Raine: Patchwork Girl

Today's post is brought to you by the letters A and G (for anxious and grumpy). Just fair warning.

So! Today marks the first day of the Third Trimester. Good bye relative comfort and having energy again. Good bye to being able to see my feet and reach them. Good bye riding my motorcycle. Good bye to still "having a ways to go."

Hello edema. Hello being tired all the time again. Hello increased back pain. Hello Braxton-Hicks Contractions. Hello Colostrom production and swollen breasts. Hello increased mood swings and crying fits. Hello Anxiety Attacks?! (What's that all about anyway?!) Hello driving on four wheels all the time, everywhere. Hello count down to baby. Hello birthing classes. Hello buying the big ticket items we've been putting off (like a carseat, the pushchair, and a breast pump). Hello pregnant waddle and unrelenting acid reflux.

But most importantly... in three months, Hello Baby!!! That's right. For those of you who need a reminder, our due date is 9 October- three months from today. Just a staggering 12 weeks to go after this one.

( Second Trimester Wrap Up )
( Third Trimester )
( Baby Shower info and Registries )

Today we had our 24 week midwife appointment. ( More about the midwife visit. )

In the meantime, the baby is growing and developing. squidgyfishlove asked me to post some interesting facts about its current development. ( See Through Baby )

For those of you who have been asking about the sex of the baby (which is pretty much everyone I run into), I should mention that we are not likely to get another ultrasound. The only reason to do so would be if there is a problem, and therefore, I'm not hoping for that. I think it's a wonderful to surprise, the biggest we'll ever have, to find out then. I hope that everyone else can be as happy at we are that it's a baby. I mean seriously... would you love it any less if it were a boy or a girl? We won't. So what difference does it make? [end rant]

Weird thing for today: Although I don't ever forget that the baby is there, I seem to keep surprising myself in front of mirrors or when I discover that my turning radius is not what it used to be. Apparently I forget that my size and shape have changed.

I think there needs to be more yoga.

I know that it's normal... but I've gained 5 pounds since our last visit (8 weeks ago?). And this makes me sad. I think it's sort of ruined my day actually. I realise that this is one of the more ridiculous things I've ever said. But that's how it is. :(

Curiosity is a wonderful thing. It leads me to search some very interesting things on Google. I have been known to get excited about things like leperacy and other slightly morbid things. Today, however, I have discovered what the Placenta looks like. For some crazy reason I thought it would look like a jelly fish. squidgyfishlove thought it would look like a pig's stomach. It doesn't really look like either, actually. It's more like an alien brain on a rope. I find this fascinating. I hope I can find the energy and tear myself away from the baby long enough to photograph the placenta when it comes out of me. I expect squidgyfishlove will just pass out or throw up at the sight of it. I, however, want documentary, photographic evidence of this thing that was so exhausting for my body to build.

Images of placentas are here:

• Patti Ramos Photography. My favourites are The Tree of Life images PL5, PL6, PL7, PL8.


• UNSW Embryology: this one is not too squidgy for squidgyfishlove or anyone else with a weak stomach. It's an image of a cute little embryo, I'm guessing around 7 weeks, give or take a week.


• Llama Placenta


• Mmmm... Placenta: iStockphoto

There are, of course, more of these... but I'll leave you with those. :-)

Fun Fact: The reason most women regain energy after week twelve and the risk of miscarriage simultaneously drops is that the placenta is finished and functioning around this time. The primary reason that the risk of miscarriage drops is that the placenta creates its own supply of progesterone, the hormone most responsible for 'staying pregnant' during the first trimester, so even if the mother's supply is otherwise lower than it should be (like mine would be without the 300 mg I take per day) the placenta creates enough that the mother's levels become irrelevant.

Less Fun Fact: The Placenta produces another hormone called somatomammotropin, aka placental lactogen, which increases the amount of lipids, or fat cells, in my blood stream as well as Relaxin which is responsible for me needing new shoes (allowing my feet to elongate due to relaxed ligaments) as well as lower back and pelvic pain which will ultimately create more room and flexibility for passing a small human through a tight space and putting the first crack in my pelvis. On that note: in forensic archaeology a woman's pelvis is inspected for cracks to determine how many children to which she may have given birth- each one creates a crack in the bone. Yeah, ouch.

Yum Yum: According to Wikipedia, In most mammalian species[none human], the mother bites through the cord and consumes the placenta, primarily for the benefit of prostaglandin on the uterus after birth. This is known as placentophagy. However, some humans apparently find this tasty, including Tom Cruise who was quoted in GQ Magazine, with regards to the birth of baby Suri via Katie Holmes, as saying: “I’m gonna eat the placenta. I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I’m gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there.” In case you're interested, I've found some Placenta Recipes.

