Friday 26 April 2013

37 week ponderings - homebirth plans, cloth nappies, nesting...

On Sunday (or today) depending on who's dates you go with (mine or the dating scan) I reach 37 weeks pregnant.  It's quite a big deal, reaching 37 weeks, I think.

As I'm planning a home birth, this means I can now happily labour at home (as long as there are no complications), even if I'm not 40 weeks.  Yippee!  There is a good chance I will get to use our birthing pool.  It's something I've worried about, after all this planning.  I really want to give home birth a go.  Even if things don't pan out, it'd be nice to think labour started at home, that I gave it my best shot.  Obviously, thinking positively  I hope that the whole birth will occur at home!

So.  What's going through my head at 37 weeks pregnant?  Well, quite a lot actually.  Though many pregnant women are worn out and suffering with "baby brain" causing them to forget things ALL THE TIME, we actually have quite full and active brains.  I think it's because they are so full of thoughts/plans that we forget silly stuff.  You know, like taking your son out in the car to ride his scooter up at the local sea front but leaving the scooter at home, right on the drive way, practically with a sign on it saying "please steal me and sell me on eBay!".  I'll give you a glimpse into my head right now:

I must plan ALL THE THINGS! 

I'm obsessed with being organised and prepared for things at the best of times.  As I reach the end of this pregnancy, I've gone beyond nesting.  I've decided that as baby is due in May and Fathers Day is in June, it'd be a great idea to buy/make presents for hubby and Granddad now.  Not only buy them, but wrap them up.  And make cards as well.  This is well and good, but the chances are that I'll probably have forgotten where I've put them by the time Fathers Day actually rolls round.  Or be too sleep deprived to remember on which day it falls.  Never the less, I am steaming ahead with this plan.  The power of hormones compel me!

Real/Cloth nappies

I used Naty nappies with Ethan - disposable but better than your average disposables.  I've planned throughout this pregnancy to do the same this time.  After all, I'm not planning to have a 3rd child so really it'd be silly to invest in cloth nappies now... and yet, at 37 weeks pregnant, when I could pop at any moment and should not be worrying but trying to rest all I can, I find myself trawling the internet and eBay looking at cloth nappies and thinking.. just thinking... it'd be so nice to use cloth!!  I'm mad to be thinking this now, surely?  One of the reasons I've steered clear of cloth, despite preferring to be green and loving everything about them from their ethos to the way they look, is that I know how easily stressed I am and that I am not someone who needs extra hassle when a baby comes along.  Like many things baby though, I'm not finding it easy to be logical about this.  Deep down I know I would love to use cloth.  I'm scared to though.  I have no idea where to start, I'm worrying about taking something on that I can't handle and I'm not sure where I'd come up with the money to buy what I need upfront.  I just don't know if it's practical for me.. all the same, I love the idea of them!

Baby position

Prior to my check up with the midwife this week (or middle-wife as Ethan calls her) I was seriously concerned about the position of baby.  Due to some big movements the week before and where I was feeling hiccups, I was convinced that he was breech.  I spent the whole week stressing over this.  Any spare time I had was spent hanging upside down from the sofa, on the birthing ball or on my hands and knees (and no, not in a sexy way!).

Here's an attractive photo for me to share with the world!
I didn't feel him move positions so was petrified on Thursday when I had my appointment.  I know people (locally) who's babies have been breech at 36 weeks and they were all sent into hospital to have the baby manually moved and if that didn't work, booked in for a c-section at 38 weeks.  So NOT what I want.  I pretty much had a panic attack in the waiting room this week.. it didn't help that my midwife was (as usual) running half an hour late.  Turns out I was worrying over nothing, that actually he is in an OK position.  Not perfect (he's lying to the side a bit) but he is still head down.  No engaged, but that's not something to worry about.  I never realised second babies don't generally engage until labour! Interesting!

Presents for my son

I've always liked the idea of giving your first born a present when the new baby arrives.  After all, they've been your one and only for however long (in Ethan's case, nearly 4 years) so it's likely that even if they are excited about the new baby and being a big brother/sister they are also likely to feel a bit usurped and left out.  The idea of a present "from" the baby to your first child is a simple one.  Something to remind them they aren't forgotten.  I like the idea of it being "from the baby" as well - I like to think it'll be an encouraging start to a lifelong bond.  I've bought a few things "from the baby" for Ethan.  I've tried not to go overboard.  I've got him a "Big Brother" t shirt (the baby has a Little Brother one).  I also picked up a couple of Dr Seuss books in the charity shop, a card game and I've ordered one of those huge lego head storage boxes for Ethan's lego.  Quite a nice selection I think!

Have I got everything for labour?

