31 Weeks, 4 Days

Friday 29 November 2013

Here is the 31 Weeks bump photo:

Feeling pretty big now, slightly scared of how much bigger I might get in the next two months (yesterday was two months until Lil Dash's due date!). By the way, my waddle puts ducks to shame!

I am loving watching my belly, its better than television! I can sit for ages just watching my belly move as Lil Dash wriggles around in there, it's so amazing to think that is my little girl moving around and growing big and strong ready to meet us soon (but not too soon!).

According to huggies.com.au this is where Lil Dash will be approximately at this week:

• Baby is getting longer with each passing day and is around 46cm this week (only 7 cm less than the average length of a baby born at term). Baby is gaining more weight now that it is increasing in length.
• Baby us spending long periods in REM sleep.
• There is more brain and complex nerve activity this week. The connections or synapses in Baby's brain are forming by the millions and are helped by the stimulation they receive in their insulated little world. Parent's voices, household noises, filtered light, movement and music will help these vital connections form.

So over the weekend I disgraced myself a bit. In my last post I mentioned that Bio Mum and I had a day of shopping planned for Saturday including a morning at the Baby Market to snap up some bargains. The day did not quite go as planned...

Up Saturday and had some breakfast, my cereal and then a microwave banana and chocolate pudding (not sure why I thought that was a good idea), then got ready and headed off a bit before 10am. On the way I started to feel really sick and like I was going to pass out so I reclined the seat, put my feet up on the dashboard and Bio Mum turned the cold air on me. After a few minutes I started feeling better so sat up and had some water. All was good. Then about 10 minutes later I started feeling the same again, so up went my feet and on came the cold air. I wasn't feeling any better and then (not long after we turned onto one of the busiest streets) I suddenly felt the urge to vomit (for a brief moment there I wasn't sure which end was about to explode, not good) and dropped my legs to the floor before proceeding to vomit all over myself and the car (we were in Bio Mum's ute, oopsy!).

Bio Mum very quickly pulled off the road into a car park where we used whatever we could find (including our socks) to clean up as best we could. I also (with no shame or care that people on the main road could most likely see me) stripped down to my bra and undies as everything else was covered in vomit. Bio Mum gave me her hoody and I put my jacket over my legs to give me some modesty. Bio Mum loaded a shopping bag full of the vomit covered things and chucked them in the back of the ute and then we headed home.

I felt just terrible (not to mention really unwell) and kept apologising. Poor Bio Mum really wasn't having the best of mornings! She promptly threw out the remaining banana and chocolate puddings when we got home!

We got home and I headed inside to put all the clothes and stuff in the wash before having a shower myself while Bio Mum cleaned the ute. After that I felt ok. I wasn't 100% for the rest of the weekend but I was ok. I was well enough that on Saturday afternoon we headed out to spend some serious money at Baby Bunting and then found the mother of all chairs for the nursery at the Homemaker Hub (more on that later).

First Baby Bunting! We didn't quite get all the remaining items we needed, but we sure got the remaining big ticket items. First and foremost was our pram and infant carrier/capsule. We ended up getting the pram we wanted (although not in the colour Bio Mum wanted as they were sold out) which was the Steelcraft Strider Compact. Here is our Pram:

(Oh and that little toilet in the background is Moo's water bowl).
In addition to the pram we also bought our baby monitor, electric breast pump, digital baby thermometer (which Bio Mum tested out on me over the weekend to make sure I wasn't running a fever, works well), cradle mattress, change table mat, cot mattress protectors, change table mat covers, inserts for our nappy bin, baby nail clippers and a few other bits and pieces.

After that is was off to Harvey Norman first (to be terrified by the prices and for Bio Mum to be distracted by home theatre seating) then across the road to the Homemaker Hub where we found a chair that has stolen both our hearts. It is a beautiful soft leather La-Z-boy rocker recliner in a chocolate brown. It is like sitting on a cloud...made of really comfy leather! It fits beautifully into the nursery and will make feeding much more comfortable, hell I may even nap in there from now on! Here is our chair:

Chair was supposed to be delivered Tuesday, but a happy accident had it at our place on Monday night instead. 

