Our little Olive is finally here!

Phheeewwww! Luca Peter Olive was born on the 18th of March at 1:06pm, weighing 3.4kg. Our little baby, our boy, is finally here.

Labour began in the wee hours of Friday morning, and by 11am I was on my way to the hospital with Ben (mum was the taxi service, thanks ma!). A couple of hours later, we were the parents of a beautiful boy who came into the world gently. Hurray!

Luca was born a the RPA birth centre without pain relief, in the bath, and because he's a Pisces and he brought the rain with him, I call him my little fish. So in love with this little boy of mine!

Week 41 / Little Olive Update

I'm still here, and I'm still rockin' the bump! It's been a very up and down week now that there's a timer on this little one's arrival. They generally don't let you go past 42 weeks without labour being induced artificially, which isn't the worst thing to happen, but it's definitely something I've been hoping to avoid. Medical induction increases the chance of things going pear-shaped during labour, and can also ramp up the pain-scale on contractions (which would make my hope of a drug-free labour just that extra bit harder!).

At the end of the day though, I need to do what's best for bub and I. Going past 42 weeks has it's own set of risks – depleted waters, a deteriorating placenta, and a baby that grows too big for its' exit (eep!). So this week has been all about beating the start of induction, which would begin on Monday 21 March. I've had 2 'stretch and sweeps' since this Monday been (they are pretty unpleasant things, but I won't got into detail as to what they are on here; I'm trying to keep things pleasant!) with another scheduled for Friday. Today I also had an induction massage where the therapist presses on particular pressure points, much like acupuncture without the needles (and a lot more relaxing, I loved it). You should see the list of things I do each day to help things along!

I will do a proper post with a photo tomorrow – this morning was a rush as I had a midwife appointment. But fingers crossed I don't get around to it. ;)

Week 40 / Little Olive Update

The big four-oh! Here we are. Thank you so much to our lovely family for your calls and texts over the week, checking on little ol' me and baby. I really appreciate it, and am super grateful that Ben and I can be going through this with you guys, despite the distance. That distance doesn't feel so far after all! Thank you so much again; feeling the love. I'm sorry I haven't had more to report, but hopefully that'll change soon!

Ben doesn't usually read these posts (because he's living them, ha!) but I can't thank him enough for being so great throughout this crazy time... and the crazy is only just beginning. He's an awesome guy to be on the same team with. The past year has been nuts in so many ways, but we always seem to come through everything stronger than before. We have many big tests ahead of us but they don't scare me at all. There's no one I'd rather do them with!

I had a midwife appointment on Monday and everything seems to be on track. Every time I have my appointment (usually at 8:45am) baby is in a super active mode. That means that when they take its' heartbeat reading, it's usually a bit high. No matter which midwife I see that day, they always look at the monitor and ask "is baby moving right now?". Yes it is! It makes it easy for them to feel bubs position as well, as there'll be a foot sticking out on side of my belly, and a butt sticking out the other. 


How far along?
40 weeks – today is baby's due date!

Symptoms
Feeling a bit tired and still going with the nightly wake-ups. I wake up in the night and I just can't get back to sleep. Luckily some of the girls I've come to know here have already had their babies, so I can just check into our Facebook group at any time and see what's happening there. 

Maternity clothes
Please can this be the last bump shot, I don't know if I'll get into those jeans next time! 

Stretch marks
Maybe some very faint ones but nothing too obvious, it's tricky to tell.

Sleep
As per the symptoms question above. Still have a nap every day.

Best moment this week
I caught up with two lovely mama's this week. One was a picnic at Hyde Park with 6-week old Nina (and her mum from yoga class), the other was with Bridget and her son Boston in Hurstville, about an hour away. Bridget is originally from Auckland (on the north shore, no less) which is a funny coincidence! 

Worst moment this week
At my midwife appointment, we broached the subject of inducing birth for overdue babies. I really don't want to go there; it's the one thing that makes me nervous. Come on little bub!

Movement
Just the usual! Baby has their set times when they like to get their groove on.

Food cravings
Lots of veggies and fruit.

Anything making you feel sick or queasy?
No.

Gender
We'll soon find out!

Belly button in or out?
It's an innie with an outtie in it.

Happy or moody?
Happy. :)

Looking forward to...
A hair appointment today! It's just to get it recoloured (nothing alarming, just keeping it 'natural') but you all know how much I love my hair appointments.

This week's tune:
Emiliana Torrini – Nothing Brings Me Down. One of my oldest favourites. This is totally me right now, apart from the line when she says she's 'full of wine', ha!

Week 39 / Little Olive Update

Nearly there people, nearly there. It's so strange knowing there's this mammoth event coming ahead of me, but I have no idea when. It's like training for a marathon which could start at any moment – you've just got to keep yourself well, keep your spirits up, keep eating nutritious meals and stay hydrated. So that's what I'm doing at this point! I've got about an hour of work to do each day, and then it's on to little prep things. For example, taking Juno to the vet for a check up, cleaning, washing, writing my birth plan, creating music playlists, any other maintenance things that are good to get out of the way. Oh, and naps. Finding it difficult to pull 'all-dayers' at the moment!


How far along?
39 weeks. 

Symptoms
Many of my symptoms seemed to have eased off – heartburn, leg cramps and super sore pelvic pain are all pretty infrequent. In saying that, I've never been so tired! Hopefully my body is getting me to conserve energy for things to come. Evenings still bring on their own set of niggles, such as crampy feelings, and strong, frequent Braxton Hicks (which I now feel in my chest and throat as well). Did you know that most women go into labour at night? That's because nature knows the chances of you being in a safe, secure place are higher at that time. Pretty amazing.

