Week 38: Bean's grandma arrives!

We had a really BUSY week getting everything ready for my Mum who arrived yesterday.

Monday

• Assembled TV cabinet
• Patched little hole in bathroom
• Tidied store room
  
• Washed car
• Washed Mum's bedsheets
  

Tuesday

• Painted and touched up walls and ceilings
  
• Bought and put on new car seat covers
• Swim
  

Wednesday

• Tidied sideboard in the living room
  
• Supervised window cleaning
• Last few touch-ups in Mum's room
  

Thursday

• Cleaned bathrooms
• Went to Chinese supermarket to get vegetables
• Put up photos around the house
• Tidied front garden
  
• Swim
  

Friday

• Antenatal check-up
• Pedicure
• Swim

I really went into a mad frenzy this week to get all the tasks completed despite the fact I was so exhausted each day. Could that have been a terrible case of nesting? Was it a sign that labour is imminent? Having finally finished all the decorating, cleaning and tidying, I now have no worries about the house being not ready for Bean. The fear of delivery aside, I do feel I am ready for this baby whenever he wants to come.

But I think it may be a while yet. At my check-up on Friday, the midwife told me his head is 60% engaged in the pelvis. Who is to know how long he will take to move down completely? It could take days or weeks! Anyway, the important thing is he is in the right position to enter the world and this week I have just been feeling so nervous and worried about how MUCH our lives are going to change forever with the arrival of Bean. Will I be able to cope?

My mother arrived yesterday morning and that is another reason why I feel more relaxed about the idea of having the baby. Previously I was so worried that he might decide to come before his Grandma gets here, which would make things very tricky.

My mother brought LOADS of dried food goods to make confinement food for me - red dates, longans, peanuts, cashew nuts etc. She also bought me bags and bags of special herbs for baths, plenty of gifts and red packets from friends and family. The girls bought me a beautiful Juicy baby changing bag which they dropped off at my place but unfortunately my Mum's luggage was already bursting so she couldn't bring it with her. Still, we'll be back very soon so I'll be able to use it then!

Oh, speaking of gifts - if you are thinking of getting Bean something, please resist yourself. Just like what we did for our wedding, we'll be requesting that you make a donation instead of buying us presents, not because we don't appreciate your generousity and kindness but simply because Bean is such a blessed little boy and already has received SO MUCH STUFF that he will outgrow them before he'll get a chance to wear or use them. I'll post a separate entry on this soon.

In the meantime, since Bean is determined to stay in my belly for some time yet, it'd give us time to take my Mum around the neighbourhood and the city, perhaps drive to a few scenic spots and do a few touristy things before we'll all get confined at home very soon!

Week 37: The wait commences

Hurrah! Despite all my fears and tears, Bean is now a full-term baby and has a very good chance of survival if he is born any minute now, except I don't think he's ready to meet the world yet.

I had my antenatal check on Monday and although Bean has been head down for several weeks now, his head hasn't fully descended into my pelvis which mean it could be sometime before he comes. But having said that, he has been slowly dropping downward because I am carrying him lower and I no longer feel him pressing against my stomach. Because of this, my heartburn and indigestion problems have resolved and I am also able to eat more than usual.

I have been having Braxton-Hicks or false contractions at least once a day now. It is usually brought on by having a full bladder. When that happens, my whole belly becomes very very tensed, bloated and tight like a football for a few minutes. It is not painful but it can be somewhat uncomfortable. But they are good, because they can help to "ripen" or soften the cervix to prepare for the birth.

This week I have finally finished packing my hospital bag! I have also finished writing my birth plan - essentially listing down my wishes and preferences during labour and delivery. E.g. I am definitely aiming for a natural vaginal birth in water. I don't really want an epidural unless absolutely necessary because I want to be able to feel the contractions and push accordingly. I'd like the baby to be handed to me immediately before being cleaned up, etc.