Saturday evening my Dad came into town for work so Sunday night we caught up with him for dinner, which was just lovely. It's been too long since I last saw him! It was really nice to catch up, phone calls just aren't the same. 

Sunday Bio Mum got to work putting up some gorgeous decals in Bub's nursery. I really love them and especially love that I didn't have to put them up as it looked a lot harder than I thought it would be! Here are the decals:

Monday night was a good one because not only did Chair arrive, but a lovely present from friends, Sue and Dennis, arrived too. Here are the amazing presents:

The book is especially awesome as the dog's name is Smudge (which is Moo's real name), also love the blanket...actually I love it all!

Monday night I started organising the nursery, still a bit to go, but it feels good to be getting all the practicalities sorted out before Lil Dash arrives. Tuesday night the nesting kicked into overdrive a bit and I spent quite a while sorting baby clothes and washing baby bedding, face washers, wraps and clothes. I also spent a while snuggled up in Chair, I love Chair.

Wednesday I headed out on my lunch break and did some more baby shopping, we are almost done now! Only a few items left on the list!! Now I have more things to organise and wash. This nesting thing is pretty handy!

Wednesday night my Dad came over for dinner and met Bio Mum's parents. It was a really lovely night and I'm glad they got to meet. Dinner and dessert were also very good!


All booked in to have our car seat/capsule fitted into my car on 14 December. It's great, Kidsafe will professionally fit it for $25, which is a small price to pay for piece of mind! They were even able to fit me in on a Saturday, which is ace.

Today we are off to Bio Mum's folk's place for a weekend of R&R, which I think is greatly needed. I find that when I'm at home I have trouble fully relaxing because my mind keeps running to all the things I could/should be doing instead of sitting on the couch! It should be a great weekend. I do have my fingers crossed for no car sickness on the way (we will be taking loads of plastic bags and supplies to clean up should I disgrace myself again!

Oh and this morning I was going through some of Lil Dash's new clothes and Bio Mum snapped this photo, how precious is the little singlet (which will fit her for about 5 minutes)?!

Oh and last week I couldn't help myself and I had to buy this for our little girl:

I know I have been very anti-pink, but it was just so cute that I had too! All little girls need a pony! For those who don't know, I used to have horses and still love them very much (I'd love to get back into horse riding down the track) so I wanted to share my love of horses with my girl!

Next week we have another appointment with Dr B so will make sure to update again after that.

Until next time, have a wonderful week!

30 Weeks, 4 Days

Friday 22 November 2013

Here's the 30 Week bump photo:

I think the bump is getting bigger by the day! I am now finding it almost impossible to get comfortable anywhere and am struggling with some lovely niggling pains in my back, hips (mostly the right one, down my leg and round down through my butt), shoulders, feet and groin. The worst is at work. I spend the whole day fidgeting and trying to get comfortable. I did bring a cushion in and putting that behind my lower back does help a lot.

I know there isn't that long to go now, but part of me is really looking forward to getting my body back (of course Bub has been told in no uncertain terms that she is to stay in there until at least 37 weeks). I can't help but think how nice it would be to be able to see my feet when I look down, although as we speak I am pretty sure they are kind of swollen! The joys of pregnancy!

Last weekend I flew down to Melbourne to spend some time with the family. It was a bit of a whirl-wind trip (they usually are), but it was good to see everyone. Friday night I arrived not too late and spent some time with my sister and her boyfriend. Saturday morning we headed off to have breakfast with some of my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins (we decided not to bring Mum as she doesn't cope well with big groups of people). It was really lovely to catch up with everyone who could be there as it had been a while since we were all together. Oh and my Uncle Jack is a pretty awesome cook so the food was just delicious! We also got some beautiful gifts for Lil Dash.

