The final 10 - a Thing 3 update

by Leyla [Thisdayilove] - 09:00

The end of the year and the end of the second trimester. The 30th December 2015 sees me turn 30 weeks pregnant and to be honest I cannot quite believe it. Had someone told me this time last year I would be expecting a baby I would have not believed them. Christmas preparations have meant I have not had as much time as I would have liked to write down the past few weeks and the last update was at 23 weeks.

At 23 weeks I was diagnosed with diastasis recti, hip displacement and torn abdominal muscles, it perhaps goes without saying that the past few weeks have been spent seeing various physios and specialist and involved a lot of pain. I have had to hang up my running shoes, and cannot lift anything heavier than what my little finger can lift. Emotionally the past few weeks have been challenging. It breaks my heart I cannot pick up my girls and give them a cuddle. I have to be really careful what I do lift, in the long run though I know it is for the best.

Giving up running has not been easy, I really miss it. I miss getting out and being active. I miss walking the dogs, I cannot do it in case they pull, and I really miss my independence. It has meant a whole lifestyle shift and change in attitude and to be honest this is really difficult.

I now see the physio weekly and have various exercises to do to try and reduce pain and injury. At 27weeks I had my ribs manipulated so I could breathe and also my pelvis re aligned. This was a strange experience as at one point I lost complete control over my legs and could not move them, completely paralysed from the waist down. Luckily the issue was corrected and my pelvis was twisted back into the correct position. The pain is less but it is still there.

Thing 3 keeps giving me scare days. They have a few days of a lot of activity followed by a couple of days of hardly any movement and it is on these quiet days I panic. I seem to have a niggle in the back of my mind I cannot shake that something is going to go wrong. No idea why, but I cannot get rid of it and on those quite movement days I really panic.

The midwife has put me on fortnightly check ups, which in some ways is nice as I get to listen to Thing 3 heart beat more often. It is always 140 bpm, every time without fail. I am still measuring big, approximately 2 weeks ahead of where I should be. I have a scan this week to have a look at the weight of Thing3 and another at 36 weeks. It is at this 36 week scan that a decision will be made as to when I will deliver. All I know at the moment is it is very doubtful they will let me continue past the 40 week mark and have been told they are likely to induce me around 38weeks.

Work has finally started on the nursery, the walls painted and the flooring has been laid. The cot has been built and thanks to the generosity of friends Thing 3 even has clothes for the first 3 months. I have a few pieces of furniture to build and then will share the nursery on the blog.

We are now owners of a 7 seater car, ready for thing3 arrival. All we need is a car seat to bring Thing 3 home in. I think things are slowly coming together and now Christmas has finished we can focus more on getting ready.

This pregnancy has been hard on me and I am hoping that the final trimester will be easier. Although I am guessing as thing 3 grows in weight and size I may not be quite so lucky. If anything like the girls I have cramp, braxton hicks and heartburn to look forward to as well.