Bumpwatch - 33 weeks

Bump at 33 weeks

33 weeks into my pregnancy, and this last trimester is really starting to fly by! I only have 8 more days left at work (whoop!), and my D-day of 9th April is starting to loom ever closer on the horizon. I feel like I'm pretty much there in terms of getting all the baby stuff together, just need to get a cot bed and a car seat now and I will have all the essentials ready and waiting for whenever the little fella decides to make his grand appearance. The nursery is painted and my hospital bag is neatly packed and waiting on standby. 

On the slightly more negative side, after a pretty enjoyable 6 or 7 months, several of the more common pregnancy symptoms and complaints are starting to catch up with me now. I've had to stop going to the gym after suffering from severe nosebleeds every time I start exercising. My medicines cupboard is stocked to the brim with every heartburn remedy known to man (I work for the company that make Tums and Zantac so at least I get a staff discount!) and I have to sleep on an ever-increasing pile of pillows to stop the dreaded acid reflux creeping up my throat when I lie down. If I drop something on the floor now I have a long hard think about whether it is worth the effort to bend over and pick it up again! The baby seems to be constantly headbutting me in the ribs or trying to escape Alien-style straight out through the front of my stomach, both of which are rather uncomfortable. But these are all the joys of the last couple of months of pregnancy!

Pregnancy Yoga - Walthamstow Toy library

I've been trying to keep as fit and healthy as possible throughout this pregnancy, but now I am well into the third trimester it is starting to become a bit more of a struggle. My husband has decided to kick off the new year with a new exercise regime which I am trying really hard to support him with. We go to the work gym two or three times a week from 5-6pm, and while he attacks the weight machines I do some uphill power walking on the treadmill and a bit of light cross training and cycling. It's nothing like what I was able to do before, but I feel good for getting some exercise, and I keep reading how you are much more likely to have an easy labour if you can keep your pregnancy fitness levels up. I do get some strange looks from the other gym users as if they think I shouldnt be there, and I do feel about twice the size of the skinny girls in their lycra shorts, but I will keep going as long as possible!

Last week I decided to throw in some more pregnany-oriented exercise into the mix, and signed up for a 5-week pregnancy yoga class. It's a 5-week course currently running on Thursday nights in the Toy Library, just off Beulah Road in Walthamstow Village. At the first class it was lovely to see that most of the other women were about as far along as me, with most people somewhere between 25-32 weeks. The exercises might look easy for anyone not carrying a big bump around with them but I found them to be just the right level of difficulty and I'm sure they are doing me some good.

You can find contact details for Helen who runs the class and other non-pregnancy yoga classes here Walthamstow Village Yoga .
The Healthworks just off Hoe street also offer antenatal pilates and yoga, plus some post-natal classes where you can bring your baby along too!

28 week check-up

28 weeks

I had my 28 week check-up this week and things are still going well! I've been lucky enough to see the same midwife at all of my appointments which from what I hear is quite unusual as a lot of people seem to get moved around between 4 or 5 different people. So it's been really nice to get to build a bit of a relationship with her and not waste time going through your details and medical history with every new midwife that you see. She took some blood for more iron level tests, listened to the baby's heartbeat (which was about 136 bpm) and then measured the size of my bump with a tape measure. Apparently, the height of the uterus in cm should be roughly equal to the number of weeks pregnant you are, giving the midwife a quick and easy guide to see if the baby is growing at the right rate. My measurement was 28 cm which is exactly right for 28 weeks! She also confirmed that the baby is lying in the breech position which is what I thought as I can often feel the rather unpleasant sensation of the baby's head trying to stick out of my stomach up near my ribs.

She also asked me to start counting the baby's kicks, starting at 9 a.m. each day I have to count until I feel 10 movements and then record the time on a little chart which goes all the way up to 9 p.m. each day. I think this baby must be super active as he is always way past 10 kicks by 9.30 a.m.  which is the first box on the chart! The next check up is not until 34 weeks, which will be my last week of work, can't wait!

Bump watch - week 26

Bump - week 26

Happy New Year everyone! This is it - the final three months for me and reality is starting to sink in. I came back to work this week and it suddenly dawned on me that I only have six more weeks at work this year! I get my full years holiday allowance to take before starting maternity leave so I will be finishing up at week 35, giving me 5 weeks or so to hopefully relax before the little guy makes his appearance (depending on if he is early or not!) The second trimester was a pretty smooth ride, no more morning sickness, a nice noticeable but not-too-massive bump and plenty of energy to keep up with my normal hectic social schedule. It's only been the last week or two where I have started to feel a bit more tired and achey and I'm sure I will have to start easing up on things soon. The next couple of months are all about the final preparations, buying everything that I've been researching before Christmas, starting with a bigger 5 door car to replace my little Peugeot who finally clapped out in the Autumn. Exciting times ahead :o)

Bump - week 20

Tis the season........

