Labour Pains?

Man oh man does this baby hate me today, or what?

A few hours ago if you'd asked me when he was coming I'd have said today... without a doubt. It has been a very uncomfortable Saturday to say the least. The discomfort has gone from my normal pelvis pain to cramp to what feels like contractions in my lower abdomen to dull (very annoying) back pain. It's been the kind that I can't suffer in silence. As I type this I few it's making a comeback. I've been glued to my hot water bottle, took a hot bath and had to resort to pain killers (don't worry, only paracetamol).

My biggest worry is that I haven't packed my hospital bag yet... so what am I doing wasting my time blogging, right? Now the pain and discomfort has subsided I'm feeling more like it was just braxton hicks but it doesn't hurt to be prepared so before I go to bed I'll probably put something together.. just in case.

I'm just not ready yet. It's only 10 days as it is but I need those 10 days!!!

Miss BB

Could It Be? SPD??

I've had this pain at the top of my left inside leg for weeks now that feels like a sore, pulled muscle. If I put any pressure on it it hurts, if I flex it or use my leg to move it hurts.. It hurts at night when I'm trying to sleep, it hurts during the day when I'm "resting" and don't even get me started on walking.

At my first midwife appointment after I'd developed this discomfort I brought it up and asked if she knew the cause. She told me it could be a number of things all of which were un-curable by anything other than getting that baby out of me. Great! She said I could have physio but it could make it worse and given the time I have left i decided to grin and bear it. That feels like a lifetime ago now and it's definitely progressed. One thing my midwife had suggested it might be was SPD - Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. I looked it up online (of course) and it seems very possible. I only feel the ache on the one side, it's difficult to describe where it is but imagine a barbie.. where her leg joins to her body... that's my "circle of pain". It's mainly on the lower half of that circle but my whole hip can ache sometimes.

I found this article on BabyCentre about it for those wanting more information... they have nearly all my symptoms listed and it seems more and more like that's my problem. It mentions that the pain is worse at night and going to the toilet (frequently as you'd imagine) is very uncomfortable. Last night I found myself hobbling to and from the bathroom moaning.. I'm sure Lee thought I was going in to labour.

The reason I am writing this is I can't totally remember how I felt at the end of my first pregnancy. I think Milo is higher than Ella was so I am having difficulty breathing and my ribs ache but the need to go to the bathroom every 2 seconds isn't quite as strong. I do remember laying in bed and thinking there was no point in even trying to sleep it was so frequent. That time I was uncomfortable but I don't remember actual pains until labour started. So I want to record how I felt in these final stages so if I do ever happen to find myself here again I will have a point of reference.

That and when you're pregnant you look up every little twinge online and if someone finds this post that is going through the same thing I am I hope it will be helpful and you'll see you're not alone, it's normal and (fingers crossed) there are no lingering aches after the birth.

So apologies for boring those of you not currently in my "condition" but for those that are or have been... have you had anything similar? I find myself sitting feeling sorry for myself when I could be being so much more productive with my last baby-free days!

Miss BB

Week 37

So it's just 2 weeks before we get to meet our little guy and I'm finally feeling a little excited. in the last week I have bought most of the stuff we were missing. We still need a couple more newborn outfits for him, more blankets, toiletries and milk... it's felt like I have loads of time left to do these things but I really don't anymore. I have started watching all the baby programmes on Home & Health that I've avoided thus far.. I think they're helping me to remember what the first few days with baby are like and I'm feeling more relaxed. Ella is still really excited and she's been so grown up recently I'm no longer worried about her feeling pushed out. 

Baby is "full term" this week so if the worst happened and he made an early appearance all would be well.. he is fully prepared for the world. Many Mums experience "lightening" around this time which is when the baby drops in preparation for the birth and I think that's happened to me. People tell me he looks lower now.. I'm not so sure but I have been really sore at the top of my tummy/under my bust. The skin sometimes feels almost like it's burning and apparently this is a stretching sensation, ouch! I've been trying to relieve it with Aloe Vera which helps for a while but it's not comfortable I can tell you. Gradually my body has been telling me to slow down and do less. I still have pains at the top of my left leg that feel like a pulled muscle in my inner thigh and on the other side I experience occasional flashes of cramp. I get these pains even when I'm resting so walking any distance at all is not easy. Lots of people are asking if I'm looking forward to it being over but although I'm achey I'm not desperate to get him out.. I don't know if that's because of nerves about the operation or if I'm still not ready. I do know that my discomfort won't go away once he's born as I will be recovering from the c-section so whereas most Mums are awaiting that relief I know I won't get that straight away.. but that was my choice.As it is I take Ella to school and back and some not too strenuous house work but try to rest for the majority of my day. I'm beginning to wonder what the baby will allow my days to be like.. will he be fussy? will he be sleepy? Only time will tell... 