After breakfast my sister and I went and got Mum and took her out to the State Rose Garden, which is out near the Werribee Mansion. Mum loves gardening and flowers and I had wanted to take her out to the rose garden for a while now, just had to wait for it to flower! Mum seemed to really love it, which was nice. I snapped quite a few photos on my awesome camera (thanks Bio Mum) and am now planning to use these photos and other flower photos I have taken to put together a flower photo book for Mum for Christmas. I think she might like that.

After the rose garden we had lunch and then took Mum home as she was getting pretty tired. After that we went to my sister's boyfriend's house then back to my sister's to catch up with a friend of her's (my surrogate big sister). After that I went and had dinner with my friend Emma, who I hadn't seen in ages. We have one of those friendships where we can go aged without seeing each other, but then when we get back together its like we were never apart. It's really nice and I am so glad I got to see her!

Sunday was a little down time with my sister and then spent time with Mum until I had to go to the airport. All in all it was a really good weekend. It will be my last trip down until Lil Dash makes her appearance so it was really important for me.

This week has been quite a busy one. Work has been busy and we've had stuff on most nights.

Tuesday I met up with some former colleagues for dinner which was nice then Wednesday Bio Mum took me on a date night to see Gravity at the Sunset Cinema at the Botanic Gardens (it was an awesome night aside from the audio issues). 

Wednesday afternoon we had an appointment with Dr B. Lil Dash is going very well, but according to Dr B's ultrasound equipment she is measuring 3 weeks ahead. Yikes. Dr B talked to us again about our plan of action, which was comforting. We'll see how Lil Dash goes and hopefully she'll come on her own after 37 weeks. We'll be going to see Dr B fortnightly now, moving to weekly in a month or so.

Thursday night was our last ante-natal class and this one was about birth and what happens afterwards. It was actually a bit comforting to hear a lot of what was said, like what we can expect when we're in hospital (the hospital will let us stay 4 days post natural birth or 5 days post c-section) and the supports available to us once we go home. Its nice to know that once Bub pops out we aren't just shoved into a corner and told to figure it out!

We also met a couple in the class who know our friends Erina and Tanya (through roller derby) so that was nice. They seem really lovely and you never know we might even end up hospital neighbours!

Today I went on a mad hunt for summer pyjamas that fit! Mine are getting a tad tight around my belly and its been too hot for winter PJs! I ended up with two sets of PJs so that should do me for a while...I may have also bought a maternity top, a cute little singlet suit for Lil Dash and a stuffed horse for Lil Dash. I just can't help myself sometimes! Baby stuff is just so cute!!

Tonight is our do nothing night and my god I can't wait! Me and the couch have a date tonight and it is going to be heaven!

Tomorrow Bio Mum and I are heading out to the Baby market to see if we can scoop up some bargains and then off to spend our vouchers on our pram and capsule! We also have a nice list of other things we want to buy so this weekend will be fun and exhausting...and expensive!

My Dad is also coming into town this weekend for a work thing so we'll organise to have dinner with him on Sunday night and hopefully see him a few times during the week next week. Bio Mum's parents are also in town Tuesday and Wednesday so hopefully we can organise it so they can meet Dad.

So that is all for now, I'll be sure to update next week.

I'll leave you with a hydrangea update, yes it's still alive and seems to be thriving! Have a wonderful weekend!

29 Weeks, 4 Days

Friday 15 November 2013

Here is the 29 weeks bump photo:

I feel like there is a big difference between last week's bump and this week's. I definitely feel a lot bigger and have gotten to the point where it is practically impossible to get comfortable unless I am lying on the couch or in bed. I spend all day at work fidgeting and trying to find a comfortable position, its not easy. I've ended up brining in a cushion to place behind my lower back and that seems to be helping a bit. 

I'm also feeling so tired! No matter how much I sleep I just can't seem to feel rested! I am also waking up fairly often most nights (more than I was before) so that isn't helping. Growing a human being is hard work!

So the big happening in the past week was our baby shower on Saturday. It was a wonderful (granted also exhausting) day. I was so touched by the huge number of family and friends that were able to be there to celebrate with us, especially those who travelled from afar to join us. I am also beyond grateful to the many people who helped us on the day (and they days leading up to it). We could not, I repeat COULD NOT, have gotten through the day without these amazing helpers. 

