BABY: 39 Weeks Pregnant Update

39 Weeks! I'm actually writing this at 39+6 and have found that this week has really flown by. This week we have really entered the Baby Skerritt Sweepstake birth dates, so all of the family members involved are keeping a beady eye on their phones, ready to receive any message of my labour. 

Towards the end of this week, I've had a few signs of my imminent labour! For the past couple of days I've had a few weak Braxton Hicks feelings. They don't really last very long and are slightly uncomfortable, but not very painful. Today, though, I have had a few period type pains and mild backache. Is this a sign of things to come?!

 

Baby Skerritt has been very active throughout the day. It has become more of a shuffle and almost feels like he is burrowing deeper into my pelvic area. This has made walking around feel pretty strange. Get me a cowboy outfit and you may mistake me for a tubby John Wayne. 

My actual bump is probably no lower than last week, but it honestly does feel like it comes down to my knees. In the areas of my bump that have dropped, I've found that my skin is getting less stretched. This has, in turn, made my stretchmarks in those areas more faded. 

The same sleeping problems are still present, but I have found that I can sleep longer on each side before the cramps set in. YAY! The bad news is that having the baby lower means my bladder is suffering. My new record of toilet trips during the night was around 5. That was a bad night. So, I've tried to get a better balance of staying hydrated during the day, but just not too close to bedtime.

 

We had a midwife appointment this week and everything was fine. When feeling for the baby, she did say that if he gets any lower we will see the whites of his eyes! So he really must be low!! I was offered a sweep at the same time, but I declined and decided to book in for one next Wednesday, when I will be 40+6 weeks pregnant. I suppose I could live to regret it, but I wanted to try and give myself a chance of going into a completely natural labour. 

 

Fingers crossed, Baby Skerritt will arrive sooner rather than later. We are all so excited to meet him, and being honest, things will be a lot easier if he comes soon before the big move! 

LIFE: Baby Skerritt Sweepstake

About a month ago myself and Chris were starting to get excited about Baby Skerritt's imminent arrival and were joking about setting up a family sweepstake. The more we talked about it, the more fun we thought it would be to get both sides of our family in on the action.

We decided that all parents and siblings (and partners) would get involved. My two nieces joined in, along with Chris' grandparents and his only auntie, uncle and cousin. (At this point, I'd like to add that this is the first baby that will be born on Chris' side of his immediate family, so excitement is huge!) We stopped at this point so it didn't get too out of hand.

First things first, we had to decide on the categories. We settled on the date of birth, the baby's weight and the baby's name. The next step was to add everyone into a WhatsApp group so we could collate all of their guesses. Yes, of course I made a cheeky spreadsheet.. it would be rude not to. We also decided to provide them with an incentive. So, the winner of each category (or who ever comes closest) will be presented with a certificate at the Christening party. They will have to give a speech on why they went with their particular choice and will also hold the bragging rights.

It took a while for people to actually put their guesses down into the group message.. I think nobody wanted to be the first. Pretty much by the end of the day, and after a lot of banter, we had nearly all of the guesses in. A few days later, Chris and I decided to join in too, but obviously not with the baby name.. that would be giving things away!

After that, it was really was just a matter of printing out the table and attaching it onto the fridge door. Now we are just waiting for the arrival. Chris has been crossing the date of birth guesses off as the days go by. I must admit, I keep checking the table every time I open the fridge door and it makes me smile every time.

Have you thought about doing a baby sweepstake? Have you done one during your, or another family member's  pregnancy? If so, leave a comment below as I'd love to hear how it went!

BABY: What I've Packed In My Hospital Bag

In my last blog post, I showed you what I decided to pack in my baby hospital bag. This post is focused on my personal hospital bag. As I mentioned in my previous post, this bag was also hastily packed at the same time as the other bag. I was very conscious of overpacking and looking like a wally, so I've tried to keep my items to the minimum.

