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2006-04-21 - 10.47pm��previous entry��next entry
33 weeks, 2 days - weird cravings, Braxton Hicks, and nappies!
Past 33 weeks already! I hate that I only seem to get time for one entry a week (or less) at the moment, urgh. I really like updating frequently on my pregnancy diary, but I just don't seem to get time, or else it's because I blink and somehow another week has disappeared without me realising! It really is going soooo fast.
Okay, 33 weeks, let's see. Matthew is now measuring about 17 and a quarter inches from head to heel! The difference between his length and the average newborn's length is now only about the length of my little finger! He is sure to be waaay more scrawny than a newborn though! He is working on laying down his white fat already though, so he will fill out fast over the next few weeks. According to Babycenter.com, he should weigh about 4.23lbs at 33 weeks, but since I know for sure that he is measuring 2 weeks ahead, that makes him about 5.25lbs ALREADY! Wow! By next week he will weigh what I did at birth, right around my due date too! I was a teeny tiny baby :)
I measured my bump yesterday evening and it's exactly 35cm, so 2 weeks ahead as usual. The only thing that has me sliiightly nervous is that Arthur was 2 weeks ahead in his final birth weight, but my bump measured exactly on target throughout my pregnancy with him. This time it has been 2 weeks ahead every single time it has been measured. Hmmm! I think maybe Matthew is going to be bigger than I expect him to be. Which makes me nervous! I am such a little person!
I gained 2 more pounds in 2 days after my last weigh-in! I wasn't eating any differently so I presume I am just hitting another weight-gain spurt, as that's how it seems to go with me during my pregnancies. That puts my total gain at 30lbs (I think), and I now weigh 10 stone 10lbs, and I'm really starting to feel it. I get so tired lugging myself about, even just getting up from the sofa. I have noticed that when I quickly put on weight, I am extra crazily tired in the few days that follow, now that I'm this heavy. Any extra lbs at this point are taxing for me to adjust to I think, with such a small frame.
Today for the first time in AGES I have felt less hungry, so maybe the fast weight gain thing is fading out and my body is adjusting my appetite accordingly? All I wanted for lunch today was raw carrot!
Which reminds me, I have been having some ULTRA strange cravings for a week or so now, that are really persistant and also reeeally weird. I had nothing like them last pregnancy. I've read somewhere that odd cravings can be a bad sign (of some deficiency or something), but I can't think why I would have any deficiencies. Some parts of these cravings are just for the smells of things, more than the tastes. But they are SO strong.
The weird thing about them is that they are all chemicals. It started with toothpaste a while back. There is some part of my gullet and the sides of my tongue that have practically become an erogenous zone in response to toothpaste!!! ;) Seriously, it's sooooooo good, hehe! It's not so overwhelming that I need to eat toothpaste, but I do look forward to brushing my teeth and luxuriate in brushing for a lonnnng time when I do.
Anyway then we went to Homebase a week ago and oh. my. goodness. The smell in there nearly intoxicated me! Just a mild smell like you'd expect in a DIY store, a combination of things like raw wood, paints, hardware, etc. But man it was good. I wanted to DRINK the air! Then a couple of days later I found myself daydreaming pleasurably about swimming underwater in a heavily chlorinated swimming pool with my mouth WIDE open to get the maximum taste of chlorine! Hehe! And yesterday I took Arthur for a sloooow walk around the block, and we live next to the smelliest, most polluted road - ugh. I usually HATE walking near it with all the pollution. But car fumes, well, more specifically those stinging fumes that come out of old double decker London buses, are just YUMMY at the moment! I'm so weird. And choking bonfire smoke = mmmmm! Oh, and we had all the windows open to air the house before we had Neil's family round on Easter Monday, and one of our neighbours was staining their fence with creosote or whatever it's called. Now I normally do love the smell of creosote, but this time I actually wanted to TASTE the stuff, it smelt so good! It's so so so weird. And soooo not something I've encountered before in pregnancy! Strange how it's all chemicals (and not even friendly ones, at that!).