The day was beautiful, after some fear early in the week that it was going to be raining and cold we had a beautiful sunny day. It was nice because it meant people could venture outside (which was important as there was no way we would have fitted everyone inside the house). 

We were also spoilt with the most amazing and thoughtful gifts. We got enough vouchers and cash that we can almost cover the entire cost of our pram and capsule of choice (which has taken such a weight off, so thank you all) and some beautiful and practical items.

Here are some photos of the gifts, our little girl is very lucky to have such amazing people in her life:

Here we have the softest owl tummy time/snuggles! I actually wouldn't mind putting it in my bed to cuddle up to! On top of Mr Owl we have a beautiful soft blanket, that again I want to put in my bed!

This shelf is now chock full of books and cuddly friends for Lil Dash. There is also our signature bear, which has some really lovely messages from our amazing friends and family.

Top shelf here with the stackable, educational boxes, a beautiful frame (which we have already decided will hold the first photo take of Bio Mum, Lil Dash and I together), Eeyore (who I bought ages ago), some great books, beautiful box and half cut off on the right is monkey who also belonged to Bio Mum's Mum and Aunty (monkey is a little creepy, but special).

Here we have some more gorgeous toys for Bub, along with a hooded towel (pink hippo, so cute!) and the 'nappy cake' put together by my dear friend Sanjana and her husband Bal. This thing is incredible! Its all nappies with all sorts of other goodies in there too. I love it so much I haven't been able to bring myself to open it yet!

Above is a handmade quilt we got. It's just beautiful. I'll have to take some photos of it unfolded to show of!

In addition to the above gifts we also scored lots of clothes, a box of nappies (so useful), bibs, face washers, wraps and blankets, a baby bjorn (no idea how to spell that one!) carrier, a musical mat for baby to bounce on when in the jolly jumper, blocks, books, more toys, bath goodies and so much more. Really people went above and beyond!

Sunday was spent recovering and looking through all the gifts as we put them into Lil Dash's room. I love her room so much, I keep just wandering in there and looking around (so does Bio Mum and Moo).

Monday we hit 29 weeks and below is the info huggies.com.au emailed me about Bub this week:

Your baby has gained 300-400 grams this week. This is one of the reasons why so much of its time is spent sleeping; to conserve energy and lay down its fat stores.

• Your baby weighs around 1.4 kilograms this week but is still less than half the weight it will be at birth. There is lots of fat still being accumulated under its skin and if it were born now would look very thin with long limbs.
• Your baby’s movements will probably peak in the month from weeks 26-30. There is still room for complete body movements and changes of position now, before quarters get too cramped inside your uterus.
• Your baby’s airways are further maturing, with the little tree like structures – the bronchioles and alveoli increasing in number. It takes up to eight years for a child’s respiratory system to mature fully so these are still early days.
• Your baby’s chances of survival, if it were born early are increasing with every week which passes. It may not even need respiratory support if you delivered this week.
• It may be difficult for your midwife or doctor to say what position your baby is lying in this week. A bony head can easily be confused with a round bottom and your baby may be so mobile, it makes it hard to say with certainty which way it is facing.

It is still amazing to me all the changes and growth Lil Dash is going through! I can't wait to meet her (well I can, she needs to grow a bit more yet!).

Last night we had ante natal class numero duo and it was Physio night! I LOVED physio night! The Physio was lovely and seemed very knowledgeable, plus she kept using me as her demo person for all the positions and massage, which was awesome! Bio Mum was also very good at the positions and massage too! I have me one great birth partner!

The night was great, she talked about pain management strategies like breathing, heat/ice, TENS machine, positioning, massage, etc.  It was interesting actually, hearing all these options made me a bit keener to try labour drug free, when previously I was all for loading up the epidural as we walked into the hospital! (I am still in no way against an epidural, but I think I'll give my body a chance to do its thing before leaping for one.) Prior to class last night there was a brief talk about epidurals and spinal blocks, which was pretty interesting. It was good to actually see some begin done and to get a better idea of what is involved. I feel as though now if I ask for one, I'll be making an informed choice to do so. 

