Update

Hopefully today was the last official pre-natal visit to the doc.

Baby has put on another 300g, and Dr estimates that it is about 3.5kg now, whereas the machine estimated about 3.9kg. I'd like to believe the good Dr.

In his professional opinion, I should go into "unassisted" labour in the next few days, and he was quite confident that the baby would turn into position during early labour and that all would go smoothly.

He also sent me in for a CTG scan, just to monitor Baby's heartbeat, not for any concerns, and Paul seems to think it is so they have a bench mark to work from during labour.

I do promise that once I am out of the labour ward and in Maternity ward, to write all of you. Paul said that he would bring in his laptop so that I would be able to write. Especially between feeds and sleeps :o) Till then!

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For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. Phil 4:13

If you're having trouble thinking out the box, then you're probably in the wrong box.

http://www.kimswanphotography.co.za/

Only a few more days before maternity leave

I think that every morning the people I work with breathe a sigh of relief when I walk through the door.  One guy who has been on leave said that I really look pregnant now, and he was amazed at the sudden popping out of my tum, which was refreshing from the usual "your getting so big!" comment. 

 

I wish that the non-pregnant people who often say that would realise the impact that comment has on the person being told.  Imagine, you already feel like a whale, you're hot, your tummy is heavy, swollen feet and hands, sore back, and someone comes along and says "wow you are huge" now, would that make you feel like the "glowing, pregnant lady" that everyone thinks you are, or would it make you feel a little worse and just add a ton to the whale feeling?

 

I must admit that the last few nights have not been happy sleeping ones.  Both Paul and I have been restless, but for different reasons.  I think the imminent birth of our child is playing on my mind, as well as the major discomfort, and Paul has too many things running through his mind. For once though it hasn't been work so much, but rather photography.  He is very excited about the lenses that he has ordered for me, and the fact that I have landed a gig in February (which is stressing him out as he will have to baby sit Cygnet) and I am waiting to find out if I get the gig in April as well.  So he is thinking too much about those things, and not sleeping well, and I am sure that the fact that I am not sleeping well affects him too.  What a pair.  I just figure that it is preparation for the months to come :o)  God is good in his wisdom!

 

Cygnet seems to have dropped more, and is squirming, making my tummy look like it is dancing.  However, it has dropped as well, so there is a lot of pressure on my pubic bone, and I'd imagine that the child will make it's appearance before the EDD.

 

I will try keeping my blog up to date with news, but I can't promise anything, because I have no idea what life will be like after the birth of our child.

Coming in to land

Today was one of the last scans we will have considering that soon we won't need a scan to look at our precious child.  Dr C was still very impressed with progress and said that everything is on track.  I did ask him whether he thought we would be having the baby earlier than the projected 31 January, to which he answered "We don't have preterm babies in this practice".  Which I think was a tidy sidestep, and I still think that this child is more than ready to meet it's parents.  During the scan he also pointed out that there is some calcification on the placenta, so the ladies here at the office are taking bets as to how soon Cygnet will make it's grand entrance into the world.

 

The nursery is pretty much finished, and there are one or two things that I still need to sort out, but I am sure that there will be some time during Paul's two week break to be at home with Cygnet and I.  It is all getting very exciting now.  I can feel that the baby has dropped, breathing is easier these days, but there is a lot of pressure being placed on my bladder, especially when Cygnet decides that it is time to do Alps training for the Tour de France.  But, it's fun all the same.  It's precious when I get poked in my side, and I can feel the sharpness of a pointy elbow, or when I rub my tummy and Cygnet "rubs" back.

 

I washed all the baby clothes last night, and when hanging the little things up to dry I was getting so excited.  I just wanted to be able to put them onto this little baby.  I think that the little vests were the cutest, so tiny.  To think that soon I will have someone to wear them.  Oh yes, the estimated fetal weight at the moment is close to 3.4kg!  Wanda, I think that I am getting close to Max's 3.6kg?

