35 Days to Go - The Countdown Begins!

35 days until we're officially a Noob Mum and Noob Dad! (well, noobs to human babies anyway).  :D  We still can't imagine being parents, so it's weird.  Unless it's one of those things that you imagine is gonna be weird but when it actually happens you just kinda go with the flow and it ends up not feeling weird.  Know what I mean? Hehe.  But we can't wait.

DAYS to go!

Pregnancy and Snoring

Who'd have thought these two things have anything to do with the other, but as it turns out, they do!

I never had any sort of snoring before in my life, but these last few weeks or so I've had it every night.  So the other day I thought, I've had a few other weird things happen to me during this pregnancy and when I googled their relation to pregnancy I found out they were caused by pregnancy!  So I googled snoring and whadda ya know . . . another weird pregnancy symptom.

If you developed snoring during pregnancy, you probably noticed that it started during the 3rd trimester - this is when it usually happens.  And there are a few things that could be causing it, and one of them could be a serious condition, so here goes:

• swollen nasal passages - higher levels of estrogen during pregnancy contribute to swelling in the mucous membranes lining the nose
• increased blood in your system - the blood volume in your body increases when you're pregnant and your blood vessels expand, which can lead to swollen nasal membranes
• weight gain - if you were already overweight since before pregnancy or you've gained a lot of weight during pregnancy, the extra fat tissue in your neck and throat can cause snoring too
• high blood pressure - it could be linked to gestational hypertension (aka pre-eclampsia) which is a very serious condition dangerous and even fatal for the mum and baby, the only "cure" of which is early labour induction or c-section.  Here's a quick bit of info about this condition from Wikipedia

So if you've suddenly developed snoring during pregnancy you should mention it to you doc because they don't automatically ask you about it, and it's REALLY important that if you have pre-eclampsia, it be diagnosed before baby's due so that steps can be taken to make delivery safer for you and baby.

But you can improve your snoring by not lying on your back, since you usually don't snore when on your side.  This late in pregnancy you should in any case be lying mostly on your left side if you can (for these reasons).

More Nursery Stuff

We've added a few more thingies to the nursery.  :D

Here's the cute bug mobile that I wanted:

And I found a cute flower to wrap around the bed side-bar for Aidan to look at - too cute :D

I was busy making cute thingies to hang on my home-made mobile, but then I found the one I wanted anyway and just bought it - now this wormy is gonna hang around elsewhere in the room:

Long ago I bought a spice rack at the craft store, except I never really needed a spice rack 'cause I had one already, but I wanted to decorate it and use it for storage space in my craft room, but that never happened . . . so I painted it to match the nursery and so far it's being used as a storage thingy for nappy changing things:

And he's got a bath too:

And a cute little rocker chair thingie:

And that's it!  The next big item I'm just waiting for now is the curtains and bed stuff to be ready! :)

31 Week 4D Scan

Had this done yesterday.  We got a few good pics before he decided to turn around and only give us the back of his head. :P

This one looks so cute with the puffy cheeks:  :D

And this one looks like a little smile. :)

The scans put him at around 32 weeks on average and a natural due date of 15 Dec, with a weight of about 1 850 grams, so he picked up about 400 grams since our last scan about 2 weeks ago.  And so far his head, abdomen and femur measurements are still all good. :D

At our last scan he was upside down but yesterday he's turned around again which means my bladder is no longer being punched but kicked - lovely. :P  Because he's now in breech the doc is recommending a c-section (which is what I wanted anyway), so now I have to update the info with the medical aid.  So his b'day is going to be 4 December. :)  At least it's a decent while before Xmas. :D

My mum and sis are arranging a baby shower for 10 Nov so I can't wait to see if Aidan's gonna get something cute (I know my mum's apparently got a bunch of clothes which are no doubt cute, hehe).  He loves getting gifts.  :D  And THEN we'll probably have our last baby-stuff shopping spree if we still need anything.  I hope his nursery curtains and bed stuff is gonna be ready in time!  Although we want to keep him in our room in the beginning which means I'd like to get him a smaller portable bed of some sort because his cot is too big to stand next to our bed because it's gonna feel really cramped in the room and that's gonna bug me. :O  So not sure what to get yet that's not gonna work out too expensive.  I wanted this, but at R2 200 it's a bit too pricey for a temporary second bed:

It's cool because it has a little bed that you attach to the top of the campcot and so you can see baby while you're in bed.  So we'll see what's second best!