Anyway, back to Physio night! The best past of the night was the positioning/massage practical activity where we got to try out some positions that we could use in stage 1 labour. Like I said above, I got to be demo person which meant I got the professional massage! I have to say I was a fan of all the positions, but I especially loved the position where I got to straddle a chair (with a pillow under my head/arms) and the support person (first Physio lady and then Bio Mum) rubbed my back. It was absolute heaven. I've told Bio Mum we much practice these positions a LOT before Lil Dash is born.

We also did some breathing, which was kind of embarrassing, but good to know! S.O.S or Sigh Out Slowly breathing was what was recommended and seems pretty good to me. I'll have to try using it to settle myself to sleep (this was recommended by the Physio).

We also talked about some positions for second stage labour (pushing and delivering the baby) and the Physio talked us through why we might be asked to use a specific position over others. It was pretty interesting. I guess you get so used to the image of labour you see in the movies and on TV of the woman lying on her back on a bed. Funnily enough, this is not the only way to go about it, in fact it might not even be the best way depending on the woman.

After last night I feel better prepared for this whole labour deal. 

Next week is our last session and we'll be back with our lovely midwife (I'll miss Physio lady) to talk about drugs! I'm sure there will be other stuff discussed too.

Off to Melbourne tonight to spend the weekend with the family. Should be good, but busy as I try to fit everything in! I am looking forward to spending time with Mum and my sister, but also sad as this will be my last trip down until after Bub makes her appearance. I just hope that Mum is ok until then and that I get to spend lots more time with her next year (I especially hope that she gets to spend lots of time with Bub as well).

Oh and here is the hydrangea, still going strong:

Appointment with Dr B next week and we hit 30 weeks! Yikes! This is going so fast!

I'll be updating next week so until then have fun and enjoy!

28 Weeks, 4 Days

Friday 8 November 2013

Big week this week, lots of exciting times! But let's start with the 28 Weeks bump photo:

The nursery is also coming along with the addition of curtains and shelves. Now let me tell you getting the curtains was almost more trouble than it was worth. First we found some roman blinds we loved, only to be quote about $800 for them. That is almost the same as the pram we want so there was no way we were spending that much money on curtains (that to be quite honest will probably get trashed by both baby and the dog). Then after looking for a while we found a website that had some ready made curtains we liked. We ordered some samples on the Monday, they arrived on the Wednesday and from those we picked a curtain we really liked. We went online that night to order them only to find they were no longer on the website. So on Thursday I sent them an email and Bio Mum called them (neither of us knew the other was doing anything) and found out the curtains has been discontinued!

We were not overly impressed to say the least. On Friday last week Bio Mum had the day off so she headed off to Lincraft where she found curtains that were just right for what we wanted and were in such a pretty colour. They were also only $115 (not a bad saving). The are just lovely, the fabric almost reminds me of ball gown material. Bio Mum did a great job hanging them (even ironing the curtains so they fell better and looked prettier). Here is the nursery now (obviously the bassinet/cradle will not be smack bang in the middle of the floor, that's just where is lives right now):

I've also started buying a baby necessity item each time I go to the shops (as I have seen this recommended on many a forum and in many a pregnancy book). So far we have some fragrance free, extra sensitive wipes (about 240 of them), some nappy rubbish bags, maternity pads (for me obviously) and nursing/breast pads (also for me). I figure it can't hurt to start getting prepared with the things we can, then we can panic later about anything we haven't been able to get or forgot to get.

The weekend was spent at Bio Mum's parent's place in the Snowy Mountains to celebrate the 60th birthday of a friend of the family. It was a lovely, relaxing weekend and it was really a shame to have to come back home on Sunday! Moo also had a ball (Bio Mum let her chase Kangaroos and go swimming in a dam on the golf course, she was one VERY happy dog) and I think would quite happily stay there forever (so would we all). I can't wait to go back! 

