Monday 2 February 2015

PREGNANCY: Week 30 Update


I've been waiting for this week for almost my whole pregnancy - 30 weeks pregnant just sounds like a good chunk of the way through! Now it's here it's mixed emotions - every week that passes I'm so happy our baby is still growing well but the anticipation of labour and actually having a newborn baby can be pretty scary too. This week has been a normal week really, we're settling into our house of boxes (still no bathroom, kitchen or hot water though!) and I'm certainly growing bigger. 

I started week 30 by booking a 4D scan for when I'm almost 32 weeks - I am so, so, so excited to see our baby again!! The package also contains a DVD recording of the scan, which I think will be such a lovely memory to look back on and show our daughter when she's older. I will be writing all about our 4D scan experience - so keep an eye out for that :) 

My back has still been playing up, with aching pains spreading across my whole back, unlike in early pregnancy when it was just my lower back. I've been using hot water bottles and my pregnancy pillow to try and get comfortable, as well as trying to pursuade Tom to massage my back as much as possible (with varying success). 

Still no stretch marks to report, but my belly button is now half an innie and half an outie! It's going to pop out any day. 

My ankles are getting swollen a lot more often these days, which isn't painful, just something I've noticed. Raising my legs really helps, as I presume it's down to water retention.

Pregnancy fatigue is starting to come back with a vengeance! I've suddenly become really, really tired again but unlike the first trimester I'm not on holiday from work. This is making it tougher and of course the heavy bump that goes everywhere I go! It's definitely not as bad as the first trimester but I can see it's heading that way. Ironically though - I'm not sleeping well at all, clearly not helping the tiredness levels. (In fact I'm writing this at 4.14am, as I can't sleep!) I'm counting down the weeks until I'm on maternity leave - 5 working weeks...5 working weeks...

I've developed a really stuffy nose and head cold this week. Every time I lie down I can't breath through my nose, which is making sleeping harder. My eyes wont stop streaming, there's a pressure behind my eyes and I have an intense case of the sneezes. It's hard not being able to take anything to help me sleep, I've been sleeping with my pillows to try and raise myself up but then it hurts my back. Hopefully it will leave my system quickly!



When she moves I can feel the whole length of her now - sometimes I'll get a kick down by my pelvis and up under my ribs at the same time. At my last midwife appointment (28 weeks) the midwife said she was head down and back to back, so I wander if this she's changed position or not. I've been spending as much time as possible with my tummy hanging down, trying to get her to turn. As her spine is the heaviest part of her body, if I spend a lot of time leant over it is meant to help turn her, so she's not back to back anymore. My next midwife appointment is next week, so I'll be able to find out if she's moved then. 

We've really been starting to think about the different birthing options this week - birth centre or hospital? Water birth? Will I want an epidural? What pain relief do I want to avoid? Etc. Although I know having a detailed birth plan that you have your heart set on is silly because at the end of the day your baby will be the one deciding on what's going to happen and when. But I would like to have some idea as to what might happen during labour, mainly to help me get my head around it all. At the moment I'm swaying towards a water birth, maybe in the birthing centre attached to the hospital I'll be giving in birth or maybe just in the hospital. We're going to book to look around the birth centre to help us make the best decision for us, which is exciting/makes it all seem so real! 

During week 28, 29 and now 30 I have been craving anything with lots of sugar in! Chocolate, dried fruit, desserts, custard, rice pudding, semolina and more chocolate! I don't know what's wrong with me?! I get slightly panicky when I know there isn't any chocolate in the house that I like - could this be my first proper pregnancy craving??

It was our penultimate NCT meeting this week and it's kind of sad that we won't all be meeting up each week - sharing our worries, concerns and excitements whole learning lots at the same time. I hope we all keep in contact and meet up before and after babies start arriving! The first baby due in the group is around a month before me, so not long at all! The focus of the session this week was looking after a newborn baby - bathing, sleeping and changing a nappy. We all had dolls that we had to look after for the evening, which was funny! Especially when the Dad's were standing around nattering in the kitchen with the dolls in one hand and a cup of tea in the other!

How did/do you feel when you hit the 30 week milestone? 

Feel free to leave me a comment :)

Helen x

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3 comments

  1. Craving sugar is one of the old wives' tales that say you're having a girl. :)

    I'm 30 weeks tomorrow - I had been trying to guess how the baby was lying from where the kicks and the bulges were and at my last midwife appointment (last Wednesday) was chuffed to find out I was spot on. I feel much more confident figuring out what's where now but this baby does not stay still! S/he rolls from one side to the other every single day! It's so odd watching the lumps moving across my belly but I think seeing them made it all seem very really to my partner this weekend!

    I can't believe that from next week we're counting down the weeks in single figures - it's felt like so far away for so long!

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  2. Happy 30 weeks!

    Having a birth plan isn't silly in the slightest - yes, things may go off course but there are still things you need to consider which can be done no matter what type of birth you have (who cuts the cord, do you want baby to have vitamin k, breast or formula, do you want immediate skin to skin, who are your birthing partners etc) so don't be afraid to write your preferences down

    I loved my 4d scan - we got some lovely pictures so fingers crossed your wee one cooperates!

    #maternitymondays

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  3. 30 weeks is definitely a big milestone isn't it? Really on the home stretch! isn't it just so cruel that it is so hard to sleep when you are so tired at this point in pregnancy/ just when you want to be storing up your sleep ready for baby's arrival! Thanks for linking with #maternityMondays

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