I haven't had a chance to do an update for a while, so this might be a bit of a ramble!
The third trimester has been much more challenging than I was expecting to be honest, weeks 28 - 30 were fine, but Baby Bear has done a LOT of growing (which is great obviously) but wow, it is certainly hard on your body! I have had some pretty severe back pain (mostly in the lower right side) and things you take for granted, like, getting off the couch and rolling over in bed become a bit of a mammoth effort! All worth it though, as Reid and I lie in bed each night and watch my stomach jolt around as our baby wriggles and kicks - it is so amazing and he will be here so soon!
I had my gestational diabetes check just before week 28 - definitely not the most pleasant experience, sitting around for 3 hours, not allowed to eat and then drinking an incredibly sweet drink (kind of like a super-sweet, flat lemonade) while having your blood taken a few times. My results were all fine thankfully, so that's one less thing to worry about!
Christmas was a lovely, busy affair. Reid and I spent the morning at home together (for the last time as a twosome!) eating croissants and talking about what next year might be like as our family grows. We had lunch with Reid's family which was lovely as always, then headed to my parents place for dinner. It was a special day even more so than usual, as Reid and I both savoured our usual traditions, knowing that events such as Christmas are going to be very different for us from now on - and we can't wait!
We went away a couple of days after Christmas and spent some time together on the beautiful east coast of Tassie - a mini "babymoon" if you will. It was lovely to get away and relax, staying in a holiday home right on the beach. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves. Reid works 6 days a week so we don't get much time together. We both had 10 days off over Christmas so it was lovely to get some quality husband-wife time in. The day we came back, we went to my favourite baby shop together (Reid works when they are open, so this was a very rare opportunity!) and we put a few things on layby. We picked out a beautiful rocking chair for feeds, and ordered the pram and car seat we wanted. We will be using a bassinet for the first few months now, my brother and sister-in-law are gifting us a cot but my niece and nephew still need them for a while longer and honestly I like the idea of having Baby Bear close to us for a while. We were going to buy a bassinet, but were gifted with not one but TWO beautiful bassinets, one from a friend and one from one of Reid's cousins, both in great condition. So we have one at our place and have taken one to Reid's Mum's place for naps when we visit. We are so lucky to have saved the money and all we needed to do was take them apart to wash everything rather than have to waste money on something our baby won't be in for long. Our nursery is slowly coming together, we were given a change table by my brother and sister-in-law that we have set up and started to stock, plus so many beautiful clothes my nephew used to wear, so these have all been washed and folded and are in Baby Bear's wardrobe ready to go, plus we have quite a lot of clothes ready for as he gets bigger so I'm feeling much more organised!
Myself and Baby Bear were very spoilt by my sister-in-law and cousin who organised a beautiful baby shower for me in early January. A few close friends and family gathered at my house and enjoyed a lovely morning playing some games, eating delicious food and having a chat. Emma and Jade decorated my living area beautifully, everything organised down to the last detail. We were given some of the most beautiful gifts and are so thankful for them all - Baby Bear is already so loved! I am even more spoilt to be having another baby shower organised for me by my Mum and sister in a couple of weeks for my side of the family and a couple of other friends. I was definitely not expecting to be thrown two baby showers ~ I feel very special and am so grateful xo.
I was finally able to see my regular OB again after two months of her being away/rushing off to deliver babies. Mum came with me to this appointment again as Reid just can't get out of work at the minute. It was so good to see her! We saw Baby Bear do a little yawn which was adorable and we got a lovely shot of his face, although obviously you can only make out so much on an ultrasound, it's still just so nice to see him in there though. He is already head down, ready to go, which is a great sign and makes a natural delivery the most likely option at this point. Once again, we were told everything looks perfect, he is measuring right in the middle still - although everyone is convinced that I will be having a huge baby haha, I guess we'll see soon!
