38 week pregnancy update

Top to Bottom, left to right: A cute adorable little monkey babygrow we picked up at Sainsburys (£12), my bump at 37+5, a wicker stand I'm turning shabby chic by painting it white so it can go back into the new bathroom and not look out of place, and our 6th wedding anniversary.

MY WEEK
Overall it's been a pretty good week.  At my consultant appointment on Tuesday she said that my next appointment (tomorrow) is likely to be my last (more on that below).  This last week we've also had our bathroom done, it was amazing, the plumber & fitters managed to get it all done in 4 days!  It still needs to be painted which won't happen before the baby comes - that's not a big deal, but there are big bits of plaster exposed on the walls, so it does still feel like it's only 50% done, we've held off moving everything back in there until it's been painted otherwise we'd have to move it all out again :P

I've finally started to nest too!  On Friday I cleaned the bathroom, the nursery, the lounge & conservatory floor and dusted the TV unit - also sorted through some paperwork.  I felt like I could have kept going all day!  Then on Sunday I gave 2 coats of white paint to the wicker stand pictured above (the colour theme for the bathroom is dark wood (wenge) and white) so hopefully it'll blend in a bit better in there now.  I'm writing up a whole post about my renovation of it.

SYMPTOMS
The heartburn has eased, and now it's more general aches and pains, so a very achy lower back, my hips are hurting a lot, especially the right one.

SLEEP
My sleep is very up and down at the moment.  Saturday night was terrible, both the hubby and I were awake from about 5am, after a very restless night and didn't fall asleep again until about 7am.  The worst thing is waking up in the middle of the night needing a wee - I get a real ache in my hips and when I have to turn to get out of bed, it's really painful, especially when I limp off to the loo :P

DIET & WEIGHT
After a busy day yesterday, I missed weighing myself again - however at my last appointment on Tuesday I'd lost another pound or two, which is good!  My diet is the same, still fruit salad for breakfast, cheese sandwich and Quavers for lunch and a simple dinner.  I must admit, I am looking forward to eating relatively normally again.  The diabetic nurses said that once the baby is born I can stop monitoring my bloods.  Since this diet has really agreed with me, I do plan to keep some elements of it going, like the switch to brown pasta - both the hubby and I really like it.  I still want to have fruit salad for breakfast and healthy dinners.  What I am looking forward to, is eating mango again and drinking fruit juice, as well as having the odd treat.  Hopefully, after Squidge is born I'll continue to lose weight if I can keep up this diet.

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Tomorrow!  It's likely to be my last antenatal appointment, how frightening! I'll be having a sweep, and a CTG (going on the trace).  If the sweep doesn't kick-off labour, then they'll look to induce me on Thursday/Friday.  So, that might make this my last pregnancy update too - god it feels so real now!

BABY STUFF
The only new thing we've bought this week is the cute monkey babygrow which we picked up at Sainsburys on a whim - it's so incredibly soft!!!

So I think that's a wrap on my weekly pregnancy updates!  *IF* they decide not to induce me I'll do another update for next week, but it's more likely that I might still be in labour come next Monday :) So if I'm scarce on here for a little while, you'll know why :)  I'll be back with an update as soon as I can after the baby is born, introducing him to you :)  I'll probably keep calling him Squidge just to protect his identity somewhat, but I will be sharing pics of him with you :)

Georgina <3

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The Nursery

The nursery has been a long work in progress.  It used to be our computer room where we both had a desk, where my large makeup collection was housed, and 2 bookshelves full of books and games. A few weeks ago we started clearing the room.  We moved the hubby's computer & desk downstairs into the lounge, gave my desk away, and moved the bookshelves downstairs (needless to say, our lounge is now very cluttered - we could really do with a bigger house).

Once the room was empty, we picked out some paint - Dulux Tuscan Glade 5 - it really doesn't show up well in these pictures, but in real life this is what it looks like.

Our in-laws came over and kindly painted the room for us, then the next day they came over and fitted the wooden floor for us too, amazing!  Once that was done, progress was quite quick, we were able to put the furniture together and start filling it with baby stuff.  I still haven't managed to get all his clothes washed, but quite a lot of them are.

This pic is from the doorway (with the door on the left).  The cot is right in front, with the chest of drawers on the right and the changing table in the far corner to the side of the window.

