36 Week Bump Picture and more...

Hey all, 

28 days to go until the big day, where has the time gone?! 

I've been pretty slack with updating my blog as I've been busy and feeling groggy, however i am back to my usual self now :) 

The last two weeks have been pretty jam packed so i'm not going to go into loads of detail else i will be here for hours, so i will just bullet point what's happened. 

* Started going to Antenatal classes on Monday nights with Ryan. Our next class is all about labour and pain relief...eeek!! 
* Our Travel System arrived and has been put up - I love it :) Just want to take it for a stroll now lol. 
* Mine and baby's hospital bags are all packed, so we are ready if she decides to make an appearance. 
* Midwife appointments are now weekly, at the last visit baby was 4/5th engaged, so lets hope she continues heading that way! 
* The cot has now been paid off and is being delivered on the 25th. 
* The last of the baby bits have been bought, all her clothes have been washed and put away. Just need to put up her bouncer and fit the car seat in the car but will do that nearer to her due date. 

I'm sure more has happened but my mind has gone to mush lately ha ha.

I'm really starting to feel pregnant now...at 36 weeks i cant really complain though! 
I'm starting to get all the aches and pains quite bad, especially when walking for fair distances. Sleep is becoming almost non-existent, although last night i actually had a really good nights sleep :) 
Getting dressed is another mission, it now takes me at least 20 minutes as i have to sit down else i get really out of breath! 

To be honest i would be quite happy if she made an appearance now, just so that i can go back to being me. To think that there is a chance she goes overdue and i have another 6 weeks of feeling like this makes me want to cry! Who knows, she may be good and decide to turn up on time though...

Due to feeling like this on Tuesday i'm treating myself to a hair cut and colour so that i feel good when madam does decide to arrive and plus i won't really have much time afterwards! I haven't had my hair done in ages so i'm really looking forward to it :D 

Any who, that's enough rambling for me today so its time for my bump picture...

Lucy xxx

34 Week Bump Update and more...

Hey all, 

Just a quick update today as to be honest i'm feeling like crap. I'm really not sleeping well at the moment and its starting to have quite an affect on me. Today i have been feeling sick, out of breath, light headed, tired, sore...the list continues. I had a nap around lunch time and that perked me up a little bit, but i'm still not feeling 100%. 

Now, where to start...

As i mentioned in my last update me and Ryan had picked out a travel system we both loved, well it turns out we won't be getting that one as there had been a few problems with the company and they aren't able to deliver it until 18th December! A bit too late! 

As soon as we found out we started the pram hunt once again, but it was actually over and done with in minutes. We loved the Hauck Malibu, so we had a look to see what other travel systems they had and that's when we came across the Hauck Apollo 11. It is practically the same as the Malibu, it just comes with a couple more extras. For example, an adjustable handle, rain cover, foot muff and is a little more durable. 

This is the colour we have gone for, Blue and Grey. It's not very girly, but at the end of the day it's only a colour and i think i will be sick of the colour pink once she is here anyway ha ha.

This one has been ordered and should arrive on the 4th October, so fingers crossed :) 

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Next up...my recent midwife appointment. 

Everything is all on track as usual, madam is still head down, woohoo! Her heartbeat read 156BPM, pretty much the same as every week. My Fundal Height is measuring 34cms which is bang on track too. The only thing that worried me this week is that my blood pressure was lower than usual. It usually reads 110/60, however this week it read 90/60. The midwife said it could be down to the lack of sleep i'm getting and that we should just keep an eye on it. My weight is still creeping up slowly, i'm now weighing 84.3 kgs which converts to 13 stone 3lbs. 

My booking in weight when i was just gone 9 weeks was 11 stone 2lbs, so I've only gained 2 stone 1lb so far, i'm pretty happy with that as i was expecting it to be a lot more. Obviously i know I've still got more to gain but i'm not too worried as once Christmas is over my plan is to start getting rid of all the baby weight :) 

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Now time for this weeks bump picture, excuse the lazy clothes :) 

I don't see much of a change, just getting even more rounder. 

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Best moment of the week: Ordering the last few baby bits for madam! Almost have everything. Woohoo. 

Bye for now. 

Lucy xxx

33 Week Bump Picture and more..

Hey all, 

So, i'm 33 weeks today...it's quite scary to think that in 4 weeks i shall be full term, which means our little monkey could decide to make an appearance in as little as 4 weeks!! I highly doubt it though seeing as she is my first and with first pregnancies you tend to go overdue. 

