Okay so I have made it to 35 weeks and feel heavily pregnant now. I am starting to get fed up of having a bump and am ready to have her, although I would like to move in the new house first so she had best stay put for a few more weeks.

She is apparently the size of a coconut about now – all I can say is it must be a pretty big coconut -my tummy would suggest she is much bigger so I am not sure that can be right!

According to the Babycentre UK:

Your baby now weighs about 2.4kg and measures around 46cm from head to toe. His elbows, feet or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus (womb) and your belly stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.

This week, your little one is sporting full-length fingernails and toenails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.

Apart from feeling like a whale I am generally ok. I am pretty uncomfortable which makes sleeping more difficult and I am getting more tired but I guess that’s normal. The baby had been sidewards for a few weeks but was head down on Friday. She is quite wiggly though and does keep moving around.  You can see my stomach changing shape all the time.

The itchiness has practically gone now and I think the cream I was trialling has really helped with this. It is a huge relief as it was getting me down a bit.

I have a busy few weeks coming up now so she needs to stay put a while longer but I am praying she wont be overdue. Both girls had to be induced – Poppy at 2 weeks and Rosie at 1 week. I had a pretty traumatic time with Rosie and am therefore quite scared about going through it all again but I do know I want it to happen naturally whilst Husband is with me.

I am really interested in having a water birth so fingers crossed it all works out. I know as soon as we get to the new house I will be contacting the local surgery and getting myself a midwife appointment as well as organising a look around the hospital. I have been told it only opened last year so is all shiny and new.

Well thats it for now.

Karen x

This is a short post as I have not been feeling great at all.

The baby has been transverse (lying sideways for the past two weeks and is getting pretty uncomfortable now. I feel as though she is pressing down quite low too which is causing me all sorts of troubles around my pelvic and bottom areas…shall we just say not nice at all!

I have also been getting hard kicks in the left hand side and some sharp pains in the right. However, the itching has really reduced this week which I am very pleased about. It has meant a bit more sleep this week which is always a good thing.

Running after a toddler, a preschooler and packing up our house ready to move next week means there is not much time to rest either. I am just getting on with it.

Although I feel the size of a house my baby is the size of a butternut squash.

The BabyCentre UK says:

Your baby now weighs more than 2.2kg and is 45cm from top to toe. She’s filling out and getting rounder – she’ll need her fat layers later to regulate her body temperature once she’s born.

If you don’t already talk to your baby, this is a good time to start – at 35 weeks her hearing is fully developed. Don’t feel ridiculous if you’re already chatting in baby talk. Some evidence shows that newborns pay closer attention to high-pitched tones.

If you’ve been nervous about going into premature labour, you’ll be happy to know that 99 per cent of babies born at week 35 can survive outside the uterus (womb) – and most have no major problems. Although your baby’s central nervous system is still maturing, her lungs are nearly fully developed by now.

Many women start to notice a tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvic region or pain as they walk. This may be caused by the pelvic joints loosening, ready for labour

So there you go she is almost ready to make an appearance and once we are in our new house I will be ready too. The girls and Daddy cant wait to meet her either.

Karen x

Okay, I have finally reached 33 weeks and despite having had a pretty good pregnancy, I feel like I am ready to meet my little girl now. I feel the size of a whale (despite people telling me im not), I am struggling with sleeping and generally just feel heavy and uncomfortable.

This week my baby is around the size of a durian fruit:

According to Babycnetre Uk:

Your baby now weighs about 2kg and measures up to 44cm from head to toe. She may already be getting ready for birth by turning upside-down. Her head should be pointing down, ready for her journey into the world.

Your baby’s skull is still quite pliable. But the bones in the rest of her body are hardening. Your baby’s skin is also gradually becoming less red and wrinkled as fat builds up underneath.

I am still suffering from itchiness but with the help of a good moisturiser and one daily dose of Piriton I am managing it better.

I am finding I just want to much on ice cubes all the time. I am going through quite a few of them. I am also feeling more full more quickly so eating a little bit less than usual. I am just getting uncomfortable now.

I have had quite  a few little niggles and pains the last few days so feel as if my body is getting ready. She has also turned around sidewards again. I keep getting kicked on the right hand side. Everytime she turns right round I feel really sick so know she is getting bigger and got less room in there

Actually I am terrified that she is going to be big. Both my girls were late and weighed in at 9.5 pounds so am terrified this one is going to be bigger or the same. I am hoping for  a dinky little one though. Oh and as for the birth…I am petrified!! Knowing what to expect having done it twice I am dreading it.

We have now discovered that we are moving in three weeks time so will be in the new house when the baby is due. This has been great for my stress levels as the not knowing was killing me. I am now focussing all those nesting instincts into packing and getting organised for the big move. I cant wait to get to the new house and get the nursery ready.Its all very exciting.

