The weather has been quite warm lately, and my ankles and lower calves have been swelling a bit most evenings. So far this is the only discomfort I’ve experienced as my cramping calves haven’t returned. I’m sleeping through the night without any problems, so most of the info from Birth.com.au this week doesn’t apply yet. It does seem like my belly has just exploded in the last couple of weeks! I weighed myself thismorning and found that I’ve now put on 5 kg, which is a massive 3 kg in the last month!!!

Andrew has made up a couple of CDs to play to the baby, and we are trying to play them regularly. They are mostly made up of classical music.

I had an appointment with the obstetrician yesterday, and after another doctor from his surgery did all the routine stuff I saw Dr. Buist about my blood test results. Apparently I carry a gene that means that I could be more susceptible to clotting than the general public. This means that he wants me to change the vitamins that I take, so that I’m getting a high dose of folate and vitamins B6 and B12. He also wanted me to have another ultrasound to check on the fibroid in my uterus, so at 34 weeks (just before Christmas) we get to see Bugalugs again!!! That was unexpected!

Info from Birth.com.au:

You are now 26 weeks pregnant, which is the beginning of week 27. Your baby has grown to be about 35 cm long from head to toe and approximately 950 grams in weight. Your baby now recognises your voice and may be calmed by the sound of it (observed by their heart rate slowing). They may also recognise your partner’s voice and different types of music. When observing unborn babies with ultrasound they can respond to relaxing music by turning towards it, and curl up and away from very loud rock, rap and pop type music. Studies have also shown that newborns may be soothed by particular sounds after birth (as long as the baby is not hungry). One soothing sound is ‘white noise’, a mixture of low, middle and high tones from the full spectrum of the human ear. White noise can be created by the sound of a vacuum cleaner or the inside of a car travelling! Your newborn baby may quieten when listening to songs played regularly to them during the last three months of pregnancy. One study showed how a group of babies were calmed when they heard the theme song of the TV soap show “Neighbours”, presumably because their mother watched it daily during pregnancy!

Backache and sciatica. Many women now find their posture noticeably changes to compensate for their increasing belly size. This can affect your centre of gravity and balance as well as possibly leading to back pain. Around 50 to 75% of pregnant women complain of backache at some stage during their pregnancy, with 33% finding it a problem, inhibiting their lifestyle. Pain may be felt in the upper or lower back (or both) and is sometimes complicated by sciatica (a shooting nerve pain down the buttock and back of one leg).

The later months of pregnancy can bring tiredness and insomnia, perhaps with difficulty getting to sleep, or waking frequently because of pregnancy discomforts or needing to urinate. Lack of sleep can be quite distressing for some women, although it is generally Mother Nature’s way of preparing you for caring for your new baby!

Many women experience mood swings and sometimes cry for no apparent reason during pregnancy. Having a baby is an amazing transitional life change, along with birth, puberty and menopause. Life changing times often involve immense emotional release. Think back to puberty and all the emotional and physical changes you may have experienced along the way. Pregnancy is very similar, even though we often feel we must be rational and predictable. It helps if you can ride the roller coaster and surround yourself with understanding people. For partners, it can be hard at times to understand why she starts crying uncontrollably while watching the news or a video, or why she is more sensitive about your relationship or insistent of having things ‘just right’ for the new baby. This is her natural maternal instinct (hence, the ‘nesting’ process begins).

Another week has passed. Thankfully I haven’t had the leg cramps again, but I do feel like my ankles are starting to swell slightly the last couple of evenings. The baby feels less like it’s kicking and more like it’s just moving around these days, though there are times when it obviously kicks (or punches).

We had our second appointment at the birth centre today. My blood pressure was 130/70 even though I was unexplicably nervous in the waiting room and could feel my heart pumping. The fundal height was spot on, and the midwife (Amy) said that the heartbeat was perfect. She couldn’t feel the baby’s position yet, but she said that was because I was only at 25 weeks (she said by 30 weeks she’d be able to tell what’s what). Amy also said that slightly swollen ankles is perfectly normal, particularly given the weather has been quite hot lately. She gave me the paperwork to do the gestational diabetes test, but that’s done between 26 and 28 weeks so I don’t need to do it straight away. It’s the 1 hour test that doesn’t require fasting before it.

At my last appointment the midwife had looked at my blood results that the obstetrician had ordered to test me for blood clotting, and said that there was nothing abnormal. However, the obstetrician thought differently, and wants to see me. So I’ve made an appointment for Monday next week.

Info from Birth.com.au:

You are now 25 weeks pregnant and at the beginning of week 26. Your baby measures about 33 cm from head to toe and weighs about 800 grams. Your baby’s eyelids are no longer fused, so they can now open their eyes and blink! It is also possible for your baby to respond to bright light (such as shining a torch through your belly). Newborns have vision that is perfectly focussed from about 20 to 30 cm, usually as far away as the face of the person holding them!

Your baby’s movements are generally more regular now and they may physically respond to you if you press on parts of their protruding feet, bottom or hands. Some parents play games with their unborn baby when they seem awake and alert! Your caregiver can now probably hear your baby’s heartbeat with a Pinnard’s stethoscope now (rather than just an electronic Doppler), beating at around 110 to 170 beats per minute. Babies born between 24 and 26 weeks are regarded as extremely preterm, but have a 50 to 70% chance of surviving if they have access to a fully equipped intensive care nursery.