Maternity clothes
I don't even fit some of my maternity clothes anymore. Putting on the jeans for the weekly bump shoot is such a workout! I'm super limited but am just sticking it out. 

Stretch marks
Maybe some very faint ones but nothing too obvious, it's tricky to tell.

Sleep
Actually, sleep has been good lately. Always up in the night at some point but when I'm sleep, I'm completely konked out. Making the most of it!

Best moment this week
I had another lovely catch up with my March Babies group. One of them has popped already, so we all got to have some cuddles with little Tristan. I'm pretty sure I hogged him more than the others, oops, but he was just so little and sweet than I couldn't resist. Cluckiness levels went through the roof after that lovely get together.

Worst moment this week
Just being so sleepy, I can be a bit irritable – for example, last night we had a discussion around what to make for dinner that went on for too long, and I felt almost teary about it!

Movement
Still the same, though bub was the most active it's ever been a couple of nights ago. Both Ben and I were looking at my tummy saying 'Hooooly crap!', it was pretty fun. We were trying to tell bub that if they want to escape, they need to aim down, not out.

Food cravings
Lots of veggies and fruit.

Anything making you feel sick or queasy?
No.

Gender
We'll soon find out!

Belly button in or out?
It's an innie with an outtie in it.

Happy or moody?
Mostly happy, trying to stay zen and neutral about everything.

Looking forward to...
Not posting any more bump updates. Bub updates, please! Apart from that, I have a catch up with a girl from my yoga class tomorrow and then another catch up on Monday. Kind of hoping I won't make those appointments though...

This week's tune:
Let's go with a fun one – My Patch by Jim Noir.

Week 38 / Little Olive Update

Sydney has decided to throw in one last heatwave before the summer is over, so I'm feeling a bit hot and sticky at 38 weeks. My weekly photo outfit is getting pretty unbearably tight these days! At this point baby is full-term so it's unlikely I'll do much more growing until baby comes (which is a bit of a relief!). I can't believe how close we are now. I know it's been a long time coming, but now that it literally could be any day (for the next 3 weeks or so), it's hard to wrap my head around. Now that work has nearly wound up, I've got a bit more time to check some last things off the list and get in the zone. There's yoga, swimming (or bobbing!) trips and painting on the agenda this week, along with some last cleaning and organisation chores at home.

This is how I'm preparing for labour: taking more time out for/with myself, eating a handful of dates each day, still taking my pre-natal vitamin Elevit, yoga, stretching and relaxation exercises, and taking a homeopathic tonic that I was given. Knowing that you're doing a few things to assist with labour does give you a bit of extra confidence, regardless of whether those things actually do anything or not – and that's fine by me, as I know birth will be as much of a mental battle as it will be a physical one! Overall I'm feeling confident in my strength for this mammoth event.


How far along?
38 weeks.

Symptoms
Everyday symptoms: My pregnancy waddle is getting more apparent – though the waddling/walking is going pretty slow these days. I feel a bit more tired in general, but other symptoms have lessened a little, such as the sore pelvis/hips and heartburn. And despite feeling sleepy, I will get bursts of energy where I can get heaps done, or I feel really excited and happy. My fingers and toes are looking pretty chubs by now, too!

Practise symptoms: Last Friday evening I started to get sore lower back pain (which I haven't really had), combined with cramps and lots of strong Braxton Hicks contractions. You should have seen my tummy; whenever I have these contractions, my whole upper tummy rises like crazy – much like when you'd flex a bicep! It was quite uncomfortable, but a little bit exciting. I went to bed early and kept waking in the night with the same discomforts. By morning though, everything had fizzled out. It was great motivation to finish packing my hospital bag that day!

Maternity clothes
The usual, though everything is stretched at the seams. Just making do for now, not much longer!

Stretch marks
Maybe some very faint ones but nothing too obvious, it's tricky to tell.

Sleep
Looking forward to being able to sleep on my tummy, my back, any which way I want. Still getting up every night and waking up frequently but it's not too bad.

Best moment this week
Ben and I had such a lovely weekend – lots of fun things involved. We went out for a brunch date together in Double Bay. I saw there was a salmon dish on the menu, so I asked the waitress if it was cooked, to which she responded that it was. Well, it wasn't – it came out raw, much to my dismay! "I think there's been a miscommunication here," I said. "I asked if the salmon was cooked and was told that yes, it was." "'Cooked?'" she replied in her thick French accent, "I thought you said 'cured'!" Nope. But my replacement brunch was delicious all the same.

Last night was our final Tuesday night childbirth and parenting class, which was really fun but also a bit sad! Our lovely group facilitator Kel is setting up a Facebook group so we can all keep in touch. We all brought a plate along for a shared dinner send-off, which we ate between swaddling our fake babies and putting on nappies.

Worst moment this week
Just what's left of work has been a bit of a drag. But I'm neeeearly there!

Movement
Bub is still in the same possy, so feeling kicks below my right ribs as usual. Space is tight in there!

Food cravings
None.

Anything making you feel sick or queasy?
No.

Gender
We'll soon find out!

Belly button in or out?
Kinda both. The photo makes it look outward, but it's still some weird combo.

Happy or moody?
Happy in a sleepy kind of way.

Looking forward to...
Meeting this little one.

This week's tune:
Here's a beautiful, special song to me – The Road by Zero7. Definitely mirrors my mood for the coming times.