5+ months preggo in the festive season

It's mid December and the Christmas festivities are in full swing. My desk at work is decked out in tinsel and the Christmas tunes have been on the lab radio for a good couple of weeks. This time of year is always particularly manic, and 2011 is no different for me, with 6 Xmas meals and a wedding lined up over the space of 14 days! Unusually for me though, this year I will be completely sober for the entire party season. With the two biggest work parties coming up this week, I've become a bit despondent at the thought of another evening as the sober one in the corner getting fed up while everyone else staggers around blind drunk laughing at their own jokes that are only comprehensible to other pissed-up people. So to cheer myself up I've tried to think of some of the good points about being pregnant and sober at the office Christmas party..

• No expensive taxi ride home - you can just drive home whenever you want to leave
• Soft drinks are cheaper! I'm spending so much money at the moment on all these meals out, so it's good to keep the bar bill down
• You won't be the source of any office gossip for your embarrassing drunken behaviour
• No hangovers!

Happy Christmas to all the mums and bumps out there!

The 20 week scan - team pink or team blue?

Bumpy at 20 weeks

Monday 21st November

We headed back to Whipps Cross for a second time today for the 20 week scan, another chance to see how little bumpy is growing. The first thing the sonographer asked as I laid down was whether we wanted to find out the sex, and just a few seconds later she said 'It's a baby boy!'. She showed us on the screen and there is no mistaking that we are in team blue! The baby had at least doubled in size since the last scan, and everything was so much clearer. We could see the little heart beating, count all the fingers and toes, and watch him wriggling and kicking away contentedly. I was quite jealous of Jon being able to see the screen for the whole time while I had to lie back and let the sonographer do her measurements. Everything looked perfectly healthy again, and all of bumpy's measurements were right on track! I had trying to stop myself from doing too much shopping before now, but I think I will go out and treat myself to some cute little boy clothes this weekend :o)

Pushchair dilemmas

I'm currently facing a dilemma which I'm sure will be very familiar to other first-time mum-to-be's: which pushchair to buy for the new baby? There is an absolutely overwhelming choice available; three-wheelers, off-roaders, lightweight buggies and fully functional travel systems that convert into different shapes at the press of a few buttons. Do I want a forward, parent-facing or reversible seat? Does the price include the optional carrycot/footmuff/raincover? How easy is it to fold? Will it fit in my car boot and my hallway? And why is everything so expensive???? AAAH! I find myself staring at other mums as they walk past trying to subtly check out what brand of pushchair they have. To try and help me decide I've come up with my wishlist for my perfect pushchair.

Must haves:

• Lightweight - I will be using public transport a lot so need something I can get onto buses and up the stairs at tube stations
• Very easy to fold - when not in use the pushchair will be mainly living folded up in my hallway. A simple fold mechanism without having to remove the seat or wheels everytime would be ideal

Nice to have:

• Removable carrycot option - I have a couple of weddings to go to soon after the baby is born and it would be ideal if the carrycot clipped onto the pushchair base so that the baby will have a comfortable cot to sleep in rather than being stuck in the pushchair seat all day.

Here are my current top three choices!

Baby Jogger City Mini GT

Baby Jogger City Mini GT:

A new updated version of the very popular baby jogger city mini is due out in spring 2012. It promises to have solved all the little issues of the 2011 version with new features such as an adjustable handle, bigger storage basket and improved tyres. The one handed fold looks amazing! The biggest problem for me: will it be out in time for my April 9th due date?

Maxi-Cosi Elea:

Maxi-Cosi Elea

A great looking pushchair, and as it is made by Maxi-Cosi the car seat can click straight in without the need for fiddling around with adapters. Cons: at just over 13kg, it is a bit on the heavy side

Bugaboo Bee

Bugaboo Bee:

I see these all over London, they are definitely the must-have stylish pushchair for urban yummy mummies. They come in a range of vibrant colours, and look small enough to easily fit in my doorway. Cons: very expensive! To get the full set including the optional footmuff and newborn cocoon will set you back in the region of £650-700. I would be reluctant to buy a second-hand version after to the recent recall of the 2011 edition due to safety issues with the wheels. 

I think I really need a trip to somewhere like Babies'R'us to see them all in the flesh and have a bit of a test drive. In the meantime - any suggestions or recommendations would be  happily welcomed!