Miss BB

Sunday Pampering

Today I have treated my weary body to some much needed TLC. Last nights Halloween festivities really took it out of me and when my mum called to say Sunday lunch was off I'll admit I was a touch relieved. I stayed in bed an extra hour and took a long bubble bath. I used my Liz Earl Cleanse and Polish for the first time in months (such effort to cleanse in my opinion) which felt like a spa treatment in itself. I scrubbed my skin within an inch of its life with my new St Ives tub of grainy goodness, deep conditioned my hair and moisturised, moisturised, moisturised. I even had Ella slather my favourite Soap & Glory foot cream on for me (I sadly can no longer reach) and used my ultra rich face cream which just feels heavenly when you actually need it. I have been laying on the sofa dozing for the past hour and am seriously considering taking myself back to bed... why not? In a couple of weeks time that may not be an option. I am sore and achey and tired and I know that won't improve once he's here so I'm going to take this little time I have left for me and enjoy it while it's mine.

Miss BB

Week 36

I'm as surprised as anyone that I haven't been filling your reading lists with pregnancy updates but it would seem the closer I get to the birth the less interested I am in talking about it... is that strange? He will be here with us in less than 3 weeks and I'm not chomping at the bit for him to arrive. Time is passing alarmingly quickly for my liking actually. Early on when it feels like an age 'til it's over it's all fun stuff picking the pram, decorating the nursery, buying clothes and bottles.. now it's starting to feel a bit of an inconvenience. I have to buy more bottles?... I could spend that money on something else if I had a bit more time lol. My whole pregnancy has been a bit odd like that "feelings"-wise, I'm genuinely curious to see how I'm going to feel when he's actually here.

It doesn't feel like 36 weeks have passed and I just don't quite feel ready yet, y'know?  I mean we have all the stuff (pretty much) and if he arrived tomorrow my world wouldn't collapse... I'm prepared but.. I'm not READY. I've waited so long and now I don't know if it's nerves because of the operation or I'm still dumbfounded that we actually conceived the little one but I just don't feel how I thought I would. Next week I will be going to buy all the bits and pieces I need to stock my hospital bag, I still need to get some extra stuff for when he gets here and maybe then I'll feel ready, when I'm totally 100% prepared. In the meantime I'm stuck in this strange kind of limbo, not quite excited, not quite scared, not quite... anything.

  Anyway on with the actual baby update. To quote my baby bump app this week the baby is still gaining weight and becoming rounder in appearance. By the end of the week he will be considered full term. So officially by the end of this week I could pop and he'll be totally fine (in theory).When I went to be booked in for my section they told me they used to schedule them in the 37th or 38th week but discovered that more babies delivered electively in those weeks needed to be sent to the special babies unit (always makes me think of Law and Order... just me? never mind) for help with their breathing so they don't like to do that anymore. It's a strange concept to have not carried to term and already be given an end date. Ella was 2 full weeks late and they were in no hurry to get her out. This one will be born 3 weeks earlier.. so I'm not going to have all that huffing and puffing, awfully uncomfortable time that I did the first time around. That being said walking is no picnic anymore.. standing's no better and even sitting and lying down have their bad days. Every pregnancy is totally different, I can vouch for that, I didn't get any of the aches and pains I have now before and the practice labour has started already. I have warned him he'd better not try and come early but my Mum has been encouraging him every chance she gets, she wants an 11/11/11 baby.He's 5.75lb this week and the size of a Crenshaw Melon. When I googled "crenshaw melon" I found almost as many pictures of pregnant belly's as I did the melons themselves which leads me to believe this is a special strain of melon bred especially to indicate the size of a 36 week old baby in utero. Nevertheless... for your viewing pleasure may I present to you... A Crenshaw Melon... 

So there you have it. I'm going to miss these fruit comparisons so where possible once baby is here I will endeavour to take him to the supermarket and size him up against various goods to give you an idea of how big he is. By Christmas he might be as big as a box of cornflakes... one can only hope.

 

Week 35

This week Baby Milo is 5.25lb and the size of a Honeydew Melon. I haven't developed any more symptoms but his kicks are getting harder and more uncomfortable and my nights are becoming sleepless.

Last week I made the unfortunate mistake of commenting on how well I've been during my pregnancy. I haven't had so much a cough since Christmas. This of course meant that since Sunday night I have been as good as bed ridden with a cold. Sneezing and spluttering makes sleep difficult enough without a very active baby bouncing on your bladder I can tell you! I have been very well looked after though and Lee has tried his very best to keep me wrapped up and resting despite my efforts to stay up and about. We did get the nursery finished at the weekend so it's nice to have that out of the way. I intend to film the "tour" this week.. All (me) being well. This is the week of the big consultant appt (Thursday) so that's exciting. I will be blogging immediately afterwards to let you know what's said.. Very nervous but if he agrees to the section and gives me a date.. Eek!! Even more nervous!!!!

Til then..

Week 19

19 weeks and apparently the baby is the equivalent to Heirloom Tomato in size... Now I have never heard of an heirloom tomato so I took the liberty of providing a photo for those of you like me!

So thats pretty huge.. No wonder my bellys popped out this week.

I have a picture of that too...

I'm feeling the pregnancy now, I'm breathless and uncomfortable and the sleepiness has returned in full force. I'm finding the challenge of dressing my new shape quite fun now I dont just look "a bit fat" and I feel days away from a kick Lee could actually feel. It's feeling more and more like we're going to have a baby.. Which is a good job 'cause it'll be here in 4 months!!!!