#BlogBumpClub - 39 weeks

This pregnancy has been very different to my first, mainly because we've had a little person around already. I am the youngest child in my family so didn't experience my mum being pregnant, but I can imagine it must be a really strange thing for the older siblings, and throughout this pregnancy we have been mindful of how Wiss might be feeling.


Wiss has been brilliant on the whole, and although we've had a few questions like "why do we have to have a new baby?", he's been very caring, loving, proud and inquisitive! We have always been very honest with Wiss about things, and generally I'm of the belief that if he is able to ask the question then he deserves to have an answer (obviously we tailor the information or language to suit his age, but I have been amazed at how some quite big subjects just get taken on board).

We told Wiss that I was pregnant at about 17/18 weeks. Previous pregnancies had not ended well so we wanted to make sure everything was as certain as it could be before sharing the news. I also think that 40 (ish) weeks is such a long time for everyone involved, but especially for a 4 year old, that it helped to wait. And what he did he say when we told him there was a baby in my tummy? "No there's not!" Shortly followed by "I'm so excited!"

We were prepared for some big questions to be asked, but actually they came much later. To start with Wiss asked things like "when did the baby get in your tummy?" and "when will the baby come out". Our friend had a baby delivered by cesarean because it was breech, and Wiss seemed happy to take this as an answer to "how does the baby come out?" Only a few weeks ago he asked me "if the baby is the right way round, and you don't need to cut it out, how does the baby come out?" Here it was! The big question!

I told him that normally a baby comes out of the lady's foof* and waited for his response. He rolled his eyes and said "why does everything come out of a foof or a bottom??!" I was not expecting that, but he's got a point!

We are huge fans of Okido Magazine and a few months ago I stumbled across a very early copy in a charity shop. It just so happened to be an issue that dealt with reproduction, pregnancy and babies! Okido always deals with the topics informatively but also in a really fun way - there's a sperm race game at the end of this copy and a recipe for buns in the oven! But from this Wiss and I talked about sperm (Wiss calls them 'sworms') and eggs, and how the baby grows inside the mama.

image from Okido magazine, issue 12 2010

Often these conversations are very short, but then more questions will pop up weeks later, so it's obvious Wiss has been thinking about these things quite deeply. He asked how our lesbian friends had had their baby, "an egg and an egg doesn't work does it?", and if a child could have two mamas did some have two papas? Kid's brains are fascinating!

We have discussed possible names with Wiss too, and vaguely entertained the idea that we could use one of his suggestions. But seeing as these have been things like: Gary, John, Paddington, Blackbird Spot, Monster Hill or most often than not, Lewis (his name!) we will be making the decisions ourselves!

Photos: copyright Venture Photography

So now there's not much longer to wait, and Wiss will be a big brother within a few weeks. He has delegated the jobs for us all: I'm in charge of feeding the baby, Papa is in charge of poos & wees (brilliant!) and Wiss is charge of playing with the baby and keeping the cat happy. I'm really excited about this new chapter in our family life and I am sure that whoever this baby turns out to be, it's going to have an ace big brother looking out for it!

*yes, I know! It's a ridiculous name for a vagina but I was put on the spot a long time ago and it just sort of stuck!

#BlogBumpClub - 35 weeks + 5

Apologies for not posting last week - things have been pretty full on as we are trying to do as much as possible (panic!) before the baby arrives.

Last weekend we decorated our bedroom as this will be where the baby sleeps too. In hindsight, it was a terrible weekend to attempt any kind of DIY, as the temperature was over 30 degrees but Wiss was staying at his grandparents so this was our only chance to get it done. We weren't able to completely finish our Weekend Makeover but the wallpaper is up, all woodwork glossed and 3 of 4 walls are painted. Where was DIY SOS when we needed them?!

I've also been spurred into action (panic!) to get my hospital bag packed, and to actually get some things ready for the new arrival. I have ordered a Bednest, which I am very excited about, I have borrowed a TENS machine, and have bought a nightie and some PJs for after the birth. Totally ready now, huh?!

I finish work next Friday (yay!) so I am hoping to get lots more sorted when I'm off. Plus I have lots of things planned for me to do for fun before Wiss finishes nursery: a pregnancy massage because my back is killing me, a trip to a vintage market, a swim at the Lido, pregnancy yoga, lunch in Whitstable with the husband...oh, and finish painting our bedroom!