Small Red Dots on Belly During Pregnancy

Yip, I found yet ANOTHER weird and generally un-mentioned pregnancy symptom, lol.  Mine started somewhere in the 2nd trimester . . . can't quite remember when, but I started getting little red dots on my lower belly shortly after I started using an anti-stretch mark cream on my belly.  They didn't bug me or anything, they were just there.

It looks like it's something you get sometimes during pregnancy because your skin is more sensitive to products that you apply to it, during pregnancy - most probably because of hormone changes.  If they're not irritating you it's probably nothing to worry about (although any kind of rash could be a sign of an actual problem, so get yours checked out just in case).  I suspected it was the cream that was causing the dots, so I stopped using it and switched to bio-oil but still didn't see 100% improvement, so now I'm using aqueous cream and I think the dots are going away . . .

It's weird because I use bio-oil on my boobs and there's no problem there, but I suppose it's different for everyone.

Anyway, they say the dots can appear anywhere on your belly and even thighs, legs, arms etc.  And there are other conditions caused by pregnancy that can cause red dots, such as heat rash on parts of your body that usually stay warm and moist.  Other causes are something known as PUPPP which is itchy red dots and most common during the 3rd trimester, and prurigo of pregnancy which usually appear on your legs, feet, arms and hands and is itchy as well.

I've read that it could also be that one is allergic to the placenta (well not so much the placenta actually but that's how some refer to it . . . but it's because the placenta produces progesterone during pregnancy and progesterone can cause an increase in allergies, eg skin rashes). 

Usually these symptoms seem to disappear within about a month after birth.

Cute Mobile

I saw this cute mobile at a really good price at Reggies online!  Some of them are ridiculously pricy, but this one is only R129 . . . . So I'll be hunting this one down and hopefully I find it in stock. :)

It's perfect for my bug theme and sooooo cute.  :D  It's even musical, but if it's an annoying tune we'll just have to forget that it has that feature. :P

Update: YAY! Found it and got it! :D

29 Weeks

So we had another GP visit on Friday the 5th and according to the scan everything is still good.  The little goober was upside down though and facing backward so we couldn't see his face this time, boo.  But it looks like he's plumped up so he's getting all squishy now. :D

We've booked the delivery with the hospital and got the authorization number from the medical aid, so everything's just about set! This hospital is giving us a free 4D scan which we have to do on 22 Oct, so we're looking forward to that - I hope he's turned a bit so that we can see his face this time! Hehe.

I'm confused though, because according to the scans, since the first scan at 9 weeks even, the baby's age has always been set at about a week or 2 older than he really is (according to my date of ovulation), so apparently he's now at about 31 1/2 weeks or so and expected date of (normal) delivery is 16 Dec instead of 24 Dec that my online pregnancy tracker gives me.  But oh well, I hope the 16 Dec one is accurate, because I wasn't too chuffed about the prospect of having a baby the day before Xmas. :P

Either way, I've opted for a c-section so at the mo, expected date of delivery is 4 Dec. :D

Me and Noob Dad have thought that I should get my hospital bag ready already, so I think I'll get that done soon too.

I also finally gave in and got some Gaviscon for in case I get heartburn at night again - what horrid stuff, all thick and icky.  :(

Also, lately I can say that now I actually FEEL pregnant, in the sense that this belly is big enough to now really make simple tasks more difficult (eg getting up off soft couch or off the floor, painting my toes etc, hehe), and I can feel my belly is heavy and sometimes it feels like my stomach muscles are being strained from the weight or size and almost feel bruised . . . weird . . . and I can feel some pressure in my belly too when he moves a certain way.   Maybe I should get me one of those belly bands . . . I wonder if that'll help, 'cause if I left up my belly a bit it seems to feel a bit better I think.  All in all I think I had a good (mostly) symptom-free pregnancy stint up until now. :)

28 Weeks 4 Days

I think I felt the little goober hiccup for the first time last night - or was it really early this morning . . . I dunno!  :)  I just happened to read about it the other day and wondered when I'll start noticing it.  Well it feels sort of like a heart beat, rhythmic and evenly paced and it's really slight so it's easy to distinguish from kicking or squirming.  So I assume those were hiccups. :D

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say!  We have another dr appointment today, so we'll see if there's any new developments, and I have to register my delivery with the hospital today so hopefully that all goes smoothly.

