36 weeks: a little scare

35 week belly shot

After all the worry of having a transverse baby in my last post, I'm happy to report that he is now head down and ready to go!  Such good news, but I wouldn't have known he's back to being head down if I hadn't had a bit of a scare last week.

I had been up most of the night from Saturday to Sunday with insomnia and was trying not to worry about the fact that the baby wasn't moving as much as he normally did.  In the morning, Jason and Charlie and I headed to church and I still hadn't noticed him moving very much.  I tried eating sugar, drinking something cold and lying down, but he just wouldn't perk up.  Preferring to be safe over sorry, I decided to go get checked out at the hospital.  They hooked me up to a monitor and the baby immediately got the hiccups and began to roll around.  Such a relief!  E

ver since been back to his normal, raucous self.  A friend of mine said he just wanted to have a lazy Sunday morning and apparently she was right!

While at the hospital, the midwife felt around on my belly and said he was head down.  However, he moves around SO much that I'm not sure he is still in that position.  Regardless, I've decided not to worry given that he will likely continue to roll around until the last minute (presuming he still has the space!).

Other than that, there isn't much baby news to report.  We had a lovely Christmas and Charlie had a great birthday (you can see loads of pics on my Instagram account!) and we've just finished feasting on Jason's homemade New Year's quiche!  Can you believe this baby boy will be born this month?!

Happy New Year to you all!

PS:  I just had another request for gift ideas for he new baby.  We've made a UK Amazon wish list (click here to see it!) that is easy to use and requires no international shipping!

34 weeks (tomorrow!): spinning baby

I had an appointment yesterday with my midwife and am happy to report that all is well!  We heard a nice strong heartbeat and everything looks normal . . . well, except for his position:  he's transverse.  This means instead of being head down (as he used to be) he is now lying sideways across my belly.  The good news is that he apparently has plenty of room to move around in there and he is likely to go back to being head down by the time he's ready to greet the world.  However, if he hasn't moved by 36 weeks then things get a little scary.  I will be referred to see a consultant who will attempt to turn him the right way around.  If that doesn't work I will be scheduled for a C-section.  Having a C-section is basically my biggest fear when I think about giving birth (second to the baby or me being not well, of course). 

So please pray or send the baby some spinning vibes or anything else you think might work to get this little guy in the right position!  I'll be doing my part by checking out this website that a friend recommended about how to "spin your baby" into position.  It supposedly works wonders!  

31 weeks: hiccups

All ready to sing the second half of a concert at 30 weeks!

Only three more days until I'm at 32 weeks!  Between Thanksgiving (which we hosted the weekend before the 28th), a holiday in France, my 33rd birthday and general busyness, things are still absolutely flying by.  I'm so glad I started preparing for this baby early because I'm running out of energy and time in this home stretch.  

All is well with baby and mama.  The one real update is that we've both got hiccups like nobody's business.  His hiccups come about two to four times per day and feel like the belly equivalent of an eye twitch.  I try to think of it as a gentle, persistent reminder that he's happy and well in there.  My hiccups on the other hand, are loud, aggressive and totally random.  I usually have about three at a time and they are far from being lady-like.  In fact, they sound more like a croak than a hiccup.  I never had these with Charlotte and have no idea why I've gotten them this time, but hopefully they will soon pass.  All-in-all very minor things at this point which I'm quite happy about!

28 weeks: ducks in a row

Even though we still have eleven-and-a-half weeks left, we're already getting the house ready for the new baby.  We just set up the crib in Charlotte's room and have moved the dresser/changing table into our room for now (their room is too small to accommodate both!).  The baby won't be sleeping in the crib until he's sleeping through the night, but we figured it was good for Charlotte to get used to having it in there.  We'll have a co-sleeper in our room which is essentially a little crib that attaches to my side of the bed for easy overnight feeding and safe sleeping.  He'll be sleeping in that for the first three to six months.  I've also already washed and organised all of the baby clothes and they are now in their new home in the dresser/changing table in our room.

Overall I'm feeling very prepared!  The only big thing left is to get a comfy chair to nurse in for our room.  I looked into getting comfy cushions made for the wooden rocking chair in Charlotte's room, but decided a new chair would be most practical.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted once we get it all figured out!

-Bethie

PS:  Family and friends have generously started asking what else we need, so I've made an Amazon Baby Wish List for the remaining things we could use.  You can find it by clicking here.  It is through the UK Amazon site so you don't have to pay ridiculous shipping!  Thank you!!