I personally have no intention of masticating my placenta, or anyone else's for that matter... but to each their own.

I wonder what a bin full of those would look like... best not dumpster dive behind any hospitals.

( Upcoming Midwife Appointment )

There has been another belly explosion this week. It seems like it doesn't increase in size so consistently as I thought, or perhaps I just notice it at intervals. However, it's getting comments. I suddenly feel big.

News of the Day: squidgyfishlove was able to feel the baby move for the first time this morning. It followed his finger movements and kept poking back. 'Tis a smart wee bairn. Needless to say, he grinned like an idiot and made the super cute embarrassed smile before promptly hiding under the covers with cheeks a flush. It was a nice moment. He has gotten to connect physically with his child and the baby didn't hide from Dad. Pretty cool, if you ask me.

Now I guess it's time to go back to being domestic. More sewing. This follows the all evening sewing session with to_rei_shi last night. And there is so much more to do. However, the 'completed' pile is growing and we have a plan for everything else (almost). I wish I could head to fabric store and get what I need for the other outfits, but that will have to wait until we get back from our little vacation.

I still need to pick out the fabric for the baby's bedding- crib bumpers and the diaper hanger... and all sorts of other things. I have patters. I have a general idea of what I want to do with the room in general, but that piece specifically is still up in the air. I still need to find a fabric texture that I like for that. But the good news is that I could easily make four or five different bedding sets from scratch for the cost of one ridiculously priced bedding set at Babies 'R' Us or anywhere like that (and some of them are over $100 than I was thinking originally!). Do people really spend that kind of money? Geeze.

I'm going to be really happy to say I made them myself (well probably with some assistance from Mom and perhaps to_rei_shi as they've expressed interested in being involved).

Well, I suppose it's all downhill, or uphill... or whatever from here on out. We aren't quite to countdown stage, but I'm sure we'll be there before we know it.

20 Weeks was sort of a turning point in some ways, and somewhat uneventful in others. Bending continues to get more difficult all the time. I am often surprised by the reduction in my mobility considering that I don't think I'm really all that big yet. I'm definitely bigger and my shape is changing, but I still don't expect that I look really pregnant so much as I expect that I look mostly fat. I wish that would change. Perhaps that is changing.

This past week has actually been pretty painful. The first few days (last Mon through Wed) were characterized by painful stretching, I suppose it was. I have felt 'round ligament pain' on my left side since fairly early on, but this week it's been both sides at once and actually to the point where it was nearly impossible to stand fully upright for periods of time. Fortunately as the week has worn on that pain has subsided, but only to be replaced by excruciating back pain, again, on the ride side for a change. It feels like my sciatic or something near it on that side suddenly 'slips out' of where it should be and is aggravated by moving in certain directs and by supporting any weight. My hips have been very sore as well. Sleeping on my side is very painful, but I cannot sleep on my back or stomach. Stephen bought a pregnancy pillow for me that seems to have helped somewhat after its first night of use, though I still need to flip over to alleviate pain in one hip until the other one becomes too painful and the pillow makes that more awkward.

Our midwife explained that the round ligament pain can be extremely painful and there is really not much to be done for it. The back pain, however, I can't handle as well. I quite literally cannot move at times, occasionally relegated to the floor experimenting with certain movements and directions until I find one that allows me to stretch enough to get my back to release a little bit. I'm worried about going in for anything but Bowen treatments as I have found that, after going to the acupuncturist earlier in pregnancy, over activating my lower back only aggravates it further (though perhaps that has changed). I really need to get back on my yoga routine, it seems to help a lot. Also, I have purchased Pregnancy Tea which contains some very good things including Raspberry Leaf which is said to do all sorts of wonderful things for pregnancy and may actually reduce complications making for better labour. What I do know is that it tastes yummy and keeps my tummy happy. Now that uni is out for the summer I have had time to start making improvements again. I hope I can keep that up.

We have spent the bank holiday weekend exhausting ourselves in rearranging the upstairs- switching offices basically. Stephen has generously given the baby and myself the bigger room to share (nursery/office now) and himself taken the smaller room which I previously occupied. He has set up and new and improved geek command center and though the room is smaller, it's nice to see him in a clean, fresh space and I hope he'll take the opportunity to make it something he uses and enjoys more than this room. As for me, I've got things into a preliminary state of organization and will soon be fine tuning. The baby gets almost half of the room in terms or wall space. We do have a large amount of baby kit already, now it's time to distribute it to the drawers and things I have ready. My aunt is sending over the crib used by my cousins and we should be seeing that in a few weeks I believe. I'm really looking forward to the arrival of the crib and to get the room painted. At that point, I believe the room will feel much more 'done.'