Reid and I attended an antenatal class last week - and honestly, we didn't get much from it. The midwife was clearly lovely and knew her stuff, but the whole session seemed all over the place and we didn't really take away much valuable information. The topic was labour - something I am obviously pretty scared about, and it did nothing to relieve that worry... ultimately, I know it will be fine, it's going to hurt like hell but billions of women have done it before and billions will do it after me. Something the midwife said is that "it is a privilege" - and while I am sure I won't necessarily be thinking that as I am going through it, I completely understand the sentiment and know I am so lucky to be having a baby. It's an experience I will do my best to appreciate. I don't have a "birth plan" as such. I have a general idea, but the bottom line for me is getting our baby here in the safest way possible, whatever that might mean.
Something I have struggled a lot with over the last few weeks is SLEEP. Definitely getting in some good practice for when Baby Bear is here. I just can't seem to switch my mind off and obviously getting comfortable is a bit harder than it used to be. I know I have no idea what sleep deprivation is at this point haha, but it's definitely not what I'm used to and it makes a big difference to how I'm functioning through the day, along with the aches and pains pregnancy brings. My OB suggested that I should only be working 6 hours a day at this point. I knew this would put a lot of pressure on my work team however, and felt I could push it for a bit longer, and negotiated to finish at 3pm every second day (Tuesdays and Thursdays). This is quite helpful, as it just gives me some time to relax or get other things done that I wouldn't normally have the energy for come 5pm. I have also started working from home most days at my manager's suggestion which is great. I am very lucky to have a job where this is a possibility - I never would have been able to do that in my old role. My Mum has been incredibly helpful as things are getting more difficult for me - she has been on holidays for a few weeks and I have often been coming home to my ironing done, washing on the line, garden weeded and while working from home she has often popped in with a delivery of some kind - maybe some biscuits or an iced-coffee, just little things she knows I would appreciate. Everyone says you appreciate your Mum more when you become one - I'm not quite there yet but I am SO ridiculously grateful for my Mum and her generosity. She is one of the busiest people I know but always makes time to help her family, her kids always come first. I hope I can be half the Mum she is. Her and Dad have provided such a loving home and upbringing not just for me but my brothers and sister as well - I am so lucky to have them as inspiration for my own parenting.
So - it's the final countdown! I am nearly 33 weeks pregnant. I am working until I am 37 weeks, so only 4 weeks left of work! Such an exciting, terrifying, overwhelmingly wonderful time! x
The third trimester has been much more challenging than I was expecting to be honest, weeks 28 - 30 were fine, but Baby Bear has done a LOT of growing (which is great obviously) but wow, it is certainly hard on your body! I have had some pretty severe back pain (mostly in the lower right side) and things you take for granted, like, getting off the couch and rolling over in bed become a bit of a mammoth effort! All worth it though, as Reid and I lie in bed each night and watch my stomach jolt around as our baby wriggles and kicks - it is so amazing and he will be here so soon!
I had my gestational diabetes check just before week 28 - definitely not the most pleasant experience, sitting around for 3 hours, not allowed to eat and then drinking an incredibly sweet drink (kind of like a super-sweet, flat lemonade) while having your blood taken a few times. My results were all fine thankfully, so that's one less thing to worry about!
Christmas was a lovely, busy affair. Reid and I spent the morning at home together (for the last time as a twosome!) eating croissants and talking about what next year might be like as our family grows. We had lunch with Reid's family which was lovely as always, then headed to my parents place for dinner. It was a special day even more so than usual, as Reid and I both savoured our usual traditions, knowing that events such as Christmas are going to be very different for us from now on - and we can't wait!
We went away a couple of days after Christmas and spent some time together on the beautiful east coast of Tassie - a mini "babymoon" if you will. It was lovely to get away and relax, staying in a holiday home right on the beach. The weather was beautiful and we really enjoyed ourselves. Reid works 6 days a week so we don't get much time together. We both had 10 days off over Christmas so it was lovely to get some quality husband-wife time in. The day we came back, we went to my favourite baby shop together (Reid works when they are open, so this was a very rare opportunity!) and we put a few things on layby. We picked out a beautiful rocking chair for feeds, and ordered the pram and car seat we wanted. We will be using a bassinet for the first few months now, my brother and sister-in-law are gifting us a cot but my niece and nephew still need them for a while longer and honestly I like the idea of having Baby Bear close to us for a while. We were going to buy a bassinet, but were gifted with not one but TWO beautiful bassinets, one from a friend and one from one of Reid's cousins, both in great condition. So we have one at our place and have taken one to Reid's Mum's place for naps when we visit. We are so lucky to have saved the money and all we needed to do was take them apart to wash everything rather than have to waste money on something our baby won't be in for long. Our nursery is slowly coming together, we were given a change table by my brother and sister-in-law that we have set up and started to stock, plus so many beautiful clothes my nephew used to wear, so these have all been washed and folded and are in Baby Bear's wardrobe ready to go, plus we have quite a lot of clothes ready for as he gets bigger so I'm feeling much more organised!
