What To Expect
- Round ligament pain
- Disturbed sleep
- Constipation
Your Baby This Week
Your baby is the size of a carton of milk, weighs 1900g and is about 27cm long.
by Tracey Quinn
Dear Diary
Six weeks until we welcome our little bundle into our lives. Of course, it could be closer to eight weeks if I go over the full ten days (that's how long they'll let you go over before Induction is mentioned) but I really have a feeling I'll go a little early. I've always felt as though our baby will be with us before the expected due date. Time will tell.
With only six weeks to go, I've started to really prioritise my emotional well-being. I've been doing a lot of organizing around the house which makes me feel happy. We've created a lovely changing area in the kitchen in a bit of a DIY manner and I'm delighted with how it turned out.
We picked up a small IKEA Kallax unit and placed a changing mat on top of it. We've filled it with nappies and some baby clothes, and it really looks the part right next to our rocking chair. I keep visualizing myself sitting on that chair with our new baby and it fills me with so much excitement.
I've actually been sitting on the rocking chair quite a bit recently. The TV in the kitchen that I once protested about (more screens = more sports) is now one of my favourite things in the house. I've found myself rocking away in the evening watching birth videos on YouTube. That probably sounds really strange to some people, but it's been really helping me feel calmer about giving birth.
A few weeks ago, I spoke about the anxiety and fear I have regarding the birth. We waited five years to conceive our second baby because I was pretty traumatised after the first experience of giving birth. Since then, I've started to take steps towards changing my mindset and watching gentle birth videos has really made a difference.
I signed up to the Gentlebirth app and website this week and the meditations and affirmations have quickly become part of my daily life. I listen to them in the bath, when I get into bed at night and even in the car. The messages, advice and anecdotes are filling me with a sense of calm surrounding the birth.
I am starting to see that giving birth can be an amazing experience if your mindset is programmed for such a thing. The reality is I will not have a huge amount of control over some of the events regarding my birth, but I CAN control how I respond to them. Watch this space but I really feel a shift and I'm going to give it a lot of attention over the next six weeks.
At the weekend we did a bit of work in Billy's bedroom, too. Peter put up a floating shelf for his books and we changed the bed and furniture around. It really feels like a brand new bedroom and Billy is delighted with himself. It's so important to me that he feels special and that the conversations don't always revolve around the baby or mammy being pregnant. It was a productive weekend and I just feel great after it!
I did something very exciting amid our productive weekend. I was asked to take part in a panel at the pregnancy and baby fair and it was a fantastic experience. We got to chat all things motherhood and that is my favourite thing to do. I learned so much and shared the stage with some amazing women who all have more than one child. If they can do it, so can I, right?
A Partner’s Perspective
My partner feels physically well and she's doing lots and lots of activities. Between doing up our son's bedroom and sitting on a panel of experts this week, she's a busy lady! She's enjoying it all very much though, and I can tell she's also enjoying this pregnancy much more than her last.
Our Midwife’s Advice
As your baby takes up more room in your uterus, there is less fluid (waters) around the baby. If you notice fluid leaking, make sure you get this checked out straight away. Although if our baby was born now, it would probably be fine - we just want to keep your little one in the oven until its fully cooked!
Round ligament pain is a catch-all term for the quite intense growing pains you can feel in your tummy. It is particularly apparent if you get up quickly, change position or are in one position for too long. It can be felt and described as a stabbing or jarring pain in the lower tummy, or around and up both sides of your abdomen and even into your ribs.
It can happen at any stage of pregnancy, but most women will feel it in the last trimester. As long as the pain is not cramp or period-like, there is no bleeding or other symptoms and it goes away once you are more comfortable, it's nothing to worry about. Keeping up a gentle exercise routine and particularly doing some pregnancy aqua-aerobics or swimming can really help you relieve tension and discomfort in your body.
A big concern that mums-to-be have is vaginal tearing during birth. Over the last few years, very reliable research has indicated that by practising perineal massage you can significantly reduce the chance of you tearing and the severity of the tear if it happens.
I have written this handy guide (insert perineal massage guide here) to help you. If you practice it for a few minutes every day from now it will really help.
Our Wellness Tip of the Week
"Heavy legs" are one of the most common side effects of pregnancy. If you're suffering from this, pop your legs up on a pillow when you're sitting or lying down.
Recommended Reading
HOW CAN I OVERCOME THE FEAR OF GIVING BIRTH?