Week 35 Pregnancy VLOG, baby 4 by Teresa Palmer

WHAT WEEK?
35

HOW BIG IS BABY?
Baby is as big as a pineapple this week (my favourite fruit!) she weighs approximately 5lb 4oz/2.3kg which is how much she measured at our scan a few days ago. Of course, that’s always just a guess but they approximated she’s in the 30th percentile for weight.

WHAT’S SOMETHING NEW THIS WEEK?
I feel as though I can finally see my linea nigra from my belly button down, it’s so very faint but I can see it! Bubs has at varying times this week she has dropped further down in to an engaged position. I can feel her head hitting my cervix in what is commonly known at “lightning crotch” a sharp pain down there. It’s certainly not comfortable and when I was pregnant with Bodhi I remember thinking “oh god I hope this isn’t what a contraction feels like!?” It doesn’t. It’s a completely different feeling and often the sharp pain happens for a moment and then bubs moves off that spot. I also thought some of my cervical plug came away, I could be wrong but I hope that means that all my natural induction methods are paying off and we will have a bubby in our arms in 3 weeks or so. And lastly colostrum is in the building! And Poet is loving it and nursing much more now (3 x per day before it was 1 x per day if at all) it’s funny because I thought she was about to wean completely but not with this new exciting booby development!

MOST CHALLENGING MOMENT?
We’ve been in lockdown this week here in SA, I’d say the only challenging part was having to break the news to Bodhi that after being in person school for only 2 days (in a full year!) He was going back online again. He told me he was so sad as he had just settled in.

MOST EXCITING MOMENT?
Going to the scan this week and seeing that baby girl is thriving in utero, no signs of anemia and being told that a homebirth is back on the table if I can try and give birth before 39 weeks. This was all such amazing news and exactly what I needed to hear. If I haven’t given birth by 39 + 1 I can go in to have my waters broken and give birth in the birth centre. We’ve arrange to have 2 tripods set up- one to film the birth and the second to have on FaceTime with everyone back at the house. I do hope I can manage to birth at home though but I feel good about having a solid plan in place in case that doesn’t work out.

STARTING WEIGHT?
116lbs/52kg

CURRENT WEIGHT?
141.8lbs/64.3 kg

EXERCISE?
Tons! I’m still closing my Apple Watch rings everyday and walking a minimum of 10,200 steps which is 8ks- 10ks per day (5 - 6.2 miles per day) I have it set on a 600 calories for my daily movement goal, 30 minutes of moderate exercise (equivalent to brisk walking) I usually end up with about 45 mins per day and then I have left it at the normal 12 hrs where each hour you have to stand for at least one minute. No F45 this week as we’ve been in lockdown but I’ve been getting my exercise by either light soft jogging on our big trampoline- I find it much easier on my knees, or doing laps around our 10acre property with the dogs going at a steady pace (and up hill) or if it’s raining I do a light job inside from one end of the house to the other and incorporate step ups on chairs, or the couch.

Not only am I loving exercising and getting fit again but they say exercise is one of the best ways to help ripen the cervix and get things going for labour.

MEALS:
We have been cooking a lot this week. I’ve found these two fabulous vegan Instagrams and I’ve been trying the recipes- @maxlamanna and @fitgreenmind today we made apple pie donuts as a family, a peanut butter/soy noodle dish and lemon zest pasta. They were all DELISH.

REFLECTIONS:
I’ve been really trying to lap up these last weeks of pregnancy. I hope I am blessed enough to have another pregnancy in the future but if not, then this could be my last few weeks of being pregnant in my lifetime. I don’t want to wish it away but I also want to make sure I can do what I need to in order to ensure bubby is safe and that we can have a positive birthing experience.

From evening primrose oil capsules at night, to downing red raspberry leaf tea, upping the exercise, having those ‘snuggles’ with the hubs, clary sage oil, pounding dates and pineapple and starting acupuncture next week at 36 weeks, I’m doing all I can to help my body along but also trying to savour and cherish these feeling of having her on the inside, just mine, without having to share her with the world yet. Our little intimate moments of connection from the womb. Soon she’ll be out and in everyone’s arms and hearts and so for just these last few weeks I’m honouring this feeling of just us.