This is looking at the cot straight on - don't worry - that blanket won't be staying on when Squidge first sleeps in the cot, this is for when he's older, but I thought it was super cute and would look lovely in the couple of months before he sleeps in his room.

I didn't think there was room for a chair in the room - this is my old desk/computer chair.  But when the room was done, I was convinced I could fit in the corner.  Yeah there's not much room, but there's enough room to sit there and feed Squidge which is where I intend to go for the night feeds.  We just need to get a digital radio for the room for those night feeds.

This is why the change table is in front of the window, just to the side, so when I'm cleaning his poopy nappies, this is the lovely view I get (Caerphilly Mountain - it doesn't look crazy big as we're half way up it).

The change table - this was from Mothercare and is now discontinued.  The change mat I picked up from Boots.  And to the side is the Tommee Tippee Sangenic nappy bin for his poopy nappies, and maybe wee ones.  I have been quite disappointed with the Mothercare change table though - the quality really isn't very good - the drawers are very stiff and stick a lot, and the bottom one takes a lot of effort to get open.  I'm hoping they soften up with use, but I fear they're just badly made and expensive.

The cute light shade we bought for the room - we picked this up from B&Q and cost about £20 (there abouts).

We also fitted a couple of shelves above the chest of drawers, we matched the colour of them so they were similar to the floor and we've put lots of his toys up there - these will eventually be his to play with once he's the right age for them (some of which he will be straight away).

His cot mobile - I bought this from Mothercare when it was half price (£12.50 instead of £25) - it had great reviews, one of the things people loved about it is that it's wind up.  It plays music and rotates, very cute and I love it.

A collection of his teddy bears in the cot - two of which are lovely Jellycat toys - a Giraffe and his Bedtime bunny.  The blanket is from IKEA -with little woodland creatures on it, so cute!

His chest of drawers, FULL of clothes and bedding etc - these are from IKEA and are the Hemnes ones, the white glossy set (about £100).  Compare these to the Mothercare change table, and these are fantastically made - the drawers open smoothly and shut easily, with no effort - worlds apart from the change table!

And finally, his hospital bag all packed (we're having one each).  There's about 14 nappies in there, a pack of Waitrose baby wipes, a teddy bear and a range of babygrows, socks, hats and scratch mittens, and his going home outfit.

So there you have it - his nursery is finally complete!  The only thing left to do is for me to create a couple of paintings for his room and then put them up.  We were thinking about getting a rug for the room initially, but I don't think it needs one and in all honesty, there isn't really room for one.

It's a shame the camera didn't pick up the colours on the walls that well, but you can see in the swatch at the top just how pretty the colour is.  I didn't want to go for the typical 'blue' for a boy, same as the room wouldn't have been pink if we were having a girl.  I love that this is an earthy green, it reminds me of the woods, pixies and nature.


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Antenatal appointment update

As you know, today was my 37 week antenatal appointment.  I was booked in for a growth scan, and on the basis of that they will decide if I should be induced this week or next week.

I rocked up bang on time at 11:30, and waited half an hour+ for my scan.  It was a different lady to usual and didn't do the typical 'here's the heartbeat, here's his face' at the beginning of the scan to reassure me, ah well.  His head was measuring at pretty much 41 weeks, legs at nearly 42 weeks, and his abdomen is still bang on target at 37 weeks.

Then I had to sit and wait to see the consultant.  Luckily I didn't have to wait too long, only another 15 mins or so.  She was really happy with his growth and emphasised how because I'm overweight the size of the head etc is only an estimation, it's never accurate even if you're slim.  So her plan of attack is at my clinic appointment next Tuesday I'll have a sweep, and a CTG (that's when they trace the baby's heartbeat), hopefully that'll kick off labour.  If not, on either Thursday or Friday (most likely, Thursday) I'll go in to be induced (CRAZY!).

It's all feeling so real.  Up until now I haven't given much thought to labour, one because I'm trying not to stress myself out, and two because it's something I have no control over, so there's no point me dwelling on it, but now it's around the corner, I can't help but wonder how it'll be.

I also met with an anaesthetist today who talked to me about having an epidural.  It's not something I want to plant to have, but I am open minded to having it, should things progress that way.  He said that with being induced, the contractions are more painful as they're brought on artificially - so he said that it's a good idea to consider it, before the contractions get really painful and it becomes too difficult for them to do it.  So on the back of that I'll bear that in mind for when I'm in labour.