I'm defiantly starting to feel pregnant now, bump is getting heavier as the days go on and seems to enjoy lying in awkward positions. This means i'm finding it uncomfortable to sit down for long periods of time, i'm not sleeping great anymore and when i walk all i feel is pressure. To think i still have 7 weeks of this worries me a little. However i'm going to try and enjoy the last few weeks as i know for sure i won't be getting pregnant again for at least 3 years.

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In my last update i told you about me and Ryan being refused the Sure Start Maternity Grant and how we were worrying about how we were going to get the last few baby bits, i.e. the pram and cot etc, well, as they say there is always a silver lining with every cloud and i found mine, with the help of mum and her friend :) 

After searching most of the day online for cheap prams, sending emails, phone calls to mum and panicking, she came over in the evening with a travel system which her friend had for sale. It was nice however we worked out it would be a bit too big for me to use on public transport, which i use a lot! So it would be no use to us. Mum then mentioned that her friend was with a catalogue and could ask her very nicely if we could use her account. She said yes! 

Me and Ryan then spent a good couple hours looking on their website at their various travel systems, picking out our favourites. We then had to choose which one would be most suitable for us. 

It has to be: 

- Easy to put and collapse

- Small and compact enough to fit on public transport

- Ideally include a car seat and travel cot (any extras a plus)

- Easy to attach and remove car seat and travel cot

- Not too expensive

- Have good reviews

After looking at so many different styles of travel systems and reading though all the reviews, we picked one out! 

It is...drum roll...The Hauck Malibu 12 All in One in Black. 

We both love it. It matches our criteria perfectly, all the reviews are excellent and it also isn't too pricey. 

Brilliant!! 

Hauck do have this pram in many colours but we thought black would be the best option as if we have more children in the future we can use it again :) 

It has been ordered and we should have it by next week, i am SO excited :D 

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This last week has been quite quiet, however on Tuesday madam decided to give us a bit of a scare. All day Monday she had been very quiet, not her usual self and she was still quiet Tuesday morning. I don't usually worry as she wakes up after I've had food or a shower, but this time, nothing. 

I rang my midwife with my concern and she told me that they wanted me to go get checked out. I ended up going to Derriford Hospital and being put on a trace to monitor her heartbeat. Well, as soon as they put it on me she started kicking away, getting hiccups and rolling around. What a little monkey! They kept me on the trace for an hour and everything was fine. I did feel a bit silly but i rather feel silly than have worried for the rest of the day! 

The rest of the week i continued with sorting out all of her clothes, and mine actually. I decided to go through my drawers and wardrobe and decide what i didn't wear anymore. It was surprising how much junk i actually had. I've now made room for all her clothing, which seems like loads and even found places for all her nappies and wipes etc. 

I still have loads more items to find places for but that can be done as and when as it only takes 5 minutes to do. 

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Now, time for this weeks bump picture. My mum reckons she has dropped a little but i'm not too sure, what do you think?

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My best moment of the week was hearing little ones heartbeat on the trace, and the hiccups, and kicks...lol. 

Bye Bye

Lucy

xxx

32 Week Bump Picture and more...

Hey all, 

I've been a little slack this week as i usually do my update mid-week, however this week i have been caught up in so much i decided to leave it until today. 

So, 32 weeks, that means there is only 8 weeks left until my due date, eeekkk! I'm now starting to go through all the emotions. One minute i'm excited, then i'm scared, back to excited then freaking out that there is only 8 weeks to get everything sorted and the last few bits bought (which isn't actually that much) 

I think the whole nesting stage has hit me though as this week i have started washing all of her clothes, when i can as the great British weather is a funny old thing. However today the sun is shining so i managed to get a load out on the washing line. I even took a picture (how sad lol)

Excuse the garden, it needs a cut! 

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This week started off quite good, i got my results back from my GTT. They came back normal which i expected, however i was very happy anyhow :) 

Wednesday i had my Midwife appointment, not with my usual midwife however the one i saw was just as lovely :) Everything is on track and hopefully it will stay that way! 

Our LO is still head down and i'm hoping she will stay that way for the next 8 weeks. Her heartbeat was reading 159 BPM. The Midwife made a comment about how she was defiantly a girl with that reading. I sure do hope so! 

