So another week has finished and I am now on my 33rd week but how did my 32nd week of my pregnancy pan out for me?

Well to be honest , I feel like all those little niggly pains, sickness , headaches, cravings and so on are starting to be a thing of the past and it all seems a little quiet .
The phrase I would use for this week would be ''Getting ready for the calm before the storm''.

There has been no huge change from the last week. I'm still sleeping well, eating well and feeling rather large and most of all still feeling nervous for what I know is about to come in the next few weeks .

Events-
Well we had that much loved visit to see the midwife this week.
Nothing spectacular and in fact the only thing I seemed bothered about was that the midwife I usually see was replaced with a less happy lady which I felt a little uncomfortable with. 
The whole visit seemed very rushed and for me my visit to the midwife is something I tend to look forward to as my usual midwife takes time in listening to me and my concerns or weekly emotions. We usually have a good 15 minutes at least chatting just to make sure I feel ok and listen into baby and she reassures me everything is ok.
This time around the new lady filling her place for the week seemed to be in a hurry , had no interest except for the necessities and rushed me on my way. 
All in all the visit felt like a failure in some way just because of the whole experience this time around which upset me a little to be honest. 
We checked my blood pressure which was fine, the size of my belly which thankfully is where it should be now and also the position of baby too .
I was informed that baby is in the breech position which worried me some more but I was later reassured by friends that this is normal and baby will turn in time but the fear of me having to go through having him forcefully turned later or more worryingly for me a c-section made me more scared than before.
I know I should not , but I compare my pregnancy's and although I know each is different , I kind of expected that baby would be like the others , head down by now.
I get the feeling that this boy is going to be quite the handful this time around and as I have been so lucky with my previous births this may be the one to change all of that.

I must stay positive and ignore my fears or I will end up panicking more!
He has plenty time to turn and behave .

His heartbeat was as always strong and hearing that sound makes your insides spin in circles knowing everything is ok in there and he is doing great .

How is baby?
Our boy is very lively this week. I think he is enjoying his wriggles while he can as we know the space in there is going to get a little cramp as he grows over the next few weeks.
I can not help but wonder though if he has a head of hair or not.
My others had only a small few whisps except for my first born.
He will be measuring around 42cm from head to toe now which sounds quite large being he is in my little round tummy .
The one big thing that happened for baby this week also happened in respect of his name , finally me and his dad have come to a choice we both like although he prefers the shorter version to the name , whereas I like the fuller more cuter version .
I am sure we will make final decisions when we see his face and know which suits him more.

How am I doing?
Something that I did not know about this week was that my blood volume would have increased this week to between 40 /50 % and my uterus is now pushing upwards towards my diaphragm meaning I will be a little more out of breath sometimes .
After a weekend with family staying over making me laugh to the extent I had bruised ribs afterwards I'm sure . I have to admit it was a little harder to laugh as hard as I usually would.

I had a lucky escape when I missed a step at the weekend and my legs went a little weak walking down my stairs. Luckily I kept myself from falling with the help from the banister handle (which we later discovered to have been pulled from the wall) and taking the brunt force on my legs so not to hurt my back or belly and I ended up with sore legs for around 4 days but more importantly our baby was ok and it never even stirred him.

Other than my legs giving away on me and my giggle fits , I had a lovely week .

With only 8 more weeks to go now , I still keep forgetting to make a birth plan and pack my hospital bag so I think I should do those .

Hope you keep following our journey!

The feeling of bump growing is something that seems to have slowed down now . I feel like each time I need to get up from the sofa or the bed I have the need to roll my way out slowly instead of getting up so easily and quickly.

The week itself has been very relaxing.
No massive changes that I can see other than the fact I am lactating more than ever and a little sickness has returned but other than that this week is pretty box standard.

How am I feeling?
Well bar the sickness returning , I do feel quite relaxed but full of energy. My appetite is back to normal and I am sleeping just as good as I have throughout so far.
I have my appointment with the midwife next week and I fear that he is not yet head down yet.
I know each baby is different but my others were all head down at around this time but this one seems to give me that distinct feeling as though he is going to be a trouble from the start and I am worried he is not moving down like he should be . I know , still plenty of time !

I think there may be a lack of libedo this week too, I know it is something that can and does happen during pregnancy and I have come to an understanding that for me it happens coincidently when I am carrying boys, but although I am not fussed at all and am happy to be not entertaining the husband at his every beck and call , it does not help but leave me feeling a little sorry for his loss at the moment . I just hope for his sake that it returns before he thinks I have forgot about him lol. I keep telling him that lack of libedo is normal and he just has to deal with it , simples!