There is of course a chance that Squidge will make an appearance before then of his own accord (which is what I'm hoping for), but we'll have to see :)


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37 week pregnancy update - FULL TERM!

Top - Bottom, L-R: A strange rash that has appeared on my arm over the last few days, I think it's a late pregnancy thing.  The baby's hospital bag all packed and ready to go.  Delicate linen bags for the baby's socks and clothes - 2nd time we used it and it's ripped and torn - complained to Lakeland where I bought it from and they're sending a replacement.  I went to a Benefit Cosmetics press and blogger event in the week and they sent me a lovely book on brows (amongst other things).

Bump progress over the last 3.5 weeks - how crazy is that!?!?!?!

MY WEEK
I have to say, it's been a really good week, and it's all happening!  My first full week of being off, and it's been great.  Last Monday was my highlight - knowing I was off for another 9 months, it was beautiful and sunny, I had the patio doors open, good films on and just had a blissful day - best Monday ever :)

I had the antenatal clinic on Tuesday - they said they may even induce me this week!!!!  I have a growth scan tomorrow and that's when they'll decide, depending on how big he is - so when we go to the appointment, I'll have my bags packed and in the boot of the car just in case!  We finally finished the nursery too - the only task left is for me to create a couple of paintings for the wall and put them up, but everything else is done and ready to go :)  Don't worry - there'll be a blog post all about the nursery on Wednesday with lots of photos.

SYMPTOMS
Plenty more heartburn.  Also when I get up after sitting for a while or getting out of bed, I'm in a bit of pain, mostly around my right hip, it hurts to lift my legs for the first couple of minutes.  I've also been feeling really tired, more tired than usual.

SLEEP
Much the same, I've been really achy and waking up a lot in the night due to the aches.  I also totally feel like a turtle on its back trying to get out of bed in the morning (or in the night), it's painful and uncomfortable.  I'm looking forward to feeling more normal again once he's born.

DIET & WEIGHT
My diet is the same - still a diabetic one.  When I saw the diabetic nurse and dietitian last week they did say that when the baby is born, I can stop monitoring my blood sugars - then 6 weeks after he's born I'll have a repeat GTT (Glucose tolerance test) to check that my body is back to being a non-diabetic.  I managed to forget to weigh myself this weekend too - so no idea whether I'm up or down.

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Tomorrow!  I have a growth scan, full antenatal appointment and seeing the next week (eek).

BABY STUFF
We haven't bought anything else other than on Saturday making a little trip to Aldi, checking out their baby event and walking away with a load of nappies and a box of 4 packs of sensitive baby wipes.


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First week of maternity leave

L-R, Top-Bottom - Me at the Benefit event (after getting my hair cut) getting my brows blinged, my gel nail manicure, Matilda enjoying the tidy conservatory, my purchases and goodies from my day in town.

It's hard to believe it's now been a week since I started my maternity leave (well, technically I'm still on annual leave, but lets not split hairs).  While I won't be doing weekly updates on what I've been up to, I thought I might to begin with since it's totally new to me, and I'm curious if my first week of leave is similar to how you spent your first week off.

Wednesday (10th)
This was a pretty simple day for me, I spent the day chilling out, watching films (including WALL-E of course) and putting my feet up.

Thursday (11th)
This was a really busy day for me.  Got up in the morning, had a shower and washed my hair - then about 10:30 my in-laws popped over to take me to Topps Tiles to buy the tiles for our bathroom (we're having it redone next week).  We went to Wicks first (terrible selection) then B&Q (good selection, but if you want anything slightly colourful they're a little expensive) and eventually went to Topps Tiles - this is where I'd seen the tiles I really liked (soft minty greeny blue).  We have quite a dark bathroom so I need to keep the colours light.  I hadn't been feeling the baby move in the previous couple of days much either, so after getting back home and resting for a couple of hours, I called the hospital (maternity assessment unit) to see if they wanted to see me, and indeed they did. So the hubby made his way home and we headed to the hospital, where we were from about 3pm until 7pm.  Long day!