The only things that seem to scratch my vaguely chemical itch in my taste buds, food-wise, are Tesco's mint imperials, and raw carrot. The stuff is heavenly! But too many mint imperials give me a horrible stomach ache, pah. Sometimes I feel like I just want to CHEW on some raw wood though. And today I DID chew on the hem of the T-shirt I was wearing for a while, just to get that lovely faint taste of wet-detergent-on-clean-fabric :) Mmmm....
Apart from all that weirdness (!), everything else seems normal! Matthew's head seems soooo low to me. I can't wait till my next midwife appt so I can ask what she thinks of his position, or rather how palpable his head is. I hope she won't pooh-pooh such a check as too early at this stage (which it is really), because I really want to satisfy my curiosity about the way it has been feeling lately. It feels to me like he is almost engaged (though SURELY he can't be?!), as his head bumps and grinds on my cervix a lot. When I get a Braxton Hicks contraction, it's actually painful with how hard his head is, crushing against all the soft tissue down below! If I'm sitting down on a hard chair when I get a Braxton Hicks I cannot bear to stay sitting. I feel positively pinched between the hard chair and his hard head, and it's not nice! The pressure feels overwhelming.
My Braxton Hicks have become a LOT stronger lately. I get plenty each day, but not over-frequent or regular or anything. Just normal BHs I think. They are almost all painful now though, that's the main change. It seems to be just the strength of them that is causing them to hurt, and that fact that Matthew seems to FILL my entire torso, both width-wise and up and down, so when he gets squeezed I really feel the pressure of him against all sorts of tender parts! Instead of putting my hand to my bump and saying, "Ooh, is this another Braxton Hicks?..." I find myself distracted when driving, walking round Tesco, or basically doing ANYTHING, and saying, "Ohhh no... another Braxton Hicks!" because they are just soooo uncomfortable and strong now. I never miss a Braxton Hicks now, no matter what I'm doing. Sometimes they make me get a hot flush or feel kind of yeurgy in my stomach if the pressure seems all fiery up at the top of my bump. Other times they just make me want to poo and wee at the same time! One or two have actually had me worried that my waters would break under such pressure! But I guess they wouldn't really. And obviously they haven't so far! I have just started to have to breathe through one or two of the strongest ones this week, not in a big way, just that it helps a little if they are awfully uncomfortable. It makes me a tad nervous that I still have 7 weeks to go, and Matthew is only going to get bigger and my contractions stronger in that time!
I am finally starting to retain a little more water, I think. Neil noticed one morning that I was puffy in the face when I woke up, but it was better in the evening. My toes are sausagey and feel hot and tight every evening now, although I have no swelling to my ankles that I can see yet. I am no longer bothering to try putting my rings on! My fingers look just a bit more puffy to me now, and the weather's warming up a tiny bit so that would not bode well for wearing rings anyway! I still get a TON of cramps in the muscles around my ankles and at the bottom of my calf muscles where they join the ankle ones. Sometimes at night I can feel my feet moving into a pointed-toe position of their own accord (sooo weird!) because of the muscle cramping up, before I even get the pain of it. If I feel them doing that I quickly pull my toes back up towards me and that seems to ease the cramping. It happens so easily and frequently though. My muscles are not happy with me!
I'm still watching Elle Tens machines to buy :) They seem to be selling on eBay for almost the exact cost of a brand new one online, so I might just end up buying one new from a proper Tens place, we'll see. I am also getting some good advice on slings and carriers from various groups online :) For ages now I have been really tempted by the Kozy carrier - it's a Mei-Tai and I love those! I made one myself but haven't used it much because I got pregnant about a month after I finished it, and it's kind of a beginner's effort if you know what I mean! Anyway, I have been hovering around the Kozy site for months now :) Maybe I'll buy one if I can find some money! Also I'm wondering about a lightweight fabric sling for the hot weather, one that I can carry and breastfeed a newborn in, just during the first few months so that I am more hands-free for playing with Arthur and stuff. But I still have no idea about what to get for that yet, and maybe I won't even get anything at all? It's just an idea.
