamson bedsheets for our bed today, but D doesn't like them, because they have flowers and birds on them :D you can kind of spot them on the swaddle blanket picture)

The rattle. It looks really cute :D and t has different bold colours and fabrics and things.

This is the fan I mentioned in a previous post. I didn't realise it actually looks like a  childrens fan, so I'm probably not going to be taking it shopping with me :D But it will be perfect for the baby boy :)

This bed mobile. I really like that it's not all like soft blue and green and it's actually quite colourful 

He also got a swaddle blanket. The picture below :D it looks like a mess, but it actually is a swaddle. And also the sleeping bag. It's not very thick, so It's good for the summer 

And then a top and tail bowl. For the first weeks until the umbilical cord stump falls off, you're only meant to sponge bathe him, so it will come in handy. Also one of my friend is getting us a baby bath as a gift, so we're all sorted for the bath times :) 

And that's about it :D More to follow later, after my delivery gets here and also I have girls coming over for the baby shower on saturday, so I'm sure we'll be picking up a few things :D