Week 32 – Getting Bigger And In To Practice

Baby,

It has been a very intense week this week. Things are suddenly seeming to become very real, and I kind of feel like I’m riding an ever expanding snow ball – there’s no stopping it now!

I spent Tuesday and Wednesday at home with my feet up trying to lie very still while still doing work at the same time, due to contractions! It definitely wasn’t Braxton-Hicks, which feels like the tummy gets tight, but was a lot lower and caused a radiating pain in to the legs.  On Tuesday when it started it happened every half hour or so, but by Tuesday night was down to about every two minutes! It was quite scary as it is way too early for you to make an appearance without having to go in to hospital for a while!  I managed to get to bed when the contractions stopped around 10 PM, but woke up squirming in pain again at 4AM on Wednesday morning. I had a really long warm bath and that seemed to help and the contractions stayed about 20 or so minutes apart all day Wednesday. I did also stop drinking the red raspberry leaf tea, just in case it was causing the false labour.  I’ve not had any problems since, so I think I shall wait before drinking any more of that, just in case!

On Thursday Daddy and I attended our first Antenatal class where we spent most of the evening discussing fears, excitements and so on. It was quite a nice session, just getting to know the three other couples on the course, and hearing what other people are thinking and feeling at the moment.

For a lot of the ladies their fears were about labour, and pain and fear of epidurals and so on and for a lot of the men it was more about how they could just stand by and watch their partners in pain. It was strange because Daddy and I were the only homebirth couple, and we we were also the only ones who don’t really have particular fears about the labour and your birth.  That is something we feel very calm and peaceful about. (I’m wondering if the Birth Beyond Fear CD that I listen to every night is rubbing off on Daddy too?) 

For us, the fears we came up with in class were more about after the birth. Daddy had some experience of babies with Catherine and Michael, his sister’s children, but I haven’t had any of that. I’ve held a few babies over the past 20 or so years, but I normally give them back whenever they start crying, which is normally about 20 seconds after I’ve started holding them.  So I do feel totally unprepared in that sense! I’m quite sure that it will all come with some sense of ‘naturalness’, I mean, how hard can wiping a bum really be?  But, it’s still a little nerve wrecking.  At the moment I wake up a number of times a night to go to the loo, and every time I wake up I realise that I’m walking in a half sleep state. I don’t even switch the lights on because I don’t want to disturb my eyes, and then I wonder whether I’ll be able to feed you in that ‘almost still asleep’ state.  I guess I’ll find out soon enough!

I have grown quite huge over the last few weeks. I do feel like I’m carrying a spare tyre INSIDE my belly at the moment and you are still quite active. You move regularly, which is very nice, and I can feel your feet up against my ribs. It is not painful at all, which I’m pleased about.  Just now and then when you try to stick your foot up between my ribs and my skin, then it hurts a little, but I just tickle your foot and you move it. Watching you move from one side to the other is really funny and still always makes me laugh. It just looks really weird! I wish you’d give me warning so I could film it for everyone else to see, but for now it’s just a little pleasure between you and me.

The books say you weigh about 2 kg at the moment. I can certainly feel that whenever I have to climb stairs or walk any great distance and your weight is especially noticeable when I have to get myself off the couch or bed! I sound like an old man as I hobble around trying to live normally between the occasional Sciatica and SPD.

Well, we’re almost at 33 weeks now, and that means that in three weeks you could be full term and totally ready to meet the world.  Daddy has finished building your cupboard, so now at least we have somewhere to put your clothes, and I got your blessing gown back from the dry cleaners on Friday.  We have your moses basket ready and your room is looking more and more like a room after each weekend.

Looking forward to seeing you, Button.
Love you

Mommy