WEEK 39

I am 39 weeks pregnant (1 week to go)!!! BabyBunny weighs a bit over 3200 grams (a mini watermelon), and measures about 50.5 cm (head to heel).

LittleBunny continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth. /BabyCenter/

My official EDD (by the Dating Scan) is TODAY, but BabyBunny shows no sign of wanting to meet us. Although she is busy tunneling her way down into my pelvis!

The waiting is almost over! The countdown begins. I miss my bump already, and I can't wait to meet our bundle of joy at the same time! Nervous about the birth and excited about the new family member and about the role what is comes with it.

Generally feeling well. The sleep is still good, although sleeping less and less as less sleep seems to be adequate. Still no need for napping during the day. Not sleepy, not tired. Appetite is still good, preference for fresh, crunchy, juicy, raw fruit and vegetables. The 5-a-day now more like an 8-a-day. Walking still feels good once I get the rhythm.

WEEK 38

I am 38 weeks pregnant (2 weeks to go)!! BabyBunny weighs around 3000 grams, and measures over 49.5 cm (head to heel), like a leek.

BabyBunny's organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. /BabyCenter/

Two more weeks left! I can't believe it! Where did the time fly?? Where did the past 38 weeks go? I still clearly remember reaching the milestones at 12th, 13+6, 20th, 24th, 28th, 32nd, and 36th weeks. Tow more weeks and finally I will hold my precious cargo in my ever loving arms. Can't wait!!

I am wondering when Bunny will make the appearance. She is 38 weeks by me (LMP) but 39 weeks according to the hospital (dating scan). Curious, which time is Bunny following...

The lower arching of my bump (just above my bikini-line) is more prominent, Bunny makes her way down, every day a little deeper. Sometimes just with tiny pushings, sometimes with strong, sharp pain.

She worries me more than amuses with her daily hiccups. I am still trying to find the comfortable position to easy her inconvenience. The 6-8 minutes are back to 20. Lying down doesn't help, getting on all fours not makes them shorter.

I can still fit a decent amount of food into my belly. Looks like the last few weeks with a bird's diet is not for me. I can enjoy whatever I like. What I really like is raw, juicy fruits and vegetables, like strawberries, cucumber, radish, pepper, tomato, green salad leaves, apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, raspberries, blueberries, mango, papaya, you name it.

Household cleaning is on hold, from my part anyway. The chores are mostly on DH. He cooks and does the dishes, hoovers, shops for grocery, cleans the bathroom. I do the laundry. Setting the washing machine is not a problem but ironing is a different story...

With a daily probiotic supplementation and natural probiotic yogurt 'treatment' the itching (and whitened out vulva) is gone. I used the canesten cream just only twice (purely out of fear). I did not want to mess with it while Bunny is inside. They did not ring me back from the hospital with the swab so I take it that nothing grew under the microscope. I suspect it was the panty-liner. The skin got irritated. I am not using it 24/7 anymore just when I go out but at home no more panty-liners for me, rather changing damp panties often as I did previously early in pregnancy.

GP for confirmation

We went to the GP this morning. No, not to the previous one, I have chosen a new one, a younger, a more sympathetic one. She could be around my age.

She wanted to sign me to a different hospital because all her patients go there but I said the old one from my January pregnancy will do. They know my history. I hope for an earlier scan around week 8.

I showed the supplements what I took in pre-conception (Pregnacare and MorDHA) and what I am taking now (Prenatal Nutrients from Solgar and MumOmega). No vitamin C or Prebio7 this time, I was afraid to take. She said no extra vitamin C but she gave a green light to the probiotics.

I also asked about herbal teas. She said that camomile and peppermint are OK. When I asked about exercise she said no need for it. I was surprised as all I hear how positive to exercise during pregnancy for mummy and baby alike.

I peed in a container. She checked it but did not say a thing about it so I presume all is good. I am officially pregnant!

Today's measures were weight: 54.5 kg, blood pressure: 134/80 (systolic/diastolic). She did not measure my BMI. My new EDD: 21/06/2012. 21st of June just days away from my BD ;-))

What are the symptoms? Some breast pain and since yesterday morning lost appetite and all day lasting mild nausea.

