It's been a long time since my last pregnancy update. Life is busy with an energetic toddler, which leaves little time to do much else. This pregnancy has flown by and I still can't quite believe that I'll be giving birth soon. I've slowly been adding to the nursery, I love sitting in there and looking at all the beautiful items we've collected for our baby girl. We just need to decided on paint colours and then it will be ready for her.
We have most baby items that we need from when Henry was little, but I'm still on the lookout for a co-sleeper, rather than use a moses basket again. I had my heart set on a Snuzpod, but they're not sold in the US, and it would cost too much to ship one over here and pay customs, so my second choice will probably be the Halo Bassinest Swivel Sleeper. I want our little one really close so I can see, hear and touch her during the night, hopefully easing those anxieties that come with a tiny newborn.
We recently returned from our holiday at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. It was so tranquil and beautiful there, the perfect babymoon. It was lovely to be able to have a holiday whilst pregnant. I would never risk flying while pregnant due to my history or preterm premature rupture of membranes, so to be able to take just a 3 and a half hour drive to somewhere so serene was ideal. We took the opportunity to have a family maternity shoot on the beach whilst we were there, which I'll be posting more of soon!
How far along? 32 weeks + 2 days
Total weight gain: 17lbs
Stretch marks? Nothing yet. I'm hoping that after avoiding stretch marks during a twin pregnancy and a full term singleton pregnancy, I'll be lucky this around time too, which is the reason I've been very slack with bump butters and oils, only applying them once a month or so.
Medical: A couple of weeks ago I had the dreaded onslaught of needles. I wish they didn't all come at once. My blood taken after my glucose test, blood taken for an antibody screening, a shot of anti-d as my blood type is rhesus negative, and the whooping cough vaccine. Next up is the flu shot. I'm still taking progesterone daily, which I'll continue to do until 36 weeks. At our last checkup, our OB informed us that due to being high risk, I'll be having weekly biophysical profiles (ultrasounds to measure baby's well being) and non stress tests to check on our little one, which is a big reassurance.
Maternity clothes: Rapidly running out of items to wear, and with Autumn on its way, I can no longer rely on my trusty shorts and t-shirt combo.
Sleep: Sleep is generally going well, although it's an effort to turn over and can really hurt. Little one often keeps me awake as she's so active, and I'm still needing to nap when Henry naps from the exhaustion.
Miss anything? Wearing more than a handful of clothes.
Movement: Lots of movement from our baby girl. She pretty much moves all day, every day, but her most active time seems to be from 8.30pm onwards. She doesn't get the hiccups nearly as much as Henry did, and I notice most kicks at my sides, rather than in my ribs which Henry was fond of!
Food cravings: All the sweet things.
Symptoms: Heartburn, a painful back which I didn't experience in my last two pregnancies, Braxton Hicks, restless legs. The pregnancy waddle has officially arrived and I need help getting off the sofa, putting shoes on etc. All the usual third trimester complaints.
Names: We have three favourites, but we can't seem to decide on one, so we'll just wait until she arrives and see which suits her best.
Looking forward to: Meeting our little girl and holding that sweet bundle of joy in my arms. I'm so excited to see what she looks like and I'm very much looking forward to breastfeeding again.