She measured my Fundal Height which was still 30cm, which is what i measured at my last appointment. However the measurements are unreliable and even the midwife said it's not a worry, but if at my next appointment its still the same then they will get it checked out. 

My weight gain is staying under control, which i'm very pleased about. I had only gained 3.3lbs since my previous appointment 3 weeks prior, which is spot on as they say you gain 1lb a week in your last trimester. 

Yesterday i had a bit of a freak out day. Long story short me and Ryan applied for a Sure Start maternity grant and we were pretty sure we would be eligible to get it. However i received a letter yesterday saying that we aren't. I instantly had a freak out as we had left a few bits on our list with the plan we could buy them using the grant money. I.e. Paying off the rest of the cot and buying the pram...nothing important :/

 As usual i rang my mum for some good old mum advice. She managed to calm me down and make me realise that we will be ok with a little bit of help. 

I do love my mum :D 

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Now, time for my bump picture :D 

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My best moment this week was finding out my GTT results are all ok :) 

Lucy xx

30+4 Bump Picture and more...

Hey all, 

I am now on the 10 week countdown, woohoo :D 

Seriously though, where has the time gone?! 

It only feels like last week that i was sat anxiously waiting to see my little baby on screen for the very first time! 

Having less than 10 weeks left has made me realise how much i have to prepare before she makes her grand appearance, however this gave me the motivation to write a list of EVERYTHING that needs to be done before my due date. I can now slowly start to tick things off the list once it gets done :) 

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This last week has been a very busy one. Just the way i like it.

On Friday i spent the day in Plymouth looking for a new outfit for my Grandparents Golden Wedding Anniversary which was on the Saturday. I went in with the idea to find something that wouldn't make me look too frumpy, so i was hoping to find something that was fairly figure hugging which i could just buy it in a couple sizes bigger. 

Not the case. 

Everything i liked would have made me look the size of a house due to this ever growing bump. So i had to go for Plan B...

Maternity clothing.

I ended up picking out a Navy and White Tunic from New Look for the price of £12.99 which i find fairly reasonable. 

I love the fact it can be dressed up or down, so suitable for most occasions. On Saturday i chose to wear it with a pair of black trousers, some ballerina pumps and dressed it up with a necklace. I looked smart but was comfortable. 

Saturday was a really lovely day. The sun was shining and everyone was happy.

 My Grandparents had their wedding vowels renewed at the church my Gran attends, followed by a mini buffet with family & friends in the hall. It was nice to have the family together all in one room as its very rare that you can get us all together! 

We also had lots and lots of photos taken by my grans cousins who are keen photographers. Me and Ryan even had a few photos of us and the bump, i really cannot wait to see them :D 

I took a couple pictures myself, here is my most favorite one out of them all. 

Once it was all over me and Ryan went back to my mums house for tea, and also because she has just got two kittens and i HAD to see them!

The one on the left is Millie and the other is Archie, they are a mad pair but oh so adorable!! I could have easily hid them in my handbag and brought them home however i don't think my 3 fur babies would have liked that so much! 

I also brought my Moses basket home which had been staying at my mums since she bought it. The only problem is i want to have little miss now so that i have a baby to put in it ha ha. 

<3 So cute <3

What else has happened this week?! 

Yesterday i had my GTT and it wasn't actually that bad at all. The worst bit was the 2 hour wait. The nurse managed to get blood out of me with no problem this time, thank god! Even the drink that everyone said tasted disgusting actually tasted fine. It reminded me of sucking on a sugar cube, very very sweet. Now i just have to wait for my results, which i'm pretty sure will come back A-OK anyway :) 

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Now time for my weekly bump update - 30 weeks & 4 days 

I think she has moved up just a little bit this week as usually my bump looks quite low! 

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This weeks best moment of the week is: Spending the day with family on Saturday and having photos taken of me, Ryan and the bump :) 

I shall end on that note, so Ta-ra for now :)

Lucy

xxx

29+4 Bump Picture and more...

Afternoon all, 

I warn you now, this may be a bit of a long post, but stay with me :) 

First things first, I am now free :D 

I had my last shift at work last night which means i am now of maternity leave, but not officially as that starts the 6th of October. I actually really enjoyed my last shift, it went smoothly with no hiccups, unlike what it can be like! So that was lovely :)

Everyone this morning said their good-byes and wished me well, it all got a bit emotional really. Then to my surprise my boss handed me a bag and said she had got me and the baby a few gifts, this then made me even more emotional as i didn't expect it at all. I decided i would open them all up once i had been home and slept. So that's what i done this afternoon :) 

This is what they got me...

