35 Weeks - Home Streeeeeetch

I've been a little quiet on the blog front in the last few weeks, the main reason being - I just haven't had much to report!  My wonderful pregnancy has continued to be a wonderful pregnancy :-)  Little belly is slowly but surely becoming a not-so-little belly, I still need to pee a million times a day, I have the odd aches here and there, but on the whole, all is fabulous :-)

35 weeks - round!!

I finished up at work at 33 weeks so have been enjoying my time at home for a couple of weeks now.  While there has certainly been plenty of book reading and daytime TV watching, I have also been spending the time getting the last few things together for the birth and life beyond!  Nesting is certainly a real phenomenon - I feel this strong NEED to have absolutely everything in order by 37 weeks.  As you may know, labour can begin anywhere from 37 weeks onward (40 weeks is the length of the average pregnancy - most pregnancies go shorter or longer).  I know that being my first baby, chances are I will probably reach at least 40 weeks... but I can't shake this sense of urgency to have everything sorted and ready for whatever moment little bub decides she's ready to join us.  I guess I just don't want anything holding me back in that moment - I want to be able to reach 37 weeks and go "well, just as soon as you feel you're developed enough, I'm waiting here with open arms - I'm ready."

I have really felt very comfortable throughout my pregnancy, so to be honest, it is coming as a bit of a surprise to me that as I reach the 35/36 week mark, a bit of discomfort is beginning to set in.  I can't really walk far without feeling a lot of pressure down low, which makes me feel like I constantly need to pee (can't I just have a catheter?).  My tummy is hard, round, inflexible and full of baby, and things like putting on socks starts becoming difficult if not painful.

This lady makes it look so easy.  It's really not.

If I overdo it on the walking front (by overdo it, I mean walk further than to the fridge or toilet), I can get some aches in the pelvis and start getting a bit of a waddle on.  Sometimes I get a bit achy in my belly, almost a crampy kind of feeling - I've wondered whether that may be Braxton Hicks, but it could also just be growing/stretching pains.  I've still yet to actually perceive a Braxton Hicks contraction, but I have read that sometimes (especially in first pregnancies) women can have them without realising or noticing it.

I also have a head cold at the moment - stuffy cold + pregnant = unsexiest thing ever! :-P  It also makes sleeping even harder than usual - although I haven't had a full uninterupted night's sleep since sometime before 20 weeks, what with all the peeing and just a general inability to get to sleep, which seems to be a fairly common pregnancy complaint.

It's SO TRUE!!

 As slightly annoying as all of these things are, though, none of them is a particularly big deal and overall I am still feeling great :-)  Bub is definitely stronger these days, she likes to lie on the right side and stick a limb out on the left so that I could almost grab it sometimes, I think it is a foot or knee.  I was half afraid she was going to actually break through the skin the first time, but now I'm a bit more used to it and love it - I still find it surreal to think there is actually a human baby in there!

So now, as with all of pregnancy really, we just wait and grow!  If I went into labour next weekend, I would be "full term" enough to give birth at home... but on the otherhand, she could still conceivably be up to 6-7 weeks from joining us!  So in the meantime, I will just keep nesting and getting everything ready and enjoying my last few quiet weeks for a while!

Have I mentioned the constant need to pee??