Week 31: 19 May

Weight: I had a small gain of 200 grams this week which takes me to 88.8 kilos. I was looking back on my weight notes and I can see that I was 87.8 kilos at week 25, which means I have only gained 1 kilo in 6 weeks. I think that is because I have been losing some of the extra weight I gained early on in the pregnancy when I was over-eating to soothe nausea and then over-eating due to stress of moving and my living situation, so I think that was just balancing out a little. I can still expect a bit of a growth spurt over the coming weeks and my app says it’s normal to gain about half a kilo a week.

This week: 88.8 kilos (195.3 lbs)
Up: 200 grams (0.44 lbs)
Total pregnancy gain: 8.8 kilos (19.3 lbs)

How far along: 31 weeks. On Sunday I was exactly 7 months pregnant. How bizarre to think I am only 2 months away from having a baby. Oh god I hope I have a house by then!

How big is baby: Baby weighs about as much as a coconut (1.5 kilos) and measures about 41 cm. Wow that is massive, no wonder I can’t walk or talk without giving myself a stitch!

Sleep: No, still not much sleep happening. Plus, AJ has been snoring a lot lately (I think because he is working so hard and is over-tired) so I lie in bed with insomnia and listen to him snore. I’m about to go insane, but I can’t even move to another room because we are in a tiny hotel room and there is nowhere else to go. Poor AJ just gets about 100 jabs in his ribs every night and then wonders why he is so tired in the mornings ha ha.

Symptoms: Oh my god, the worst has happened… haemorrhoids. Sigh. I feel like I have no control of my body and gross things just keep happening to me. There is no dignity to pregnancy.

Best moment of this week: I don’t know if I would say this was the best moment (that would be those great dumplings I had Saturday night), but it was an interesting moment at least.

AJ and I did our hospital parenting classes on Saturday. It was a full day that started with birthing in the morning and then post-natal in the afternoon. I learnt a lot about what to expect when I go into labour and what my options are (lots of drugs!) and what to expect after. Some of it I would probably rather not know. Then in post natal we learnt practical things like swaddling and putting nappies on dolls. I am guessing the real thing will be a bit harder…

It was such a long day though, we could have split it up over 2 evenings, which in hindsight would have been better because by the end of the day I was just “yeah, yeah, yeah whatever, the baby will be fine…”.

 

Miss anything: Energy. OK, I am not normally the most energetic person in the world, but I am beyond tired right now. Work, insomnia and queasiness is just killing me. Maternity leave countdown is on!

Movement: Lots and lots. A fair bit of it is top right of my stomach, which I think might be where the little tootsies are kicking me.

This is AJ having his nightly chat with bubs. Sorry if that photo is TMI!!!

Food cravings: I would happily eat crumpets with cheese and vegemite for tea every night.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yeah I am not feeling great lately, it feels like morning sickness has been returning a bit. It’s not quite as bad as the first 12 weeks and at least I don’t have to try and hide it at work this time.

Gender: No idea. It’s no secret that I imagine myself with a little girl, so it’s going to freak me out if it’s a boy!

How’s your mood: The usual ups and downs. My patience wears thin pretty quick some days and it’s not helped by a disagreement AJ and I had this week that is niggling me.

I asked that when I go into labour that we keep it private until I am ready to tell anyone because I don’t want us to have to be updating family and answering questions or having family waiting in the corridors. I know they would worry and it’s only fair that we keep them informed once they know things are underway, but I don’t want AJ to be texting and calling people when I need his support. I swear to god that I will throw his phone out the window if he is texting his bloody family updates every 10 minutes instead of being present with me. I know our families are excited for the baby, but it’s not like any of them have been particularly involved with the whole pregnancy and would expect to be kept in the loop.

I’d like to take as long as I need to recover from birth, spend time with the baby and then contact family when I am ready. He is worried that this is leaving people out, especially because all of our family live between 2-4 hours away (and my brother who is 9 hours away) and will need time to travel. I don’t think he really understands that my body will be going through a trauma and I may not want 10 people inundating me, depending on how the birth goes. The midwives in our parenting classes also made it clear that it was best for baby to have quiet time with mum and dad to recover from birth too.

Plus, his sister didn’t tell us when she had her kids until after, so I am not sure why he seems to think this is so rude. I really don’t think his family or my family will expect to be alerted to my labour. I think they understand that it’s a scary, exciting and private time for us and we will let them know as soon as we are ready. Sometimes I feel like he puts other people’s feelings before our own needs. Don’t worry though, I will win this battle. I think on the big day it’ll sink in and he’ll be all about doing what is best for us and the baby. 🙂

Looking forward to: I am flying to Sydney on Friday morning to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday with my brother, sister-in-law and of course my lovely niece Penelope. I can’t wait to see her. Plus it’ll most likely be the last time I see my family until my new little arrival. Weird.

The Bump: You can definitely see it now right?! This was taken after work, hence why I look completely buggered.