Friday (12th)
I have absolutely no idea what I did this day :P

Saturday (13th)
After being in the assessment unit on Thursday, they wanted me to come in again on Sat morning to go on trace again - everything was fine, Squidge's heart rate was good and my blood pressure was low.  From there we went to the Range to get some picture frames for the artwork I'm doing for the nursery, then we went to Mothercare (just a few doors down) bought the cot mattress and had the car seat base fitted to the car.  After that, we headed to the inlaws briefly, and then back home to put up the shelves in the nursery (looking very cute).

Sunday (14th)
We spent the day sorting out the bags of stuff we had in the conservatory - there was stuff everywhere! I should have done a before and after pic really - but our dining table was covered in bags as was our floor - while the room may not be perfect, it's now back to being usable as a dining room, and a place Matilda loves to chill.

Monday (15th)
Blogging, blogging, blogging!  I managed to write 6 blog posts over the course of the day and evening, write a freelance post and re-save and upload my latest pregnancy vlog - a pretty productive day.  It was so amazing knowing that I wouldn't be in work for another 9 months of Monday's.  The weather was lovely, I had the conservatory doors open, it was just the most lovely and productive day, if only all Monday's were like that :)

Tuesday (16th)
To balance out how awesome Monday was, Tuesday was a rubbish day.  I had an appointment at the antenatal clinic and to see an anaesthetist.  The clinic appointment was fine, although they did say that depending on next weeks' scan, they might induce me as early as next week! EEK!  When I booked in to see the anaesthetist the previous week they didn't have any free appointments, but they said they'd fit me in.  As you can imagine, this didn't happen (it should have happened 4 weeks ago!) so they've booked me in for next week with the same scenario but an actual appointment to see someone.

I also managed to have run-ins with 3 big brands - firstly BT - we have a probably with our hub in that the wifi constantly goes down and disconnects.  I tweeted about it which started up a long conversation about it... but after my last call to BT I don't have it in me to call them again, unless they want me losing my temper again.

Then there's Three mobile - they called me to offer an early upgrade a few days ago, so I called them back to discuss it, and after me being put on hold for over 10 mins, they disconnected the call - then sent me a text to apologise for it and asking me to call them again - whatever happened to calling the customer back???  So, I decided to not upgrade early, I was far too annoyed to go through their call centres, being put on hold for indefinite amounts of time again, I have better things to do.

Then we had a McDonalds for dinner - it's a 15 min drive to the nearest one, so hubby went and got it for us, and when he got back to the house he realised they'd missed including the fries we'd paid for - I  mean, how hard is it to make sure what is in the bag is what someone has ordered? Useless staff... they *always* forget something, literally every time we order from them.

By this point I was feeling really fed up with everything that happened in the day, I just wanted to go to sleep, forget about the day and start fresh the next day.

Wednesday (17th)
Another busy day!  I travelled in with the hubby in the morning, went to Cafe Nero for breakfast (chai latte and fruit salad).  Then headed to Boots to get my lips colour matched, then went to the hairdressers to get my hair done one final time before the baby comes.  Then I had some lunch in Costa (skinny iced latte, fruit salad and an emmental & mushroom toastie) before heading to the Benefit blogger and PR event (for my other blog).  After that, I headed to Superdrug as I was given a gift card to review their services, so I had gel nails done, and then about 3:30 headed home feeling utterly knackered!

So that was my first week on maternity leave, it's been up and down, mostly up, and quite busy! What did you fill your time doing when you first went on maternity leave, before the baby turned up?


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What's in my hospital makeup bag

The time has come for me to pack my hospital bag, well, that time was several weeks ago, and of course it's still not done.  But being a beauty blogger I do of course have my priorities straight and I have my makeup bag packed.  Probably one thing I really won't need or use, but none-the-less, it's packed and ready to go.  So here's a list of what's inside:

Real Techniques retractable kabuki brush (good for powder and blusher)
Urban Decay eden eye shadow primer potion (to keep my eye shadow in place)
Bdb brow pencil - something I really need!
Weleda skin food - I'm pretty sure my skin will need some TLC when I'm there!
Rimmel stay matte powder (self explanatory)
Collection Fast Stroke liquid eyeliner - I'm not me without a flash of liquid liner
Nanshy flat kabuki foundation brush - gotta have something to apply it with
Laura Mercier duo in black plum/sable - nothing OTT
Sigma E70 angled shading brush (for the eye shadow)
Korres lip balm in Guava - in a dry hospital I know I'll need this!
Makeup Revolution 'The One' foundation
Maybelline baby lips lip balm (more balm!)
Bourjois classic blusher - I'll either have no colour in my cheeks or too much :P

So they're all the makeup related bits and pieces I'm bringing with me - knowing me, I won't use any of it, maybe just the lip balm - but I'd like to think that at least when we go to leave the hospital I'll put on a little makeup, even if it's just my brows, some liquid eyeliner and mascara - but who knows, I might be far too exhausted to even think about that!