About my supplements

Prior to conception we (yes, DH too) took 'Pregnacare his and her conception' along with an extra 500 mg of vitamin C (Sona), and an Omega 3 and 6 fish oil capsule (Equazen Eye Q). Once a day with the main meal: one conception, one fish oil and one vitamin C.

For breakfast we ate (and still do) porridge (for every single morning) with a probiotic (a friendly bacteria, Prebio7 capsule) supplement to maintain intestinal health, improve absorption and assimilation of nutrients, and reinforce the body's immune system and natural defences.

After conception I switched to (Solgar) Prenatal Nutrients (two tablets a day, so one with breakfast and one with main meal) and first to MumOmega then to MorDHA (prenatal fish oil) plus took the 500 mg of vitamin C with them @ lunch.

When I went to the GP for confirmation she mentioned to take folic acid only, so I presented all the labels of those supplement I took at the time. She approved the probiotic right away. She wasn't convincing about the prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement and fish oil at all. But she said definitely stop (!) taking the vitamin C.

I thought I was doing the right thing about taking supplements as these days foods not so nutritious anymore. I read the Optimum Nutrition Before, During and After Pregnancy by Patrick Holford & Susannah Lawson, so I took that as a (rough) guideline.

I googled days about taking vitamin C suppl. Some say no, no, no, some say yes, yes, yes. The amount varies about how much to take. Some say 500 mg is safe, some say 1000 is safe, some say up to 2000 is SAFE. Confused (still)! So decided (on that day) no to argue the GP so I left out the extra vitamin C. Now I have a whole squeezed lemon daily, a little with my each glass of water. What I noticed since I stopped the vit. C suppl. is that my skin not so supple and smooth anymore.

Nowadays I have the Prenatal Nutrients and the pregnancy fish oil only. Prebio7 goes with breakfast.

The confirmation

I was smiling over the week and the weekend, being happy and light. Today I went to the GP for my pregnancy confirmation. Same GP as for the smear test. She asked my LMP, measured my blood pressure (116/60 - systolic/diastolic), listened to my chest. She asked me to pee in a little container but my bladder was empty so I just showed her the two positive tests. I also showed her the supplements I take: Prenatal Nutrients (Solgar), Mum Omega pregnancy (Equazen), vitamin-C 500 mg (Sona) and Prebio7 probiotics. She said that the probiotics are fine, wasn't sure about the Omega-3-6, but definitely said to stop the vitamin-C, immediately! She didn't say why though. She didn't make any statement about the prenatal vitamin formula.

She put my EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery), i.e. my due date on the 11th of October (I calculated the 12th - subtract 3 months and add 7 days to your LMP). She wrote a letter for me to take to the hospital of my choice. Well, it was her choice really. When I asked which one to pick as I have 3 approximately in the same distance from where I live, she chose the University Hospital for Women & Infants. The care is good, she said. When she asked about how would we (DH was there too) proceed if there is any problem with the baby, would we want to terminate the pregnancy in bad outcome, we said yes. So she wrote another letter to take with me to the prenatal diagnosis clinic, for a blood test and Nuchal thickness scan, around week 12.

There was another choice to make, whatever I want to go private, semi-private or public. She said if I choose private, semi-private it will cost me, a lot, but the service basically the same and even in private the bed, the care, the same obstetrician cannot be guaranteed as it operates on a first come first serve. I chose public (going combined care) and Midwifery Led Unit. Midwifery because I want a natural birth as possible. I dare not take a home birth but no needles, no cuts, no drugs, please.

Finally I got a flu jab. First she presented it as a choice, a highly recommended one. I said we will think about it and come back if I want to have it. She said we have 5 minutes to decide! She pushed us hard so we gave in.

The Plan

The planning launched early this year when I started to read about the subject, eating books like a moth. The real planning began in August when both of us started to take conception vitamins. First we tried Sanatogen mother and father to be then changed to Pregnacare his and her conception. Along with these vitamins we took Omega 3 and 6 (Equazen Eye Q capsules) and an extra 500 mg of vitamin C (Sona). Once a day with the main meal, one conception, one fish oil and one vitamin C. Additional to these to maintain intestinal health, improve absorption and assimilation of nutrients, and reinforce the body's immune system and natural defences we added a friendly bacteria supplement, called probiotics (Prebio 7). One a day with breakfast.