 So, here is a list of the things I decided to pack:

• Weekend bag, purchased from Tesco, similar here.
• A towel.
• A nursing top.
• Maternity leggings.
• 2 button fronted nightdresses.
• 4 huge pairs of black full briefs - I've heard the aftermath can be messy and I also wanted knickers that would come up high, in case things don't go to plan and I have a caesearean.
• Socks - I've since purchased some fluffier ones, for possible cold feet during labour.
• Slippers - These were from Primark and I thought were handy as I didn't need to worry about my swollen feet not fitting into them. 
• Flip Flops - Just a cheap pair that I could potentially wear in the shower, if it doesn't look brilliant in there, or for general walking around.
• Pack of approx 20 maternity pads - for after labour.
• Headbands, a hairtie and grips - I'm pretty sure I won't want my hair in my face during labour!
• Lip balm.
• Coin purse with change and notes that will be needed for parking and snacks/drinks.
• Earphones - In case I decide I need music to help me through contractions.
• Tissues.
• TENs machine - Hopefully will help me through labour.
• Washbag.
• A lightweight dressing gown (not shown in the photo, ooops!).

I've tried to cover a lot of bases in this washbag. I've included the essentials like a toothbrushes (for me and Chris), toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel, facial cleanse wipes and moisturiser. If possible, I've purchased travel sized products, just to save on room. I've also put in travel sized hand cream, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, muslin cloth and a hot cloth cream cleanser. I'm pretty sure I won't get around to using these, but if I did, they're at hand.

Other items that need to be put in at last minute are my hospital notes, hairbrush, iPhone charger and camera (with a charged battery and memory card). We've also got a big bottle of water and 3 cartons of drink for me, along with a red bull and some lucozade for Chris, cooling in the fridge. Snack wise I have a box of Jaffa Cakes, a couple of bags of apple crisps and some Jelly Babies to munch on.

Our midwife suggested we take our swiss ball with us, as our hospital doesn't have these. So, depending on if I'm finding the ball useful during labour at home, this may also get thrown into the car when we set off.

That is it for my hospital bags. If you think I've missed anything vital or that you may have found useful when at the hospital on the labour ward, then please leave me a comment below. :)

BABY: What I've Packed In My Baby Hospital Bag

Throughout my whole pregnancy, I had been looking forward to packing my hospital bags. I pictured myself smiling away as I lovingly folded all the teeny weeny baby essentials into the bag. In reality, like most things in life, this didn't actually happen.

As I mentioned in a previous post here, quite late on in my pregnancy we had booked a trip to Liverpool for Chris' Liverpool FC Stadium Tour. We both decided, running up to this time, that it would be best to pack my hospital bags and take our hospital notes and the car seat, in case the unthinkable happened. Well... fast forward to the day before we were due to travel... still no bags had been packed. Finally, I bit the bullet and made a list of things I thought Baby Skerritt would need, once he made his big arrival.

I found it a lot easier to just lay everything out on our bed before packing it all into the bag. Obviously I have no idea how long my stay in hospital will be, so I didn't want to have too much or too little. What I decided to pack was:

• Weekend Bag, purchased from Primark.
• Pack of 23 newborn nappies.
• Nappy bags.
• 2 blankets - a fleecy Winnie the Pooh one and a cotton cellular blanket.
• Antibacterial wipes, in case I become a germophobe overnight.
• Cotton wool squares, for nappy changing.
• Water wipes - I know cotton wool and water is the preferred method, but water wipes are practically the same.. plus I've heard that the meconium poo nappy change can be a bit sticky, so wipes may well be easier.
• Lasinoh nipple cream, just in case.
• A handful of breast pads, in case my milk comes in.
• Tissues, for when I'm getting all emotional!
• 2 comfortable sleep bras which are nursing friendly.
• 3-4 muslin cloths, 1 being an extra large sized cloth, ideal for swaddling attempts!
• A few bibs, no idea if I'll use them, but they don't take up much room in the bag.
• Newborn sized socks, hats and some scratch mitts.
• 6 sleepsuits and 6 vests. 

Yes, I feel I may have gone overboard with baby outfits, but hear me out! In the back of my mind I still keep having this panic where the baby comes out, and the midwife announces.. 'It's A Girl!!'
So, just in case, I've packed a few plain white sleepsuits. But if all goes as planned and he is a he, I still wanted some more boy themed sleepsuits for photos. I also plan to pop in one of his newborn toys, but I still need to decide which one!

Anyway, there was no surprise arrival of Baby Skerritt, so the bag has just been waiting around in the nursery for the moment it will be quickly grabbed and put into the car! I did get everything out a week or so ago, to re-pack and check, knowing that it was originally packed in a rush.

Is there anything vital you think I'm missing? What were your essential items from your baby hospital bag? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts!