37 Weeks Pregnancy Diary

OMG STOP!

This week I feel I have gone through a dramatic change in my body.
I can no longer stand standing too long, I feel I have to take more showers to reduce backache (still waiting on a bath been fitted ) , baby feels like he has moved right down and the braxtons have actually happened but come and go once I start settling down for bed.

How am I doing?
So last week I felt like I had a break and nothing was really going to happen anytime soon but almost straight at the beginning of this week I started feeling drained , very weighed down and those lightening strike shooting pains in the lower sides of my back started to happen.
I am now on stand still with every pain . I felt so sure baby had dropped further that I layed flat on my back and rested the palms of my hands onto my pubic bone to be in total shock to feel what I can only hope was his head turning just as described last week in a corkscrewing motion .
Midwife says we are now 3/5ths and head is down and engaged so my theory was right and he is definitely where I thought he was.
I am so pleased he is now even further down and being that I went into labour with all of my previous babies at this stage of engagement , it means for me that the time is drawing even closer and as the midwife said herself,

''He can come anytime now , I've made another appointment in two weeks but doubt I will see you there''

I just hope that this happens and he does not have me waiting like my little man did last time .

We went for a lovely long walk shopping again at the weekend and for the past few days the nerve in my back is twitching making me even more nervous, it is not going to be much longer now.
2 weeks left and I am still a nervous wreck although feel I am now ready .

My boobs are leaking so much more this week than before and for three days I ended up with wet patches covering my top , I just hope it means there will be a good supply for feeding baby when he is here.

I literally can not bare the pain in my already poorly legs walking the long school runs now either.
I spent a full hour walking to and from the school and turned back at my door in tears I was in so much pain. I merely think the factor of me having Tibial stress syndrome and is very painful as well as being pregnant with the extra weight means it is not more the being pregnant that is painful but the agony of the walking in general that is causing me to be in so much agony.
Honestly it feels like he is moving further down with each step and he is turning as I make every move. When I realise to my little self that he is not coming at that moment in time and the panic settles , I then realise that if I wriggle my hips and sway as I walk to school it makes things a little more comfortable and that is when I realise I look like a waddling duck . I tell the kids to slow down and am coming to the conclusion it is taking me now twice as long as it used to , to get them there .

How is baby?
Well we went to see the midwife and she says that he is head down and engaged now at 3/5ths and I can have him at any time now.

I am measuring at 38 which is wonderful and as I ask her more as to why my bump looks and feels like it has slowed down she assures me all is perfectly fine and her guestimations on his birth weight is between 7 - 8lbs.
The midwife then showed me the growth chart and I felt so much more at ease as I then realise that his growth went from being little to actually above the line of my biggest baby's weight which was 7lb and 14oz so luckily this is just a guestimation as I think that is a lovely weight although I do not still think this baby is going to be that big at all. In fact I have my own little guess at this baby being rather small and around the 6lb mark so we will see .

Baby has definitely quietened down and is making less dominant movements. He moves just as much but the kicks are now less strong than they were. This is more than likely down to the fact the room he has been renting is now getting a little too small for him and the eviction process is drawing closer now. 
It is lovely to be able to feel and see his every movement though, I can literally hold his tiny little bum in my small palm of my hand when he turns around which also gives me the sneak peak feeling into how tiny he is going to be. 
I also feel very scared at the thought a tiny baby that size is going to be under my care and protection once again and although I am mum to 7 already the thought still scares me how much responsibility I have over such tiny precious beings.

I went through the cleaning phase and again washed all of his baby things , even making his crib up ready and repacking my hospital bag and refolding all of his new clothes.
I keep finding new things I forgot we had .
There seems to be something fun and exciting about buying new things and I think all woman may agree , shopping is always therapy for those down and boring days , even just a good excuse to get out really .

So only two weeks left now !

It was lovely to have my nice usual midwife this week as she always takes her time in my visit and assures me all is well with our baby boy .
I received my appointment for a home visit from my health visitor which is due on the 5th October at my home .
For me , health visitors in my opinion have been a pain in the bum previously. I would much prefer to have the same midwife for the next 5 years of my babies life now that I feel a bond has been made during the pregnancy. 

Hopefully we get a lovely health visitor.

I feel a lot more settled and ready than I have been through out. I reckon that instinct of baby is coming soon and I best deal with realisation has finally kicked in. 
I feel myself preparing myself emotionally with all the niggles and pains with breathing techniques and letting them pass with no one knowing they are happening as I feel I do not want to make a fuss until the time is near.
There is not much longer to go and I hope you follow me for the rest of the journey as things are starting to heat up and our boy will be here soon.

Will our birthing plan go to plan?
Will I go early, on time or over my due date?
Will I get that water birth I have hoped for ?

Who knows , only way you can find out is to come back next week for an update.