What did you do when you left hospital, did you wear any makeup to leave or when you were in labour?




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36 week pregnancy update

Top to Bottom, L-R: Lovely flowers bought for me by my team on my last day at work, Shelves finally up in the nursery with teddy bears and books on, Part of how my desk was decorated on my last day, My typical breakfast (yummy!), a load of baby laundry hanging up to dry (awww) and a derp face on my latest YouTube pregnancy update :)

MY WEEK
It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of a week (in a good way).  Tuesday was my last day at work before starting annual leave and maternity leave.  I thought I was going to be really sad, but because it's only a temporary break I was actually ok.  Monday (the day before) Squidge was pretty quiet, he seems to have a quiet day once a week, and when I was at my antenatal appointment on Tuesday morning they said that especially at this stage of pregnancy, if he's having a quiet day they need to know about it. Alas, Wednesday he was also quiet, so Thursday (I know, I really shouldn't have waited so long) I called the hospital and they wanted me to come in.

They put me on the trace monitor and Squidge's heart rate was ok, but on the higher edge of normal (it was flitting from 140-177 bpm) so instead of being on trace for 20 mins, I was on it for an hour and a half.  Because of that, and it being my 4th episode in, they wanted me to pop back in on Sat morning to go on trace again - all was well, his heart rate was similar but he was pretty active so they didn't mind.  My blood pressure was low for the first time EVER! lol, it was 100/60 - the lowest I've ever known it (it's usually slightly high) - but seeing as I felt fine they weren't worried at all - and lets face it, it's much better for it to be low when pregnant than high!

We've also made great progress in the house this week.  Saturday saw the shelves go up in the baby's room and on Sunday we sorted out all the bags of stuff we had in the conservatory (this will make room for the bath that's turning up ready for the bathroom to be done, and the pram to move from the nursery) - so it's starting to come together now.  There's just another 2 boxes of stuff to go through, and then we'll be close to getting the nursery finished.

We've also had some generous friends, and altogether had £85 of Mothercare vouchers.  So armed with these we bought the cot mattress on Saturday, and the car seat base - so thanks to their generosity we only had to part with £35 of our own money, which was amazing :)

SYMPTOMS
Lots of lower back ache, it just doesn't seem to subside at the moment and a lot of pelvic pressure since Squidge is well engaged!  Still been having my daily dose of heartburn with a side order of nausea, but that's nothing new.

SLEEP
This has improved a little, I'm still having to get up for bathroom visits in the night but I am sleeping a bit better, but in spite of that I'm still really tired and feel the need for daily naps now, only thing is, I begrudge napping in the day, it feels like such a waste.  I don't think our mattress is helping my achy lower back either, I just can't get into a position which eases the ache at all.

DIET & WEIGHT
I'm weighing exactly the same as the last 2 weeks, which is about 10lb lighter than before I got pregnant, I'm really happy with this as the baby will be gaining weight so I'm essentially losing weight right now, whoop :)

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Tomorrow - I have 2 clinic appointments, the normal antenatal one late morning and I'm seeing an anesthetist in the afternoon to talk about my options when being induced and allergies etc.  Hopefully after tomorrow I'll have a date for inducing me too, scary!

BABY STUFF
For stuff we've bought - just the cot mattress, car seat base, and 3 picture frames for the artwork I'm creating for the nursery.  However we've had quite a few presents!  Maybe I'll try and put these in a separate post :)


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Maternity leave - the final countdown

So today is the first day of my maternity leave, well, technically I'm on annual leave, but I'm not going back to work for 9 months, wooo!

