34 weeks

It's not that I'm getting 'over' being pregnant, I know there are things about it I'll miss, but I am definitely over feeling like a huge clumsy awkward fatigued, no exhausted, lump. I'm back to first trimester (less, for the most part, the nausea) energy levels. Every time I think I've sorted out what dose I need my bowel meds at, my body gives me a big 'f**k you, you're going to spend the next 4 hours on the toilet.' I keep thinking I'm going to achieve stuff. Nope.
I'm almost a week overdue on this post. I have made some progress on the quilt I'm making for bub, but I still have plenty to do on it. I have Tupperware to pack up and deliver. The nursery is a little better, but still has a heap of stuff in it that needs relocating. I have managed to pack my hospital bag, but it needs repacking since it's missing half my stuff.  My house is a mess and baby isn't even here yet. Ok, I'll stop now.

We have had another visit with Dr D. Not a whole lot to report there, but our next visit will be looking at our birth plan. Which is good, since we are getting pretty close now. I don't need anything concrete, just an idea of what she is thinking/planning. Concrete birth plans are a total waste of energy anyway, babies never do what they are meant/expected to do! Still, a rough idea would be good. We had our next scan the same day. They said they were scanning regularly to make sure baby is growing properly. Yeah a small baby isn't the issue here. This thing is huge! It's head is in the 95th percentile (it's really big ok, don't make me explain percentiles right now) and all the other measurements read 2-3 week ahead of the date we got at the dating scan. So I'm hoping either the dating scan was off, or baby decided to come a couple of weeks early. Our scan was at 32 weeks, but baby was weighing 2.6kg (6 pounds) already! They usually get to that weight at about 35 weeks. Thank you Tim, for your big head and generally large frame.

While we were at the hospital, we also went up to the post natal ward again, to see about access for me and bub. It looks like I'll be in a room by myself which is pretty sensible, since those rooms are crowded without trying to fit a wheelchair in them too. With my bathroom habits (I say that like I have a choice in the matter), sharing a bathroom would really suck for any roommate I had too. So, room by myself, and they are going to get me one of the bigger high-adjustable cots from the nursery, with drop down sides. This can come up beside the bed and work as a co-sleeper, so I can get bub out without having to get out of bed, much like the bassinet I have at home, except the hospital one has wheels. We also spoke about what I'll need in the way of equipment. If things go as I hope, then I'll need a shower bench, which is easily fixed. If I am in a really bad way and unable to transfer independently, I might find I need a hoist and camode chair for bathrooming, so we have them on standby if needed. 

The lactation consultant also saw us while we were up there (I'm guessing the wheelchair gave me away). I'd asked for the referral to her, since I'd read somewhere in my research that para mums with an injury level above T6 could have issues breastfeeding due to a lack of stimulation. I'd become less concerned about this over the last couple of months, since my boobs don't seem to have any problems with that! Talking to the consultant though, it was T3 that effects that level, but milk production is not controlled by the nervous system anyway, so spinal cord injury should have very little effect on milk supply. I guess we will find out!

As is to be expected, I am continuing to stretch and grow. My big belly is making things awkward, like getting in and out of my chair/bed/car. I've had to change where I do my clexane injections, since there's no fat left in the middle of my belly to poke it into. It's making my stomach massage harder to do, which is part of the reason I'm spending so much time stuck on the loo. While I don't really feel baby move in the way you usually do, I can definitely understand why some women complain they feel like a washing machine when I've got my hands on my belly and baby is going round and round and round and round. It's certainly running short on space in there! I've got myself a pair of maternity jeans a size up, to accommodate for my belly and all the fluid in my legs and, well, everywhere! I had a bit of a nervous moment the other day when I felt a big lump on my leg. Swelling is a sign of deep vein thrombosis. In my case, it was just a big bubble of fluid (I had one the same spot on the other leg) and it went down over night.