We spent Tuesday morning putting together a motorised cradle swing which R bought a long while back. It can rock the baby sideways as well as to and fro, plays music and has lights and rotating hanging mobiles. I think it's a piece of overpriced item for a little baby but the user reviews were very good, which led to R buying it on crazy impulse. Anyway, only time will tell if it really is worth the pinch.

My mother will be here next Saturday so we have been in a sort of mad panic this week to get everything sorted. So far we have:

• Installed cable TV
• Ordered a new TV so the one we have now can go into her bedroom
• Tidied the front garden and planted lots of colourful flowers
  
• Arranged for cleaners to wash the windows and gutters of the house next week
  
• Tidied the book shelves, wardrobe and cupboard
• Bought and laundered new towels for Mum
  

With the majority of the chores being completed (oh yes I also got my hair done - cut and coloured - because I know I won't have time to do that when Bean comes), I now feel I am ready to have the baby so I hope he won't make me wait too long!

Week 36: Swimming, Driving, DVT

I can't believe I have only been on maternity leave for a week. It feels longer than that probably because I have been so busy this week.

First of all, we finally bought a car! Okay, it's really a piece of scrap metal if you like - a 15-year-old manual Renault with no power steering which cost us just £200. It'd do for now until we decide if we do want to keep a car in the long run and if we do, we'll look for a better one, and I say definitely an automatic with power steering because turning the bloody wheel of this old banger really leaves me breathless!

So this week I have been attempting to get acquainted with the car and driving again. Having not been behind the wheel for over 4 years, I discovered I have forgotten a lot of it and lost most of my confidence as a result. And thus so far I have only managed to take the car out of the parking lot, put it back in, take it down a dirt road across my house and park it again. It's pathetic I know, but I'd rather take my own time to practise and get myself familiar and at ease with controlling the vehicle before taking it out onto the main road. It's slow, but it is progress of some kind.

I've also started to go to the local indoor pool just 3 minutes away from where I live. It is open to the public from around 3pm-6pm. Normally I go there to use the gym after work but now that I am free most afternoons, I decided I should go for a daily swim instead.

Swimming is great because the water provides temporary support and relief for the extra weight around the belly. I feel a lot more mobile in the pool and really enjoy being able to keep exercising in such a fun way.

I have been keeping active throughout the pregnancy not only because it is good to stay mobile but also because I am particularly conscious I am being more at risk of developing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a blood clot in the leg in pregnancy. Pregnant women tend to be more inactive and because their blood become thicker naturally to prevent excessive blood loss in childbirth, they are more susceptible to developing DVT.

Earlier this week I discovered that my left ankle was getting more swollen than the right so R took my urine sample to test for protein, which, coupled with high blood pressure, could be a symptom of pre-eclampsia, which is caused by a fault with the placenta. Mothers with pre-eclampsia often have premature babies or need medical intervention to deliver them.

R found a trace amount of protein in my urine so he wanted me to go to the GP to check my blood pressure to be sure. My BP was fine but the doctor was quite concerned about my swollen leg and the fact that it only affected my left ankle and calf. My right leg was perfectly fine.

Although I didn't display the usual textbook symptoms of DVT (i.e. redness, pain, tenderness), he sent me to A&E to get my leg properly checked in case it was a blood clot. So I headed to A&E, waited around for an hour and a half, got seen by a doctor who booked me in for an urgent scan the next morning and in the meantime gave me a blood thinning jab just in case.

In the end nothing showed up in the scan so it must be the warm weather, tight stockings, excessive walking that caused the swelling. And in any case, many pregnant women develop swelling in their ankles and legs during the last trimester simply because there is a higher volume of blood and fluid in their bodies.

Ah well, bit of a waste of time really but at least it's now confirmed there is nothing to worry about. Apart from all the drama this week, I also have finally gotten down to washing ALL of Bean's clothes! They are all fresh and folded in the drawers, his bedding has been laundered and laid out, and I have almost finished packing my hospital bag.

All we need now is the baby.