A wierd 35th week

Phew - another week gone and 1 more week at work. I am obviously tired, but have just started to have to first feelings of getting a bit fed up with all this being pregnant stuff. When I go to bed and am just dying for a good night's sleep I cannot get comfortable as I have something sticking in my ribs on both sides. I ahve to keep going to the loo. I am constantly tired. I have back ache and have had pelvis aches. I really want to get out for a walk but that makes my back ache after 15 mins max. I am hot and it is so stuffy at work that it is impossible to concentrate. There never seems to be enough time to rest as we keep doing too much stuff at the weekends. All I want is 2 days in a row where we just veg around reading papers, eating and popping out for little walks with plenty of time for naps! There does not seem to be time to see Nick by himself. It makes me worried that our last few weeks of "couple" time are just disappearing into nothing without actually seeing each other properly. Who knows when we will get a chance to be together properly after the baby is born.

Right - moan over.

I had a bit of a wierd day last week coming into work on the tube when I felt dizzy and sick. I got into the office and had to go back home again. By the time I got home I was completely exhausted, went to bed and couldn't get out properly until the evening. I was so tired I couldn't really read, just sleep or gaze vacantly into space! Waking up on Friday after little sleep I felt much better. Now it is just a constant tiredness and I am unable to be like my normal self. On the wierd day the baby was moving around so vigorously that it almost hurt. The GP thought that this may have triggered my nausea and exhaustion, but who knows.

I think the baby must have tired itself out a bit too as it has been relatively quiet over the weekend but has been moving a bit more today (Monday).

The weekend was busy with visits to Nick's brother in Bath, Jeremy & Alex & co in Chepstow and Bill & Jo in Reading on the way back. Pretty full on and lots of kids which made the reality of our new life to come hit home. I think I had a mild panic attack when I got home - a kind of - "what are we doing?" thing. This is apparently quite normal and is just a sign of anxiety.

Our NCT classes start this week as well as the ongoing NHS classes. Last week's class was given by a physio and was excellent - lots of stuff on positions, breathing, massage and relaxation.

Mummy got out of hospital last weekend and we went to see her last week - she is much better although still tired and on antibiotics. She has to go back in December for a colonoscopy and then have the appendix plus mass out in February, all being well. Great to see her back at home though and hopefully once the antibiotics are finished she can start feelign a bit more normal.

Big mama - week 34

Even bigger, even more tired and a few more aches. Well, people keep telling me I am getting bigger. I think I have got so used to the size that I can't see if I am getting any bigger. All I know is there are parts of me I haven't seen in months!

Today is a Monday and I feel pretty shattered. Not enough sleep at the weekend and not enough general rest. We seem to always be busy at the weekend and had two early starts this time around so no chance for a lie in. Think I will leave work about 4pm to ensure I can get a bit of sleep before Nick gets home.

I am taking iron pills - Pregaday - so hopefully these start to kick in. I took them all last week and felt a bit more lively. My iron levels are at the low end of average and need a bit of a boost prior to the birth in case of losing blood during the process itself.

The baby's movements have changed again - they are not so wriggly all the time, but more of a concerted position shift. Last week it seemed to lie all the way across my abdomen with a foot sticking right out of one side and what I think must be the head sticking out of the other side. All felt very stretched.

We have our 3rd antenatal class this week, then I have an antenatal appointment on Friday and the NCT classes start next week. Only 2 weeks of work to go and I plan to use my maternity leave to check out some nurseries, cook some freezer food for after the birth, prepare for the family Xmas, get remaining goods delievered and rest well. I hope I will get the chance to swim more than I have been doing. All very difficult as I just get so tired by the end of a work day that the thought of swimming is anathema.

I am convinced the baby is still lying transversely as it has been doing for a while as I am sure I can still feel the head around the belly button area. I've been doing some hand and knees action and shining the torch! But so far, nothing. Can only keep trying and hope it switches before 36 weeks.

We have got the cot bed and the moses basket from Jan. The Moses basket is all assembled and looks very sweet. Sometimes it is very odd to think our little baby will be in there in a few weeks. The reality of having a baby continues to feel unreal. I think this will be the case until it appears. Am just really intrigued to know whether it is a boy or girl and what it looks like. Can't wait to hold our sweet baby.

33 weeks completed

Another week passes and the baby has grown another 1cm hopefully. The baby is putting on fat now rather than developing the organs further. The lungs are quite advanced now and the main project is to fill out between now and the birth.

We had our first antenatal class last week at St Georges which was better than I had expected. It was a pretty big class with 12 other couples there so not much individual attention but it is a very generaal class. Last Tuesday we covered the first stage of labour and looked around the labour ward and postnatal ward. Given the state of most hospitals I was pleasantly surprised by the ward. The delivery rooms look fine and the water birth room could even be described as quite nice - huge room with a big birthin pool, beanbags and lots of space. They only have one pool room and it is occupied on a first come first served basis, so you have to time it right! The postnatal rooms are 4 bed wards but you can pay £35 per night to get a private room which will be well worth doing if they are not already occupied by high priority cases.

The latest antenatal appointment on Saturday was OK, although after feeling pretty firmly around the uterus the midwife concluded that the baby is in a transverse position. This is not great, but apparently nothing to worry about now. They will check on the position next time - at 36 weeks and if it is not head down by then, it'll be more cause for concern. You can worry yourself by reading a lot of reports on the internet about transverse babies, ruptured uterus' etc, but I will be thinking positive thoughts about gettin the baby in the right place and trying to do some exercises to help. One suggestion is to shine a torch down below! - to encourage the baby to move its head towards the light - worth a go, but quite hilarious. I had thought the lumps sticking out by my belly button was its bum, but it must have been the head. I just hope I haven't been poking it in the eye!

I feel OK but tired. Had a bad night of sleep last night and am feeling exhausted today, so plan to leave work early to get some kip in before dinner. Baby is moving lots and hiccuping up to 3 times daily, sometimes for over 15 mins at a go.

My iron level is low so have just started taking Pregaday to boost it. Hopefully I will not feel so tired once this starts to have an effect. But the side effects are numerous so fingers crossed that I don't suffer from these.

On another note - mummy had to go to hospital last night due to abdominal pains that had become increasingly painful over the past few days. They don't know what is wrong so far and are still investigating, but it is horrible to think of her staying overnight in hospital. Only last week she was hiking up lots of moutains in Madeira. The really awful bit is just not knowing what is wrong and suspecting bad things. It is truly horrid to think of one's parents being ill. I have only had to contemplate this once before when Daddy had to spend some time in hospital with a suspected anuerism and it shocks the system to realise one's parents are fallable. No matter how old I am or they are, in my mind they will go on forever as they have always been there. The vague notion that they won't is not an easy one to accept.