28 Weeks 2 Days & Nursery Update

Definitely bigger than last week!
Aidan's 71% complete and he's also getting much more active. :D  Besides the usual kicks and squirming, last night it felt like he was jumping up and down, hehe.  We really can't wait until he gets here already. :D

I saw a cute growth chart sticker and of course I had to get it.  We stuck it on the cupboard door - it came with some extra animals so I just stuck them on the other door.  Cute! :D

 

You can only start measuring once he's at least 60cm tall though, so in the mean time it just has to make the nursery look cute! :D

Me and my mum went fabric shopping for the curtains and bedding and FINALLY found something cute and affordable and in the colour scheme and animal theme that I wanted - this is what the curtains and duvet cover are going to be made from:

On Friday I'm going to give my mum-in-law the measurements, so hopefully I can get the end products SOOOOOON - I'm gonna be really impatient, hehe.  Once the curtains and bedding is up and on, it's really going to look much more like a real nursery. :D

And I also knitted a blankie.  I can't knit but I bought a loom knitter 'cause it looked like fun to use (and it is!) and so I had to make something with it, so why not a fluffy blankie?!  You can only make things of limited size though, so I had to knit 4 squares and then "sew" them together, so you can see one of the joins going through the blankie, but oh well:

It's REALLY soft though, and it's quite big for a little baby so when you fold it in half you won't even notice the join. :)

We still have to wash the carpet of the nursery because a certain yoghurt-eating DeeDee . . .

. . . has been using it as her bedroom for the last 2 years, so not looking forward to that, because a) we've never washed a carpet before and we've borrowed an oooold carpet washer (looks sort of like a vacuum cleaner thingy) from one of our parents, so hopefully it actually works properly, b) we have to empty out the nursery furniture which also means we have to take the cot apart again because it can't fit through the door whole, and c) well it's a schleppy job and we probably have to wait a few days for the carpet to dry thoroughly before we move everything back in again.

At the mo I'm working on a (hopefully cute) mobile for either above the cot or above the changing station, we'll see.  So I'll post that when it's done! :D

Pregnancy & Restless Leg Syndrome

Apparently developing restless leg syndrome (RLS) during pregnancy is not uncommon (about 15% of women may develop it during pregnancy).  Generally it's an annoying feeling in your legs - some describe it as a sort of tingling crawling feeling deep inside your muscles, and you get this urge to move your leg.  If RLS only started during pregnancy it means that it'll most likely disappear within about a month after baby's born.  Or you may be stuck with it for good if you're unlucky, but the symptoms should be less severe after baby's born.

I've had RLS for years but I've definitely noticed lately that it's become a lot worse - I didn't get it very often, but now it's almost every night if not every night.  So I thought I'd google it and see what cooks and whether this is yet one more fun pregnancy thing that you never see in the common pregnancy symptoms lists . . . and guess what?  It IS!  For me it feels like an annoying sensation in my calves and I have to move the calf muscles to get rid of the feeling - I just do this by stretching the calf muscles (and I can only stretch them a certain way otherwise I get a cramp) and it goes away for a few seconds, but comes back again and so it carries on.  For some people, RLS affects their feet or upper legs too, and even their arms.

What's even more annoying about this condition is that it tends to show up after you get into bed and want to snooze.  This is when I get it.  Apparently some people get it any time they sit or lie down for a while, ie when the muscles are relaxed.  Fortunately mine seems to disappear a short while after getting into bed, as I don't recall ever waking up in the middle of the night and still having RLS.

Let me tell you, this is SOOOOOOO annoying.  Women who already had RLS before pregnancy may tend to have it worsen during the last trimester of pregnancy.  I think this is me.

They don't seem to know exactly what causes it, but it has been suggested that it could be because of some nutrient deficiency.  And if other family members have it, you seem to have an increased chance of getting it too.

Here are some things that are said to help relieve this condition:

• try taking supplements, such as iron, magnesium, vit B12 or folate (or a good B multi-vitamin is even better), but first check with your doc if you're pregnant before taking extra supplements.  Or you could just improve your diet and eat healthier.
• some meds, such as antihistamines, may worsen the condition
• caffeine may make symptoms worse too, as does smoking and alcohol
• try stretching the affected muscles before bed  
• light exercise earlier in the day may also help relieve symptoms, but too much exercise could worsen them too.  They think that having a sedentary lifestyle may make you more predisposed to developing RLS.
• try massaging the muscles
• take a warm bath
• using hot / cold compresses may relieve symptoms
• make sure you get enough rest at bed time - not only is this generally good for your health, but it helps to reduce RLS
• stay well hydrated
• if you're stressed, find a way to reduce your stress levels

Anyway, if you're healthy in all other respects, RLS isn't a serious condition (although it's seriously annoying) and is generally not something to worry about health-wise.