Pregnancy Update Week 32: Valentines and Growth Scans

This week I am 32 weeks. I feel like I've shrunk, but everyone keeps telling me I'm imagining it, the receptionist when I went for this weeks scan however asked me if it was my first scan, so perhaps it's not all in my head...

For Valentines, my wonderful husband bought me the Bosom Buddies Breastfeeding Survival Kit and the Perennial Bliss kit both by The Natural Birthing Company. I'd been harping on about the breastfeeding kit for a while, and it was on my 'things I really would like but can't justify buying' list. It has three different blends of oil for three different circumstances, and a flannel. It would make a fantastic gift for an expectant friend who's planning on breastfeeding, and retails at about £30. The Bliss kit has a massage oil (that can also be used on stretch marks, hurrah!) and a tincture that you can use post delivery and is good for general bumps scrapes and grazes for the whole family too, I'll check back and let you know how they've both worked out later in the year!

This week we had the second of our growth scans, after being told by three midwives at 29 and 31 weeks that I was measuring 27 weeks I was somewhat anxious about this weeks scan. Also at the last scan baby was breech, and whilst she was suspected to be transverse at 31 weeks, I could no longer discern what any part of her body was so I was clueless as to what way round she was.

I'd started to prepare my self for the idea of a C-Section, as I really dislike the idea of an ECV given that I've seen he bruises it can cause people, and I bruise just by objects looking at me the wrong way! The more I've read into c-sections, the more I've come round to the idea of a C-Section, especially as they can sterilise you during the process if you wish, and that would solve all of our future contraception needs!

The morning of the scan I has a seriously not right feeling, I'd woken up on my front, and somehow convinced myself we'd get tot he scan to find baby had stopped growing, and had no fluid round her and they were going to change their mind about watching and waiting and take her out that day (Yes, I have an inner hypochondriac and sometimes she is very loud!) I bummed and ached but in the end didn't take a suitcase, though I did ensure my husband knew exactly where everything was that I might need so he could come home and grab it if I needed it!

The scan went smoothly, though some of the measurements needed re-doing, noticeably the femur length, which funnily is something that they needed to re-measure with Boo at the 36 week scan, on account of the measurements made it look like it had shrunk(!) We had an all together quite short wait for the consultant, but it always feels like a million years. Bel is still within the 'happy' lines on the growth chart, though her growth has slowed, she was estimated to be at the 41st centile at the 28 week scan and she's now at the 21st, the lines are at the 9th and 91st centile, so there is the possibility that she'll fall below the lines at the next scan but it's just as possible that she'll stay within the lines and we'll have nothing to worry about.

I also made the interesting discovery this week that my milk (well colostrum) is in (TMI, I'm sorry!) I've been doing some research online, and I'm considering antenatal expressing (disclaimer: you should definitely speak to your midwife or consultant before embarking on this, different trusts have different opinions on both it's usefulness and it's safety, and if you're in danger of premature labour, definitely don't be messing around with this without guidance as it could increase your risks) I'm going to see if my mother in law can get me some small syringes for this (1ml, 2ml, 5ml kind of thing, as I said previously, newborns have small tummies) so I can express and freeze as I go between 34 weeks and delivery. This means that if Bel is a little on the small side (and as a result weak and sleepy) I've got some 'mummy milk' back up to encourage her with and should be less likely to have to resort to formula top ups. Obviously the ideal situation is that I'll do all of this expressing and not need it, but if it's there I'll feel a lot happier.

House-wise Boo and Bels rooms were re-carpeted at the weekend, they're a pinky--brown kind of colour now instead of the housing association standard brown that was down when we bought the place (bringing us to just 1 room with the old carpet, hurrah!) we also saw some inspiration in our local B&Q so our nursery theme has changed a bit... a lot.... We'll use all the VHC fabric we have for something... like dresses.... or skirts... but now we have an animal ABC theme that involved far less legwork than our VHC theme would have, and far less expense than what we still had to spend out to get the VHC theme kitted out!

My husband put up the crib today, with lots of 'help' from Boo. I don't remember it being anywhere near as big as it is, it's long enough that Boo could lay in it still (but most defiantly wouldn't take her weight!) and we also got the Animal ABC border up, so there's no going back now, we have the animal theme!

#Pregnancy #Valentines #GrowthScan #ThirdTrimester