Since the little mishap of eating dates last week there has been no sign of tightenings or braxton hicks again this week thankfully , the usual movements from bump but nothing that makes me feel like he is getting ready and it is just how I like it . I keep saying I do not think I will ever be ready for this little fella and the closer the time comes the more I stick to it . I simply feel scared and not at all ready for him although I know it will be worth it in the end, I hope he stays in there a little longer or at least on time.

I can not remember suffering from much heartburn  or did I?
It did make an appearance a little this week but only for a day or to and thankfully disappeared .

How is baby doing?
Well he has definitely been working his muscles in there. He is more energetic and active as ever and the kicks and stretches are becoming more fierce . He tends to move pretty much all times of the day, he does not have a set time when he wants to wake or sleep like he did at the beginning but I like the element of surprise .
He is meant to be measuring around 40cm and weighing 3lbs but I am not sure as I have not had a scan or visit to check for this , hopefully the midwife visit will tell me all is ok and on track .

Baby certainly feels fine and he is more than making me aware he is doing ok in there so just have to wait until next to see midwife and hopefully she will tell me if the boy is doing as good as I hope.

I really should make my mind up on this naming baby .
My husband likes one name and my family like another, I am torn and not sure but I think it is time we sat down and made a decision as there really is not much time left to go now .

 It's the final countdown!

I keep singing the tune in my head this week , wow what a pregnancy this has been and the fun is just about to really start from now on.

How Am I Feeling?
Nerves are kicking in and the worries are back. I know giving birth is something my body is built for , but am I ever going to be truly ready for doing this all over again?
Well it's a little late now to change my mind as we only have 10 weeks left to go (well hopefully as long as this little fella does not keep me holding out for any longer).

So my week 30 has just finished and I have to say it has been the wierdest feeling week so far.

From the start of the week it seemed I woke almost instantly with what can only be described as a deflated sensation. You may remember I had the same sensation back on Week 17 .
I looked at my tummy to see not the huge round bulge I would normally see but once again what seemed to be ''The missing bump'' . Still there just a little smaller and less looking of a bump.
I worried myself sick all day Friday and again on Saturday as my husband drove us out for the day and treat us to a fantastic Pizza Hut meal which is very rare. 
It all seemed to suddenly go from having a very active bump to suddenly going very quiet and it scared me a little.
I found myself checking for signs of bleeding or mucus at each toilet break , held my bump continuously for the whole two days hoping to feel a movement and just worrying as to why my bump seemed strangely very quiet and not as active.

I kept an eye on the movements and kicks, each time it seemed that there had been no movement , I layed on my side , drank cold drinks or ate chocolate. These three things are what usually get my boy moving if he ever goes quiet usually and I was pleased to find this still worked.
My husband even spent the evening chatting away to bump and I giggled in relief when he kicked and wriggled in his way of replying to his daddies voice.
It was just a strange sensation that kept me on my toes for around three days until eventually it all returned to normal and our boy was moving around as he was before by the end of the week, strangely my bump still feels a little deflated but I know he is ok , I've had no unusual shows or pains and so I am putting it down to one of the upcoming ''The calm before the storm moments'' . 

Events!
Ok so I know there are no more so called events except for the midwife trips and the main event of course , I did neither this week and don't go to see midwife for another couple of weeks but something big did happen this week.
I ate some dates!
Yes , doesn't sound all that great does it but I have never heard of what the consequences are to eating dates when pregnant and I found out a little to sooner than I should have .
Supposadly the fruit ''Date'' has not been officially added to the list of must have or must avoid list in pregnancy! (I just wanted to clarify that so I was once again not made out to look the daft one unlike the horseradish situation previously).

The fruit is absolutely loaded with nutrients such as good sugars, protein, fibre, folate, vitamin K, iron, potassium and magnesium, all of which benefit you and of course your unborn baby.
Not only does this fruit contain nutrients but it is also very tasty and I had a sudden urge to buy some this week and why not?
Well I will let you in on my discovery!
After indulging in only a small handfull (5 dates to be exact), withing around 5 minutes afterwards I got a sudden cramping sensation in my tummy and lower back.
My stomach hardened and I felt like I had just set of the button to start labour.
I put the Dates down and had a funny feeling that what I had just eaten had something to do with it and Googled ''Eating dates while pregnant'' to discover some pretty interesting facts.

Not only is this a great benefit for nutrients but it seems the (what I thought was )helpless little piece of fruit, is also great for cervical dilation and helping labour along.
Yes , the fruit I had just eaten seemed to spark of what I can only describe as those braxton hicks and as soon as I read that they were given straight to the kids to be no longer seen again.
I had not heard of eating dates in pregnancy being a problem until this but now knowing that Dates seem to have a compound that mimics the hormone oxytocin (which causes contractions) I am staying well clear until I feel my baby is ready .

