The view from above…
So I’m 32 weeks pregnant. 8 weeks to go. THAT’S NOT VERY LONG AT ALL REALLY IS IT?
*nervous laughter*
I have loved every minute of being pregnant but I’m starting to get impatient. I want to meet my son. I want labour over and done with. I want to be on maternity leave, concentrating only on my new family. I want, I want, I want…
And yet I am also enjoying making the most of these final few weeks – time for Jim and I to lounge around on the sofa watching Breaking Bad. Sleeping. Having a lie in. More sleeping. Seeing friends whenever I want to. Being involved in the exciting creative stage of a new project at work. Having a lie in. Sleeping.
I’ve had a pretty hectic few months and luckily pregnancy hasn’t gotten in the way of me enjoying myself, doing my job or carrying on as normal. But I am ready to start dialling it down a bit. I’m starting to feel knackered in the evenings, am starting to make ‘ooooof’ noises when I sit/stand, can’t get comfy on our (extremely comfy) sofa and the kicks have moved from the ‘gentle flutter’ stage to the ‘Millwall fan on day release’ stage. Ouch.
So what I need to do now is just relax and enjoy these last few weeks of being pregnant. BUT I CAN’T REALLY CAN I?! BECAUSE I STILL HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!
- Paint the nursery – I have just spent an hour on B&Q’s website ordering stuff to collect tomorrow. Woodwork needs to be washed on Friday evening, the room itself is being painted on Saturday. By Jim and I. That should be interesting.
- Get a changing table – this is the only ‘big thing’ we haven’t got yet. There’s a nice one on the John Lewis website but it’s sold out. A friend says he has one we can have but I’m still waiting for him to send me pics so I can see what it looks like. We can’t use the floor because both of us have suffered with bad backs in the past and I don’t want to aggravate anything. Our chest of drawers is the wrong height. It’s stressing me out, quite frankly.
- Get a baby bouncer – my neighbour said she’d lend me her Baby Bjorn bouncer but she’s going through some personal issues with her partner now so I feel a bit odd going over to remind her. ‘Oh yeah sorry you and your partner are splitting up and you need to sell the house – can I still borrow that baby bouncer?’
- Make the moses basket decision – do I really need one if I plan on putting him in his cot from birth? Do I need a stand for it if I do get one? A friend suggested I just let him sleep in his pram when he’s downstairs which is an idea I am still toying with…
- Get bottles/steriliser thingy – because I have decided I want Mini Lister ‘taking a bottle’ from as early as possible so Jim can help with feeds. I’m buying a breast pump from a friend to save on costs – just need to buy new ‘bits’ to go on it. And I promise that’s the last time I will use the words ‘breast pump’ or allude to any kind of ‘pumping’ on this blog.
- Pack my hospital bag – ok so maybe this can wait a few weeks but still.
- Buy sleepsuits, nappies and muslins - I’ve heard we’ll need quite a few of those.
I’d also quite like to get our bathroom ripped out and completely redone but I think that might be pushing it a bit.
What?
Anyway – I’m going to try and blog a bit more now I’m in the ‘gearing down’ stage and don’t have plans every bloody weekend so I’ll keep you updated as to progress re the above To Do list. I’m also looking forward to reading back over these next few weeks once Mini Lister has arrived so I can laugh at how I thought I’d be able to plan everything in advance.
Ignorance is bliss eh?
Have a lovely day
Mrs L xx
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32 Comments
Have you seen the over-the-cot changing trays that transforms the cot into a changing unit? Saves loads of space! Enjoy your last 8 weeks :)
That could be an option – thanks Ruth! x
Best thing we bought babywise was an Advent microwave steriliser and those GroBag sleeping bag things. They’re quite pricey but are always popping up in TK Maxx.
Baby monitor? We got an AngelCare one. Recommended.
Good luck Kerry, I left my bag packing until 35 weeks and 4 days, and went into labour at 36 weeks!!
Stock up on juices and healthy snacks in your hozzy bag the food at Homerton is shite (but everything else was great :)
Shit yes of course – baby monitor! Had planned on getting a BT one I saw that includes ‘white noise’ pacifier…
We haven’t got a microwave (I hate them) so will have to find another way to sterilise bottles!
And yes – the sleeping bags are deffo on the list (Green Baby do a great one with elasticated bottom for easy changing!).
x
Hiya Sarah!!
Oh christ don’t say that! I’m not going on maternity leave till I’m 38 weeks! Hahahaa.
Thanks for the tip re food – noted. I’ve been impressed with Homerton so far – am hoping they don’t let me down on the most important day ;)
xx
Moses basket offer still stands :-) We got an Avent electric steriliser. Was great!
It’s actually ludicrously easy to sterilise bottles etc with good old Milton liquid. It’s easy to get sucked into buying loads of stuff, but really all you need is a bug turbans some Milton.
That said I have an Avent electric steriliser sitting in my garage at the moment – interested? Been used for a year but still loads of life in it. Would want something for it but not much. Also have a bottle warmer.
Also I’m pretty sure I have a baby bouncer you can have – you want the kind that clamps to a door frame?
