Week 31/32 - Busy Weekend

Tops - H&M
Maternity Jogging Bottoms - New Look

I've made it to half term! After a relaxing and pretty chilled Easter holiday I was quite worried about the prospect of going back to work and knowing that I still had a couple of months to get through. But I got through the 5 weeks and have actually been pretty good, not feeling too tired and just resting as much as possible at home and taking it slower at work. Now just 4 weeks at work to go before I start maternity leave; just hoping I don't have to leave early so I have tie up loose ends and do a handover!

On Thursday I went, with my mum, to the last of my ante natal classes; this one was an Early Days class. I didn't really know what to expect, assuming we would be learning about breast feeding and nappy changing... I thought we may all be given dolls to practice on, well the nappy changing at least!

Fortunately the class followed a similar format to the other classes and was more about giving information so, as mums, we are better informed about what to expect. Firstly the midwives spoke about breastfeeding and the best position for mum and baby; 'tummy to mummy', 'nipple to nose'. We were shown three different sized balls which represented the size of baby's tummy at different ages.

When the baby is born its tummy is the size of a malteaser. They do not need very much food at all, which is good as a mother's milk hasn't yet 'come in'. For the first couple of days the milk produced is colostrum, basically very fatty/concentrated milk (some of you may have already noticed this building up whilst pregnant). So the baby gets all it needs from very little volume. Colostrum is different for each woman, it can be different colours and it is made specifically for your baby. Your body knows what things your baby will need from your colostrum, and make it! After about 3 days the 'proper milk' starts to come in. This is how we probably all think of breast milk, looks more like cow's milk and is produced in larger volumes. By this time the baby's tummy is about the size of a walnut.

What has fascinated me the most is just how amazing women's and baby's bodies are. Everything is done for a reason and it all just happens naturally. The tummy size to amount of milk produced and the days milk comes in and the tummy has grown... After I have had the baby I will be shown and helped by the midwife with the first feeds.

We also talked about nappies, the Vitamin K injection and not needing to bath babies for the first few weeks. They can have little cleans, but just use water and then olive oil to moisturise, no products for the first few weeks as their skin is producing all its own goodness. Although baby cleaning products say they are sensitive they are still made up of lots of chemicals, as new born skin is so delicate it is best to avoid these for the first few weeks. But they are perfectly safe to use and will be used all the time eventually.

On Saturday I met up with my girlies for a 'pre-baby shower'. It was a great night, catching up and spending time together. The girls surprised me with a kit to do a bump cast! My bump was smothered in Vaseline and then the ModRoc strips were put on, i had to keep it on for 15 minutes for the initial setting to take place. It now takes a few days to dry. Then I can decorate it, I will post some pictures when I have the finished article.

Yesterday Paul and I went to Lydden Hill Race Circuit to watch the World Rally Cross. We both like our motor sport and it's a fun thing to do together; trying to have some quality time just the two of us before we become 3! The weather and racing were great. I was a bit tired by the end of the day as it had been an early start, but I managed it. 

Have a great bank holiday Monday, I think I need to do some gardening!

Amy x

Week 30/31 - Ante Natal Classes

Smock Dress - eBay (new)

Last week I had the first of my two ante natal classes. I didn't really know what to expect, I had visions of the 'Friends' episode where Ross attends a Lamaze class with Carol and Susan; all sat in a huddle on the floor, role playing birth and breathing techniques! Thankfully, that was not the case.

The class was held at the birth centre where I plan to give birth and was free. I had looked into the NCT classes but felt I couldn't justify the cost with all the other baby bits the money could go towards. Plus, Paul does shift work so wouldn't have been able to attend all classes. My midwife assured me that all I would need to know would be covered in the class at the birth centre, which is run by the local midwife team.

The first session covered a 'normal' labour and birth. We started off by writing down our hopes and fears for our labours and births. It was a good exercise to chat to other mums and share our hopes and worries, most of which were the same. After this the midwife leading the course went through the stages of labour; what to expect, what our bodies do any why. I had already done some reading about this in my Natal Hypnotherapy book and an information book from Aptamil. The idea of the oxytocins and the relaxin fits in with the Natal Hypnotherapy ideals of calm mum, clam baby, calmer, less painful labour. (You can find out about the stages of labour here)

I found this really helpful, to know what to expect and to understand what is happening to my body, and why. Everything it does is for a reason. Some key things I took away from the class were:

• Labour is hard work, after all that's what the word labour means. But, it is hard work with a reward at the end. 
• People may say they have been in labour for hours/days, however, you are classed as being in active labour when you are 4cm dilated. Even then, you always have a 'break' between contractions, giving your body time to relax and help you preserve energy.
• Labour is a journey, you may take the motorway, the A roads, get diverted on to the B roads or even the country roads. Whatever road you take you always get to your destination.
• Our pelvises have a wider opening if standing, crouching, leaning forward. (Have your legs slightly apart and put a finger on your pelvic bone and one your coccyx. Lean forward and backwards. You will feel quite a difference in the space between your fingers. Leaning forward the space is bigger.) Therefore giving birth laying down is not the optimal position.
• Women who are paralysed from the neck or waist down can still give birth naturally. Our body does 80% of the work, with us just putting in the last 20%.
• Because of our lifestyles today, more sitting down, driving etc there are a lot more back to back babies born. In the 1950s when the majority of women were housewives their lifestyle meant that the baby wouldn't end up back to back, as gravity didn't take it there. In later pregnancy you can do things to help avoid a back to back baby. Lean forward more when sitting down, no slouching. It's OK to do a bit of housework on your hands and knees! Get walking.

The second ante natal class was held this week and was all about pain relief, what could go wrong and what interventions may be needed. As the midwife said, they didn't want to scare anyone, but not knowing what could go wrong and therefore what interventions could take place would be much scarier at the time, so best to be aware.

What, if any, pain relief a mother decides to use is up to her, some are more suitable for different times during the labour. Others may work for some people and not others:

Latent and early stages of labour. The best things you can try to relieve the contraction pains are things most of us will have at home. 

• Distraction, take your mind off the contractions; watch a film, bake a cake, read a book, listen to music...
• Have a bath, the water relaxes you and your muscles. Light some candles, play some music.
• Take paracetamol, it will take the edge off.
• Hot water bottle.
• Massage.
• TENS machine. These can be hired from our birth centre, so I would have thought other hospitals and centres do the same. It sends a small electric signal to your muscles and dulls the pain. The intensity can be turned up and down.

Active labour. By this time you will probably be at the hospital/birth centre. Depending on how you are coping with the pain a lot of the above will still work. I hope not to go to the next level of pain relief unless I really feel I need to! I hope with the support of Paul and the midwife I can do as much without major pain relief as possible.

• Gas and air. This is one pain relief I don't mind using, if I feel the need to. I have had gas and air before, after I broke my leg a few years ago, so I know what to expect. Gas and air is not for everyone, but I find it works for me. It is quick to get into your system, about 20-30 seconds and just as quick to get out; it is safe for the baby, in fact it is possibly good for you and the baby. Gas and air is 50% oxygen and so good for you and your baby's blood.
• Pethidine. This is something I didn't know much about until the class. It is not a pain killer as such, but a relaxant. It is administered by injection. It makes you and your baby drowsy and stays in your system for about 4 hours. Because of this the timing of the administration of Pethidine is quite important. The midwives/doctors do not want you and your baby drowsy for the actual delivery. So it will be calculated on your dilation and whether the drowsiness would have worn off by the time they expect you to deliver. Pethidine may be a good idea for you if you have had a really long early labour, you are extremely tired and just need some rest while your cervix continues to dilate before delivery. It will give you a chance to get some rest and get your energy back for pushing. 
• Epidural. This can only be administered in hospital as it is done by an anaesthetist. As I plan to give birth at the birth centre this option would not be available to me and after seeing what is involved I don't really want one anyway! It may be different in your hospital, but the one I would go to, if I had any problems, inject a very small tube into your back and the drug is then put on a drip. You would then have to stay on the bed for the birth as your movement is restricted. 

Following the classes and the reading I have done on natal hypnotherapy I am even more determined to go through labour and birth with as little intervention as possible. I know my body could give birth even without my help! However, I am also not going to say 'never say never'. At the end of the day I will do what I need to do to have a healthy baby and be healthy myself. If that means I need to have a little help along the way, then so be it. Whatever road I take on my labour journey I will get to my destination and that is all that matters. 

Please ask your midwife or doctor if you have any questions on the above. The information is what i have taken from the classes and may not be 100% correct (I have tried to be as accurate as possible).

Have a lovely Sunday. 

Amy x

Week 29/30 - Weight and Pregnancy

All clothes H&M

This week I made the fatal mistake of weighing myself!

I don't feel like I have put on a lot of weight and I think most of my shape change/weight gain is just bump. My hips have got bigger/wider, but that's part of my body getting ready to give birth. So, I didn't weigh myself to check my weight was 'OK', more out of curiosity. I wish I hadn't bothered!

I've put on about 13kg (28lb), so only just over the 'average' weight gain for pregnancy the NHS website says is the maximum 'most pregnant women'. However, I still have 10 weeks to go; apparently you can put on 1lb a week in the last 10 weeks! That's when I started to worry; worry that I had been eating too much, or too much of the wrong thing. I think I was more worried about the prospect of trying to lose the weight after the baby is born. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to lose the baby weight quickly, that wouldn't be healthy for me or the baby, but just the thought of having that much weight to potentially lose is a bit daunting!