There's 3 weeks until I'm induced and I have a lot of plans to fill the time until Squidge is due to arrive, like:

• Playing plenty of Sims 4 Minecraft and WoW (who knows when the next time I'll get to play is)
• Writing, writing and more writing! This may not work out, but I want to get as many blog posts written and scheduled as possible to cover me for the first couple of weeks after the baby is born, just to give me a break and not have to worry about writing
• Nesting - well preparing the house as best I can for Squidge's arrival, which includes washing the rest of his little clothes, lots of cleaning and making sure we have everything we need
• Resting - I'm also going to be having my feet up a lot and resting while the baby grows and gets ready for his big day
• Painting - I want to do some artwork for the nursery, I just need to buy the frames first, then I can start on my Studio Ghibli collection, if I manage to get that done before he arrives, I'll write up a post with pictures of the artwork :)

I think I'm in for a busy 3 weeks :)  Do you have any suggestions of some other things I can do during my 3 weeks before the baby comes?


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35 week pregnancy update

Top - Bottom, Left - Right: Progress in the nursery - we finally have the furniture put together, the hubby after completing the Cardiff 10k on Sunday (in 3 weeks he'll be doing the mens health challenge), The Sims 4 - I've been spending a lot of my time on that, baby clothes in the drawers, awww

MY WEEK
Well, this week hasn't been quite as crazy, so this blog post won't be quite as long :P  We've made some great progress in the nursery - we bought the drawers (Hemnes 3 drawer) and put the Mothercare oak changing table together (not very good quality).  We popped over to the in-laws to pick up lots of the baby stuff (mostly toys and clothes) to start filling the drawers.  We still need to buy more nappies - we'll be getting the Aldi ones, but in the meantime we've ordered some of the Waitrose Essential ones - our friends who have a newborn have said they're pretty much as good as the Aldi ones and they're practically the same price (only a few pence difference).

This week also see's me finishing work (tomorrow) and starting my annual leave and maternity leave, I can't wait!  I'm hoping to blog a lot more as I'll have the time to dedicate to it, and ideally, I'd like to get lots of posts written up in advance ready for when the baby comes.

SYMPTOMS
It's been the week of the bad back - my lower back has been killing.  Normally when I'm in bed and I get an achy side, just lying on my back for a couple of minutes eases the pain, but that's not helping any more.  I've also reached the point where I can't stand for more than about 15 mins without feeling sick and getting lots of pain in my back and bump.  My heartburn seems to have returned too.

Oh, and I've been having some cravings - spicy curry :D  For curry I always have pilau rice, with plain korma sauce (no meat or veg), and occasionally a bombay aloo - well the new curry place we've tried does a very spicy bombay aloo and that's what I really wanted.  It's that, and Fanta Zero - can't get enough of either at the moment!

SLEEP
As mentioned above, my sleeping has been interrupted by a very achy back and pretty horrid heartburn.  At this stage, I don't know whether it's the bad, old & tired mattress or just this stage of pregnancy.  Part of me thinks it's my body preparing me for the sleepless nights I have ahead.  I'm just grateful that at least then, my body won't be using all it's energy on growing a baby.

DIET & WEIGHT
My weight has remained the same, despite a growing baby and lots of curry, I must be doing something right!  My meals are still very much the same, fruit salad and greek yoghurt for breakfast, cheese sandwich on wholemeal for lunch and then either new potatoes, quorn and veg for dinner, or a pasta bake (or curry!).  It's not great variety, but it's been tasty :)

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Tomorrow - I'm seeing the diabetic nurse at the antenatal clinic, they're going to review my food diary and the bloods I had taken 2 weeks ago.  If I'm lucky I'll have another scan and get to see Squidge again.  I think I need to go back next week too and that's when they'll talk about inducing me at 38 weeks, scary!

BABY STUFF
I've not bought anything new this week, but what we have yet to buy and will hopefully this week, is the cot mattress, maybe Ewan the Sheep, and the car seat base *fingers crossed it fits without me having to move my seat all the way forwards*.


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34 week pregnancy update

Top-Bottom, L-R - Proof that Squidge is indeed a boy, our pram arrived (Graco Evo travel system), Matilda trying to eat some of my baby shower balloon, Mani from the weekend (OPI Suzi and the 7 Dussledorfs with the Max Factor fantasy fire top coat), the nursery progress - walls painted soft sage green and the laminate floor in, the Mamas & Papas equivalent of the Bumboo - thinking of getting this

MY WEEK
Well, you'd better grab a cuppa, it's been a big week!  Ready? Right, I had an appointment to see the diabetic nurse at the antenatal clinic on Tuesday (only seeing her) due to my blood sugar readings not being quite perfect.  Got there, waited about 2 hrs and then I was called in for a scan (wasn't expecting this), Squidge had turned to head down (whoop), his legs and head are still measuring a couple weeks ahead, but this time so is his abdomen (not great).  Fluid levels had dropped a smidge too, but not enough to concern them (yay).

