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!