Less than a month until our due date... *freakout*

Week of Pregnancy: 35 – 36

Fruit to Fetus Comparison: As long as a stalk of Swiss Chard/A leek. Or, as I like to tell Justin, as long as the size of a 17inch laptop screen.

 

Cravings/Aversions: I certainly wouldn’t say ‘cravings’ or ‘aversions’ but Ice-blocks are great right now, as is corn, muesli (which I usually hate) and anything satay. Hated foods mostly extend to anything super smelly (still).

Kick Counter: Less than previously, but more vigorous kicking in the ribs. Baby Muffin responds to loud noises like clapping, loud music and yelling. There has been some extensive dance movement lately where my tummy seems to do a Mexican wave in several places. Also, there’s still a foot jammed in my right bottom rib.

Husband’s Excitement Metre: Learned how to put on a nappy yesterday. Not rocket science, but at least he’s interested. J

Revelations:

·         I can no longer shave my legs standing up in the shower.

·         Heels are the devil.

·         People will part like Moses and the Red Sea for a Pregnant lady on her way to the loo.

Holy crap. We’ve reached Week 35. Despite me being super positive about the baby and the pregnancy, it is always a revelation every time we reach a new week or milestone… and now there’s only, like, 4 - 5 weeks to go.

FOUR – FIVE WEEKS, PEOPLE!!!! AND NOTHING IS READY!!!!!! ESPECIALLY ME!!

Note that the tone of panic in my words is not from lack of wanting a baby – little Muffin is the best thing ever and I am so excited to meet her.

But I’m also wetting myself in fear.

A first time parent (to a human – we do have two dogs, but you can’t exactly just put a baby outside and scatter food on the ground when they get annoying and hungry) I am freaking out at the prospect of being in charge of someone other than myself. It’s not going to be easy. There will be very rare ‘me’ time or ‘alone’ time – and, I’m not going to lie, I like being alone quite often.

We can’t just yell out ‘Stop It!’ when the baby cries, like we do when the dogs bark.

We can’t just hand the baby to someone else and wipe our hands and say ‘done for the day’.

We can’t just eat, clean, and do the shopping when we feel like it late at night.

Obviously the amount of joy and love we feel for the baby outweighs any of these menial things, however, it just struck me that this will occur. Like, I’ve known it was going to happen – I’m not an idiot – but it’s just hit home. Four weeks of baby-free time left!

I don’t exactly feel like skydiving or going to a rave, but it’s nice to know I could if I wanted to. Or, could have (past tense) in pre-pregnancy terms.

So this week only a few things have to happen –

-          Complete all marking of assessment when it comes in.

-          Complete all reporting on students when they come in.

-          Photograph all student work for SAS.

-          Pack bags for coast.

-          Clean house, vacuum, provide meals for self and Justin

-          keep food in fridge, keep dogs fed and healthy, keep remaining plants alive (Two left out of six).

-          Spend time cooing and patting unborn child so she knows who I am when she comes out.

-          Practise songs for Carols by Candlelight next week.

-          Ensure cheerleaders are ready with their dances.

-          Find something to wear for Carols by Candlelight as all clothes now look like sacks (maternity gear) or cling-film (normal clothes).

-          At some point, FIX EYEBROWS so you don’t look like a wookie, and shave legs if you can reach them. (Justin has refused to help in this regard – I now need a chair to reach toes in the shower as I am afraid of falling down and not being able to get up again and drowning miserably in lukewarm water as the hot water heater gives out…)

-          Continue to check up on house (Slab and frame are up this week! Hopefully roof soon!)

-          FREAKING RELAX AND PRACTISE YOUR HYPNOBIRTHING!!!

Am starting to worry that lack of practise will ensure hypnobirthing method won’t work, and I’ll have to get an epidural or something. I just really, really, really want to deliver drug-free and naturally, but I suppose sometimes it just doesn’t happen. I’ve been practising, but finding the time is difficult at the moment. Not to mention I’m a bit tense with all this stuff that has to get done. I’ve been watching some amazing hypnobirthing videos on youtube which either give me a false sense of security of how amazing it is going to be, or make me freak out at how I’ll never obtain the amazing state of calm that these women have during their birthing!

One woman was talking about her surges (contractions) being like the ocean, and she imagined dolphins swimming merrily beneath the waves. All my mind went to when attempting to conjure this vision, was how pods of dolphins sometimes brutally attack orca whales and sharks when they invade their territory. Mmmm. Calming.

Anyway – am conjuring visions of waves on a beach, dogs playing in the water, swimming in rockpools, etc, and am making a playlist of music that calms me. After trying Enya and Classical music, I am still partial to old-school Silverchair and The Living End, which may not provide adequate stimulation for the whole ‘calm birth’ thing. Especially for the midwives.

Well – let’s attempt week 36 in style! It will my teaching career take a brief (or long) recess as of Thursday afternoon – then maternity leave kicks in! One week left in Bilo before heading to the Sunshine Coast for some R&R and a few doctor’s visits.

Lots of love – wish me luck with the marking!

Rhonie