Return to having an awesome pregnancy

It has been four weeks since our little pregnancy hiccup - the antepartum haemorrhage. Over the past couple of days I've noticed I've reverted to mostly feelings of excitement and joy in the pregnancy and now more than ever the impending arrival of our first child.

This week we had our fortnightly obstetrics appointment. It was another growth scan appointment where we checked in on how mini matty was growing. For the past 8 weeks mini matty has stuck to the same growth trajectory. Overall he is on the 75th-80th percentile. His weight is currently estimated at 2.6 kilos, which in the old money is around 5 pound 12 ounces. I finally remembered to ask what weight we could expect mini matty to be if we make full term. Of course this is only an estimate, but 3.6 - 3.8 kilos, which is around 7 pound 15 ounces to 8 pounds 6 ounces.

Just before our obstetric appointment at almost 34-weeks pregnant

We have another obstetric appointment later this week to do an internal scan to check out what's going on with the placenta. Given the bleed 4-weeks ago, we need to see if the placenta is still low lying and going to cause any troubles for a vaginal delivery. I have hoped to avoid having a caesarean birth. I've had several keyhole surgeries through our baby making mission, I know I take a long time to recover from even simple surgery. Given this, I'd prefer not to have a major surgical procedure, if it looks as though we could safely have the baby the old fashioned way! However, I'm also all about safely having the baby, so that both mini matty and I get to go home. So if the obstetrician makes the call that caesarean is the best option for clinical reasons, so be it.

The past four weeks I've worked a lot less, finishing up my full-time contract and transitioning to a consulting job for one client, that is keeping me busy for up to 10 hours a week. I mostly get to undertake this work from home, so I am feeling very lucky and quite relaxed that I am still able to work, but don't have face the daily grind. I confessed to one of my colleagues last week that my enthusiasm for work has diminished in the past week. My heart isn't in it like it used to be. But the cash coming in is very handy, especially given our renovation plans!

Argghhhhh the renovation! The next three weeks there is a lot of work going on at home leaving us without a kitchen and laundry for two full weeks! We've also had to empty our two spare bedrooms so that asbestos can be removed from the wardrobes and new fitouts and doors be fitted in all three bedrooms. We have decided that since we needed to clear the rooms to have asbestos removed we may as well go all out and repaint and recarpet the rooms. I can't wait for it all to be done, but I'm also really hoping mini matty doesn't come early! All our baby stuff is stored in the garage, clothes, cot, change table, pram, sheets - I mean EVERYTHING we have for the baby.

I'm also not much help when it comes to the work of moving stuff, as I can't lift anything heavy, can't really bend over very easily and even being on my feet for any period of time leaves me with sore hips and legs! So I've timed the bulk of renovation work with my husband's upcoming two week school holidays. He is going to be flat out prepping walls, windows, cornice and skirting boards for painting in 5 rooms (our house only has 7 rooms and a hallway!) - and then painting. It will be two and half weeks (bringing me to 37-weeks pregnant) before the rooms will be repainted and carpeted and ready to move back into. Then it will be action stations setting up Mini Matty's room and getting all his linens and clothes washed!

I'm really getting why so many people talk about the final trimester being a drag. I've found sleeping is a lot harder, with a combination of sore hips, legs and knees, active night time baby, needing to pee and most recently reflux/indigestion. And - how hard is it to roll over! Day time has it own challenges, for example simple tasks taken for granted have become more difficult - tasks like putting on clothes, socks and shoes. I haven't needed help to do these things yet, but I'm certainly a lot slower doing it and make decisions on what to wear based on a level of difficulty in putting it on or taking it off. I've also discovered my first new stretch marks! I thought I was going to get off on the stretch mark front, but it doesn't appear to be so. Fingers crossed I don't get too many new additions over the next few weeks.

Despite all that I'm really enjoying being pregnant and pretty much celebrating every extra week mini matty stays in-utero. Watching my tummy undulate with a wiggling baby is probably my favourite thing - especially if someone else sees it too. Throughout this pregnancy I've often thought how rare being pregnant is, it is such a unique state that only women, and not all women, get to experience and only during a small window in their lives. I am grateful I have had the opportunity to experience it.

Holy pregnant - almost 25 weeks!

I have completely lost my blogging mojo and I'm missing sharing all the good stuff.

Funnily enough, I've gone back to work for few weeks and being busy during the day seems to make me able to achieve so much more outside of my work hours too. So while I'm on this roll with work, I'm going to TRY to get back to blogging about all the good stuff going on.

I think I am a really a very lucky pregnant person. I have felt well for all but one week of the 25 weeks so far. That one week in the first trimester I had a little nausea and a disgusting taste in my mouth, but then it stopped. Hooray! I've had no cravings and I haven't been off any foods either. I can still cook and eat anything I used to. I almost feel like I'm gloating, having heard so many other horror stories.

In the past couple weeks, corresponding with going back to work, I did have a bit of water retention, resulting in puffy feet and fingers, but this week that seems to have stopped. I hope it stays that way! I did start to think this must be the beginning of the bad stuff that comes with the pregnancy progressing.

Oh, and while I remember, I've also had sore hips a little bit. I noticed I can't sleep on one side for too long. Standing and walking around for long periods also plays with my hips. But then again, my husband also complained of having a sore back and hips after doing the pregnancy and baby expo, so maybe it isn't just a pregnancy problem!

About five weeks ago I started being able to feel our baby moving. How amazing is that! Over the past three weeks those movements have become quite strong and more spread out across my tummy, not just down low where I could initially feel them. The movements were finally strong enough I could feel them gently when I pressed against my tummy in the right spot, but I had the advantage of also being able to feel them on the inside.

About a week or so ago I commenced the process of trying to get my husband to be feeling at the right time. I think it was a little annoying and disappointing for him because he couldn't feel it. He is also worried about pressing too hard and hurting the baby. A few nights ago the baby was very, very busy and doing big turns. I had my arms crossed my tummy and felt it give me a shove. So I got husband's hand in the spot just above my belly button and it all came together at the right time and our baby gave two big kicks exactly where my husband's hand was. Again, it was just amazing! I was so thrilled that at last my husband could feel the baby.

We have our next obstetrician's appointment tomorrow. We are still only going every four weeks at this stage. I think this appointment will be about measuring the baby. Between 24 and 28 weeks is when they test for gestational diabetes and the measurements taken at the 24 weeks appointment are then compared with the 28 weeks appointment to make sure baby isn't growing too quickly. In between these two obstetrics appointments I will also be sent to undertake a glucose tolerance test. For those of you that haven't had the pleasure of doing one of these tests, they take blood after fasting, and then again each hour for two hours after I've consumed a measured amount of fizzy drink.

Being a heavier person to start with I have been quite careful about trying not to gain too much weight during the pregnancy. To date I've gained three kilograms and I'm hoping to keep my overall weight gain to under eight kilograms - this is within the recommended guidelines for someone with a higher body mass index at the start of pregnancy.

Early on I was worried that people would just think I was fatter, and not pregnant. I still think people who didn't know me would wonder "is that lady pregnant, or just fat?" I can really tell the difference as all my clothes don't fit around the waist! Personally I think I'm really beginning to look pregnant which is pretty fun. I've had to buy maternity wear in the past couple of weeks, and as it turns it, nothing makes you look more pregnant than wearing maternity wear.

One last awesome pregnancy thing, how good is my hair and my skin! My hair suddenly grew at light speed and looks beautiful. My face feels so smooth and soft - seriously people are commenting on how good I look.

Happy, happy pregnancy days right now. Here's to a continued healthy, trouble free pregnancy.