I've also done a wheelchair upgrade. No, up size. This isn't an upgrade. I have borrowed an old demo chair, which fits me well sideways, but is much too big in the front, so I keep crashing into, well, everything. It's also so wide that I have to squeeze into the laundry. For some reason I fit into every room except the laundry and second bathroom. I guess Tim will have to clean that one. Actually, to be fair to him, he does anyway. So if I need to get into either of those rooms, it's watch out for my knuckles! Tim has been playing around and is making me a new set of side guards for my farm chair, so hopefully they work and I can use that chair, which does actually me in the front and my legs, so I shouldn't lose my feet so often, and maybe I'll crash less.

There are several para specific side effects that can arise during pregnancy. While I haven't yet had any UTI's, the most common of said side effects, I have got a pressure sore. It's a small one, but it's on my butt, which makes it kind of hard for me to monitor. It's also an area that's at high risk of infection, so I've been through a dose of antibiotics already. Having had a few burns over the years, I'm pretty good at wound management, but since I can't see this one, I'm relying a bit more than usual on my GP and nurses. I've only got 6 weeks left before baby is due (actually it's closer to 5 now, since I'm late posting this week) so I'm not loving my chances of having this healed up before then. My main concern is knowing how easily you can get infections such as staph in hospital, which could be a total disaster from my butts point of view. But we have had a bit of practise at getting these things sorted, so hopefully we can keep on top of it and be most of the way there by the time bub arrives. The other good thing is that it's not located on the sitting part of my bum, so I'm not restricted to bed rest. It kind of looked like a graze, so it could have been from dodgy transfers, but I really don't know.

I have got to the point where it is almost impossible to find a bra to fit me. I had enough trouble finding comfy bras that fit well and didn't mark before I got pregnant. Having gone up about 3-4 cup sizes, that has become basically impossible. I can't find anything in Launceston, so I'm down to two bras that fit. Oh, except the strap buckle thing has broken on one of them! So really, one. So I did something that I never do. I ordered some bras online. I got three, one is fabulously comfy, the other two I've sent back as they are too small. If the don't fit, I'll cut my losses, but either way, I'll be ordering more of the one I'm wearing! It's basically a maternity sports bra and feels amazing. I never found sports bras this comfy when I was playing ball...

I also went and stocked up on some comfy clothes for post birth. I accidentally did something really smart and got a zip up hoodie, rather than a pull over one like I usually wear, which will be much easier to wear while I'm breastfeeding. It totally went over my head when I was in Target, but since they didn't have any pull over ones, I just got what they had. Never mind that I went and bought button up pj's 2 minutes later, so that I could feed wearing them. Clearly, I was having a good day!



My energy levels are right down again. I'm sleeping about 10-12 hours a night and usually only wake up once, but I'm not sure how deep my sleep is, since I'm so tired. It could also be related to my haemoglobin levels. I'll find out about that this week. 

Tim went and got his boosters this week, flu vaccine in one arm, whooping cough in the other. Except when you get a whooping cough booster (if you're not pregnant) it comes with bonus things, like tetanus, which makes for a pretty nasty vaccine. Poor Tim was feeling pretty miserable for a day or so afterwards! His shoulder is also starting to feel a bit worse for wear as the cortisone wears off, so he will probably need another dose of that soon. 

I think that about covers the last few weeks. Until next time!  

32 weeks

So many people have told me that the last few months drag out, but I still feel like time is flashing by. The nursery cupboard doors are now painted, though they are still leaning up against the wall, rather than attached. I had wanted to put in open shelves in the nursery, but I've decided that, from a practical point of view, that is a silly idea. As soon as this baby gets mobile, everything on the bottom 2-3 shelves will be on the floor. So draws it is! Then to make a start on washing and homing all these clothes, blankets and everything else! Once that's all sorted, I can finally get these Winnie the Pooh bits up on the wall.

While time is still flying by, I am noticing things are becoming a lot more work. Everything is. I'm needing more sleep again. I often need to stop and take a few breaths after a transfer, particularly getting in and out of the car. My massive belly rubs against the steering wheel if I'm not careful where I put my seat. I can still get my chair in and out over my belly, but it's a bit of a jenga game each time.

