Today we are 30 weeks and 4 days. We have approximately 66 days to go until our darling baby is born.
Yesterday we went for our 30 week check up with our midwife, and well, all I can report is that baby is fine and I am healthy! Thank God! My fundal height is 37cm which, when plotted on the growth chart shows that baby will be approximately 4kg's at birth! Yes, that's 4 kgs, no typo there! Well she actually said 4.3 or 4.4kg's so guess this is going to be a big baby, well that's an understatment to say the least. The biggest baby in our family was my nephew Dylan who was 3.990kg's at birth and 50cm long, guess this little one's gonna give his cousin a run for his money! Well, considering Cameron and I were over 3kg's at birth (Cameron being the biggest baby in the ward the day he was born) and my midwife said because Cameron's so tall and I am not a small girl either, it's a given that this baby is going to be big & tall. Because of this though we might have to go for another scan at 36 weeks which will chart baby's growth in preparation for birth, in case we have to opt for a C-Section which I am hoping doesn't happen. But it's all in God's hands, whatever is meant to happen will happen, by God's grace we will get this baby out! Cameron's face when I laid on the exam bed at Deb's was so funny, his eyes almost popped out of his head when he looked at my tummy. I asked him why he was so surprised because he sees it everyday, his response was that he hadn't seen it from that angle before and well, proved even more how big I was.
Ok, what else can I report. The routine tests that we did at 28 weeks came back clear. Deb says I'm a textbook case, which she wishes she could show all her patients. Everything is normal, all that they look for shows relatively normal levels and my blood pressure is perfect.
The only thing we need to work on is turning baby into the right position. Currently s/he is currently in a posterior position which means that although he is head down the back of his head is against my spine, hence the back ache and well, this means he isn't in the right position for birth. It means it will bring some difficulty in labour so we have to work on turning him. And by him I am not eluding to the baby's sex. At our last scan we told the sonographer that we didn't want to know but when we went to our midwife a week or so after, she told us what the sex was, we were quite upset that the secret had been shared but excited that we knew what we were having. Then yesterday at our check-up I asked her if she was sure and she said that it was still 50/50 and that it was impossible to know for sure. So we are back at square one and have no clue what baby's sex is, but the excitement of actually finding out at the birth is something we've regained! Anyway, our focus for the next few weeks is to ensure that he or she is in the right position for birth, so that means I have to change the way I sit, always leaning forward, and always ensure I'm on my side when laying down. It's going to be hard to do because I am so used to leaning back when I sit but have to make the effort if I want an easy birth.
Baby's heartbeat is strong, is between 137 & 140 beats per minute and Deb was very happy with that. Although given his position, it was very hard to hear and find. I had to turn onto my left side for him to turn so that we could hear the heartbeat. Funny thing though, I had a Braxton Hicks contraction while I was laying on the exam bed and Deb had to wait for it to pass before she could do the examination. It was weird cos I hadn't known what to expect, or at least didn't know what a Braxton Hicks contraction felt like until she pointed it out, so luckily it happened when it did. Now I know, when my tummy gets really hard, that means I'm having a Braxton Hicks contraction! Good to know!!!
Ooh, just got the biggest kick, guess baby know's I'm talking about him or her!!!
Deb also gave us a whole lot of reading for our birth plan and what to expect in labour. So we have to do loads of research and planning. She says information is power so be prepared for every situation, but don't think it'll be perfect, be prepared for anything to happen. Which is pretty much the outlook I've had since day one. I am believing for a complication free labour and believe that God will see me through it and give us both the strength to get through it but I've told Deb I'm not gonna have preconceived ideas of how it should go. So now we are nearing the end of this pregnancy and we still have alot of preparation to do, both physically and mentally but I know we can and will be ready when baby comes.
Today Cameron's parents confirmed their tickets so they will arrive on May 10th. Bradley & Shamini will be here on May 22nd and my mum arrives on the 29th of March. So everyone will be here, and it's finally dawning on me that this is for real! Soon, we will have this little one in our arms and will be going to pick up Ma & Grandpa Pillay and Aunty Shamini & Uncle Bradley from the airport with our little baby in the stroller, I can already see their faces when they first lay eyes on this baby! And I am so grateful I will have my mother with me, and thankful she will be here from day one. Mostly, I am so excited to become a parent and share this experience with Cameron. I know he is going to be an impeccable birth partner and am trusting that he will continue to be his amazingly calm and supportive self when it all happens.
And so the countdown begins...