Planning a home birth means you have to go to a bit more trouble than if you're planning to go into hospital.  At first you think "I'm labouring at home! I won't need to do anything to prepare!" but that's just not the case.  First of all, I've packed a hospital bag anyway, because things might not go to plan..  Right there, that's all I did last time.  On top of that I've had to get everything I can think of to cover labouring at home.  The Good Birth Company have provided a birthing pool and they have a great selection of kits which you can buy alongside their pools (kits include a sieve, a thermometer  a pool liner, a pool lid, a pump to blow up and deflate the pool, a pump to remove the water afterwards, a hosepipe and tap attachments and other items) but I've still had to buy/gather up more items.

Just some of the stuff I've been collecting up..
I've collected a whole heap of old towels.  I've got plastic sheeting from a DIY store, a cheap shower curtain and oilcloth material.  All will be used to protect surfaces such as the carpet and sofa.  I've got a waterproof mattress protector on our bed alongside an old towel and a disposable bed wetting pad.  These are in case my waters go in bed or in case I decide I want to labour in our bed.  I've also got a dark blue fitted sheet on the bed because it'll be more forgiving if I stain it.  I've bought a cheap handheld mirror to help us see what's going on during labour.  I've bought masses of supplies such as energy drinks and snacks.  I've got my TENs machine from last time but I've had to buy new electrode pads.  The birthing ball is ready and set up.  I've got the potty down from it's hiding place (it's been hidden away after Ethan started using the loo) in case I need a poo/wee during labour and don't want to leave the pool.  I've got oodles of maternity pads and cheap black pants from Primark.  I'm sure there's even more that I can't remember just now!  Planning a home birth is definitely more involved!!  Even the birth plan took me longer...

I must clean the top of the wardrobe and sell those clothes at don't fit on eBay...

I can't seem to stop dying baby clothes or faffing around in baby's room!

Crazy nesting.  If you've ever been pregnant you'll know what I mean.  Nesting really does make us do strange things that people in our delicate (heavy) tired state should NOT be undertaking.  I remember some classics from last time such as cleaning out and bleaching our freezer, reorganising it and labelling the draws.  I also remember listing a whole heap of things on eBay when I was not only due to pop but overdue.  You can guess the outcome.  I ended up having to make trips to the Post Office to post items that sold when I had a tiny days old baby.  Stupid.  So stupid.  That's one mistake I won't be making this time.  But you can be sure I'll still be staying up until 2am tweaking the décor in the baby's room or steam cleaning the oven.

Style

Trying to look my best... feeling rubbish!
I'm mostly a style/fashion blogger but even my style is struggling to keep up with the body of a heavily pregnant women.  I just don't have the budget to buy heaps of maternity wear and I'm so far along now that it'd be pointless to buy any more.  I just have to struggle along wearing a tiny selection of clothes and trying to keep feeling "stylish" and "like myself" but it's getting harder by the day.  For one thing, I have to wear compression tights every day because I don't want to aggravate the varicose vein that has appeared on my leg.  Because I'm wearing these tights every day, they are taking a lot of punishment   I've now had to sew them up three times and paint the ladders in with clear nail varnish.  Whilst they are holding together and just about doing their job, they are NOT looking stylish.  Not at all.  They are unsightly so I'm forced to wear other tights/leggings or jeans over them..  It'd better not get too hot before this baby comes out!  I am NOT feeling stylish.. and that is why you are not seeing many style posts from me at the moment!! At least, women's style.  Thankfully I can still go on about children's fashion!

There are so many more things I could blab on about tonight . but this has been a massive blog post and in all honesty, I want to eat some ice cream now.. so I'm going to sign off!!

6 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have it all under control though and even if you feel naff you look so well to me! Lovely neat bump too :)

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    1. Thank you - I look better than I feel I think!! x

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  2. GO EAT ICE CREAM.

    Wait just seen the date this was posted.

    GO EAT MORE ICE CREAM/

    I'm so excited for you. Love LOVE LOVED my homebirth though didn't go for the whole water thing so I really didn't go to much effort other then to change our lightbulbs and buy some shower curtains.

    I also used tens machine and have it all sat waiting for me with new electrodes so I can never chicken out of having a third and it would totes be a waste of money.. right? ;)

    Loving baby's room!! Hope you're well and enjoying this baby free time.. :) x

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    1. I did indeed eat ice cream!!

      I really REALLY loved my TENs last time. In a weird way I'm looking forward to using it again, even though it does mean being in pain!! It was such a useful distraction!

      Oh yes, hang on to it! You can use them for other things as well, can't you, like period pain, back pain etc!

      Thanks for commenting :) x

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  3. I love the crazy things we do when we're nesting.

    Thanks so much for sharing at the Friday Baby Shower - I've feature you this week, Alice x

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  4. I've used honest diapers with both my boys and they're wonderful, no leaks, last through the night and they love the designs.

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