How is baby doing?
Well as We already discovered , this week he seemed to quieten down for a few days but still very much active .
Baby is meant to measure around 39cm around this time and still has some growing to go yet and the babies lungs and digestive system are almost fully developed.
From now on ,the bigger the baby gets , the less amniotic fluid there will be.

I have made more add ons in the respect of baby clothes , nappy bin, baths and other little bits and I am now in sole concentration of buying the last of my reusable cloth nappies before I concentrate on bedding and blankets before finishing the last of babies needs. Our lovely Drew (our second youngest daughter) even bought her baby brother his first teddy out of her own money when she was out at the weekend and it looks just like her big sisters that she still has now .

The suitcase is out and my bag is now starting to get packed, ready for that hospital trip if ever he does decide to creep up before expected and although I don't need to , I always like to pre wash all clothing , blankets and such are washed ready for the arrival .

I am not sure I will ever be ready for this but I am trying to get prepared and I certainly don't have much time left , especially knowing how fast the last 30 weeks has gone by.

Hope you keep following me through this journey and I will be back soon with more updates.

OMG , I have just finished the last of my 29th week of pregnancy and it has just kicked in that there is only the 10 week countdown left to go.

10 weeks left and still I have so much to do , or buy should I say.

We did take the huge leap and finally after weeks of me moaning on to my husband, he ended up taken me to Babies R Us shopping for the one thing I have been worried about most other than giving birth, The Pram!

First of all , I would like to wish the lady who was in the Gateshead store last weekend while we were there on the late Friday night (if she reads this) all the very best. 
The poor lady was pregnant and very ill and although the staff at the store done their up most to help her for over an hour ,I couldn't help but notice she was very distressed and upset and rather worried with her children in tow . The last I seen of her was after I offered her a bottle of water and then my husband said she was taken by hospital by ambulance. We just hope she was ok, we were all very worried for her.

If you may remember, I asked for your help regarding pushchairs and prams and after I have spent 4 months looking at every single site , style , colour, variation of where and what pram to buy I went with the one I fell in love with instantly as soon as I saw it originally in the same store back when I first found out we were expecting.
The Cossatto Giggle in Oaker , full set with car seat, carry cot and seat , with raincovers , clips for carseat transformation, cosy toes and also changing bag and changing bag.
Again the manager of the Babies R Us section was fantastic with all of her help after Ii gave her numerous queries regarding prams. It seems that you basically have so many different sections to consider of a pram or pushchair these days and they don't come as a full system like they used to back when I had my last child only 5 years ago . We seen some great deals but even when you looked at those they told you that you then needed to but the carry cots or car seats and even more surprisingly they charged you for what they call ''The colour packs'' which included necessities in my eyes such as the hood, newborn padded seating ,pram apron and harness straps.
Now I can see the great idea been good for those who want to add a little colour to their pram or pushchair but what happened to having these included ?
Never the less , we bought the amazing pram I had been begging my husband for from the beginning and not expecting him to cave in because of the expense , I was pleasantly surprised when I ended up rolling it out of the store with the biggest grin ever seen .
I may do a small review of this once I have been able to give it a try fully later on . I am totally in love with it.
I am not going to lie when I admit I am not ready for little man but know it is still to early but when you get the pushchair it seems that those emotions seem to instantly get hold of you and you really feel the need to get pushing it around because you love it so much.
I still have a long way to go , a whole 10 weeks so instead I have had a small push around the house and to be fair that is the highlight pregnancy wise of this week in regards to events.

How am I doing?
I am feeling fantastic this week. Nothing major except the usual strange feelings like our baby boy moving further down and wriggling around constantly but I have had a slight sickness feeling come back which left me tired for two days.
Luckily my blood results came back from last weeks midwife trip and everything was normal as they put it so for the first pregnancy out of them all , I am in no need of iron tablets as I am doing perfectly fine, over the moon.
My husband puts it down to a change in my habits , bad ones I had before I became pregnant such as healthier diet and especially because I am not drinking and no longer smoke .
I am finding myself drinking lots of milk which I am sure will come in handy for the growing weeks to come for our babies thirsty bones.
I am starting to think it may be a good time to start getting the last bits such as Cloth nappies and clothing for baby in so finding myself addicted to Ebay and online sites.


How is baby?
So I heard that from now to birth our baby boy is going to now double and maybe even triple in size and I know that has to be a sign he is going to be quite some size, I feel large already.
He is already around 17 inches although our last weeks midwife visit measured a little larger for the dates .
He is constantly moving around, I get the distinct feeling he is trying to get into place as the (only way I can describe it sorry) scratching down in the pelvic area feeling is happening quite a lot now , it catches me by surprise and I remember this feeling well from my other pregnancies.

