38 Weeks Pregnant

We have reached 38 weeks pregnant!

Which feels very real in terms of baby arrival as Elfie came at about this stage (via planned Caesarian): it’s nearly BABY NUMBER 2 TIME.

My belly is completely stuffed full of baby and as a consequence I have a small(ish) appetite and need to wee all the time. Which is mostly annoying at night. This also means I have some really weird pressure issues going on with my internal organs that just feel bizarre and I can’t wait for them to all have their own space again. I’m also looking forward to sleeping on my belly, getting up from the floor/sofa/bed unassisted, doing up my shoes and wearing clothes that don’t have stretch to them. 38 weeks pregnant is tough! Although I am kind of enjoying the feeling of wearing such comfortable clothes all day every day. In no other situation is it appropriate to wear such a large amount of lycra – except for when playing sports perhaps.

Despite the small appetite I’ve found myself eating a bunch of crap this week. I just don’t have the energy to cook anything healthy so I’ve been enjoying curries, jacket potatoes, pizza… well and truly making up for eating so much salad and healthy business at the start of the pregnancy. I’m especially craving mild curries (I can’t take the hot ones) including Coronation Chicken sandwiches again, and luckily they sell a gorgeous version on white doorstop bread at the deli round the corner.

All boy baby bits and pieces are washed, ready and in the two drawers in our bedroom that we emptied for this purpose last week. The BedNest is out the attic, cleaned and next to our bed with a pile of fresh-smelling blankets and sheets and my hospital bags are finally packed (including massive pants from Primark to wear after the birth and the mattress pads that will go in them. Sexy). After thinking I had bought enough baby clothes already I had a mad panic over trousers this week and so rushed to buy 5 more pairs. I think I probably had enough in the first place.

The week’s 38 weeks pregnant visit to the midwife went really well and baby’s head down and in the perfect position, ready to launch like a rocket (maybe). My palpitations and dizzy spells have completely disappeared since I identified their source: it turned out they were related to how stressed I was feeling at the time and Will has stepped up to the mark and taken a lot of the child care duties off my hands, as well as drawing up a rota so Elfie spends one day a week with each of her Grannies. This has been so helpful in terms of rest for me, knowing she’s well taken care of so I can relax a bit. Ergo, I am no longer worried about having a heart attack whilst giving birth but no matter how much sleep I get I still seem to be freaking exhausted. Energy, return please!

On the midwife’s advice I ordered a TENS machine which arrived this morning and I hope it’ll give me some pain relief during the early stages of labour, thought I have been giving it a go at 38 weeks pregnant.  Speaking of which, I was up all last night with lower back pain after a brilliant time at POP Boutique‘s launch (more on that next week) and have had persistant period-type cramps all day today. Plus my nose has been bunged up to high heaven which some have said can be a sign of early labour: I’ve had dodgy sinuses all the way through this pregnancy and it’s really stepped up a notch today. So who knows… this might be the last 38 weeks pregnant update (but baby 2, please don’t come before Homeland on Sunday).

How did you feel at 38 weeks pregnant?

(Photography note: it makes sense that right at the end Mr David Bailey, aka Will, wants to get creative with his photos. Charlotte, I hope you appreciate his efforts). 

Week 36
Week 33
Week 31
Week 28
Week 24
Week 20
Week 16
Week 14
Week 12
Week 6/8