Hello Everyone!!!! And sorry for being gone so long....
It's great to read how much has been going on, even the not-so-wonderful things.... at least it means we are all still going strong and the babes are closer and closer to term!!
Not to get into it, but I have had the craziest and most stressful time this past month and a half. It is probably the first Christmas and New Years I have not really enjoyed (although there were wonderful moments)....and totally unrelated to the pregnancy. Family illness, travel over Christmas, missing family holiday events, getting stranded at the airport, getting sick and not enjoying New Years at all - since, of course, the common cold is like a serious illness for pregnant women - it just made me more miserable than I have been in 15 years.... and it still lingers 4 weeks later...
Okay, enough of my stress, though.
I can't complain about this pregnancy. I agree with whoever said (Daisy) how much they love being pregnant. I have been loving it, and loving interacting with the Sweet Pea on a daily basis (although my journal is about 6 weeks behind due to above-mentioned crazy time).
I was breech, as I recall mentioning. Then, a few weekends ago, I felt my belly and somehow didn't think I was feeling the hard, round little head below my navel anymore.... but I have such doubts in my ability to belly-map myself, that I just wasn't sure. So... at my GP appt that Monday, I asked the back-up Dr to check. She was less experienced than my Dr and wasn't 100% sure, but she thought the baby had turned. So.... I stressed for the next weeks until my other Dr's appt, wondering if I should be doing my "baby turning" exercises or not.... if the baby were breech, there wasn't a lot of time left to turn it, but if it was not breech, I didn't want to turn it breech doing the exercises!! Hahaha.... over thinking... but I was glad to be informed and prepared. In the end, I did only a few exercises (if anyone is interested, I will link a site below) and when I went in on Thursday, just over 34 weeks, the little one indeed was head down. Everyone can feel the head but me!!! How do you like that?!!!
I have decided to do the GBS swab, hoping for a negative, but if it is positive, I will have to have another in-depth discussion with my GP to plan how to still have my natural birth, sans IV, including if my waters release early....etc etc. But it was one of those: pick your battles moments that I decided not to fight at this point.
Plenty of time for that later.
We have had the nursery paraphernalia ready for some time, but not painted the room - that is currently happening. And... I am not allowed to help!! So, although I think it would be safe, I will be not inhaling any fumes at all.... and will have to let others take over. I can't wait, though, because I have all the Cloth Diapers, new and used baby clothes and other receiving blankets, quilts, crib and bassinette blankets, fun snugglies, etc. washed and ready to go - but nowhere to put them.
What else?
Well.... believe it or not, we had a call from a midwife organization last week - saying that we finally could use their services (we had been on all of the waiting lists since the pregnancy began, hoping for a homebirth with midwife). Now, we are finally at ease and have worked so hard with our doula and our GP to make this birth OURS and have a great relationship and trust with them.... so we are hesitant to move to another caregiver that we will only know for a few weeks before the birth. The other factor is that, to have these midwives, we can only have our birth at a birthing centre, not at home, due to our distance from their offices. So, we will likely stay with our current care plans, but it has been a short but difficult conundrum we never really expected to have. A birthing centre would be so much more lovely even than the nicest hospital room.... ah well.
We are lucky that this is all the stress we have been having...
I am feeling well, not that big (IMO), and have not slept well now for about 3 weeks. I expect this to last way past birth. Pain in the hips.... back, ribs. Y es, well, my only position that is not constantly painful is lying on my back... but eventually that is painful, too. I am sure most of you are in the same boat, and I am NOT feeling sorry for myself - this is a great reason not to be sleeping.
I just get up and have a little chat session, holding my little one in my belly to distract me...
I really am sorry for your difficulties, Julie, but am so happy to see you are hanging on - it is all worth it!
Good luck to everyone else.... this final stretch seems to last forever, I'm told... (so far, I am okay with it), but I hope you all have a wonderful, healthy end to this pregnancy and excellent births. Some of you may be birthing soon - how exciting!!!
Sorry for the novel, but trying to make up for almost 2 months...
MG
