39 weeks

I was 39 weeks yesterday. It is just amazing how quickly time is going. My next post will be 40 weeks!

Not too much has happened this week. I am still really tired and am not sleeping very well. I am looking forward to being able to sleep again. I always find I get much more sleep with a newborn even though I up feeding lots through the night It's just such a different tired.

I am not really craving anything new. Heartburn hasn't been too bad. I've actually only had a few leg cramps (and not bad ones) this whole pregnancy. My rib is still very painful. It's pretty much my only physical pain from this pregnancy (besides being uncomfortable) so I can't complain too much.

I am still having lots of pre labour but nothing serious. Breastfeeding contractions are getting more painful and I wonder if my waters will break while I'm feeding. With Essence I was laying in bed feeding Bella when they popped! No mucous plug no bloody show no nothing. So I expect it will still be a while. I am not able to walk as much as I usually do as my rib hurts too much. I'm wondering if it will make any difference.

I'm still reading Ina May's book (slowly as I my eyes don't stay open too long by the time night comes!). I'm really enjoying it and starting to feel much more confident about the birth. Even though I have done this 6 times before each baby and each birthing experience is so different! I am excited to find out how this one will unfold.

I am still going ok so far with my edd nearing. It's other people that find it hard to accept that 40 weeks is only an estimate. By now with my last pregnancies I was getting anxious and starting to not cope very well. Wondering every time I got a contraction if this was it. Not this time :)

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38 week photo

I am so slack with photos! Here I am at 38 weeks in my favourite pregnancy clothes-my pajamas!
My 38 week post follows.

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38 weeks

I was 38 weeks on Monday. I am pretty late writing this as I have had a huge week physically and emotionally.
I had the Australian Homebirth conference on the weekend. This year it was in Newcastle which is much closer than last year! It was great to get away and focus on pregnancy and natural birth. It's so good to be around other people who believe in birth and trust that women have been designed to do this. I took my mum and Essence and Donna and baby Zeph came. It was a nice weekend. We definately need to stay an extra day though, I found it too rushed to get home and go from birth mode back to mum mode.
I have started on the emotional rollercoaster that is the end of pregnancy. I cried on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and know it was from hormones-I was even laughing while crying! The end of pregnancy is hard. It's physically hard. I am finding it really hard to sleep and to roll over and get out of the bed. Walking at the end of the day starts to get hard! Doing the dishes hurts as I am bent over a sink with a big belly and if my rib isn't already out it is sure to pop out! My rib and back is still really painful. I am still seeing the chiro weekly and it eased up last week but this week its back full on! I am also extremely tired still. By the end of the day I am having trouble keeping my eyes open but then I try and sleep and it doesn't happen.
I am enjoying being pregnant still. I am actually not ready to have this baby. Well I am ready but maybe I just don't feel as though I am ready for the birth just yet. I can't wait until I am pain free again but I do want to treasure these last days with her inside. So soon and it will all be over.
I had a visit with Sonja today. Everything is good. Blood pressure good and babies heartbeat is great. Measuring full term so we just wait and see now. I honestly don't expect to go into labour until 42 weeks though. I now have the birth pool here. Everything is set to go. All I need to do is eat the ice cream that's in the freezer so I have a container for the placenta to go in!
I am having some heartburn but its not too bad.
I am enjoying eating porridge with yogurt and banana and strawberries (that is when I find bananas cheap enough!). I have also started drinking coconut water again as I have been feeling a bit dehydrated. The more water I drink the more I need to go to the toilet.
I am still cleaning like crazy. It's actually a bit overwhelming as I know I will never be able to achieve what I want to achieve - a spotless house! This nesting is driving me crazy. I am trying to slow down and accept the fact that the house is what it is and we still need to live and be a family. Unfortunately I have lost it quite a bit with Jay and the kids and have been yelling constantly for them to pick up their mess. A smallish house with 6 kids 11 and under and a busy husband who is not home much and a very pregnant mama is never going to be clean! I try anyhow.