Second the recommendation for gro-bags – my two slept in nothing else, my son still sleeps in them now :) I found loads cheap on eBay :)
Damn autocorrect!! I have NO IDEA where “bug turbans” came from
– I meant to say “big tub and”!!
I remember that at about your stage in my first pregnancy I just desperately wanted to see my baby’s face. I can’t explain how desperate I was to see what she looked like (although actually, we’d been told it was a boy so it was a shock when I had a girl!).
Try and enjoy your last few weeks, whether that’s nesting or resting, either way…enjoy xx
p.s. we can’t WAIT to hear the baby’s name!
Someone else just offered a moses basket too – she also lives miles away though so might actually just be easier for me to buy a cheapo from Tesco (can get a nice one for £30, stand for £9) than try and lug it home on the tube…
Good shout on the electric steriliser :) x
I want some bug turbans!
Email coming atcha Ruth! xx
Christ don’t say that! Hahahah. I know it’s a boy though – I was the one who spotted it on the screen before the sonographer! xx
I’ll bring in the pump tomorrow! Mine slept in pram downstairs in daytime, so prob no need for Moses basket since you have cot in your room, think you’ll be fine. I hated microwaves and never used ours until I became a mum, but it’s so handy for warming bottles, sterilising quickly, and especially defrosting, warming and cooking baby food. Not essential of course but it really made my life easier. All so exciting, sounds like you’re super organised! Xx
Thanks Nay!! Good to know re pram/daytime sleeping too. Seems a few people do this and if I have his cot in my room I don’t really need another sleeping vessel! Haha.
x
I wouldn’t bother buying too many sleepsuits and babygrows as we found we got given so many presents from everyone (even some people I have never met who know my mother) and had far too many in the little sizes. You sound far more organised than I was at that stage anyway so you’re doing great! x
Hah, you’ve reminded me of a few things I probably need to do – and I’m almost 38 weeks! But the hospital bag is almost packed. Almost. Um….
That’s actually a very good point – I’m meeting a friend for dinner in a couple of weeks whose little boy is 4 months old and she’s promised me ‘loads of stuff’!!
:) x
Ok I don’t feel too bad now ;)
Much here to be discussed on Thursday! I’m panicking and I’m only 24 weeks.
Not looking forward to the footballer’s kicks. ;/
cx
Hahaha! It’s a reassuring, uncomfortable pain rather than an agonising one.
Of course if he’s quite for longer than a couple of hours I’ll drink something cold and sit without moving a muscle, waiting for him to wake up ;)
Looking forward to our mothers meeting! Still can’t quite believe there are 6 of us!! xx
So bloody excited for you K. So excited
I loved reading this post – I am 22 weeks with number 2 but number 1 was 6 years ago and in France (I’m back in London now) so a lot of it feels new. I never bothered to sterilise and breast-fed along with expressing and having others (hubs/childminder) bottle feed my milk. Despite never sterilising she wasn’t the slightest bit ill until she was nearly a year old, is rarely ill now (aged 5) and despite numerous allergies in hubby’s family has no allergies (so far!). However my reasons for not sterilising were because I’m too lazy and it would have meant buying extra stuff!
We didn’t bother with a Moses basket (nobody does in France so I’m not sure I could have found one if I’d wanted), we just put her in her pram which we then put inside her cot while she was tiny, then moved her into her cot at around 3 months.
Gro-bags are THE BEST! I, personally, wouldn’t go with anything else.
I’m glad I’ve found your blog, I’m looking forward to following you now and hearing the next installments…
This is a great stage of pregnancy, I loved buying all the last things and getting everything ready. I also loved the lazy afternoons in the John Lewis cafe with a cake and my book.
Enjoy, Mich x
:) xx
Ah thank you for your lovely post!!
And THANK YOU for your comments re sterilising – am just Googling now and it seems that in America and other countries they don’t seem to think sterilisation is necessary? Interesting…
Thinking about it – surely it’s better for a child to be exposed to germs at an early age so they can build up immunity? Not saying I wouldn’t clean the bottles but sterilisation might be too extreme?
Anyway – I shall do more research! x
I look forward to those lazy afternoons! :) x
My baby was an august one so am guessing yours will be too. Hope you get out in the sun,when it arrives, so you look gorgeously tanned when baby Lister makes an appearance. my baby will be 18 this August – how time flies. Enjoy
Interesting reading the sterilising comments, I’m afraid I was a neurotic mother who sterilised bottles until well over one :-) although I’m sure thats not normal behaviour, but I was a made a bit paranoid as my middle baby had a terrible stomach bug at 6 months which totally wiped her out for weeks, and led to temporary lactose intolerance.
I have a couple of boy gro-bags I am more than happy to post to you if you want? Even if you only use them when your nice new ones have been thrown up on ;-)
Enjoy these last few weeks, I have happy memories of sitting in the sun reading lots of books during my first pregnancy ;-) and long afternoons chatting in Costa – bliss!
xx
Thanks Mrs W! Wow – 18. Can’t quite fathom that!! x
Awww bless her. I’ve got the Avent steriliser (thanks Ruth) so will be using that when I move onto bottles.
I’m also hoping I have at least a week to chill before he arrives! :) xx