It’s here, the final countdown to meeting our third (and final!) child. If you’d told me a year ago that I’d be spending most of my pregnancy in some form of lockdown, and looking at a lockdown labour I’d have thought you were insane. And yet, here we are! I always intended to share more updates on this pregnancy, especially as we intend it to be our last one, but between working from home, homeschooling and two small children, the months seem to have flown by. Suddenly we’re in the last few weeks and it feels like forever ago that I shared our exciting news with the world. I guess it’s time for a pre-baby update, right? Let’s see what’s been going on lately…
All Things Baby
So far, touch wood, this pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. Sure, I’ve been worn out (hello two small children trying to kill me on the daily!) and achey as hell but aside from that, nothing major. The baby seems to be growing well and we’re on track for another mini-whopper between 9 and 10lbs… I can’t say that thought fills me with joy right now! My bump is once again all up front, just like last time, which would tell you that it’s a girl if you’re a betting person. Don’t ask me though, we don’t know! We’ve opted for another surprise, even though I’m now becoming increasingly impatient to find out what it is.
Throughout, this baby has sat really high with its bum tucked up under my ribs and a penchant for stretching its legs out into my side all day and night. Despite wobbling around head up and sideways for a while, we’re firmly head down and it looks like they’re starting to drop down into my pelvis a little. Atleast, it feels like they are every time I sit upright, I feel like I’m crushing their head! We’ve narrowed names down to a couple for each and just need to make final decisions before I go into labour. I’d love to say I like to see what they look like but the pressure to make a decision that quickly would be too much, we’re a ‘firm choices before birth’ type family here!
Hospital bags are all packed up and ready, lists are written for the bigger kids so that we can grab what they need when the time comes and baby bits are hidden all over the house. Usually around this point we’d be setting things up but we’re busy doing building work and frankly I think anything I put out now would be well and truly trashed by the biggest two within a matter of seconds – I’ve already got visions of them climbing in the moses basket or setting up camp in the crib. If we get to forty weeks then we’ll set it up then and if it’s before then Dave can do it whilst I hold the baby… win win!
In terms of birth plans, we have very few. We’re really going with the flow once again. This time we’d like to possibly have a home birth given the restrictions around hospital entry and visiting. Effectively we’ve signed up (and been signed off) for one but can change our minds at any point, even up to the moment I go into labour. Some days I’m all for it and other days we’re convinced we’ll be off to the MLU at our local hospital so we’ll see what happens when the time comes! Both of my past labours have classed as precipitous, meaning they’re less than two hours in length, with the last being less than an hour. Given that our hospital is 40 minutes away and we’ve got to find cover for the other children, it feels like a home delivery might be our safest option… but who knows! I think Dave would be happier in a hospital, he’s got visions of having to deliver it himself right now!
All Things Me
As mentioned, pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. The first few months were a definite nausea fest although this did pass around the twenty weeks mark, far later than the last two times. Then came heartburn time and I’ve been gripping my faithful bottle of Gaviscon ever since. Luckily that seems to have eased and despite the odd gagging session, it’s been fine. This time I’ve felt like my body is older and tireder than before. My hips and pelvis get really sore, really easily, meaning I’ve not been able to walk as much as before, or even sleep as well. If you want me, you can usually find me propped somewhere or laid on the bed with a pillow between my knees! You can’t miss me, I’m the size of a small house – ohhhhh isn’t pregnancy fun!
Mentally, being pregnant during a pandemic is pretty hard. Originally we’d talked about having our third a year earlier and I remember being so relieved that that hadn’t happened when restrictions kicked in last year. However, when we took the plunge over the summer, I can honestly say I didn’t imagine that we’d be back in this situation again, especially with the schools closed. Trying to work a busy job, guide a four year old through home learning and be pregnant has been ridiculously hard and often very emotional. It’s been isolating and I feel like I’ve missed out on lots of elements of pregnancy that I would have had, and that’s still to come. My current anxieties arise around what to do when the baby is here; do we let people hold the baby, wear masks, enter the house, see us?! Thankfully we’re able to bubble with my family which makes life a little easier but it’s then got to be balanced with how we manage others, including Dave’s family. I’m rubbish at making decisions at the best of times… so as you can imagine… stress!
Luckily one big stress has finally finished. I finished work this week!!! That means that I’m officially on maternity leave for the rest of 2021… eek! This time I’m far less concerned about it, particularly compared to the first time you go off, but it’s still an odd feeling. Everything has been handed over, explained and the out of office is on. Time to relax right? Just, at home, because I can’t go anywhere else. Thank god for Netflix!
Everything Else
So what else? Well, if you follow me on social media then you’ll have seen that we’re currently embarking on some pretty major building works at home. In December we decided to take the plunge and turn our shed into a home office given that we’re both now working at home full time. By January we were in and sorted, able to clear our youngest out of the nursery and into the spare room now that it wasn’t needed to house a workplace! In February we kicked off the next stage of our works, we started to move the bathroom from one end of the house to the other (it’s gone in where the nursery was), rework the upstairs landing and… extend above the garage. Unfortunately we won’t quite be done in time for the baby’s arrival, even if it’s late, but it’ll be pretty close. It means we can decorate our new room slowly, move in when we’re happy and then shuffle the kids around into the three remaining bedrooms in the house, ready for when baby needs their own room at the end of the Summer. It’s been exciting, terrifying (who wouldn’t want to have tarps as their roof for a week?!) and exhausting but it’s going to be so worth it once it’s done. Plus, who wouldn’t want to take on a major building project at 8 months pregnant!?
Otherwise, all is well. The biggest is back at school and smashing Reception. The youngest is getting cheekier by the day and is so ready to meet their new sibling and Dave and I are plodding on as normal. We’ve planned some time away for the late summer and October half term but mostly we’re intending on another lazy summer at home, finishing off our house, finally catching up with friends and family and enjoying the time we have together.
So that’s us. Baby growing, kids growing, house growing… it’s all go! Now just to make it through the final few weeks and meet the newest member of our clan. Cannot wait. Mostly so that I can roll over in bed again!
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