4 weeks to go!

Everything is progressing normally so far! yay!

I've gained 14 lbs or 1 stone thus far and the baby is measuring perfectly. She's currently breech, but that changes from day to day. My hope is that soon she gets head down and stays that way. I'm all scheduled at the Edgware Birthing Centre and I cant wait to go into labour. I'm ready to have this baby. While I have enjoyed the pregnancy, I'm ready for the next chapter...

In other pregnancy news, my breasts are leaking milk at random times, which is exciting- not- but I did find some fab washable breast pads which are working fantastically! I'm still stretch mark free which is SUPER EXCITING, i'm hoping it's my lotion and potion ritual. The baby is incredibly active. ALL DAY LONG. They generally say that at this point in the pregnancy you will feel the baby moving less and less because there is less room- well I'm here to tell you that hasn't been true for me, or many others that I've talked to. I still don't have any indigestion or heartburn, but I do get incredibly uncomfortable the longer I sit still. For me, the trick to solving this issue is to move around, go for a walk, etc.... unless it's late at night in which case I just try to go to sleep. I'm sleeping well and waking early but rested. I started my maternity leave on friday and have managed to paint 3 canvasses for the baby's room, two for the dining room and one for our bedroom, in addition to painting the fireplace mantel to give it a new lease on life.... I've also made 2 gallons of body wash for the baby, a gallon of body wash for us, a gallon of hand soap, and two gallons of laundry detergent. it's all free from toxins and dangerous chemicals and I love the way it rinses clean, leaves my skin soft and is free from perfumey-ness. I've also grown quite addicted to pinterest, hence all the projects of the last few days. So, this is nesting..... ??

27 weeks tomorrow!

In the last three weeks we finally moved house. We haven't had internet or phone since the 3rd of july, but we are officially back on the grid in the technological age! Hallelujah!

Earlier this week I had a terrible toothache. I had previously gone to the dentist about this tooth but since I was 4 months pregnant at the time she didn't want to do an xray. Yesterday however when I finally managed to get an emergency appointment they did an xray and told me the tooth has a raging infection and can't be saved. So, sadly, a few hours ago I had the tooth extracted. WITHOUT any anesthetic. and it HURT. I'm now practicing my pain management and encouraging my partner to do some practice hypnobirthing on me later today. A little practice at channeling this pain can't be a bad thing right?

I had a midwife appointment on Monday since I'm preparing to fly to the USA on the 23rd and will be gone for an entire month. So far I've gained 7 lbs and the baby is measuring perfectly and has a healthy heartbeat- so I'm officially fit for travel! Fantastic!! I've got my super attractive compression socks and all my comfortable travel clothes all laid out for the big day. I can't wait to arrive at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival- that's the event I look forward to all year and now that it's finally drawing closer, I'm even more excited that it will be a part of my pregnancy. Last year I told my fellow workers that there was a good chance I'd be up to 6 months pregnant this year, not knowing if I'd have the beginners luck that I ultimately had, but sure enough the universe saw to it and here I am embarking on yet another festival and this time with child!! Next year will be even more amazing as she'll be nearly 9 months old and experiencing it for herself!

the big wide world of cloth nappies!

I finally found a great pack, priced reasonably... It's 10 little lamb bamboo cloth nappys with covers, fleece liners and other bits. Normally it's £115 but for some reason it's being offered at this  discounted price of £50
I don't know why it's discounted, but I don't mind! We're going to start elimination communication after the first few weeks (depending on how I'm feeling) and we're also going to have disposables just in case I absolutely hate cloth in the first few weeks- so the minimal investment seems worthwhile at the moment. It will allow us to try out cloth, see how we feel about it and then either buy more, or sell them. Another part that makes the price so amazing is that our council offers a real nappy incentive scheme and will reimburse you up to £25 when you spend £50 on reusable nappies!! Cha-ching!!

breastfeeding....

and now a new search is on for a breast pump!  I want my partner to be able to feed our baby, so I need to be able to express milk for that to happen. I know it might take time, but I also know that it is a must... 

and the perfect one would be????