We got all the newborn baby clothes down from the loft, and all the nappies that Arthur has outgrown as well! Yay! That was sooooo much fun to sort them! It took me a while (and Arthur helped, of course!), but now we have put a ton of clothes for 6 months plus back in the loft, and everything else is in boxes waiting to be re-sorted and clothing that is suitable for Matthew (ie, not winter-wear!) put away in his drawers :) We discovered we have seriously got way too many clothes for one little boy! I guess I went a bit overboard at eBay shopping for Arthur! He always had tons to choose from, it has to be said! There is also quite a bit that I am ready to sell on again, and not use for Matthew. We have absolutely everything we need for him, and don't need to buy a single thing more, which is great.
It was so fun to sort the newborn nappies! I haven't seen them in so long, and they look sooooooooo tiny and cute after seeing Arthur's enormous toddler nappies every day for months and months now! I sorted all the nappies into size 0 (newborn), size 1, and size 2, and then we put the size 2s back in the loft. Arthur is in size 3/toddler nappies now - he outgrew the size 2s long ago. I'm not sure what to do with the big box of size 1 nappies and wraps. Matthew will be in them fairly quickly, but not for the first month or two, so they'll just be in the way until then.
Anyway, for the cutey tiny nappies, I have 12 Kissaluvs (size 0) - six are soft and new still, they are unbleached with pastel rainbow serging. I bought them new for Arthur and they lasted really well on him. I think those were the ones he was in for the longest, out of all his size 0 nappies. Then there are 3 kissaluv colors, one in lavender, one in peach, and one in lemon with a lavender inner. Those were also new for Arthur so they are still soft. The other three are plain white, bleached through lots of washing, and were very second-hand when I got them for Arthur. They feel way more stiff and crunchy than the others and today I have put them through a wash with Fairy non-bio and then a tumble dry to see if that makes them any softer, as I think the last time they were used, we hadn't discovered the soft soft joys of Fairy non-bio, hehe! And our tumble dryer was broken so we were radiator-drying everything. I hope they soften up, otherwise I feel like I don't want to put them on Matthew's soft new skin, so I might just sell them on.
Anyway, I also have two Tots Bots unbleached nippa nappies in size 0!!! They are so cute and tiny :) Here's a photo of Arthur wearing one of them at 4 days old - glad I have this photo to serve as proof that he actually DID fit in those oh-so-tiny nappies (I really wouldn't believe it otherwise!):
I copied the Tots size 0 to make four of my own, only with much softer, thinner towelling on the outside (a soft pastel stripe bathrobe) and super-soft white microfleece on the inside. I used the nappy nippa to fasten those, and they were an even better and softer fit on Arthur than the actual Tots size 0 :) So we'll use those again. I made one Tots size 0 replica out of all white sherpa too. And that is the nappy stash.
For wraps, I made a fleece wrap (Tots fleece wrap replica in size 0, but with a slightly lower rise and a notch cut out for the umbilical cord) out of Malden Mills lavender windpro fleece (gorrrgeous stuff!) and that was just about the best fitting wrap for Arthur's size 0 nappies, and very soft on his legs. The only thing was, it was a little bulky on a newborn, being thick fleece. These days I have discovered Malden Mills lightweight windpro, which is sooooo thin, and I have it in deep cranberry red, sunset orange, and soft moss green :) So I will be making Matthew a newborn wrap out of each of those colours, yay! They'll be soft and fit wonderfully, and yet not be too bulky, I hope.
I also have two Bummis Super Whisper Wraps in size newborn - we had a Noah's Ark print one for Arthur and it was just wonderful. I wished soooo much that we had more at the time! I just won a froggy print one (my favourite print!) from eBay, barely used and a fab price, so I'm happy! I was going to get more than just 2 for his stash, but to be honest I have such a lot of fabric, and could make Matthew all the wraps we need using my Tots wrap replica pattern. Those and the BSWW were the best fit on Arthur, and lasted well as they were a generous cut. They were absolutely leak-proof as well, no matter if the poopy blow-out overwhelmed the actual nappy on rare occasions! So I am glad to make some more of my homemade ones :) I have so far cut out the moss green windpro ready to sew, and also a John Lennon cotton print, which is soooo cute, together with some white PUL and baby yellow microfleece for the inner part of the wrap :) I can't WAIT to sew that one up! I'll be sure to post a photo! I have another Lennon print wrap with PUL and white suedecloth on the inside, which I made for Arthur and bound the legs with microfleece to make them extra soft on his leggies :) It performed wonderfully, so I'll do the exact same thing on this next wrap and bind the legs with the baby yellow microfleece, and hopefully it'll perform just as well. I love the Lennon print fabrics, they are so cute! I have two more that I haven't even used yet.
