Week 38

It would seem the now little Milo is fully formed and ready to go there are no in-utero updates to share. He's the size of a leek and approx 6.8lbs. I missed a midwife appointment so I don't know how big he is in reality but I have my final meeting this Friday, Scary stuff! I have all the little vials to take for them to fill with my blood in case I need a transfusion. I was a little puzzled about this myself as the won't take enough to give me if I do need one so... why do they take it? hmm! I can only assume it's to check I don't have any nasties in my blood before the operation. I have all of my paperwork and instructions of what to do the night before/morning of the operation. I will have to be up at 6am to take a pill which kinda sucks but I imagine I'll be too excited to sleep anyway. I'm getting really nervous about the c-section now. I know it's routine and it's still preferable to going through hours of labour and potentially having to go in as an emergency section anyway but knowing I will be totally lucid and aware of everything freaks me out. I was off my head on everything they'd give me by the time they rolled me in to theatre the first time.. this time will be very very different. I'm nervous of the spinal block going in, I'm nervous of it wearing off halfway through and I'm possibly MOST nervous of the pain that I'll feel after it's all over and I've regained feeling. OUCH! All I can imagine is it will be like people say when they come-to after cosmetic surgery (I watch lots of reality TV) they say it feels like they've been hit by a truck. I don't want to feel like I've been hit by a truck! But this time next week he will be here and I will have to face it either way. 

I'm really hoping that the emotion of his arrival will put me in a bit of a blur and before I know what's happening the Spinal will have worn off and they'll have topped me up with pain killers. We'll see. I'm not scared about his arrival or bringing him home, I'm actually starting to get excited now. It's really happening. As has been the case throughout my pregnancy, nobody is as excited as my Mum. I'm a bit concerned she might explode when she first visits. Ella is excited... off and on.. I think once he's home and well and I'm recovering she will love it but I get the impression she's worried about me because she knows I'm having surgery. I think she's put off her excitement a little for the same reasons I have... just get that bit over with and know that I'm fine and then I can enjoy it. His room and everything is still only almost done. We're going shopping tonight for all of the last bits and pieces we need. More blankets for example... MILK for another. We're nearly totally ready for him. 

Miss BB

Emergency Makeup Bag

On Saturday night I was almost convinced I was going into labour so I threw together a small hospital bag. I realised how little I was prepared for this. I will do a little video or blog post about everything I put in the bag but in the mean time here's what I filmed yesterday. This is everything I put in my makeup bag in the heat of the moment..

The next morning I did my makeup with the items in the bag and put it this way.. I'm glad I have more time to think about it now. What products would/did you pack for hospital beautification?

Miss BB

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

Boots Bottle Bargain

I did mention this in a video already but for those of you that missed it I HAVE to tell you about this offer whilst it's still running.
First of all the Avent Newborn Starter Kit which includes..

• 2 x 260ml Philips AVENT Bottles
• 2 x 125ml Philips AVENT Bottles
• 2 x Philips AVENT Newborn Teats
• 1 x Philips AVENT Newborn Soother
• 1 x Philips AVENT Brush

Should be £25 but is currently HALF PRICE at just £12.50 

and secondly The Avent Feeding Bottle Twin Pack in Blue (or pink FYI)  is £6.13 down from £9.19.

At that price I had to buy two... obviously! There are tons of other great deals on feeding and Mother and Baby in general online and in store right now but these are the ones I bought so I thought I would share. For those interested I hope you snap them up in time. 

I now have a totally of 12 bottles due to my impulse purchase but 4 of them are the 125mls so they won't stay in rotation for long. They say you need a minimum of 6 for a newborn so I figure this way we'll never be without clean bottles.. it's just a precaution, you understand!

Have you spotted any fab baby deals recently? It seems it's baby season, lots of stores have offers on... great timing for me :)

Miss BB

Baby Buying...

I had lots of requests to show you what I've bought so far for Baby Milo's arrival. I finally filmed the videos this week... here they are...

If you have any suggestions for anything I'm missing or any great products you would recommend I buy please leave me a comment. It feels like a lifetime ago since Ella was a baby and I have forgotten nearly everything!

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