Today we mostly took the day off to go and see Pirates of the Caribbean and play Guitar Hero II with kevbonium for a little while. I beat Stonehenge. May fingers are tired. And so is the rest of me.

One of the biggest improvements I need to make is to get back on my sleep schedule. Tonight is definitely not the start of that... but it's definitely time for sleeping...
even though the baby is happily (I hope) kicking away.

If you are blackfaerie, _elric_ or merrypandora you have won this imaginary gold star.

We went to our ultrasound appointment on Wednesday (attempt number 2) and got right in. The tech was sick, but nice. We got to see some feet and little hands. The baby likes to have its hands by its face (which almost assuredly comes from me). It has a brain, about which I'm quite chuffed. It also had its feet nicely tucked in front of the thing we most wanted to see. How very modest! However, at the last minute, it took its leg and put it up by its head, but the umbilical cord was in the way... so no joy.

squidgyfishlove seems to think the tech said we could come back for free to try and get a sex again, but I'm pretty sure he added that magick 'f' word all on his own. She did say we could come back, to tell the midwife she said we could, but I don't think free has anything to do with it. I believe it's just that the midwife needs to call in and basically order a visit for us... and I'm pretty sure it would just as expensive as it would be for any other reason. So we may never know... well... at least not until the baby springs forth in all its goo covered glory.

So... I can't tell you what it is yet. But I did scan some images. Sorry it took so long. I've been vrr vrr sick. Enough so that I took the day off of work, if that tells you anything.

( Feet, Hands, and the long awaited nose! )

It's definitely growing!

Tomorrow is our next ultrasound, during which we may be able to find out the sex of the baby. We have long since thought it would be a girl. Wives tales are on our side. But you never know, right? We could have been calling it Ellie this whole time only to find out it's a little boy (which is ok, too- he will just have to wear a lot of dresses because my mum has bought plenty of those!).

So, using your divine intuition... what do you think?

[Poll #980546]

In other news, I seriously need a nap and the stomach cramps I could definitely do without!

Ouch.

But the baby is moving so I'm hoping that means it's happy and my belly is getting more bulgy and round... guess we'll find out tomorrow if all is well or not.

So, I've listed some things and gotten some encouraging responses so far. This pleases me greatly. There is far too much stuff around here and a lot of things I really just don't use any more. Every so often I get on these kicks where I just want to get rid of as much as possible. Once I start with something and get that rush of freedom and the lifted burden of this thing sitting around then I want to just find more, more things to get rid of! Get rid of EVERYTHING I don't need!

Oh and did I mention we have a baby on the way? And we have no idea where to put that.

What a great meditation to get rid of the things I know longer need and to actually put to use the things which have been laying in wait all of this time. And of course, I want some new things, things that are functional and contemporary vs obsolete. Selling some of these other things of value is very helpful in allowing me the means to acquire things which are otherwise absolutely not in the budget- things like another, bigger CF card, Adobe Lightroom and CS3, a LowePro DryZone Rover so I can take water and camera everywhere, including on the bike- all without leaving lunch at home, and the ever allusive light meter. I would also like to get some baby gear that fits with this other baby gear, both of which I can only find in the UK they sell in almost every other country but this one, and only as close as Quebec Canada, go figure and is rather expensive when the exchange rate and shipping are considered. Oh, and I have some savings to replace which supplemented the purchase of my shiny new (to me) motorcycle... and then there is the trip to Faerie Worlds in July with the fruitcakes bunch.

Alright folks, by some photos. You know you want to. They are pretty and will look great wherever you put them. I have many other services to offer.

I'm up way too late. I'm looking through photos. Go figure.

I'm sitting here staring at the screen, clicking though image after image (forgot about some of these) and I'm not sure... but I think I feel some squirming. I thought maybe I did earlier, too. I've thought so here and there over the last week but who knows. I think it could be in my imagination but we'll have to see how it goes. This is the same place I felt it before... a while ago here and there, and it's consistently the same place now. I hope it's actual squirming. I have been looking forward to that for a very long time- which is the perfect reason not to get my hopes up.

In other news, bending is getting harder- or at least more uncomfortable. In light of this, I have purchased a yoga block (made of cork) as I think that it may be getting close to the time of actually doing the second trimester modified poses. However, even though I'm getting bigger, I think I would be nothing more than a whiner at this point to complain about it too much. As Stephen reminds me all the time: it's only going to get worse and I'm only going to complain more. He's probably right. At least we bought a new mattress today to make the sleeping part a bit better. Sadly, though, I did not get any of the pillows I wanted. Not one. *pout*

But, speaking of pillows, perhaps it is time for my noggin' to rejoin mine as I should have been in bed well over an hour ago.

P.S. Happy Anniversary to squidgyfishlove