Week 35 - Pack your bags!

Went to see a Physiotherapist this week and she did an assessment. Turns out that one of my Sacro-iliac joints is stiffer than the other, hence one side of my hips have to over compensate, causing the pubic symphysis joint in the front to rub against each other, causing some misalignment and inflammation. Its not too serious and quite common, most pregnant women feel better after delivery but its important to take good care of my joints and prevent permanent damage. All this joint weakness is caused by the body producing the hormone called Relaxin which loosens all the ligaments and joints in preparation for labour. Apparently there are exercises I can learn to strengthen my core muscles to compensate for the joint weakness, but I've been too lazy to make another appointment to go back and learn them!

Pipsqueak is definitely getting heavier and his head is really low in my pelvis. I can actually feel him turn his head and I get shooting pains in my pelvic area when he decides to do a head butt or turn from side to side.

As a result I've been freaking all my colleagues out because I have no idea how soon I'll go into labour and all my files will be left hanging! So I've been trying to brief my colleagues on my active cases so that there is some continuity should I pop unexpectedly.

His growth rate is pretty phenomenal now, you can actually see the growth from day to day. I read that he's pretty much fully formed now, just putting on weight so that he can regulate his temperature in the outside world. He's also shedding his lanugo hair which covered his body in the womb, protecting him from the amniotic fluid.

I have another checkup this Friday, after this checkups will be weekly. I've got my hospital bag 90% packed, if not for the stuff which I still have to use from day to day. I've been trying to convince the Husband to read the labour and delivery chapters in "What to Expect when you're Expecting" so that he's prepared - but I haven't been very successful yet!

Week 34 - Waddle Waddle Waddle

Woke up on Wednesday feeling really heavy and strange, Pipsqueak's position seemed to have changed a bit and felt quite low. Then at lunch, I got this excruciating pain from the pubic bone radiating out to the inner thighs everytime I walked. I was reduced to walking very slowly and waddling like a duck. The pain didn't go away so I pushed forward my Friday checkup to Thursday.

The good news is that Pipsqueak is around 2kg now, so he's growing. His head is also 3/5 engaged, which is why I felt him being so low in the pelvis. Doctor says the pain is normal, some women can't even walk! She thinks it will go away in a few days as my body adjusts.

Its Sunday and it still hurts! It hurts when I walk, when I lift up one leg, when I turn from side to side in bed (this hurts the most) and when I cough. Worse still, I can hear something clicking in my pelvis when I walk. Did some reading online that there is a disorder called Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction. You can read more here:

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/pregnancy/antenatalhealth/physicalhealth/pelvicpain/?_requestid=1123266

I think I may have this, the symptoms match. The Husband doesn't think I have it, but its really slowing me down and affecting my mobility, so I've started making enquiries with physiotherapists to see if anyone is specialised in this. Apparently permanent joint damage can be caused during delivery if the doctors and nurses are not aware. In the meantime, everyone has noticed the waddling and much slower pace that I'm moving at.

After hearing that his head was engaged, most of my colleagues panicked (especially those who are not parents) and started asking what to do if I go into labour. I hope Pipsqueak doesn't arrive so soon, so that I can tide over my annual leave and maternity leave till next year!

Decided to wash Pipsqueak's clothes and linen this weekend since we're running out of time and technically, he can arrive anytime from Week 37. Its a good thing the Husband had the foresight to buy an extra clothing rack as Pipsqueak's clothes are so tiny, its hard to hang them on hangers and place them on our retractable clothes line. Everyone is telling us to enjoy our last few weeks of "freedom" before Pipsqueak arrives. At the moment, I just want my normal pelvis back!

Week 33 - Getting Wedged in Small Spaces

I don't know how it can possibly happen, but I seem to forget that I am taking up more space sideways and yet I still attempt to squeeze through small spaces. Just this Sunday I got wedged between the pillar and a table. I don't know what was going through my mind to make me think that I could possibly fit through the gap, but I had to gingerly reverse and walk the long way round. I've heard of women getting stuck in the barriers to the MRT train station! Hasn't happenned to me yet, but I can imagine why. Somehow toilets and barriers are not built with pregnant women in mind. I'm not sure if I have blogged about it yet, but I've been to one public toilet where I had 2 options, climb on the seat or stand pressed against the toilet bowl to get in and out of the cubicle. I chose the latter, but it still involved pressing the door against my belly.

