Third trimester, anniversary, and a photo

We are officially in the third trimester - home stretch, yay! I am starting to feel a bit uncomfortable now, as in the tummy tends to get in the way a bit, particularly when one wishes to roll over in bed, or one needs to crawl under the sofa to retrieve a misplaced piece of lego... But otherwise all good. I am happy to report that after the one horrible calf cramp that I suffered a few weeks ago, I have not had a repeat yet! The reason is that I asked some lovely surro (online) friends for advice, and they delivered! According to them, bananas and/or calcium supplements (over and above your normal pregnancy vitamin intake) help - and they do! I don't know which one makes the difference, but I am not keen to find out, so I will diligently continue loading up on both the yellow fruit (or herb, whatever classification you prefer) and the lemony chewy tablets every day.

Also, today marks one year from the first post on this blog! One year ago, I just found out that I was pregnant with Little Traveler, and things looked rosy. I can't believe how much has happened since then... Anyway, as I said, home stretch for Little Bruiser. I have recently had a few moments of clarity when I fleetingly recalled from previous birthing experiences the unpleasantness that the D Day ahead will probably bring, and Kylie and Adrian have been busy getting things ready at the home front - the nursery is painted, furniture rearranged, and the first batch of baby clothes washed. Impressive, if you ask me!

And, after a long pause, finally another picture of LB (who, it would appear, may now actually have a real name, as I was informed last week!).

Phew!

Last Thursday afternoon, I had to, unexpectedly, do the dreaded glucose test. You know, the one at the end of the second trimester, where you have to drink a foul, sweet drink very fast, and then have your blood drawn an hour later to check for any possible unsettling news about your body's glucose processing times...

I say unexpectedly, as I was told originally that it would be too late to have the test done at 4pm, when we had our midwife appointment and birth centre tour, and that I'd have to come in on Tuesday (today) to do it. But lo and behold, we turn up and I am sent off presto to have the test done! Not too late after all, apparently. 

I spent the last few days mildly worried about the results, as I spent most of the Thursday previous to the blood test loading myself with Easter chocolate eggs, hot cross buns, and profiteroles that were strewn all across the staff room at work - a little celebration marking not only Easter, but also the last day of the first school term. But, as it appears, I had no need to worry! The test results are completely normal - big, giant phew! as I now don't have to go on a special diet for three days followed by another test to determine if I am in danger of gestational diabetes. My body is probably so used to processing large amounts of chocolate on a regular basis that a sweet drink on top can't possibly throw it out of balance...

And to celebrate, I might just eat this Easter bunny that is eyeing me from the top of the fridge - the kids won't miss it, will they? :D

Honeymoon's over...

The day that I have dreaded now for quite some time has finally come. Or, rather, the night... The cramps from hell have arrived. No, don't worry, not those cramps! Cramps in my legs. Calves, to be precise... And they are effing bloody painful...

I had none with Ben, but with Sophie, they woke me up several times a week for the last few months of the pregnancy. I wake up in the middle of the night to sudden excruciating pain in one of my legs, and realise that I must have flexed the muscle in question while I was asleep, and it just got stuck there. No matter what I do (ie. try to relax the calf, massage it, get my husband to massage it, swear, cry and similar), the next minute is pure hell. And yes, I had the first one of those beauties just last night. Crap. Excuse my French.

Otherwise, life is all dandy - LB is growing and kicking, Ben and Sophie are (normally) quite well behaved and (mostly) delightful, I am in love with my super lovely husband, and I have an assignment due in a week. So I'd better get cracking.

Attention! Attention!

We have viability!

Or, in other words, if LB were to be born today, they would have a reasonable chance of survival as doctors would resuscitate. Obviously it's still extremely early, and it would be a tough ride, but according to some statistics that I found (through Dr. Google, of course), babies born at 24 weeks have 40 - 70% chance...

Of course, this is all a moot point - if I didn't want to jinx myself, I would type here that I have cervix of steel and this baby is not going anywhere for a while! But I won't. As I don't want to jinx myself :D

In other news, the old knees are starting to give now a wee bit... getting up off the floor is not exactly comfortable. Oh well. I volunteered for this, didn't I? :D

I know it's been a while

It's getting a bit hard to post as often as before. Few reasons, I guess. Firstly, life is incredibly busy with work, study, kids, and other commitments. Secondly, there just aren't that many new and exciting things to write about in relation to LB - which is a good thing!

But this is meant to be a diary of sorts, so an update is definitely in order. Here goes.

LB is growing fast, and kicking, pushing, and prodding like there's no tomorrow. It is very reassuring, to feel the movements all throughout the day. I can't remember if my kids did it, but Bruiser is an expert at kicking down low around the cervix, and that is not particularly comfortable, but other than that it's lovely to know that he's doing well and practicing his footy skills already :D

So far, this pregnancy has been treating me well, as always. The only minor annoyance is some pain in my right hip - doesn't bother me during the day, but when I lie down at night and relax, it suddenly comes to life (or maybe I finally have time to notice it?) and it is a bit of a struggle to get comfortable enough to go to sleep. Some days are not so bod though, so I guess it has something to do with the amount of time I spend standing/walking around as well. If it gets any worse, I might consider seeing a physio about it, but so far it's okay. 

Kylie and Adrian came down this weekend for a wedding, and stayed with us. It was nice to have them over again, and I so hoped that they would be able to feel LB move, but alas! Little munchkin is very crafty, and as much as I tried to capture the active moments and slap Kylie's hand on my belly whenever Bruiser moved with some vigour, all my efforts were in vain. Oh well. K & A are coming again just before Easter - we have a midwife appointment and a tour through the birth centre - so we can try again. 

In semi-related news, I entered into a competition for a free photo shoot with a Canberran photographer, and won! Kylie, I, and Bruiser (in utero) will have a session sometime in May, can't wait!! 

In totally unrelated news, we have a new car!! Oh how my life is changed! Now that there are two vehicles in our garage, I don't have to drop everyone off in the morning in different corners of the city and then pick them all up in the afternoon again. Aah, so much time saved... 

And on that happy note, I shall end today's entry :D

 

Isn't s/he photogenic? :D

So I guess this is long overdue... it is high time to grace this blog with a picture of Little Bruiser in situ, so to speak ;-)

Behold, LB at 22 weeks and counting!

Ultrasound report and pictures

Well the report and pictures finally made it online. The report is very simple and straightforward. Basically:

1. There is one baby.

2. The baby appears to be completely and utterly healthy.

That's how we like it!

The pictures are not exactly keepsakes, of course, so I thought I'd put up at least a few of the scary ones :D 

First, this little beauty:

The resemblance to parents is striking... :D

Then, there is the compulsory alien shot:

Beware the Skeletor!

And of course the scariest of them all:

Holy c#@p!

Go, Little Bruiser, go!