Keira Charlotte

We have found a solution for the disposable nappy vs the environmental concerns. My Planet is a company that recycles disposable nappies and turns them into things like recycled plastics and paper & cardboard. The company brochure says that the plastic is often used for park signage, jetty planking or outdoor furniture. So if you ever sit on a park bench that might be a bit stinky – that might be why! Haha. Seems like a great solution as it costs only $7 a fortnight for pickups & supply a good sturdy bin to store all those aromatic gifts from your beloved offspring.

Our final antenatal class is now over so we are now experts!! At least I don’t think we failed the classes. The group we were in was quite large (28) and for some reason the size of the group was not overly conducive to forming any close friendships. The one class we did as a ‘catch up’ was much smaller (8-10) and was much easier to chat and get to know people. There is however one couple who we will endeavour to catch up with and they are due before us so that will be pretty exciting. It is strange to think that when we are in hospital we have a very good chance of being there with many of these other couples as they run the classes by due dates.

During the classes we often had to split up as mums and dads to do little activities such as write lists of ‘what you will lose with having a baby’ (men) and ‘what will you gain…”(women). I know Dave is pleased that that part of things is over as the male group tended to be overly ‘macho’ and most answers were things like ‘the beer fridge will be taken over by milk bottles’ and the standard pub & mates time being sacrificed. Dave is really looking forward to the baby’s arrival and doesn’t enjoy the tone of these group sessions where a lot of the ‘dads’ try to outdo each other in witty macho jokes. Dave simply cannot wait any longer – he is super keen to hurry this process up as he wants to “SEE IT”

Baby development info –

Length is now about 42.5cm from head to toes. Weight is about 2300g. The amniotic fluid is at its highest level - this will remain constant until delivery.

Well the bump is huge – I find it hard to believe that it can get bigger and not be in danger of exploding! Is that possible? I sure hope not but it is amazing to see what your body can do! If anyone hears a big bang – it just might be me! It must be getting pretty squeezy in there, as the lurching from side to side is really weird to watch. I wonder if the baby gets bored. Once you have done one somersault you have seen all there is to see in a big bag of liquid.

The ‘waddle’ that I tried so hard to avoid is impossible to not do. Apparently it is your bodies’ way of preparing for the birth by relaxing the pelvis & hips. It says in many books that ‘you will be grateful for this when the baby arrives’. Now human bodies are pretty amazing and I am sure this is a great perk at delivery – but 6 weeks or so BEFORE you get even close to the delivery!! Maybe it is designed to do this so early for other peoples entertainment perhaps. Sometimes I overly exaggerate this waddle and lurch along with my arms ‘monkey style’ just to make Dave giggle.

This is a hard week to write the blog which is why it is so late. We are all feeling the loss of Dave’s dad Charles after a bout of ill health. We want to remember the great moments we all had with Charles and like to think that our baby has his or her own guardian angel. Chas is now not limited to where he can ‘travel’ so he can be with all of us and watch our baby grow up.

Chas was blessed to be cared for by such a devoted wife during his illness and he benefited from a better quality of life than many by being in familiar surroundings for as long as possible. A great man who possessed amazing wit, twinkling eyes & cheeky humour – we certainly hope that his grandchild inherits these great qualities from him!

New life forges forward in utero as it was meant to, regardless of what is happening on the outside. I get physically exhausted easily which can be frustrating at times when you think it can be controlled by stubbornness and mind over matter. I am very stubborn and need to ‘surrender’ to what is happening! Sometimes I rest halfway up the stairs and although I have had minimal weight gain simply lifting one leg in front of the other takes on ‘gritting teeth’ proportions. My breathing is audibly shallower and I am hot and sweaty most of the time. Regardless of the weather the air conditioning is on until my ears go icy cold!

The baby’s movements are quite dramatic now and I have read are supposed to peak around this time. Sometimes when I can feel that the baby is going to ‘roll over’ I brace myself as it can feel a little icky (like being on a roller coaster ride) If the baby moves whilst I am walking I often find myself veering to the left or right due to the shift in balance!

