34 Weeks

I think the baby is going through a growth spurt., I've been so hungry lately- like lunch at 10am hungry! I've been eating loads of potato again and I'm loving radishes. I am noticing the largeness of my belly more and standing up from sitting on the floor is something that takes me a little longer than it used to. But I like it all, the hunger, the roundness of my belly, the need to sit and rest and contemplate our life with another beautiful person, discussing baby names- everything. I can't wait to meet this little one.

I feel like we are developing a nice relationship with our midwife Mary now that we've seen her a few times. I'm looking forward to the birth plan meeting in 2 weeks with both Mary and Joy. That's when we will be getting the birth pool so soon after that we will be setting it up and it will be a part of our furniture until the baby is born. I liked setting the pool up when I was pregnant with India, it was nice having it around and thinking about the labour to come and holding our baby for the first time.

The baby now has the proportions of a new born, all he/she has to do is get a little chubbier and make sure those lungs are ready for the world.

Swaddling Wraps

I've been getting busy with my fabric stash today, I made some lovely baby swaddling wraps for our little squishy bub. Swaddling wraps are probably the easiest thing you can make for a baby and you can make them really cheaply or you can buy gorgeous organic fabric. I had some light cotton fabric that I picked up for 20 cents from the op-shop a while ago and I just cut it into an 80cm square and overlocked the edges. If you don't have an overlocker you can just zigzag stitch the edges or even do some lovely hand stitching and embroidery. I also had some amazingly soft and beautiful bamboo stretch fabric that I find difficult to work with on the sewing machine so it's been sitting in my fabric stash for quite some time. the great thing about knit fabric is that you don't even need to finish the edges so you can just cut your square and then you're done!
Colour choices are often limited when you buy swaddling wraps or they have patterns or pictures that I don't really like so making them is a great way to get exactly what you want as well as saving a bit of money.

33 Weeks

Once every week or two lately I've been having a tired day. Yesterday was one of those. I couldn't get it together so I slept a lot. The good thing is that if I allow myself to soak in all that rest I'm full of energy again the next day. I'm happy that I am in a situation where I can just rest and enjoy being pregnant; pregnant women need to be nurtured, loved and supported so they can make a baby free from stress and deadlines.

I feel my yoga practice starting to turn towards a spiritual practice and away from the physical. I love the way that practising yoga makes my body feel physically so free and alive but lately I've been drawn more to pranayama and meditation. I try to keep my practice well rounded but often I find myself drawn to the physical over the spiritual so it feels nice now that my practice is starting to take a new direction and I know that in these last few weeks this is what I need to prepare myself for labour and birth.

I've been remembering the moments of seeing India for the first time. It was so overwhelmingly beautiful that I couldn't help but cry. I remember her big wide eyes looking at me and at her new world and her hands reaching for me as I held her close in my arms. I remember exploring all the beautiful parts of her body, her long dark hair, her beautiful eyes that held so much wisdom, her little fingers and her giant feet! All this was before we even thought to have a look if she was a boy or a girl. A smooth transition into the world is so important for mum and bub and is why I believe in avoiding all unnecessary intervention and birthing your baby in the comfort and relaxed surrounds of your own home. I can't wait to meet this little baby growing inside me, I can't wait for those beautiful first moments. Be careful what interventions you choose, know your rights and educate yourself on all the interventions you are likely to be offered because they more often than not lead to more interventions and less than perfect labours and birth. You can't get those first few moments back and those are the moments you won't ever forget so make wise decisions and be strong.

The baby weighs about 2kg now and is about 44cm from head to toe. I get lots of limbs poking me all over the place and I love giving the tiny feet a little rub when they poke out.

32 Weeks

I've had a wonderful week. Dave took some amazing yoga photos of me and we have have India on school holidays, it's been lovely to have her around.

We met our second midwife, it's great having dedicated care from two midwives. Joy has been practicing midwifery for 40 years so it is nice to have her experience and knowledge. I would highly recommend anyone having a baby to hire a private midwife even if you plan a hospital birth because you get to develop a relationship with your carer and they can help you achieve the best outcomes that are consistent with your birth plan while making sure you and the baby are safe and receive the best care possible.

I've been sewing and knitting a lot. I made a lovely organic cotton/bamboo baby towel from some terry toweling I bought online, it's so soft. I also made some nursing pads which I'm sure will come in handy. I've also made some progress on the baby blanket I've been knitting, I still have lots of work to go on it but I love just sitting and knitting while I think about the baby. There are still lots of things to make but it's a start.


Baby is still busy growing, getting chubbier and closer to his/her birth weight. The baby is around 42cm long and 1.7kg. I still feel strong and well and have plenty of room to breathe but I do little else other than thinking about baby and nesting.