Myself and Baby Bear were very spoilt by my sister-in-law and cousin who organised a beautiful baby shower for me in early January. A few close friends and family gathered at my house and enjoyed a lovely morning playing some games, eating delicious food and having a chat. Emma and Jade decorated my living area beautifully, everything organised down to the last detail. We were given some of the most beautiful gifts and are so thankful for them all - Baby Bear is already so loved! I am even more spoilt to be having another baby shower organised for me by my Mum and sister in a couple of weeks for my side of the family and a couple of other friends. I was definitely not expecting to be thrown two baby showers ~ I feel very special and am so grateful xo.
I was finally able to see my regular OB again after two months of her being away/rushing off to deliver babies. Mum came with me to this appointment again as Reid just can't get out of work at the minute. It was so good to see her! We saw Baby Bear do a little yawn which was adorable and we got a lovely shot of his face, although obviously you can only make out so much on an ultrasound, it's still just so nice to see him in there though. He is already head down, ready to go, which is a great sign and makes a natural delivery the most likely option at this point. Once again, we were told everything looks perfect, he is measuring right in the middle still - although everyone is convinced that I will be having a huge baby haha, I guess we'll see soon!
Reid and I attended an antenatal class last week - and honestly, we didn't get much from it. The midwife was clearly lovely and knew her stuff, but the whole session seemed all over the place and we didn't really take away much valuable information. The topic was labour - something I am obviously pretty scared about, and it did nothing to relieve that worry... ultimately, I know it will be fine, it's going to hurt like hell but billions of women have done it before and billions will do it after me. Something the midwife said is that "it is a privilege" - and while I am sure I won't necessarily be thinking that as I am going through it, I completely understand the sentiment and know I am so lucky to be having a baby. It's an experience I will do my best to appreciate. I don't have a "birth plan" as such. I have a general idea, but the bottom line for me is getting our baby here in the safest way possible, whatever that might mean.
Something I have struggled a lot with over the last few weeks is SLEEP. Definitely getting in some good practice for when Baby Bear is here. I just can't seem to switch my mind off and obviously getting comfortable is a bit harder than it used to be. I know I have no idea what sleep deprivation is at this point haha, but it's definitely not what I'm used to and it makes a big difference to how I'm functioning through the day, along with the aches and pains pregnancy brings. My OB suggested that I should only be working 6 hours a day at this point. I knew this would put a lot of pressure on my work team however, and felt I could push it for a bit longer, and negotiated to finish at 3pm every second day (Tuesdays and Thursdays). This is quite helpful, as it just gives me some time to relax or get other things done that I wouldn't normally have the energy for come 5pm. I have also started working from home most days at my manager's suggestion which is great. I am very lucky to have a job where this is a possibility - I never would have been able to do that in my old role. My Mum has been incredibly helpful as things are getting more difficult for me - she has been on holidays for a few weeks and I have often been coming home to my ironing done, washing on the line, garden weeded and while working from home she has often popped in with a delivery of some kind - maybe some biscuits or an iced-coffee, just little things she knows I would appreciate. Everyone says you appreciate your Mum more when you become one - I'm not quite there yet but I am SO ridiculously grateful for my Mum and her generosity. She is one of the busiest people I know but always makes time to help her family, her kids always come first. I hope I can be half the Mum she is. Her and Dad have provided such a loving home and upbringing not just for me but my brothers and sister as well - I am so lucky to have them as inspiration for my own parenting.
So - it's the final countdown! I am nearly 33 weeks pregnant. I am working until I am 37 weeks, so only 4 weeks left of work! Such an exciting, terrifying, overwhelmingly wonderful time! x
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