 

Well, stay tuned for the next installment.  The next scheduled scan is for the 22nd... but who knows, I could be seeing Dr C a bit earlier than that :o)

I couldn't resist!

The picture says it all today.

I woke with a headache this morning, which has subsided some, but not completely, and I could be at home today, cleaning, because I know that is what would happen, purely because of the whole nesting thing that happens to pregnant ladies at some point on their pregnancy, although according to a lot of articles I have read, it usually means that labour is imminent.

While browsing the net, I came across a site with some "advice" for the dad-to-be which made me giggle a bit. This is what they had to say...

It's a bit beyond the scope of this guide to create a parenting "how-to" for newborns. However Dad, there are a few basics you need to know.

- Yes, you WILL be nervous about picking up a human being that is slightly larger than a football knowing that it is YOUR child.
- You will NOT be asphyxiated when you change Baby's poopy diaper.
- Baby's vomit is not toxic waste, and you will NOT die of poisoning when Baby spits up an entire feeding on your new shirt.

Seriously, it is nerve-wracking to hold a squirming baby, especially when their little necks are so floppy. The more you hold and handle your baby, the more comfortable you'll become. You should be able to do whatever Mom does for the baby, except of course, breastfeed. You'll develop a deeper bond with Baby and s/he with you by being involved.

Who wouldn't have a giggle at that, even the dad-to-be :o)

At least today is Friday, which means that I get a chance to "relax" for the weekend. Tomorrow will the be the day for shopping for the small things that need to go into the "bag" which everyone is telling me I need to get packed. By the sounds of it you need about 3 bags... the Labour Bag, the Hospital bag and the Baby bag. I don't think I have that many bags at all, so sorry for everyone, it's all going into one bag... which means that I will have to get a move on and clean out the chest of drawers, just to make sure that they are clean, wash all the clothes that I have for the baby, because that is what my "instinct" is telling me has to be done, and then get it all ready. Bring on the weekend!

A New Year… 2008

It’s been a while since I last posted, and a bit has happened. We went to East London for Christmas, and I met a lot of extended family that I didn’t know I had, believe me there were LOTS of people, most of them from Australia. The time away was fun, and we got to stay on a horse farm, with a pig farm on one side and a chicken farm on the other, so depending on wind direction the smells were… interesting. The travelling in the car on hot African summer days was interesting, with the heat getting to both Cygnet and I, but we both survived, and the return trip was less “stressful” than the trip down. The area we were staying in on the coast is called the Wild Coast, and believe me it is stunning. The beaches are smooth and when the tide is out you have to walk for ages before you get to dip your toes into the sea, and it seemed that every time we were at the beach the tide was out, so I got to do a lot of walking, nothing strenuous though. The most beautiful of beaches we visited was the Kei River Mouth beach, where the Great Kei river meets the sea. The beach was stunning, and there was so much beach, and the river was so wide that water sports like wind surfing and kite surfing would be perfect. There was a girl on the water in her kayak as well, so that would be another “thing to do”. It was also not packed with holiday makers as it was quite out the way, and it was just really relaxing. The sun was very hot though, and I managed to get through the whole holiday without getting sun burnt which was awesome, especially considering how much time was spent in the sun.

I must admit that it was good to be home again though, knowing that it is getting close to the time of the birth of our baby, and the bumpy trip must have helped get the little on to drop. Although today I don’t think it has stopped squirming for more than about 5 minutes. And I have been sitting quietly most of the day. I must admit though, it is good to be in the air conditioning at the office, it has been very hot and humid, which has made for an uncomfortable past few days. Although, having said that, it hasn’t been unbearable. I think that there are a lot of women out there who have suffered more in the heat than I have.

Yesterday we went to collect the chest of drawers that my brother has kindly given us, and it is getting very exciting now, knowing that there is a “changing” table for the baby now, and knowing that soon I will be changing a very little person’s nappies on the top of it, with a whole bunch of very cute clothes in the drawers and a whole new life taking place. Somehow having the drawers there seemed to bring it more into the light. I’m so excited!