Although I would love this fantastic summer we are having in London to continue, the combination of heat and the final stages of pregnancy are zapping all my energy at the moment. I have had to scale back my expectations of what can be done in favour of early nights, and maybe even naps while I can! Plus I am totally addicted to ice cubes at the moment. I know this isn't just weather-related though as I had the same thing when I was pregnant with Wiss, in December!

Lists have become my bible and I have written them out for everything: Things to Buy, Things to Do, Things to Pack, Things to Do With Wiss, Names to Consider (yep, we're still not sure of any of them!) Tell me I'm not alone in this obsession? How organised are you being during your pregnancy? Is it normal to be more 'relaxed' with subsequent pregnancies or should I really be starting to panic? Help!

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Congratulations to Chelle from Chic & Unique and her brand new baby boy! Don't forget to check up on all the other members of the #BlogBumpClub here:

#BlogBumpClub - 33 weeks + 3

The time is really flying by now - 33 weeks?! My bump is starting to look slightly hilarious now - it's all out front so when I turn around it looks slightly unreal. I am tripping over lots of things on the floor as I can't see my feet, and Wiss has found that he can hide underneath my tummy and I can't see him!

I had another scan this week to check on the position of my placenta. It has moved up, thankfully, so there are no issues there and the baby is head down (spine under my ribs and legs kicking my right hip!)

All in all, I am still feeling very well. I have noticed that the tiredness is starting to creep back in after a day at work so I am alternating early nights with productive nights! We still haven't done anything by way of preparations for the new arrival (eek!) but we will be decorating our bedroom next weekend. Once that's done I can start to get the 'nursery' (really just a corner of our bedroom) ready. We will be using much of the stuff we have already, although much more minimalist this time, but I have been coveting the Bednest and have been hearing really great things about it.

I have been trying to make sure I look after myself properly - eating well (I'm addicted to avocadoes and olives at the moment!) and moisturising everywhere. I love the Stretch Butter from Nom Nom Skincare, and it seems I'm not the only one. It won the Gold award in the Free From Skincare awards! Nom Nom is a new company (based in Crystal Palace)making Organic skincare products certified by the Soil Association. At the moment the product ranges are specially for Pregnancy and Babies but there will be others soon. The gift sets would make an ideal treat...#justsaying!

Photo credit: Nom Nom

There's also some great diet advice on the Nom Nom website (Jayne is also a nutritionalist) and I have copied this section as I've been getting heartburn a lot recently:

"Nutrition - Here’s how to eat for a better night’s sleep. 

If your nightime is regularly disturbed by pregnancy heartburn you may benefit from eating smaller more frequent portions and eating your last meal at least a couple of hours before bedtime. Eating this way also helps to balance the hormones and transmitters which regulate sleep.

A carbohydrate rich dinner using wholegrains can increase the production of serotonin a calming neurotransmitter. To further boost your serotonin levels add poultry, dairy products, nuts, seeds, legumes, soy products, tuna and bananas to your diet as they are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid used in its production. Give these food combinations a try: chicken salad on whole wheat bread, nut butter and banana sandwich, banana and yoghurt/soy milk smoothie, prawn and egg fried brown rice, wholemeal pitta bread and humus.

If you’re frequently woken by leg cramps you may be low on calcium and magnesium which are important for their calming effect on nerves and muscles. Increase these by including dairy, nuts and green leafy vegetables.

 

Being well hydrated is important for a good night’s sleep but to avoid increasing the frequent nightime trips to the loo, which can become an issue in later pregnancy, try to get more of your water quota earlier in the day. 

In addition to the above, caffeine should of course be avoided.

Sweet dreams……"



There have been some #BlogBumpClub new arrivals already - congratulations to Amy and Sara-Jayne and their new little boys. You can check out their posts plus those from all the others here:

#BlogBumpClub - 30 weeks +6

Blimey! Has it really been 3 weeks since I joined in the weekly linky? My apologies - everything is going well, so there are no worries there. I've just been super busy (and super tired) which doesn't leave much room for anything else. So what's going on at 30 weeks?

I have actually been told by the doctor to rest and put my feet up whenever I can as the baby is lying on a vein at the top of my right leg, and slowing down the flow of blood back up to my heart. It sounds much more serious than it is, basically it just means I get a 'dead leg' feeling or pins and needles, plus a little swelling. Nice!