Then I was called in to see a Dr, she talked to me about my thyroid issues, had a feel of my tummy and listened to the baby's heartbeat (aww).  She dropped a bombshell on me - that they're going to induce me at 38 weeks - this is for 2 reasons.  1) Because I'm diabetic, and 2) because his abdomen is starting to grow ahead of where it should be (thanks to the gestational diabetes).

Then I saw a consultant about my diabetes, he still wasn't quite ready to put me on tablets and wanted a blood test done and to see me back in 2 weeks.  After all that, I was there for 4.5 hrs!!!

Knowing that I'm likely to have Squidge early, I've brought my maternity leave and annual leave forwards by 2 weeks, which means I only have a few days left in work (Mon - Weds this week, and just Mon and Tues next week).

So you might say it's been an eventful week!

SYMPTOMS
HUNGER! The pregnancy hunger has finally found me! But I haven't really eaten any more than I normally would (whoop), I'm just hungrier - if I eat more, it'll mess with my blood sugars more, so I have to be really careful (boo).  I had a massive craving at the weekend for meat, big greasy burgers, bacon and sausages (not good considering I'm vegetarian!) - so instead, for dinner I had a plate of Quorn (protein) and a little salad - it seems to have got rid of my craving, I suspected it was more of a protein craving than anything else and I think I was right.

Pregnancy insomnia has found me too - more on this below.  Had the same amount of heartburn as usual.  We've also discovered that Squidge's routine is to have 1 quiet day every 7-10 days, well Saturday was the quiet day, and even though I know it's his routine it's still worrying.  But don't worry, Sunday he didn't stop wriggling all day! :)

SLEEP
So yeah, pregnancy insomnia.  Basically, I get really tired throughout the day, and in the evening I get really restless and when that happens, the only thing I can do is go to bed.  If I don't immediately fall asleep (not likely) then I get really restless again and a little itchy, then it takes me hours to get to sleep - and it's very interrupted sleep (needing to get up to wee or just waking up lots).

DIET & WEIGHT
Weight is the same as last week, so about 3 quarters of a stone lighter than when I got pregnant.  Diet is good, here's a typical food diary:
Breakfast: Fruit salad and greek yoghurt with a flat teaspoon of truvia.
Lunch: Cheese wholemeal sandwich, packet of Quavers and a can of diet pop.
Dinner: Quorn salad, or wholemeal pasta, or new potatoes with veg and quorn.
All in all pretty healthy - I'm just craving variety, and because I've been watching GBBO I've been wanting to bake again, but I daren't otherwise I'd be too tempted to eat my creations!

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Thursday 4th November - just a midwife appointment - but they gave me strict instructions that if I'm not seen at the hospital at weeks 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 & 41 then I must make a midwife appointment on those weeks.  Hence this appointment.

BABY STUFF
Well, the nursery is coming along in leaps and bounds (hubby is fitting the beading to the floor as I type this) - during the week the furniture will be assembled and arranged, and all the baby stuff brought back from the in-laws and put away (can't wait for that bit).  Don't worry - I'll do a big post with lots of pics on what the nursery looks like :)

The pram turned up too, so that's all assembled and ready to go.  We also picked up a couple of bits at the Asda baby and toddler event - bought some Johnsons sleepy bath wash and baby oil (I plan to bathe Squidge in the evening - subject to change!), a big tub of Sudocrem (this was super cheap at just £4) and some Infacol.

I also placed a good Mothercare order, I think I'll do a separate post on this for you on Weds :)

Still to do/buy:
Pack my hospital bag (I'm gathering stuff for it at the moment)
Go to Mothercare and see if the car seat base for our car seat will fit in the car - if yes, buy it
Buy a chest of drawers from IKEA for Squidge (Hemnes - 3 drawer unit)
I'm sure there's loads more and my mind has gone blank :P

I bet you're glad you got that cup of tea now!

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