The third (trimester) and final hurdle #PregnancyDiary

So today we have been to the midwife to go through our birthing plan AND the baby is engaged in the right place ready for labour. YIKES this is getting very real now, so before I go into labour and forget to post this blog on my last chapter of pregnancy here it is….

Well the third trimester is in full swing and the due date is fast approaching. A matter of just four weeks to be exact unless she is anything like her mummy or daddy who both came early. But fingers crossed it’s after my baby shower and not before (or during). Full of mixed emotions, CRAZY hormones and feelings of “hurry I want to meet you” and ” slow down I need time to feel prepared and ready”….But then again I don’t think there is such a thing as feeling “ready” until your thrown in the deep end.

So how am I coping in the final hurdle? Mmmmmm that could vary on the day to day as I have felt up and down so much lately due to a hormonal increase…but overall here are some of the symptoms that have caught up towards the end.

Well the tiredness and fatigue is back, but that’s probably down to the extra two stone of weight I am carrying around. I was advised recently by the midwife that I have low iron deficiency so that may have something to do with the 4pm afternoon naps that I can’t go a day without. Plus they say make the most of those cat naps while you still can so I am taking full advantage.

Lots of extra heartburn and indigestion which I seem to have got under control by eating little and often rather than big meals. But still I will be glad to see the back of this one.

Waking up more times than I can keep count of during the night to empty my sensitive bladder, along with the fact that it’s becoming a struggle to get comfortable at night.

A tiny bit of anxiety as the reality of the following thoughts run through my mind “my life will soon never be the same again!”, ” will I make a good mum?”, ” I am responsible of another human -WTF!”, ” what is labour really like and can I handle the pain naturally?”, “will my baby be healthy?”. I am sure these are all normal concerns and I am sure the natural mother instinct will just kick in.

Those crazy hormones have sent me on a rollercoaster at times and probably everyone around me too. I can’t remember what it feels like not to be pregnant? But apart from that it’s all good in the “mother-to-be hood” and I am just grateful to be carrying a new life inside of me. Nothing worth having comes easy (as they say) and there is no bigger job than creating a new life.

What I have been up to in preparation…

Private Scan

So the last scan was at 20 weeks which felt like a lifetime ago and I needed to see for my own peace of mind that all was well with Baby C. I booked a private wellness scan at My Clinic in Leeds on Mother’s Day. Everything was growing and developing as it should be, the midwife kindly switched to 4D which I didn’t actually book and was sceptical about in all honestly. They can sometimes look a bit alien like and I had never fancied one, BUT I am so glad she offered me this after seeing how clear all my baby’s features are. I am in love already.

Nursery

Is almost done with a few final touches to be made and deliveries to arrive. I will probably be doing a separate blog of photos when it is finished and getting lots of pictures but here’s a little preview of the colour scheme so far and a beautiful feature from a designer in California called the ShabbyDreamShop. I guess the letter C is a giveaway with the name (but you will have to wait and see).

Baby shopping

Never feels done, I can write a list of what I need and the week after I can have a whole new list of other things that I feel I need to get. So long as she can be fed, bathed and sleep when needed I am sure I have everything. But as a new mum I suspect it’s pretty normal to go overboard on the shopping. My friend In Luxembourg has recently had a baby eight weeks ago (shout out to Christelle and the beautiful new addition Sascha), she as been a god send throughout my pregnancy. It’s like I have had my own private shopper and midwife on call to give me daily new mum updates – so lucky to have had her on my journey.

Baby Shower

My baby shower is this coming Saturday. I kind of wish I had booked it a couple of weeks ago when I had more energy and less weight to carry around, but no doubt I will have a ball. I chose my favourite venue close by, sent the invitations which are handmade by Walter and the boy. But I have now passed over the rest to my lovely friend and founder of Love and Tulips who I am sure will be working her magic as we speak, and I can’t wait to see how pretty it will look.

Bump shoot 

I decided to capture my bump whilst in almost full bloom, and couldn’t think of a better person than my friend Rebecca Hull Photography to get the shots. She always makes me feel comfortable. Here is a preview of my favourite shot, lumps and bumps in all the glory.

Feeling your little human moving around (so much) is a feeling like no other, it’s surreal and amazing…I can’t even imagine the feeling of holding my baby in my arms and it’s gonna be here before we know it. Grateful for a rather smooth pregnancy and excited for the next chapter of MOTHERHOOD.

The next blog post to follow will be…the Nursery, Baby shower update and maybe my birth story??? I may need to change my blog name to Bindis, Beaches and Baby’s soon enough (LOL).