Red Rose Baby - 36 Weeks Update

We're definitely in the home stretch with this pregnancy now and, on Thursday, Red Rose Baby will be classed as term at thirty seven weeks, although in reality I'm likely to be pregnant for a little while longer. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased that the end is in sight. I really expected to be sad at this stage of pregnancy, as I know that this will be my final one, but the truth is I'm tired, sore and on something of an emotional rollercoaster. I'm definitely done and I can't imagine ever thinking how lovely it would be to be pregnant again in the future!

It's been a fairly quiet two weeks although two lovely get togethers with friends have helped a little. I'm not sure I will have the opportunity to meet up with anyone now the baby's arrival is so close so I made the most of them. It seems to be the early blog conference season and I've been sensible and decided not to attend any of them, of course, now I'm grumpy that I'm missing out on them all! It's the right decision though, given that a shopping trip to Ikea meant I needed a two hour nap on Saturday. Not sure what state a trip to Birmingham would have left me in!

I had a thirty six weeks home visit with my Community Midwife on Thursday which went well. We talked through some of my anxieties about the delivery of Red Rose Baby and my concerns that I won't be able to have a water birth. No-one has actually been able to give me a definitive answer about whether it will be allowed or not and my current CMW believes it will depend on staffing on the Central Delivery Suite at the time, as I expected. Seeing as the first CMW I discussed this with said there was no way and that I would have to be cannulated upon arrival then this is an improvement I guess, but it's frustrating to feel like I'm going into the unknown. I do want to labour in the water if I can, I've had two water births so being unable to will be a huge step into the unknown for me and the idea is starting to prey on my mind. I've been trying to think about LM's delivery and the breathing techniques I used during that. Hopefully I'll be able to use them and experience a similar delivery (although I'll do without the aftermath repeating, thank you), whether I'm in water or 'on land'.

A combination of vivid unsettling dreams and Pelvic Girdle Pain are leaving me really tired at the moment. My most comfortable sleeping position is on my left side but my left hip is really painful. An undisturbed night is a rarity. I'm really starting to worry about how LM will take to the baby now. She's always been a super clingy Mama's girl and has always been happiest sitting in my lap. This isn't the most comfortable place for her at the moment but I feel terribly guilty for trying to stop her  climbing up all the time. She has bony elbows and knees and a knack for finding the most sensitive spots for them so that's adding to the soreness. She loves to put her hand down my top and I think feeding hormones must be starting to kick in as I'm finding it incredibly irritating. I remember feeling like this before I weaned Bud when I was pregnant with LM, although it was much earlier on in my pregnancy. All in all I'm worried she will be a very unhappy little girl when her new baby brother or sister arrives, and I'm praying that the excitement of the baby will help her to share me.

Bump is super active and some of the movements are starting to take my breath away! They've been head down for a few weeks now and are popping in and out of engagement. I know when their head is particularly far down as walking becomes very uncomfortable, I've had lots of people guessing if baby is a boy or girl. I have an idea myself but I was wrong with Bud, then right with LM so we will see. Bump feels very round at the moment, I don't think you can actually tell there is a bump there from the back! I still feel much smaller than I did with Bud and LM.



We're getting there in terms of preparation for the baby. The carrycot and car seat are down from the attic for our old travel system, we just need to collect the chassis and seat from my brother's house where it's been stored and give everything a good clean. A trip to Ikea at the weekend furnished us with a baby bath and some other bits. We only have a shower in our house so a baby bath is a must have in the early days and the Ikea version seems great. We've decided to order the Little Green Sheep Snuzpod for baby's bed and that will be on the way this week sometime. I've been keen on bedside cribs since I found out I was pregnant this time and we decided to splash out on this purchase. I've been feeling like Red Rose Baby doesn't really have anything 'nice', mainly because it hasn't got the new pram that their brother and sister had each time, so a lovely new bed should help with that even if their wheels aren't shiny and new.

One of my best Bump Buddies, Mummy of Two welcomed a beautiful baby girl two weeks ago so it's really clear that Red Rose Baby will be on the way very soon. I'm hoping to have time for another update before baby arrives. I still think that we won't get to forty weeks, although I'm not sure if that is wishful thinking or not. I'm very ready to meet our new addition and start life as a family of five together.