Braxton-Hicks contractions are more regular and increasingly stronger. Now that I know what they are it is not scary but they are certainly uncomfortable. It feels like a belt has been tightened around my rib cage and pulled tight, held for a couple of minutes then released. Not pleasurable at all.

Baby development info –

Length is now about 41 cm from head to toes. Weight is about 2100g

I have noticed that the baby seems to be more active at certain times. I have always meant to put together a movement diary but never quite got around to carrying a notepad. For some reason 11pm seems to be what I have decided to call ‘Copacabana time’ after that fabulous Barry Manilow song which makes you want to dance around the house with the fruit bowl perched precariously on your head! A conga line in utero must be a little boring as the only participant ☺

Shame that Dave is pretty much unconscious by this time of night but he has seen (& felt) some rather spectacular somersaults.

The last antenatal class we had was on ‘baby massage’ which was really nice. A couple of mums brought their babies in and stripped them off and massaged them to soothing music. The babies loved it and I have to say that the music certainly soothed me as I wanted to curl up on the floor and go to sleep too!

Dave has decided that after the baby is born he will go to the dads baby massage class and then that can be a special activity that he & the baby can do as a regular routine. It is so important for the dads to have some special time .I think it is a fabulous idea because while he does this maybe I can disappear for a hot bath with no distractions for a brief time (Yayy)

Okay now I am feeling a bit panicky! Not long to go now and I feel like spinning in circles worrying about all the things that need to be done FIRST! Alright I admit, Dave is thankfully my voice of reason who without a hint of hysteria explains how we are very organised and there are only a few little things to do..really. I am fast suspecting that no matter how much you do you will never actually ‘be ready’.

I am having a real dilemma with maternity trousers, you either have to pull them up to your chin to cover the bump comfortably or have them under the bump. Now under the bump is much more comfortable but comes with the slight disadvantage that if you are carrying anything or simply walking for that matter the next thing you know is that your pants are around your ankles! Not a good look! Dave is suggesting braces after enduring many walks with me hitching and lurching along like Frankenstein (with a similar expression on my face) behind him! I could start a new fashion trend

Although normally horrified at the thought of taking photos, I have decided to give it some thought. My belly is HUGE! And now I know why pregnant women waddle! I have tried so hard not to do the waddling & the sitting back in the chair with your hands behind your back but it has been impossible to avoid. Sitting upright is awkward as it feels like I am squashing the baby and this theory gets confirmed by an almighty boot in the ribs! Once it made me literally jump upright with a frustrated yowww! I realise that there probably isn’t a lot to do in utero but if I could move my internal organs away from this kickboxing baby I would. I mentioned to Dave that this baby is either going to be an Olympic athlete or someone with anger management issues.

There is no limit to the amount of pillows required to sleep well now. Two under your head (for heartburn) one under your belly (for support) one behind you (to stop you rolling onto your back and thus restricting blood flow to the baby) and one between your knees (for backache)! Dave was amazed to see one morning me happily snoozing on my back with all of the pillows askew. I explained that yes it takes 20 minutes to arrange all the pillows before closing your eyes at night but at 3am when you are on your 3rd or 4th loo trip during the night the arrangement importance seems to be much less important than closing your eyes again! Oh I was curious so I worked out how much water I am drinking in one day and it is over 4 litres! Dave jokingly suggested that maybe I can save time and effort and tip the water straight into the loo!!! Very funny!

Baby development info -

Length is now about 40cm from head to toes. Weight is about 1900g. It is starting to get a bit tight in there and you may notice the movements change to elbows and knees moving rather than the baby moving position entirely. Due to the deposits of white fat underneath the skin your baby's skin is no longer red, but is now the wonderful newborn pink colour.

