This post was written at the end of my 35th week of pregnancy (some time around the 13th January).
Well, well, well. What a big week. Mentally, physically, emotionally! It feels like I fit a month into just 7 days!
It started with some little pleasures. I basically had a much closer look at the health food aisle in the supermarket after suffering from absolute boredom with my gestational diabetes friendly diet. Don’t get me wrong – there are lots of healthy options out there. I was just missing treats that reminded me of actual sweets. I had tried for so long to avoid anything that wasn’t perfectly clean and at 35 weeks pregnant, I was feeling rebellious and in the mood to survive without strangling anyone (what – I get hangry).
I found a really great mint chocolate bar, some dairy milk bars, some cookies that could be described as ‘fake Oreos’ and some choc chip cookies. All the nutritional labels claimed I could treat myself a bit without going over my carb/sugar limits.
The funniest thing happened. Just knowing those things were in the fridge/pantry actually helped me to beat the cravings! Knowing that if I got too irritable, there was something yummy on hand, really helped me to not need those things so much. I hadn’t expected that!
This week, the Little Mister woke up claiming that he felt a bit sick. That he had a sore throat and wasn’t feeling 100%. This freaked me out! I was worried that he might make me sick too. I know women get colds and throat infections etc while pregnant all the time, without there being dire circumstances, but I had instant flashbacks to the time when I was heavily pregnant with the Little Mister and thought I was getting a cold, but I really had a dangerous infection and was going into labour! I became anxious that I wouldn’t know the difference and I was so not ready (despite being so impatient to meet my little girl)! That fateful day in November 2011 had brought me a beautiful boy, but it had also brought a fair bit of trauma! Luckily, after a day of rest and kid-friendly medication, the Little Mister perked up and the worst that happened to me was a headache (probably a stress one – oops)!
I was really glad that some enthusiasm for decorating the nursery hit me this week. I’d been sorting a lot of things out, sending lots of stuff to the op shop, getting Mr Unprepared to utilise his love of Gumtree to declutter. I’d overdone it a bit physically the week before, so I tried to work smarter. My mum really helped me a lot. We went out and did a big shop – all the supplies that I probably should have accumulated earlier if I’d been more able. My various pregnancy ailments had prevented me from feeling up to preparing things in as timely a manner as I’d hoped. I was always suffering from setbacks. I felt really productive and it was quite frankly a massive relief. Things are still a bit disorganised, but at least the most important stuff is in my house now!!
The old curtains from the Little Mister’s time in the nursery were taken down, new wall stickers applied, big items removed so we could actually see some more floor space, shabby items replaced. Cute items of clothing hung up in the cupboard. There is still some work to be done, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel!
This is actually a really big deal. That room was a place that was really hard to walk into (not just literally haha) for the longest time. It reminded me of a dream that had felt so out of reach. It was full of hand me downs from the Little Mister that were gathering dust for years longer than we ever predicted. It was a sad place full of ‘hopefully one day’ items. Just before the IVF worked, I had got so close to selling everything. Just gutting the place and accepting that it would need to be a ‘spare room’. Now it’s a room that will bring fresh beginnings. A peaceful and happy sanctuary for a new little soul. I can’t describe how happy that makes me.
This week I had the ‘big’ doctor’s appointment. Or at least I thought it would be. I was hoping to have my C-section scheduled for reals. At 35 weeks pregnant, it seemed a bit weird that I didn’t even know where or when I would be delivering. I hoped to get some answers that I didn’t have. And it wasn’t all for nothing but lots was left up in the air and I was left feeling quite upset. The bright side was that we had an ultrasound and everything looked good. The doc even showed us that our little girl has hair on her head and it was waving in the amniotic fluid. This moved me because I was born with cute hair that stood straight up and so was the Little Mister. There was no protein in my wee sample (sorry – TMI haha). My belly was measuring OK. The baby’s heartbeat was as strong as ever. Despite all my issues, we were healthy.
The baby has not been known to behave during ultrasounds – she moves a LOT and it’s hard to pin her down for measurements – so the doctor wanted a second opinion. He referred me for a specialised ultrasound. I was lucky to get in the next day after a cancellation. Unfortunately, Mr Unprepared had already used his day off work, but my mum and the Little Mister wanted to keep me company. My mum had seen how upset I’d been the day before, so she wanted to drive us in and get us lunch afterwards. She hadn’t planned on being in the actual room while I had the ultrasound but I thought, why not. This would probably be her only chance for her to see the baby like this (or any baby of mine because I don’t think I could do this again LOL) and it was an experience she had never witnessed before (on account of her never having been pregnant). It felt nice to include her, but I had no idea that it had made her really emotional until we walked out afterwards and she was hugging me and thanking me and wiping tears from her eyes! It was really sweet and I am so glad we shared that moment.
The ultrasound itself went well. Everything was where it should be, my diabetes has not blown her out size wise at all. She was said to be in the 30.9th percentile for growth (which is all good – smaller than average but still healthy) and he predicted that by the time I deliver (most likely in my 38th week of pregnancy) she would probably be about 3.1kg. Of course I know these measurements can change quickly and sometimes they aren’t super accurate but it did put my mind at ease.
That day I also finally got a call about scheduling a C-section. I would not be able to deliver near home (some cases involving gestational diabetes aren’t taken there), but I would be likely able to deliver at a bigger city hospital that specialises in high risk pregnancies and births. I would have a different surgeon and I needed to make an appointment to see her. It was a bit stressful as I waited to see when my consultation would be. Time is ticking! I was scared I’d go into labour naturally before I ever got into her rooms! Luckily I was squeezed in (as I bloody well should be) and would see her when I was 36 and a half weeks along. Still too late if you ask me, but it is what it is. If there was an emergency because the Little Miss wanted to show her face early, I’d have to be admitted into an emergency C-section at home anyway I guess (I’d never make it to the city in time knowing my track record). 🙄😬
As you can imagine, by the Friday I was well and truly ready for a rest day! I was so glad to have a “day off”. I slept in (thank you so much Little Mister) and I took it easy. Better gear up for a huge 36th week of pregnancy! Eep!