I've got my 'fat' chair out, but I can't actually use it at the moment because I can't find my side guards for it! (If someone has a set I can borrow for a few months, that would be awesome). I actually really don't want to swap out of my good chair, since this one fits in those stupid flat pack toilets, meaning I can use most bathrooms. That's particularly handy in places that don't have a wheelchair bathroom.

I'm finding my transfers are more difficult with so much belly in the way. I can't lean over properly to get the butt lift I need, so I find I get stuck half way into my chair sometimes. The good news is I haven't had any falls lately (touch wood) even if there have been a couple of close calls.

I know I've said a bit before about things swelling. Well my poor little toes are swelling so much through the day they are getting splits and cracks underneath them! Just another thing to keep an eye on and manage. While my feet and legs do deflate overnight, that fluid has to go somewhere. A least part of it is going to my hands. Those rings would have been long chopped by now if I hadn't got them off the other day. When I wake up, they are so swollen I can't even close them properly. I have to lay there opening and closing my hands, gradually moving the fluid out of them. They are actually quite sore most days and it usually takes a good 10-15 minutes to get them moving properly.

I'm pretty sure my bellybutton is now an outie. I've also got linea nigra, which is a dark line from your belly button down that pregnant women often get. Not that I can see anything past my belly button now unless there is a mirror involved.

It's interesting how the questions I'm asked have changed throughout my pregnancy. Early on it was 'how far along are you?' to 'when are you due?' to now the 'how long to go now?' I'm not sure if I'm small, or if it's just because I'm sitting all the time, but people always seem surprised how far along I am. Not that I'm worried, the baby is certainly growing fine. I think it's probably starting to run out of room now though, because there are some really strong movements! While I wish I could feel more, I don't mind that I can't feel those nasty kicks to the ribs etc. One of my friends told me a while ago that it's a new and unpleasant sensation being punched in the vagina’. So, honestly, I'm not too upset to miss that one.

I'm now gathering bits for my hospital bag, things like cheap undies I can just throw out and maternity pads. I was discussing it with a friend the other day, how much weight we put on while we are pregnant. If you consider there is several kg of baby, a couple each more in fluid, extra blood volume, amniotic fluid, placenta, boob mass, uterus.... it doesn't take long to add up! I was thinking later about how much blood and gunk you lose in the weeks post baby. Well, if you consider how much of a mess a standard period is, with only a couple of weeks of growth to the uterus and lining, it's really no wonder there is so much to get rid of after nine months!!! Anyway, that's today’s insight into how my brain works.

I've also been putting a bit of thought into the birth itself. (Probably a good idea). I know that the more movement you can get, the more you help labour along, which is why they encourage you to walk, stand change position and so on. I'm kind of limited in that regard. Personally, I have no interest in a water birth, but I like the idea of being able to labour in the bath. Again, I'm going to be limited there, since I'm not the one who has to get me out of the bath again afterwards! I should be able to use the shower instead though, which is a pretty good compromise, I think. I'm going to be basically restricted to laying on my back or my side for the birth itself. Unfortunately labouring on your back is the least helpful position for getting a baby out, but it's not really something I can do anything about! 

Another thing I've been thinking about is fit balls. Obviously I can't balance on one of those, but I'm keen to try a bosu ball, which is kind of a half fit ball, on a board. Theoretically the same principles of sitting on a fit ball should apply to a bosu ball too. The idea of using a fit ball throughout labour is the movement and sitting upright both help get the baby into position and move along the labour process. Assuming I can get on and balance on a bosu ball, then I'll be able to get the same kind of motion as I would using a fit ball. Again, something to think about and practice.

Tim and I went back to see his shoulder specialist this week. At our last appointment, the surgeon wasn’t comfortable with doing the surgery and gave Tim a cortisone injection instead. This has made his life a lot more pleasant lately and he has actually been able to sleep on his shoulder again. So six weeks in from that, our options are now wait, go for the cortisone again, or go for surgery, but that would be to fix the AC joint not the SLAP lesion we originally thought. With the baby due in 8 weeks, it won't be surgery for now, but we may find in a few months that the injections aren't doing enough, so it's not off the table completely. 

Well, that's it for this week. Our next scan and appointment with Dr D is only a few days away, so we will know more then!