We did have six newborn Proraps, and I even made contoured fleece-lined pads to fit them exactly for a really non-bulky newborn nappy solution, ready for Arthur. But the combo didn't fit him for long, and then I didn't actually like the Proraps very much at all. They were trim and leak-proof, but I didn't like the scratchy effect of the PUL against MY body when I was having skin-to-skin time with Arthur, etc. They just aren't the softest, nicest feeling wraps in the world, so I have put them aside to sell, since we'll have plenty of other wraps when I finish sewing. I don't plan on using them for Matthew. We also have a Stacinator So-Simple in size newborn, but that is pretty huge for a newborn wrap, and it took Arthur a while to grow into it.
This week I have found a little time here and there to sew, and decided I wanted to make newborn sized nappies from my Very Baby AIO pattern, but NOT an all-in-one with a PUL outer. I wanted to make them fitted with a soft non-waterproof outer, to wear with a wrap over the top. They look like they'll provide excellent containment even with breastfed poo, but I can't help but be slightly wary about AIOs for a newborn! I prefer the added protection of a wrap on top to completely avoid the risk of a pooey blow-out! So I made two Very Baby newborn nappies out of white sherpa and a couple of different very soft, cute flannel prints. They turned out sooo lovely!!! I will post a photo when I finish making the rest of my little batch of them! But the thing that struck me about them was how TINY they are. I felt sure they were better sized for a premature baby, and couldn't possibly fit my enormous boy! I was sure it wouldn't have fitted Arthur. Today I got out the newborn nappies that Arthur used again to compare with the Very Baby ones that I made, and to my surprise they are comparable in size! I can't believe how tiny they are though, it's crazy! They are so cute. I'm going to make more, but maybe some with microfleece inners for extra softness and dryness. I was thinking to make 6 or so, and then I'll have a plentiful newborn nappy stash, along with all the wraps we'll need. I am so excited about sewing all those lovely nappies, and even more excited about finally using them on my tiny boy! Yay!
I can't think what else I was going to say this entry.... I am having a lot more trouble with insomnia these days. I can't sleep for hours and then when I do, I wake up easily and frequently. I am needing to pee at least twice between midnight and 6am now, so that doesn't help I suppose.
I have had a couple of really vivid, weird dreams this week, that are still on my mind now. One was that I was getting married (to Neil - phew!)! There was a big focus in my dream about my wedding dress, which was the one I actually got married in - the detail in the dream was so vivid, it was like I actually saw the dress for the first time since putting it away after my wedding in reality. Weird. I was pregnant with Matthew and that was making it hard to think whether the dress would fit me for the big day! Weird.
Matthew's movements are getting so strong and uncomfortable. I have to suddenly shift position every time I feel him twist his head about, as it grinds so painfully on my bladder and cervix! He jabs hard with his hands and feet now, and it's uncomfortable when he pushes his bottom up and out of the top of my bump. I can't believe I have still got nearly 7 weeks to go and he's already feeling sooooo big and I'm so huge and uncomfy! But then on the other hand, I can't BELIEVE I only have 6 weeks and 5 days to go (only 47 days now!), that is just no time at all!
I reeeally need a drink of water. I can't wait to brush my teeth, hehe! I am so behind on diaries and emails, and I'm sorry I haven't thanked people for messages and notes lately too. I do really appreciate people's messages! I love to read them. I am so crap at leaving messages back for other people, ugh! Thank you for the comments on my belly pics recently too! I am getting bigger and bigger. Stretch marks still holding at their "Arthur" levels though! ;) I'll update again for 34 weeks (wowee!) if not before. Water. And then bed. But maybe I'll just cut another fleece wrap template first....
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