My boss hand knitted the teddy, however i am not sure whether it's supposed to be a mouse or a polar bear, so, i have named her Mrs Molar Bear :) I think the taggy elephant is adorable too :D

2 x 3-6 month sleep suits by Jasper Conran and 2 matching bibs :)

A Cardigan which my boss also hand knitted :) It's actually quite yellow but the picture makes it look more white.

Such lovely lovely gifts :D 

Now I've finished work it's all becoming very real. I have so much left to do and only 10 weeks to get it all done! First thing i'm going to do is get into a normal routine, waking up at reasonable times and the same with going to bed, at least then i will be semi-prepared when our little miss is here :)

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Moving on...

As you may have read the last couple of weeks i won a clothes bundle on Ebay, well, it finally arrived yesterday :D I'm really happy with all the items and for £8.50 i can't complain! 

The bundle included: 

5 x Tops

7 x Dresses

2 x Leggings

1 x Jeans

1 x Joggers

5 x Tights

2 x fleece jackets

6 x Socks 

1 x Woolly Mittens

Quite a lot!! 

I took a couple of pictures...

I can't wait to be able to see little miss wearing all these clothes, however it ALL needs washing before she arrives!! 

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Now, it's time for my weekly bump picture :) I don't think there has been much of a change this week in my size. What do you think?

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One last thing, i'm going to start doing something called "Best moment of the week", so...my best moment of the week is: I was listening to little madams heartbeat on the doppler and she started to hiccup, it was an amazing sound and so so cute :D <3  

Anyway, that's enough babbling for this week :) 

Lucy 

xx

28+4 Bump Picture and more...

Hey all, 

Today has been a really good day, however quite busy, so it's nice to sit down and relax :) 

I had my midwife appointment this morning, after not the best sleep as this little madam kept on getting hiccups, kicking and lying in uncomfortable positions! 

My appointment went well, baby is lying in the head down position, for now! She still has 11 weeks to move around though. My fundal height is measuring 30cms, which is two weeks ahead, apparently this is normal and they rather you measure bigger than smaller. She also listened to LO's heartbeat, again that was spot on at 151 BMP. All in all everything is good with the baby :D Just what i love to hear! 

I had my usual weigh in and to be honest was worrying a little due to the amount of weight i have been gaining in the last couple months. In the end i had nothing to worry about at all as i have only gained 0.7kgs in 2 weeks, which works out to 1.5lbs, so i'm happy with that :D 

My blood pressure was also spot on at 110/60, which means there are now no more worries about me getting pre-eclampsia, woohoo! 

I booked in my Ante-natal classes today, exciting times! The first one starts on the 1st of October and i'm really looking forward to it. I shall be dragging Ryan along with me seeing as he will be one of my birthing partners. I'm sure he will love them ;) 

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Whilst i was at work last week i decided to start writing my lists (I have SO many to write!!) So the first list on my list was the Hospital Bags List. 

I will do a separate post to what I've chosen to go in my bags. 

However whilst i was in town today i thought i would start picking up a few of the bits i had written down, i know i have 11 weeks but it's always nice to feel prepared :) 

I decided Superdrug was my best option to begin with as it's reasonably priced and they seem to do everything toiletries-wise. However the one product i saw on their website which i really liked which they didn't have in stock was the Nivea Everyday Essentials Pack. When i'm next in the city of Plymouth i shall pop into the bigger store with hope that they have it in stock :) 

What i did pick up today was a mini tube of Macleans White N Shine Toothpaste which cost 89P and some Carex Refreshing travel wipes - 85P. I thought it would be a good idea to get everything i need in mini sizes, for 1 - I'm hoping to not stay in hospital for too long and 2 - It will save space in my bag as i have LOTS to go in it! 

Every time i pop in to town i will pick up a couple bits, just so i can slowly build up what i need to get and i won't have to pay out a big lump sum :) 

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Now, time for my weekly bump picture! I feel i have got bigger this last week but that may just be me! 

Here's another from earlier on in the week :) 

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That's enough for now :) 

Lucy 

xx