PPS:  While I was at it, I also made an Amazon Wish List for Charlotte for Christmas and her birthday for those who've been asking!

Week 27: THIRD TRIMESTER!!

I am thrilled to report that I am now in the third trimester of my pregnancy!  Wahoo!!  We are slowly but surely getting ready for our new little one's arrival and are still a bit in shock as to how quickly this has all gone the second time around!

I owe you all a few updates.  First of all, I posted earlier about needing a dress to wear to sing the Messiah solos in.  By the time I was this big with Charlotte, all of my gigs were requiring black so I didn't need to invest in a colorful gown.  This time around black wasn't going to cut it, but I also couldn't stand the thought of spending a fortune on a dress I was going to wear one time.  Enter my local mum's Facebook group.  This group has been amazing for buying and selling baby/kid things and plugging into the local mum/kid community around our neighborhood.  I posted a request for a maternity gown and, amazingly, a lovely woman offered me the use of this dress and asked absolutely nothing in return!  I still can't believe it.  I offered to pay her or to repay her in some other small way and she has decided not to say no to some freshly baked cinnamon rolls.  Not only was the dress gorgeous, but it was also SO comfortable!  It felt like pajamas!  No joke!  If you are in the UK and in the market for a dressy maternity gown, check out Tiffany Rose.  I promise they won't disappoint!

Lastly, an update on my sciatica.  I am happy to report that since returning to London, my sciatica has more or less gone away!  I think the problem was going from the very active lifestyle I have here in London to a very sedentary lifestyle for the ten days I was in Miami.  I had two massively long plane flights and then lots of sitting for rehearsal and even more sitting to drive two and from rehearsals and performances.  I noticed the sciatica was always much worse after sitting for a long period of time and I was mostly sitting while in Miami.  But the good news is that I'm back to walking around a mile a day and chasing my toddler and it seems to be just what the doctor ordered!  Let's hope things continue to be comfortable as I still have three months left!

xoxo

25 weeks: sciatica in paradise

I've just returned to London after ten days in Miami singing with Seraphic Fire.  I had a fabulous time and got to sing some spectacular music, but I came back home with much worse sciatica than when I left.  I was only able to stand during our performances with Tylenol (not ideal, I know) and butt massages (don't tell Jason).  My guess is that all of the sitting I did in both rehearsal and in the car really did me in.  I just saw a doctor today and got referred for physical therapy, so hopefully that will help things.  The pain has already improved since my activity level has returned to normal, but I'm still pretty uncomfortable.  Mostly, I'm worried about things being this bad at six months, what will it be like at nine months!

Last night I read this article on a design blog about a friend of a friend who miscarried at six months (which is where I nearly am in my pregnancy).  I bawled my eyes out and was reminded of the three little ones I lost so early on.  Losing babies just seems like the most unfair thing that anyone has to live through and I will never understand why it happens.  Life is delicate and unpredictable and sometimes just really unfair.  It breaks my heart to think about miscarriage, but it is a good reminder to try to enjoy every moment of this pregnancy, even the painful bits, because this may be the only time I have with this sweet life within me.  That being said, all is well and I got to hear his little heartbeat again today which is always a comfort.  I can't say that it is because I am blessed (because your'e not blessed if you miscarry?) or that I am anything other than simply lucky to have this little life in me.  With this in mind, it feels silly to be concerned about any pain or discomfort when the whole picture is considered . . .

23 weeks: profile pic

Isn't he cute?!  I had to go back for another ultrasound when they couldn't see the bottom of his spine at my 20 week scan.  He is still very strong and healthy and his spine checked out just fine!  While I was there, the technician got a great profile shot of our little guy.  For comparison, here is the profile shot we got of Charlie in utero:

I'd marvel at the similarities, but don't all ultrasound pictures look about the same?

All has been well this last week, though I'm starting to get some more frequent sciatic nerve pain.  I was told I could ask my doctor about a referral to a physical therapist so perhaps it's time I do that.  Last time my sciatic nerve pain got so bad that I literally could not walk.  Jason would wheel me around the house in an office chair and had to get up with me in the middle of the night to lift me onto the toilet.  It was a humbling experience that I'd prefer not to repeat.  The worst of it only lasted a few days to a week, but I did have to sing a concert with my medieval trio from a chair.  It was such a hassle getting me on stage and in the chair that I just sat there during the intermission!  Talk about embarrassing!

I leave for Miami a week from today, so my next update will hopefully include a belly shot of me look tan and svelte in a bikini on the beach!  (Yeah, right!)

PS:  Here's what I was up to when I was five months along with Charlie!