We had our final cardiac scan at the Evalina Hospital last week and everything is looking great. This is such a relief. We had to take Wiss with us to the appointment and my husband was going to wait outside with him, but the consultant said they were welcome to come in too. She was lovely and explained to Wiss that the lights were going to go out so we could watch the telly better and see his brother or sister. He was fascinated, and a little unsure (he couldn't fathom the jelly on my tummy!) but he gave me a thumbs up and told me I was being very brave! It must have helped to cement the idea of the baby insode my belly as he has been singing and talking to 'The Lump' as he has been calling it (?!) Poor thing!

The weather has been pretty warm in London recently so I have been living in my fab turquoise maternity jeans (from ASOS) and vests, a couple of dresses from Primark and Hennes, and my new Toms. Oh my word, these are SO comfy! I also treated myself to a pedicure as it's definitely getting tricky to reach my feet myself!

Other little things that have been making this stage of my pregnancy easier are the Organic Pregnancy Stretch Butter from NomNom Skincare - it's really easy to apply and rub in, it's not greasy at all which is perfect for the hot weather - and the Pregnancy++ App that I have been reviewing. With just over 9 weeks to go (if everything sticks to schedule, of course!) I need all the help I can get with my To Do lists!

These #BlogBumpClub posts are part of a wider group of bloggers - don't forget to check them all out either on Twitter or with this linky:

#BlogBumpClub - 27wks + 2

 

 

I received a text alert this week telling me 'Week 27: Your baby is the size of a rutabaga!'*

 

From about week 4 onwards there are lots of fruit and vegetable comparisons to the size of your developing baby. I find these hilarious, and sometimes downright scary! Week 4: a poppy seed, week 31: a pineapple (ouch!) all the way up to Week 40: a watermelon. I've already had one baby so I'm not completely naïve about the size of them when they pop out, and Wiss was 8lb 5oz, but a watermelon? I've seen some mahoosive watermelons out there and I do not fancy carrying one of those around. Even for Patrick Swayze!

 

I've signed up to a couple of Pregnancy apps which have all this kind of information, and much more. I'm actually using Pregnancy + most and I will be reviewing it in full next week. If you are using an app to help/amuse/organise you during your pregnancy then I'd love to know which one - leave me comment below or tweet me @thisiswiss.

 

As always, these #BlogBumpClub posts are linking up with other fab bloggers, so don't forget to check out their posts this week, and if you're pregnant too then why not join in?

 

 

*in case you didn't know, a rutabaga seems to be American for a swede!

#BlogBumpClub - 26+4 wks

As you may already know (I have been going on a bit about it!) this week I have been off my feet for a few days. A sneaky little horsefly bite meant I was forced to take things easy, which isn't something I normally do!

So what did I do? Some 'preparation' for the new arrival of course...with the help of Netflix! I watched two Parental Comedies - a genre I didn't even know existed before - and they were pretty good!

Picture credit

'What to Expect When You Are Expecting' (2012) has got a stellar Hollywood cast and follows five couples who all become pregnant at the same time, in various circumstances. Yes, it's cheesy but I laughed out loud (especially at the dad's Dude Club) and also cried my eyes out too. All in all, a good fun film.

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'Friends With Kids' (2011) Promised to be a more 'grown up' view on having kids and has many from the same cast from Bridesmaids (which I love!!) Two best friends decide to have a child together to have the best if both worlds - kids AND a happy romantic relationship.

This wasn't as LOL funny but some of the issues were a bit closer to home. How kids change the relationship with you and your partner is a really interesting discussion but unfortunately it was glossed over with a true Hollywood ending. Shame as I liked the film but I think my hormonal emotions needed the happy finish :)

 

While I was watching all this telly I made a start on my fab 'Wool and the Gang' kit. If you knit you need these guys in your life! I was sold at the funky website, cool graphics and modern designs but the good news is they are also a joy to knit too!

Picture credit

I bought the Aloha baby hoodie pattern and chose Sunshine Yellow from the multitude of colours available. The cotton wool is so soft, and will be perfect for cooler autumn evenings. I also bought their bamboo needles and they are so easy to knit with! I'll post some pictures when it's finished.

I'll be back next week with more #BlogBumpClub news but don't forget to check out all the other fab posts in Week 2 of this linky.