Week 35 Pregnancy VLOG by Teresa Palmer
What week?
35
How big is the baby?
She is between 18 or 19 (45.7-48.3 cm) inches and 5-6 lbs (2.25-2.7 kg) and approximately the same size as a bunch of carrots.
What's something new this week?
Braxton Hicks! Yay. I’ve had about ten of them I’d say. Three of them I noticed because of little twinges, and the rest are completely painless and my tummy goes really tight. I remember having these for a number of weeks with Forest, and they were actually really preparing me for birth. I think I had such an easy birth with Forest because my body had been working on effacing and dilating me before I was even in labour. By the time my proper contractions started, I was already walking around at 4cm dilated, hence the speedy and straightforward birth, so this time around I’m welcoming anything that helps move me along, even in the slightest of ways.
Most challenging moment?
Saying goodbye to Mark again! He left Sunday for 8 days. He’ll be back when I’m 36.5 weeks pregnant. Mark booked an amazing TV show as one of the leads and he shoots the pilot this week in Vancouver. On one hand, it’s wonderful news, but on the other hand, to have to say goodbye again was really hard. He was only home for 5 days. I was really wanting to just settle down and focus on the rest of the pregnancy and try to take it easy, so it was a really tough decision for us. If the show gets picked up, it potentially means being apart later in the year when I’m with the three kids shooting the second season of A Discovery of Witches in Wales, and he would be shooting in LA. We had a seriously hard 48 hours grappling with our options, lots of tears were shed (I was particularly vulnerable about being apart,) but we decided in the end it was the right decision for our family that he takes it. All the creatives on the project have made sure that if there’s a scheduling conflict, Mark can be based with us in Wales and he can fly in and out for his show commitments. It gives us a little more freedom in the future and means this can be the last time we take jobs at the same time. Our long term goal is to not work when the other person is working and this is a step in the right direction for us towards making that a reality.
Most exciting moment?
We spent the weekend together at Womad in Adelaide. It’s a world music and dance festival, basically a super hippie awesome music festival that’s kid friendly and full of amazing food stalls and vintage shops. Such a dream. I know I’m always singing the praises of Adelaide but between the Fringe Festival the last few weeks and Womad in the botanical gardens this weekend, I seriously consider Adelaide to be the most amazing city in the world!
The boys were enamoured by the kid zone; dressing up in handmade costumes and participating in the parade, dancing in the silent disco, building forts from natural elements, decorating sticks with coloured strips of material and the natural playground with the sandpit! it’s seriously an earthy mamas dream.
We spent 5 hours there Friday, eight hours there Saturday, and seven hours there Sunday; we couldn’t get enough! There were lots of gorgeous preggos there and I got talking to a mama due a day after me. We chatted about Ina May Gaskin, preventing tears, breathing techniques and just got excited together about birth. She is also doing the midwifery program, and it was a really sweet moment. My kids have never been so dirty! It was the best, we were all covered in dust, sand and leaves running around barefoot, and just had one of the best weekends of our lives!
Starting weight?
114lbs/52kg
Current weight?
142.2lbs/64.5kg
Exercise?
Running around the festival all weekend! Plus an F45 class.
Meals?
We have had to eat out all week as we no longer have a kitchen! The whole thing has been ripped out, ready to be rebuilt again. I had to make a makeshift kitchen in our walk in pantry/laundry, which is fine for breakfast but every other meal has been out. I’ve been having falafels at Womad, chocolate smoothies, avocado toast, green juices, nachos, pasta, pizza, salads etc.
Food aversions?
Indian food which I usually really enjoy, I really don’t want it right now much to Marks dismay as it’s his favourite cuisine.
Cravings?
I’ve definitely been craving green juices! Also my ice craving has dissipated, I wonder if it’s because I had my second iron infusion and I’m not so anemic now?! They say ice crunching directly correlates to low iron! Who knows?
Reflections
This week was one of the hardest for me emotionally, but also one of the best emotionally too. Talk about fluctuating hormones!! I had two really vulnerable and sensitive days, and then the rest of the week I was feeling on top of the world, really connected and happy. I felt so grateful to have such a loving and supportive husband who has gone above and beyond to make sure I’m being helped this coming week while he is gone. I know that for me relaxing this week is going to be invaluable. My work commitments on my business venture are slowing down, so I’m going to stop being so social (always my problem!!) and hunker down at the house, working on my project with Sarah, nesting and focusing on the pregnancy. Today (Monday) is a public holiday here and all we are doing is hanging at the house, I am finally taking my own advice!
Also, a special shoutout to The Birth Hour podcast this week, I just listened to the latest birth stories by January Harshe who founded the Birth Without Fear Blog. She is the mother of 6 and I loved hearing how her births have so beautifully evolved and how much she advocated for herself during all the types of births she had (ranged from 2 cesareans, VBAC with epidural, and home births). It was a really informative and positive episode.