While we were there we scored some beautiful knitted toys, booties and a cardigan from Bio Mum's Mum, we also got some really cute grow suits that will come in very handy. Here are some photos of the knitting:

Tuesday night was a big one, we got to go have our 3D scan of Lil Dash (which was an amazing gift from Bio Mum's parents for our birthdays) and wow is she amazing. I love her so much my heart aches. At first she was so curled up we couldn't see her face, but after some quick movements from me (on the sonographer's advice) we got to see her beautiful little face. She was still curled up with her feet up by her face (I wish I was that flexible!) and her little hands tucked behind her head. She looked very content in there.

She is just incredible and I can't wait to hold her in my arms. Here is a 3D scan photo of our little girl (yes she appears to be trying to put her toe in her mouth):

 Already I can see similarities between our girl and Bio Mum. They even make the same expressions! I can't wait to see how strong the resemblance is once Bub is born. I am totally besotted with this little girl already.

Yesterday we headed off for our first ante natal class at the hospital in which we'll be giving birth. It was an interesting and eye opening class and I really liked the midwife who lead it. In fact I am now aiming for Lil Dash to be born on a Thursday as that is when teacher midwife works at the hospital!

So Bio Mum and I were the only same sex couple in the class, which stupidly put me on the defensive a bit. People seemed nice enough, I guess I just got nervous that we would be judged. It was a stupid assumption I know. Next class I'll be more open and less worried about what others might think (when in fact I'm sure they were more concerned with thinking about birth than the two lesbians in the front row).

The class itself was really good. It was really informative and I feel a little more prepared now. There is a lot to think about really, from things like the stages of labour to pain management/relief. I am still pretty keen on an epidural, but also starting to think maybe I'll hold off on it and try to have an active/mobile labour until the pain starts really kicking my butt and then I want that epidural!

There is just so much to think about when it comes to labour and birth! More than I think I realised. I made a start on a birth plan (with the understanding that plans change and how I feel may change) and have a few ideas about what I would like to happen. Here they are:

1) I would like baby to be placed on my chest, skin to skin, as soon as she is born and would like to try to breastfeed right away.
2) If baby has to be taken away I would like Bio Mum to go with her so she has one of us at all times.
3) I would prefer as few people in the delivery room as possible, just necessary staff and Bio Mum (God help her if she tries to leave me in there without her, kidding....maybe).
4) I am not keen on medication for pain relief other than the epidural. I may change my mind when I'm in there, but right now I am not to keen.
5) I would like to be as active as I can in early labour to help it along, but when the time is right and I ask for that epidural I don't want anyone asking if I'm sure...just put the damn thing in already! 
6) I think I'd prefer to labour in one of those sexy hospital gowns to save my own clothing getting yucky, plus I figure it would be easy to get out of the way for the skin to skin contact.
7) I would like some photos taken during labour and birth, but nothing too gory or of me flashing my bits. Some things are best kept private! I really want a photo taken of the three of us together after Lil Dash is born, can I let them bring in a student on the condition that said student takes some photos? I say fairs fair, they want to learn by looking at my bits and seeing my baby born, then they can snap a few photos!

I'm sure more will come to me as I think about it some more and have the next two ante natal classes.

So baby shower tomorrow and on last count we have about 90 odd people who have said they are coming. I never knew that many people actually liked us! In all seriousness I am blown away by the love and support we have been shown by the amazing people in our lives. 

There is much to do between now and tomorrow though and not nearly enough time to get it all done. Bio Mum and I are both leaving work early today and meeting at Costco for some major shopping. I love Costco, just FYI. Bio Mum does get a little freaked out by the crowds though so hopefully be going earlier in the afternoon we will encounter less people!

Then tonight we are out for our friend Kel's birthday, which will be fun. Pancake Parlour  here we come!

I will be sure to post again next week with photos from the baby shower! 

Oh and before I go here is a photo of my lovely little hydrangea, still growing strong and even flowering!

 Have a wonderful weekend and I will be writing soon! Lil Dash says hey (she kicked it out in Morse code, she's already a genius...I may of course be kidding)!