We are still going to our antenatal classes although we did miss last week. It is interesting watching Dave’s face when the nurse is demonstrating things like epidurals and how the needle comes out but the tube stays in your back for ‘topping up’ pain relief. Considering Dave cannot handle the sheer torture of having a band-aid removed from his skin – thank goodness it is me in charge of the child delivery! Otherwise we would be childless or adoptive parents I can only presume.



Today’s obstetrician appointment went very well, a good strong heartbeat & measuring in at 32 weeks in size. Interestingly the baby is in what Dave and I call ‘rocket position’ so it is ready to go head down in the pelvis. This also explains my ribs being kicked on my right hand side. I asked my doctor when I should be getting my supermodel figure back - she asked me when I last had it!! Surely she doesn’t suspect that I like to slightly embellish the truth sometimes…

P.S. I managed to get a quick photo up !

Wow! Where did the week go?? I have no idea how I used to squeeze work into my daily life! The nesting instinct is either very strong or my eyesight has improved to the point that I can actually see dust falling! I have a list of things to be cleaned and I never thought I would see the words ‘skirting boards’ instil me with the urge to get going!

Well time is ticking away and we are in ‘single digits’ of weeks now before the big day. Some days I wish it would hurry up and others I am happy to enjoy each day and the new experiences that come with being pregnant. I cannot imagine getting any ‘heavier’ (belly wise) so that is going to be interesting.

One night I talked Dave into being very patient and watching my tummy without looking away as I have actually seen my belly ‘lift up’ suddenly and it is a really strange sight. In the past Dave has got either bored or too tired to watch so he has missed out. Well he saw a spectacular show the other night with lots of rather awkward movements from the baby, which made my tummy lift up and get very ‘bumpy’ like a foot just kicked the wall of the uterus. Extremely hard to explain but I am doing my best. He was thrilled and said the same as I did – it certainly looks a bit weird. To think that the baby is now only about one third of it’s birth weight so the movements are going to get interesting!

Feeling generally very good although the tiredness seems to be coming back now. I really struggle through the day if I do not have an afternoon sleep and I find that my back aches if I am on my feet too long. One night recently the baby must have been in ‘party mode’ and kicked and flopped and whatever baby’s do in there (how much is there to `do?) for what felt like the majority of the night. I found myself walking around to hopefully ‘rock it to sleep’. Not sure if it worked really but it gave me something to do that wouldn’t wake a snoring daddy-to-be. I was sick that day and Dave suggested that the busy night may have played a part and that it was concerning as we are both hoping for a ‘dream baby’ that sleeps a lot like Dave did when he was a baby!

We have received some beautiful canvas’s from Joan & Chas to keep our Millie & Boris theme going in the nursery. We haven’t put them up yet but the nursery looks simply gorgeous and the quality of the products from the U.K is excellent.

It is Dave’s birthday today and he has a surprise party for him tonight, he thinks only one couple are coming but another two couples are coming. I mentioned to him that this would be the last birthday that he will be able to eat his birthday cake without a child sneezing on it, poking fingers into it or putting their open dribbling mouth directly on top of it! And Dave says he can't wait for those days! I made a Delia Smith Austrian Coffee & Walnut cake - and whilst it was absolutely fantastic according to Dave, it just wasn't quite the same as Mum's!!

Dave woke to find a lovely pile of pressies and cards under his pillow. One of them was from iBlob, with a card that said ‘see you soon Daddy’.

Baby development info –

Length is now about 39cm from head to toes. Weight is about 1700g. The baby’s permanent teeth have developed and are “waiting” in it’s gums. The baby is very aware of the surroundings and it’s eyelids will open and close. It will even look around and turn toward light. We tend to think of the uterus as a dark place but the uterus actually can be light and dark depending on your environment. Our baby is at it’s most active this week as there is still enough room to move about. There is lots of rapid brain development at this stage, as the nerve fibres develop to allow brain impulses to travel faster and so increase the baby's ability to learn.

