It’s 1st of September, summer is over and we are on to our last trimester!! 14 weeks until the due date. It feels like a very long time, I’m so anxious to meet her (but obviously, stay in there until you are ready!).
According to my pregnancy apps, our girl measures this week about 35.6cm and 900g. She’s putting on a lot of fat after all that growth in height and she’s starting to look more like a baby. Her eyes are also starting to finally open and she should be more responsive to light. Her eye lashes should have formed as well!
I spent most of August travelling and enjoying holidays and while in a bikini (rather than jeans), I completely missed the pretty dramatic changes my bump (and baby) were going through – it’s grown so much! I saw my sister in the beginning of August and again just last weekend and she went “whoa!”. It’s a proper pregnant belly now and my mornings have been frustrating as nothing fits! I even wore leggings to the office today taking casual Friday to a new level… Time to buy some formal wear for work before I look like I wondered in wearing my pyjamas!
Bigger bump and the third trimester have not come alone. I would still claim that everything has gone remarkably well, but admittedly things are starting to get a little more challenging.
Recent pregnancy symptoms:
- Tight baby bump, which measured exactly 25cm (distance from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus) at the 25-week midwife appointment, I’m carrying low and in front
- Baby’s kicks can now be felt above my belly button and her movements are clearly visible to eye and I have felt kicks and punches simultaneously at both sides of my tummy
- Boobs are getting bigger and bigger, and hear this, they’ve started leaking! Just a few drops each, but boy was that a new discovery
- Everything feels bigger and heavier – weight gain so far is about 6kg. Apparently I should expect to put on another 5kg before she’s here. No stretch marks yet but there is still time for those to appear if they will
- Lower back pain around lumbar region
- Even more difficult to find a comfortable position while lying down (or even sitting up, or well, even walking lol)
- Waking up at night because of… not sure what but the midwife said it’s normal (hormones)
- Braxton Hicks contractions
- and oh yes, still need to wee often.
My 25-week midwife appointment went well, we mainly chatted about things to prepare for such as whooping cough vaccination, glucose test, blood test for iron etc, all by 28-weeks. She did listen to the baby’s heart beat and measured the bump and everything seemed to be in order. The grumpy old lady I met last time was on holiday and the covering young midwife was such a sweetheart! Too bad Mrs cranky pants will be back in a few weeks.
I have to say it was definitely easier to be pregnant on holiday than now at work – just my commute to the office feels like an effort. I’m used to sleeping solid eight hours and waking up at night makes me a zombie (bodes well for the baby year…not). To help with the commute I’ve taken on a habit to have a bowl of bran flakes with milk and a glass of orange juice at home to get some energy for my journey. Then I’d have a second breakfast around 10am, something more substantial like porridge or eggs. I used to wait until after my morning meeting at work and eat at 9am but now I run out of steam before that.
I’ve been thinking about the lower back pain. I mentioned it to my yoga teacher as well and she reminded me to make note if I’m tilting my pelvis too far back. Keeping my core active and posture good is very important now that it feels as if I had a 5kg kettle bell strapped in front of me. Easier said than done though. I might look into those belly bands for extra support. My midwife said a belly band might also relieve some of the pressure on my bladder so that I wouldn’t need the toilet so often.
Last night I woke up to a scary feeing – a painful tightening of my belly. If I’m not completely mistaken, I think I woke up on my back instead of on my side. So it’s possible that my baby was simply pressing against my belly and all of its insides creating a cramping feeling. Or then it was a Braxton Hicks contraction – a long one. In any case I woke up feeling pressure in my pelvis and tightening in my lower tummy that was very uncomfortable. There was no blood, leakage, or discharge nor were the cramps regular, so I wasn’t worried about a pre-term labour. Nevertheless, it was still a bit scary, like anything is in the middle of the night! The discomfort eased as I walked around for bit and then lay down on my side to relax. Maybe the baby moved to a better position, I don’t know. Once the tightening eased, I could feel her kicks, which put me at ease, as always.
After this experience I decided to order a U-shaped pregnancy pillow. Maybe that would help all of us sleep a little better!
None of the above mentioned symptoms have been so bad. I’ve still been able to exercise which is great! On Monday I did a one-hour power walk and a 30-min outdoor circuit, on Tuesday I took a 45-minute spinning class, on Wednesday I rested, on Thursday I went swimming and today I took a one-hour pregnancy yoga class. On the weekend I’ll go to the gym for resistance training and perhaps another swim – let’s see how I feel!
Tomorrow we have a nursery advice appointment at John Lewis and I’m looking forward to that. I’d like to start picking and ordering the larger items such at the cot and the pram to avoid last minute panic. Speaking of panic prevention, I’ve also signed up for prenatal classes both with NHS and NCT as well as for a baby first-aid course. No such thing as too much information! 🙂
Wish you a lovely weekend everyone!
xoxoxo,
Sini