The other unpleasant things I've discovered about pregnancy - the sweat glands work overtime! I keep smelling myself and not liking the smell the emanates, so I end up showering extra on the weekends when I'm home.

The constipation comes back on and off every few days, but its manageable. There is a feeling of incredible pressure in my groin and pelvic area, am told that it will get worse when baby's head engages. Sometimes his head seems so low I wonder if he's engaged already!

Visited a friend over the weekend who's just had her baby 2 weeks ago - and she looks like she's shrunk back to normal size! Her belly was tiny at full term and her baby was 3.5kg! As if that's not amazing enough, she's really petite but her labour was so short, she didn't even have time for an epidural. I pray mine is like that! Short, speedy and smooth!

Here are some shots of the lovely crabs we had on the weekend from Eng Seng Coffee Shop in Still Road. We ordered and bought them back for dinner to celebrate my sister in law's birthday. YUM! The pepper crab was awesome!



Its not uncommon now to see my belly go lopsided - my colleagues and friends find it quite intriguing. I'm not sure if I'm getting Braxton Hicks contractions, but sometimes my entire belly goes hard and I think its because Pipsqueak is sticking out his bum, but my friend tells me that she thought so too but her doc told her it was a Braxton hicks contraction.

I've also found out why Pipsqueak responds to the Husband's voice more favourably than mine - he can hear it more clearly! Mine probably sounds garbled as I'm further away, whereas the Husband can place his mouth right next to Pipsqueak's head. And I thought he was already starting to show favourtism between the parents. Of course the Husband still likes to think that Pipsqueak likes him better. Let's wait and see!

Week 32 - Daily Hiccups

We've finally hit the 8 month mark! On some days, I feel so heavy all my tummy muscles are aching and walking is a chore. I suspect that its his growth spurt days as I manage to adjust within the next day or so. As food is my greatest joy, its also one of my greatest challenges as I grow bigger each day as my stomach is being pushed higher and digestive capacity decreases. Sleeping is also getting more difficult, I still wake up at 4am or 5am in the mornings and find it hard to fall asleep again.




Here are pictures of the cot and stroller which arrived this week. The cot matches perfectly with the room decor, so I'm quite pleased. It has a one-handed drop down side which we were advised to look for in a cot as its hard to drop down the side with both hands if you're carrying a baby. Plus the height of the cot is adjustable so it grows with baby and prevents constant bending of the back.

The stroller was a gift from Uncle Ben and Aunty Grace, we selected a lighweight stroller so that its easy for me to handle on my own. You won't believe the multitude of functions that come with a stroller. There's actually a 4-wheel drive stroller - basically all 4 wheels can be unlocked and turn 360 degrees. If you think of it, its very handy if you need to rotate on the spot, but to push the stroller around or to walk in a straight line is quite challenging, so you end up locking 2 wheels. So in the end, you very rarely use the 4-wheel function. We decided to forgo the 4-wheel drive function and stick with a 2-wheel drive.

Pipsqueak has been hiccuping on a daily basis. I read on Babycenter that its because they take in small amounts of amniotic fluid as they learn to breathe, so they end up hiccuping. I don't think he likes the feeling as he gets agitated and starts kicking around. He's been hiccuping so much I'm getting quite concerned about whether he's in distress, but I've been told its normal. Anyone got suggestions on how to stop a baby hiccuping in the womb?

And I found out today too that a baby's kicking can be quite painful! My ribs have been sore partly from the kicking and partly from the expansion. Pipsqueak went on a rampage today and kicked like crazy - an entire limb popped out of my belly and it hurt! I hope my placenta is built to withstand constant pounding, I keep wondering if one day he's going to kick so hard, it will dislodge the placenta or cause a hole in it!