Your growing baby is much larger and now big enough for your caregiver to feel where their head is lying. Your caregiver may even be able to guide your hands during a routine pregnancy visit so you can feel your own baby’s head. Ask them to do this next time you see them.

Babies change position frequently during this phase of pregnancy and are quite often in a breech position (bottom down) or lying across your belly in a transverse position. Your caregiver may start to write your baby’s position on your pregnancy record card.

Between 26 and 30 weeks your caregiver may recommend some further tests. Depending on their preferences and/or the hospital or birth centre’s policies, these could include a glucose tolerance test (GTT) to screen for gestational diabetes; a full blood count (FBC) to check for anaemia and to see if you need iron supplements and perhaps a vaginal swab to screen for Group B strep.

Another week has flown past.  My belly has certainly now popped out now, and I would assume that most people would now think that I’m pregnant and not just fat.  Last Friday night I had terrible cramps in my calf muscles, worse in my left leg than my right.  It’s horrible to wake up with such cramps!  I’m hoping that this doesn’t become a regular thing.

Info from Birth.com.au

Your baby has grown to be about 30 cm long from head to toe and approximately 700 grams in weight.  Your baby may now be big enough for others to feel your belly and sense them kicking and stretching! Babies at 24 weeks have been noted to increase their breathing patterns (by expanding their lungs with amniotic fluid), after their mothers eat, especially if the food contains sugar! Your baby’s lungs now start to produce a substance called surfactant, which lines their lungs and assists them to breathe after birth. Even so, babies born as early as 24 weeks (or less) only have a very small chance of survival. 

Breathlessness. Many women complain of feeling breathless during pregnancy. This is very normal and will usually come and go. You can be short of breath even while sitting and having a normal conversation. You don’t have to exert yourself at all!

Palpitations. This is a feeling that your heart is ‘racing’ or beating strongly and rapidly in your chest. Palpitations are very common during pregnancy, due to the extra workload on the heart pumping up to 50% more blood volume around your body. Palpitations can be felt for no apparent reason, but may be associated with exercising, being stressed, feeling anxious or excited. However they usually subside on their own after a few minutes or less. Palpitations may also be associated with feeling breathless. NOTE: Occasionally palpitations can indicate a heart condition. If you are concerned that they are not going away and you are feeling unwell, contact your caregiver.

Many women have fantastic or scary dreams during their pregnancy. These may involve being abandoned or losing your partner, giving birth to a baby who has an abnormality, having a ‘painless’ birth and discovering the sex of your child, or experiencing an out of control situation. The things you dream about are not likely to merge into reality when the time comes, but they may reflect some unconscious concerns you have. 

Lying on your back. During the later months of pregnancy (after about 24 to 28 weeks), a few women find that if they lie flat on their back for a few minutes or more, they start to feel light-headed, dizzy and possibly breathless and nauseated. This can happen because the growing baby is placing pressure on one of the major blood vessels, called the vena cava. However, not every pregnant woman experiences this. Usually by lying on your right or left side, sitting in an upright position, or even in a semi-upright position you can avoid vena-caval compression.

Another week over!  Time is flying right now.  There’s not much to say about my pregnancy in the last week.  The baby doesn’t seem to be kicking as hard lately.  I still feel it moving around, but all Andrew’s attempts at feeling it lately have been unsuccessful.  Andrew complains that it’s getting harder to cuddle me face to face because my belly is growing and getting in the way. He’s incredibly excited about having a baby though.

On the weekend we picked up the change table that we bought on Ebay a week or so ago.  It’s in good condition for a 2 year old piece of furniture.  I’ve also bought some really cute materials for nappy making.  We are trying to turn the study into a baby’s room, and so we’re in the process of getting quotes for an airconditioning unit, a door and a small wardrobe to be built into the alcove in the room.  We desperately need more storage.

Info from Birth.com.au:

You are now 23 weeks pregnant and at the beginning of week 24.  Your baby has grown to be about 28 cm long from head to toe and approximately 600 grams in weight. Your baby can now rotate their head and may experience hiccups. Hiccups are caused by the sudden, irregular contractions of your baby’s immature diaphragm (the muscle that supports their lungs), and while unborn babies may be capable of sporadic hiccoughs as early as 12 weeks gestation, they are generally stronger and more rhythmic by this stage of pregnancy. Some unborn babies hiccup quite frequently, others not much at all. Many newborn babies continue to hiccup after birth. You may sometimes sense regular ‘jumps’ in your belly every now and then for short periods of time, if your baby has hiccups. A very strange sensation! Your baby is now covered with a thick layer of white vernix cream, which protects their skin in their watery environment and they now have sweat glands. A fine layer of fat is forming between their muscle tissues and skin, covering their blood vessels and making their complexion look less translucent. 

Restless legs. A few women experience restless legs during their pregnancy. This can include sensations that your legs have to move all the time, or that they feel jittery or like they have ‘butterflies’ in them. Some women’s legs ache and feel like they have to be constantly walking. Restless legs can make it difficult to sit for long periods and can stop you from sleeping well at night.