I wouldn't say my eating habits have changed at all since being pregnant, after all 'eating for tow' is a myth. We only need an extra 200 calories in the last trimester. I eat the same things as I did before and I would consider myself a pretty normal/healthy eater. I did go through a stage of finishing other's dinners after finishing my own! But that was really only the odd potato or slice of meat. I would have done that before I was pregnant though, so no change there! I do treat myself to something sweet each day, but again this is no different to before and goes with a pretty balanced diet of home cooked, healthy meals.

The midwife hasn't mentioned my weight, nor anybody else for that matter, but just seeing it on the scales with 10 weeks to go freaked me out! I am now thinking I need to change my diet and just eat salads etc, but that in itself can't be good for me or baby. I need to eat a healthy BALANCED diet. I don't exercise as such, but I am on my feet quite a bit at work and moving around a lot, so that's my exercise, again, not changing since before pregnancy. 

Maybe some women just put on more weight than the 'norm', there have to be exceptions to every rule, right? The bump is measuring exactly as it should, my blood pressure is spot on and I don't feel like I've really gained weight on any other areas of my body.

After worrying about this for most of the morning I thought about calling my midwife, just to check everything was OK and ask if I was over-reacting. But first I spoke to a colleague at work who is pregnant with her third baby. She put my mind totally at ease; what is it they say? 'It's good to talk!' She said she is not going to weigh herself at all this pregnancy and I shouldn't either, or worry about my weight. The measurements etc are all on track and the midwife isn't concerned, so I shouldn't be either. She told me that after giving birth she was amazed how quickly a lot of the weight comes off naturally. We retain so much water and a lot of the weight is baby and increased muscle weight of the uterus...

Everyone is different and pregnancy should be a fun, happy, exciting experience. As long as we and our babies are happy and healthy at the end of it, who cares if we put on a bit more weight than 'most pregnant women'? I have decided not to weigh myself again and just go with the flow, I am having check ups every few weeks now, so any problems will be picked up. I am probably going to do more harm to my baby by worrying about things, so I'm just not going to!

This week we went to our first, of two, ante natal classes. I will report back more on this next week so I can let you know how I got on at both sessions.

Have a happy, healthy week.

Amy x

Baking - Cheese and Ham Muffins

When the mood strikes me I enjoy a good bake!

I saw this recipe and wanted to try it, whilst I still have time on my hands before Baby Bond arrives!

They are quick and easy to make and I already had all the ingredients in the cupboards, so they are cheap too. I think they would be great for a pic nic, or an afternoon tea. They taste yummy!

Ingredients:

280g plain flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

100g sliced ham (finely chopped)

140g cheese (grated)

2 eggs

250ml milk

Pinch black pepper

6 tbsp oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200c/gas 6
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper
• Stir in the ham and 100g of the grated cheese
• Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then beat in the milk and oil
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquids
• Stir gently until just combined, do not over mix
• Spoon the mixture into muffin cases, scatter with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes, until well risen, golden and firm to the touch

The cake stand was made for me by my dad. A plate and a matching bowl, turned upside down and glued to the plate! (Would make a great present)

Week 28/29 - Worn Out!

Top - Abercrombie & Fitch
Vest Top - H&M

This week I have been a little bit worn out and tired; I'm putting it down to the 5 day week! So I'm glad next week is another 4 dayer. The weather seems to have been a little muggy and the heating is still on at the school, so the stuffiness hasn't helped with the tired feeling and has also meant I've had slight headaches. I've also had a few 'stitches' this week, which are quite uncomfortable, but a good sign that everything thing is getting set for the birth! 

I had a midwife appointment this week, which went well. Everything is as it should be, baby is moving well and the bump is measuring bang on; a cm for each week of pregnancy. I had a blood test to test for iron deficiency. I'll get the results at the next appointment, or before if there's a problem.  

Last weekend Paul and I went to the Baby and Toddler Show at Glow, Bluewater. It wasn't as good as I thought it would be. We basically have everything we need now anyway so really we went to see if there were any great offers or freebies. But even the 'show only discounts' weren't great. If you are going to a show to buy things I'd definitely recommend doing research first on prices etc. Then you can haggle at the show. I'm glad we went though, we got to see just how well we have done with our baby bargains!  

Next week we have the first if two ante natal classes at the birth centre, where I plan to give birth. I can't believe how quickly these have come around and I'm sure they will make things a lot more real!

Have a great long weekend!

Amy