Aim True Yoga Challenge

I did an amazing yoga photo shoot with Dave on the weekend. It was such an amazing morning. I decided to enter one of my photos in a little competition on Pinterest, if you are on Pinterest follow this link http://pinterest.com/kathrynbudig/aimtrue-yoga-challenge/ to check out all the other photos in the comp. or this link http://pinterest.com/pin/15833036162405748/ to find my picture and like/share it.

Warrior

The Virabhadrasana variations or warrior poses build strength, stamina, balance and focus- all of which are important for the pregnant woman. Virabhadrasana is grounding and is perfect preparation for the challenges that labour may bring. Developing strength in your mind and body is particularly important in pregnancy as there are many people that will try to influence or change your mind about every aspect of pregnancy, birth and parenting. When you are well informed and have inner strength it allows you to stick to what you believe is right and follow the path that you have chosen rather than allowing yourself to be swayed by external factors. So often women are unnecessarily made to worry about different aspects of pregnancy and are convinced to make choices in labour that they may not have made or needed to make if they were empowered, including Virabhadrasana in your yoga practice and confronting the challenges you face with it will help you in your path to becoming a warrior.


Virabhadrasana I

Standing with feet hip distance apart step one leg back about 1 metre or to wherever is comfortable for you. Rotate your back foot outwards 45degrees and raise your arms above your head while drawing your shoulders together and away from your ears and rotating your upper body forwards. Inhale and as you exhale bend your front knee ensuring that your knee stays in line with your ankle. Stay in this pose for 10 long steady breaths. To come out of the pose inhale and straighten your front leg, exhale and lower your arms. Step your back leg forward and repeat on the other side.

Virabhadrasana II

Standing with feet hip distance apart step one leg back about 1 metre or to wherever is comfortable for you. Rotate your back foot outwards 45degrees and raise your arms out to the side at shoulder height. Rotate your head to look out over your front arm. Inhale and as you exhale bend your front knee ensuring that your knee stays in line with your ankle. Stay in this pose for 10 long steady breaths. To come out of the pose inhale and straighten your front leg, exhale and lower your arms. Step your back leg forward and repeat on the other side. 

Virabhadrasana III

Standing with feet hip distance apart step one leg back about 1 metre or to wherever is comfortable for you. Rotate your back foot outwards 45degrees and raise your arms above your head while drawing your shoulders together and away from your ears and rotating your upper body forwards. Inhale and as you exhale bend your front knee ensuring that your knee stays in line with your ankle while bending forward from the hips over the front knee. On the next inhale using the strength of your front leg lift your body and back leg by straightening your front leg. Ensure that your hips and body remain parallel to the ground. Stay in this pose for 10 long steady breaths. To come out of the pose inhale and lower you back leg to the ground while keeping your body straight, exhale and lower your arms. Repeat on the other side. 

31 Weeks

I'm still feeling fit and well these days but I am noticing that my movements have to be a little more thought out. I can't really just jump in and out of the car or quickly get up from sitting on the floor. My world is slowing down slowly, it's nice to just enjoy being pregnant for these last days.
 I can still take deep breaths (I'm sure I can thank yoga for that) but walking quickly does wear me out a lot faster than it used to. Braxton Hicks contractions are a regular part of my days, my body is definitely readying itself for labour.

I'm quickly running out of clothing. This baby is sitting differently in my belly to the way India did so most of my underwear is too uncomfortable to wear and I'm thinking I need to find some more comfortable tights and skirts to get me through the next two months.

It's nice having India home on school holidays, I've missed hanging out with her all day every day. I'm also enjoying not having to run around all day getting things done and going to and from school. I like lazy mornings and snuggles in bed.

I realised that we have hardly anything organised for when this baby comes, I'm knitting all the time and have a few clothes stashed away but other than that we haven't really prepared much. I really want to have as much organic cotton clothing as possible for this little one and that goes for nappies so I decided to buy some organic bamboo/cotton terry toweling and make my own nappy squares. It won't take long to cut out some fabric squares and overlock the edges and it will save us loads of money. I've also ordered some Baby Beehinds nappy covers as they will last longer and generally be better than using the cheap PVC nappy covers. I've also thought about a special postpartum kit for myself and I'll be making some more reusable cloth pads to add to my collection and I'll get some fabric for belly binding as well as put together some soup mixes that I know I would love to have after the baby is born with instructions for Dave on what else to add so he can make me exactly what I feel like. I feel much more organised already and I'm looking forward to spending the next few weeks looking after myself, buying a few things and making our place feel special in preparation for the homebirth.

Bubs moves around a lot and has lovely little pokey hands and feet, I like giving them a rub when they poke out. All five of our little baby's senses are working now and he/she is approaching birth length. Bubs is drinking and processing up to 1/2 litre of amniotic fluid every day.