Watch "38 weeks bubba moving in belly" on YouTube

37 weeks

I am 37 weeks yesterday which is classed as full term. I am sure I still have a while to go though as my last 4 babies have come past their 'due date'. It's still nice to know that it can be any time now.
I have been busy here still trying to get everything organised. I have washed and sorted out all her nappies they are so tiny and cute! I have gotten rid of my change table and will have the nappies in baskets in my entry and in tubs in my bedroom. This has saved us heaps of room! I will just change nappies on a towel either on the table or on the lounge or wherever I end up!
I have everything for the birth now except a container for the placenta and a sive but I do have these here if I'm desperate and need them quickly.
I have also washed all the carseats and the capsule and will set up the car to fit the new baby in. Our backseats will be totally full when this little one is born.
I am still really tired but still haven't been sick which is so good! Finally I feel a little normal. Rib and back pain is there but that's all I have to complain about so it's not too bad really. I have heartburn still but a little less than the past weeks.
I am getting lots of contractions. I was actually worried I was going into labour the other night. I was having them about 2-4 minutes apart for hours even when I was laying down. Luckily it was nothing and a reminder of what the end is like for me. I don't think I even had braxton hicks with the first 3 babies!
I think that she is anterior by the way she is moving which is great for me! She is still head down and getting lower. I am starting to get lots of sharp pains in my cervix another reminder of the end.
Essence is feeding every now and then whenever she feels like it I guess. It seems to be every second day at the moment. The contractions are huge when she feeds! I am glad that she is feeding again as I thought she had weaned herself completely!
I am really looking forward to the homebirth conference this weekend. I am taking Essence and mum is going to come to look after her for me during the day. I can't wait to get away and focus on pregnancy, birth and babies!

36 weeks

I was 36 weeks on Monday!

My belly is definiately growing.

I have had a huge week this week, I have been nesting like crazy. My mind is in overdrive trying to get things done before bubba is here. I have been cleaning and sorting through the house. So far I have done all the rooms except the kitchen. I still need to go through the cupboards and give them all a wash but I will get to that soon. I have also been busy shopping and getting things I need for birth and after. I have bought myself some new Pj's, lots of baby wipes, pads etc... I still need to get some buckets and a hose some plastic table cloths and some drainers. I also want to borrow some urns just in case we run out of hot water. I have washed all of the babies cloth nappies today so slowly things are being prepared. Sonja will be dropping the birth pool off sometime this week.

I had my baby blessing this last weekend. I will do a seperate post on this as soon as I get the photo's from Jay's camera. I had a lovely time and was very blessed with meals. It was all organized by Donna with Leanne giving a hand with the games and food (thanks so much to you both).

I have had a few days of football which is hard enough when not pregnant but pregnant and chasing toddlers is not fun! Look how huge my belly is. These two photo's were taken by Bella. Her first turn at taking photo's on my phone. She even took some of me chasing Essence in the middle of the field!


Me and my little bubba who will soon not be my littlest bubba :(

Essence has been weaning from feeding and didn't feed for 4 days. I have colostrum and no milk at the moment and she musn't like it. She is the first toddler I have had that has chosen not to breastfeed. She had one feed today at lunch time but didn't want any tonight to go to sleep so I am thinking she will probably wean fully before the baby is born. I wish I could let her know that very soon there will be lots of milk for her but she doesn't understand that. I am trying to not be too upset but it has taken me by surprise and I need to be prepared for these things. Breastfeeding a new baby and toddler is easy. It is actually helpful to have the toddler there to help with oversupply problems but if she choses not to there is nothing I can do about it except give extra cuddles. I have also moved Essence into Bella's room into her own bed. She has been in our room on a single bed attatched to our king size bed. Normally I just have the newborn in between Jay and I but I have a fuuny feeling about that this time. I'm not sure why but I don't want to ignore it. I am thinking I will put the baby in the single bed so she is next to me only. If Essence wakes up (she did last night) I will just bring her in the middle of Jay and I as she is bigger. I'm sad to move her out but Bella is happy to have her little sister share her room. I still have to lay down with Essence to get her to sleep so not much has changed and she is always welcome to come back into our room. So there are some big changes hapening but it is all in preperation for the new bubba.