SO MANY to look at! I've at least narrowed it down to electric- and probably just easier to do dual, instead of one at a time... 

free things for baby

I found some great links for free baby gear yesterday. At www.sevenslings.com with code WTE, I was able to order a baby sling and pay only shipping! I also ordered a car seat canopy from carseatcanopy.com which I also only paid shipping on. I live in the UK, but go to the USA every summer, so I had it sent to my US address which is rather handy since they don't ship to the UK.

I've been on a mission to find free reusable nappies, so far it's been an epic fail. But I'm going to keep looking! I just need a few so I can try them out, see what I like and such. Fingers crossed!!

Maternity Pillow

I am SO loving my dreamgenii pillow!  Not only has it made sleeping through the nights a reality, but I'm also finding it exceptionally comfortable for sitting on the couch. Also, at night I used to get up several times to wee and now I don't get up at all. I'm not sure how or why that would be linked, but I'm loving it. Today I'm feeling quite sick- stuffy nose, sore throat, chesty cough- so I'm sitting up in bed and have my pillow wrapped nice and snug around me and it's oh-so-comfortable!

If you're looking for a maternity pillow I can't recommend this one enough- it's a bit pricey though, and I'm all about the bargain so I bought mine new on amazon for half the price!! Just be advised for scammers, I noticed two for this pillow and I'm glad I didn't buy from them!!

No stretch marks for this belly!!

I don't have anything against stretchmarks per se, but I have some rather large tattoos that are quite meaningful to me and I hate the thought of them being invaded by stretchmarks.  I'm on a mission to prevent them and I began some prep work in the two months prior to conception by creating a lotion ritual that I'm hoping will ward them off.

The essential ingredients:

1) Ceridwen's Cauldron  bath melt from Lush at Lushusa.com (also widely available in the UK!!) 
2) Bath and Body Works body cream in Rice Flower and Shea (or any scent you like, for me this is nice and light for my uber strong pregnancy nose!)
3) Bio-Oil
4) St Ives Collagen and Elastin body lotion
5) with a side of The Body Shop's cocoa shea body butter


So you wanna soak in the tub and relax? Ceridwen's Cauldron is a must!! It's a delicious bath melt that releases just enough oil to soften your skin and leave it moisturized without feeling greasy. Not to mention the sweet smelling earthy scent that is soothes all the aches and pains! I'd say it's a definite once a week treat for your baby making body.

Fresh from your shower or bath, slip on some Bio Oil- it dries quickly without being greasy. Some people disagree with using this oil during pregnancy, I say do your own research and decide. If I decided not to use it, I'd also have to swear off laptops, computers, cell phones, sunlight, unorganic everything and fresh air. I love how it smells, I love how it feels and I've been using it since two months pre conception and definitely notice a difference in my skin as a result- so I'm sticking to it.

Then slather on some St Ives Collagen and Elastin lotion- primarily on your belly, hips and breasts. I can speak to the scientificness of this lotion, but stretchmarks are affected by collagen and elastin so I'm using this because I WANT to believe in its claims. It's a nice and light scent and feels really luxurious when you rub it on. It settles in and dries quickly, another plus for me. There's nothing like having to wait for lotion to dry before dressing and I refuse to do it, so I choose my lotions and potions accordingly.

The final layer is the BBW Rice flower and Shea body cream. It's richer than the lotion and keeps my skin moisturized all day. It has a really lovely light scent. I alternated this with BBW's warm vanilla sugar body butter in the early months because I was worried my morning sickness and newly tuned sensitive olfactory sense would make me hate my favorite familiar smells- I'm happy to report, crisis averted!

Should you start to feel itchy skin later in the day, nip into the loo, and apply a quick dose of The Body Shop cocoa shea body butter in the convenient on the go tub. This has been a lifesaver at work when my belly starts itching and I don't want to look like the weirdo in the corner who's trying to sneak in some scratching. It's also in a small tub and fits in my bag so I can take it everywhere.

I can't swear by this little concoction just yet- I'm only 22 weeks along- But I'm currently stretchmark free and using this moisturizing ritual daily and intend to keep it up!! My mom and sister each had stretch marks by 20 weeks- so I'm hoping this is a sign that I'm going to beat the genetics with the power of lotions and oils!!