The girls are all excited about the baby coming now and cant stop talking to my tummy or kissing it. It is very cute. They have their own names for the baby and Husband and I keep changing our minds. We are going to wait and see what she looks like.

So that’s me…ready to have my little girl but know its not that long away.

Karen x

32 weeks… yeehhh. Things are really progressing and each week my baby girl is getting stronger. I feel as if I am on the home run now and will get to meet her soon.

This week she is the size of a squash:

According to the BabyCentre UK:

Your baby now weighs about 1.7kg and is around 42cm long from head to toe. Although his lungs won’t be fully developed until just before birth, your little one is busy inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise his lungs. From 32 weeks, babies born early have good chance of surviving and thriving. His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps. Thick hair at birth doesn’t necessarily mean thick hair later on. But children with fine hair in childhood also tend to have fine hair when they’ve grown up.

And me…? well I am feeling really good. I saw the midwife on Friday who told me to take Piriton for the itching, that combined with a new cream I am reviewing seems to have really helped. My bump is growing and getting lots of attention now.  I am not as big as I was with Rosie so am hoping she will be smaller. I was measured for the first time on friday and told I am measuring perfectly average at 30 weeks so sounds like everything is ok anyway.

The girls and Husband got to hear the heartbeat for the first time the other day. They were all thrilled…especially Poppy who was amazed. It was very exciting.

I also discovered that I am slightly anaemic, I was with both the others so it wasn’t a surprise. I have just upped my iron intake.

I am getting more tired, breathless and achy in the evenings. It doesnt help that she wakes up whenever I decide to go to bed…yes it could be anywhere between 8pm and midnight and you can guarrantte she wakes up wanting to play.

I was told she was head down but have a feeling she has moved. I am getting lots of kicks (?)/ movement around my right side so who knows? I feel okay though.

I am keeping myself busy and trying not to get too stressed as everything is still up in the air as regards to our move date. We are hoping to move the first week in July but still don’t have an address. Should all be clearer by the end of the week though, fingers crossed anyway.

I have started to pack, all the baby stuff is ready (except the car seat…I am still undecided). I have been trying to convince husband I need a few things from my dream list like the Stokke Xplory and car seat in pink and the Tripp Trapp and newborn set in purple spot. He really likes them  but says we cant afford them all so I have been thinking of things I can sell. Watch this space!

Overall baby and I are good and I just cant wait to meet her now.

Karen x

This morning I was a women on a mission. I have been cleaning, scrubbing and tidying! I even took the table and chairs into the garden to be scrubbed down (I know I shouldn’t lift but I had an overwhelming urge to do it). I also got down on my hands and knees cleaning the kitchen floor. This is not usual behaviour for me and I have a sneaky suspicion you could call it nesting!

Is this baby really going to stay in there another 8.5 weeks?

Whilst I was cleaning the table and chairs, Rosie started off playing on her slide and watching, then she jumped in all the puddles the water made but pretty quickly she wanted to help. Well I was exhausted at this point so only too happy to sit and watch her have a go. It really made me giggle.

I took all these pictures to share with you:

All that cleaning made her hungry so we stopped for lunch then!

What a sweetie. She is now fast asleep napping and I am sat down with my feet up!

Karen x

I am now 31 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty good, very pregnant but generally okay.

My baby is now apparently the size of a pineapple and weighs approximately 2.5-3.8 pounds.

Your baby weighs about 1.5kg and looks more than ever like a newborn. He measures about 41cm from crown to toe. His arms, legs and body continue to fill out – and they are finally proportional in size to his head.

You may notice your baby isn’t moving around as much. That’s because he’s just running out of space in your uterus (womb). As long as you can feel him squirming and kicking, you’ll know he’s just fine. Believe it or not, he still has plenty of growing to do. You can expect him to gain at least 900g before birth.

Your baby’s organs are continuing to mature and he is passing water from his bladder, which is good practice for the weeing he’ll do after he’s born. Also, the marrow in his bones has taken over from his liver the job of producing red blood cells.

It felt good to read this as I haven’t been feeling the little one wriggling around as much recently. I have also noticed (apart from today) I have been less hungry and have been struggling to eat proper meals. I just get full really quickly so am back to snacking little and often.

I have stopped eating as much potato too and have replaced it with ice cubes (lots of), ice pops and salt and vinegar snack a jacks! They are delicious!

I am still not sleeping as well (the bump gets in the way and is uncomfortable now) and I am really ready to have her. I am trying to stay calm as still don’t know quite when we are moving or where I will give birth. If I think about it too much I get myself in a state! I do definitley feel better after sorting out some of my hospital bag and all the baby stuff!

The itchy skin is still irritating so I have been bathing every night, trying to relax and covering myself in moisturising lotion. I’m definitely more relaxed than I was last week which is good!

Overall I am doing okay and the weeks are still passing by quickly.

Karen x