It seems to have been another fast going week this week and I know I have said it all the way through but I hope it slows down and know it is not going to . I feel this is the fastest pregnancy ever and I still do not feel ready yet.

Keep an eye out on my last run of the last 10 weeks , things are going to be getting exciting and I do not want you to miss a thing.

What a great week this has been, not only is it the last week I have to do the school runs until another 6 weeks time but I also feel so full of energy .

We have enjoyed a lovely family BBQ where I spent all day on my feet yet did not feel grumpy or tired and it was nice to have some company for a change . 
The brothers in law always make me giggle with their childish antics so it was most certainly needed . I think after my husband and myself moving home then finding out we were pregnant , it has felt like we have non stopped being busy and so it was nice to get a day with family .

Events - 
We had our 28 week visit to see the midwife this week .
I am and always will be I suspect , afraid of needles and so because the midwife knew this she informed me last month so I could ensure my husband had the time of to hold my hand and stroke my hair in comfort and get me through it. I know I am a wuss.
Usually I tend to have low iron so I am hoping this is not the case this time around as I have felt ok but results will be back next week so I will find out then.
So after I told the midwife to just get it over and done with, I layed on the bed so that we could hear baby's heartbeat.
As hoped, baby had a fantastic rhythm and gave out a huge kick which actually stunned the midwife to the point she had to redo it .
He does have a very strong kick , I feel it more so every day and to be honest it is becoming constant . 
I then had my blood pressure taken and afterwards told I was measuring 30 weeks instead of 28 but no need for concern.
4 More weeks until I see her again.

How am I feeling?
Well after a nice relaxed week , I feel so much better in my self.
Eating, sleeping and no complaints at all . 
Ok so I have to have one so I will say I am eating way to much cake.
Is there such a thing as eating to much cake ?
I seem to have had cake as my craving this pregnancy all the way through and not going to lie , it does not matter which type it is but carrot cake seems to be my favourite to the point hubby is popping into the shop from work to pick up not a small slice but a whole one for me around two or three times a week for one , oops. 
(As I write this , hubby walks through the door waving yet another Co-op finest carrot cake for me).
My boobs have began to become hard and uncomfortable , most of my bras do not fit no more and I am in need of some nursing bras instead as they are becoming heavy to the point the wires are bending and even snapped on one occasion this week.
Being a size F before pregnancy I dread to think of the cost it would be for more bras now and at this point I feel it to be a waste of money so I definitely need to pop to the local supermarket and grab a couple nursing bras for couple of quid.

Finally on the home stretch of the pregnancy and I am getting the most strangest of dreams.
At one point I was a pregnant soldier on a navy ship being bombed and in another I was a pregnant school girl with all of my old school friends enjoying life as normal.
No idea why but they are all rather strange and to be fare not all bad most of the time . Sometimes I even dream of seeing baby but not as we are expecting and sometimes I dream I am having the opposite sex to what we have been told or visions of it looking like my husband or me .


How is baby?
There is no way that our little boy is going to be a quiet one. I do not even think he is going to sleep as he certainly does not  sleep now. He always seems to be on the move .
There are times when I can stroke my tummy and he will stretch out totally so that I can see hands on one side of my tummy (usually left) and his feet pushing the other side . I am very excited to start seeing full limbs that can be recognised later on but at this time it is just guessing what is what and he could be in all fairness the other way round.
As we have been informed this week he is growing well , two weeks ahead by her measurements and his heartbeat is fantastic so I am pleased .
He seems to enjoy kicking me very low down to the point I get a shock when he does it but knowing he is there gives me piece of mind.
Our baby can most certainly hear us and when his dad puts his head on my tummy and speaks , most times he will give him a big kick . Maybe this little fella already knows he is going to be ruling the house lol.

Fears!
I am now at the point that worry is setting in, I keep telling my husband that I am going to give birth on the school run or at home while he is at work and I have all 7 kids at home with three German Shepherds battering my head , stressed out my brain .
Child birth .,, no matter how many times I do it , still scares me and I try to keep telling myself that I am perfectly fine, I can do this and that if it was such an impossibility , most woman in the world would not do it .
I am not going to lie, I know it is going to hurt and I know the pain will be all worth it in the end but I also know that there can be complications and a C section has to be my biggest worry although I know unlikely .

Maybe now is the time to start praying on a quick and easy birth like my last son . I remember I spent the whole labour laughing at my husband and hope it is the same this time around .

Time to get the birth plan sorted . I never ask for much except for my husband to be there, a water birth and nothing but gas and air but it is all in the timing and I have a funny feeling this little fella likes surprises.