I have still been having really bad rib and back pain. I am seeing the chiropractor weekly and it helps but I'm not suppose to be bending, twisting or lifting. Kind of impossible when you have 6 children!

I have also been having quite bad heartburn this past week and a few leg cramps that wake me up while I am trying to sleep.

I had a visit with Sonja yesterday. Everything looks good. My blood pressure was great and baby is head down and ready to go. Her hearbeat was good and still lots of fun to listen too. I got my letter to give to my Dr for my anti d injection if this baby is a positive blood type (all 6 of my children so far are A+ so I'm thinking she will probably be the same) as I am A-.

I have started having quite regular contractions (braxton hicks) every night now. I find the more babies I have the longer prelabour I have. I don't mind at this stage as they are not painful and I am not thinking it's labour but in a couple of weeks they will be stronger and it starts to get hard to work out if this is it or not.

I am loving feeling her move still. She is still so active and is always rolling around and kicking me. She still gets the hiccups a fare bit but not as much as before. I was eating cake on a plate just earlier and had it resting on the top of my tummy (using it like a table) and she kept kicking it off. I love imaging who she is and what she will look like. I am glad that I am coming to the end of this journey but am also glad I still have a little while left!

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Pregnancy photos

I have always wanted to have nice pregnancy photos done with each child but never got around to it. This time Jay did them for me. Some I love and some not so much but I know I will treasure these when this pregnancy is over.

35 weeks

I'm a bit late writing this post but I was 35 weeks on Monday. I can not believe how quickly these weeks are passing by! I had been putting off writing this weeks post as I knew I would be getting my own computer. I have been writing all of my posts on my phone and it takes so long. I haven't had a computer for quite some time so it's pretty exciting. I only got it today so I have no photo's or anything to post (although I actually haven't taken one this week).

This past week has been so busy! I have had lots of days where I have been out all day, with football games, sports carnivals and a trip to Oberon. I am definately feeling tired. I have had a couple of days where i have been pretty dizzy and more tired than normal so I'm thinking that my blodd pressure might be a bit low again.

I sorted through all of the babies clothes last weeek and washed them and put them away. They are so cute. I have much more than I thought I did which is great because I was a bit worried I wouldn't have enough warmer clothes. Most of the clothes I have are from Bella who is born In December which is a lot hotter than early September. Hayley gave me a gorgeous little pink cardigan for her. I am very thankful to Hayley and Donna who have given me a couple of new clothes which will be just the babies. I think it's nice that each baby at least has something new to wear that is all for them. Thanks Hayley and Donna :)

I am still tired but do have spurts of energy. I am trying to get lots of cleaning done and am trying to sort this house out before baby arrives. I'm actually excited to stay home and clean and sort which can only mean I'm nesting! I still have so much to do.

My rib has been giving me lots of pain. When it pops out the pain is alomst unbearable. I saw the chiropractor again on Tuesday and she confirmed that it had moved back out. It had been better until this afternoon, it's not as bad as it was but it's hurting. I am hoping that I wake up tomorrow and it will be better again. I am seeing the chiro again next week.

I made caramel slice after craving it but everytime I ate a piece it would give me bad heartburn. Chocolate is also setting it off :( heartburn while you are trying to sleep is not a good thing!

Baby girl is moving lots and lots. She seems to be the most quiet between 4am and 7am. She sticks her little bottom out all the time and is getting her feet up under my ribs. She seems to be growing quite well. I feel like my belly has grown lots this past week.

I am starting to get uncomfortable (besides the rib pain) but am still enjoying being pregnant. I am so glad I still have quite a few weeks left as I am not ready for this journey to be over. I can't wait to meet her of course, but I'm not ready to share her with the world...just yet!