Funny comment I saw on a website “30 weeks is when you start to lie on the settee watching TV with your trousers undone and your belly hanging out like a complete slob”. I have been using a elastic band in the button hole of my trousers to ‘expand’ them without having to buy more clothes or have them fall down when least expecting it. Saw it on the Internet – what a great tip!

I had my first sample of Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday. Sometimes things can be a little scary as you worry that you might be blasé about a serious pain by thinking it is something ‘normal’. This pain had me a little concerned before it faded away and then came back a few minutes later. Once you realise what they are you can relax. For those who are thinking ‘what are Braxton Hicks’ they are sort of ‘practice contractions’.

It is hard to believe that in 8 or so weeks I will be a mother. Dave will be a father. We will be a family. Wow. We need to organise a weekend away, I figure it may be quite a while after the baby arrives for us to do anything baby-free & spontaneous. That is likely to be years….like 18 perhaps!

Also this week we finally bought a couch for the back room - a great buy on Sunday afternoon and making two trips home with it in the back of the car. We ended up selling quite a few things we no longer wanted on eBay and purchased it with the proceeds......everyone's a winner.

Well it is time for the antenatal classes and I have been working with Dave on nappy folding before we get there so that he is confident and super fast when challenged by other prospective dads ☺


A nurse who is very professional runs the classes and the class content is very thorough. The class size was 28! And I have to confess that there was only myself and another mother that looked older than 22!! The nurse would ask questions of all of us sometimes and it was really uncomfortable when people didn’t say anything out of shyness I presumed. So I answered a few questions and then got teased by Dave for being a ‘miss know-it-all’ . Going to the hospital on a regular basis is really helping de-mystify the surroundings and making it much easier to relax, we both feel that had we not gone to the hospital so regularly then when the baby arrives the hospital would have seemed a much scarier place.

We have done some more shopping (does it actually end or do you keep ‘needing’ something new?) We now have everything except the baby bath that is an ‘essential’.

Of course there is still a couple of things that are on the ‘want’ list but are certainly not ‘needed’. There are just so many cute things available and it is hard to stay in control of what is required.

I now see my obstetrician every two weeks which is nice. She is a lot of fun and I really look forward to seeing her and receiving a good dose of reassurance that all is well.
My weigh in was interesting – no new gain so the whole weight gain in almost seven months is about 2kg. The baby is flourishing so there is no concern there and is even measuring at around the 30-week mark! Must have been the result of eating the light & fluffy chocolates instead of the heavy caramel ones last week..haha

The baby’s movements have changed quite dramatically recently. Instead of the little kicks I used to get all the time now I get what I can only describe as stretching and shoving movements. Sometimes it is quite uncomfortable! One night recently it hurt when the baby moved and I suspect that it was sideways and getting a bit squished!

My obstetrician felt the baby’s position and said she could feel its bottom right up high so its feet have been kicking my ribs and its head is down lower in the pelvis. I am still on a non-stop toilet loop, sometimes I am only just coming out & I think maybe I should go again! I am drinking a lot of water now though. I am sleeping well with the heartburn easing after I discovered to cut down/out a few minor things containing caffeine and having a small glass of milk before bed & immediately after waking. Just a few loo trips during the night but the quality of sleep I am getting is still very good.

The baby clothes have been washed in soap flakes and hung in the sun before being ironed & packed away. I can honestly say I have never enjoyed hanging washing as much as I do now. It is great to stand back and look at all those teeny weeny clothes! I even called Dave to see, Dave laughed and mentioned that the neighbours might panic thinking the baby has arrived. And because everything is in sets of 4 on the washing line you could even assume we had quads!

Baby development info

"Length is now about 37.5cm from head to toes. Weight is about 1500g. The head is now in proportion to the body and the brain is controlling temperature and primitive breathing functions."

Sian surprised me this week with a lovely little Ipod baby suit which she'd ordered from the US. I can't wait to try that outfit on the little one!!!