What week?
I’m 35 weeks pregnant.
Hello 9th month ! It’s the final countdown !
How big is the baby?
I have no idea but when I see my belly and my weight, he is getting ready !
Something special this week?
Lying down is my new normal !
It’s hard for me now to stand, walk or even take care of the boys. That’s a chance my husband could ask to work from home all the time, because without his help it would be very hard !
Most challenging moment?
Being totally dependent.
It’s not easy to ask for help from my husband for some simple things like getting Little H out of the bed, going shopping or dropping Mr A to school. I read everywhere, I don’t have to hesitate to ask for help but when it’s always to the same person, overworked and tired after months of helping, I can only feel guilty. And it adds some useless tensions in our complex daily routine.
This week was complicated.
Little H and Mr A were isolated as there were some Covid19 cases in their class and at daycare. So we had to keep them at home, take them to be tested (twice each) and cancel every appointment (again). All these changes are not easy, especially since changing everything became the rule. And I must confess, enjoying some time alone at home would be great sometime…
Most exciting moment?
Preparing for the holidays !
I love Christmas and when you live in Alsace it is more than a tradition. Christmas market, the lights, Advent wreath … it’s everywhere! Mr A also loves Christmas so he’s as excited as I am to prepare everything. This year, however, I’m a bit frustrated because decorating the house looks like a marathon. I won’t bake bredele because of my diabete and because I can’t stand long enough (I usually need a dozen hours to bake them all). And I won’t be able to go to the Christmas markets since I can’t walk anymore and I’m not supposed to risk any contact with Covid19.
Christmas will be sober this year, with just the 4 of us (or maybe the 5 of us ?)
Little H offered us a great surprise since this year he seems to notice the change in the house ! Last year, he avoided the Christmas tree but this year he seems to enjoy the tree’s needles !
What’s new doctor?
Monitoring shows nothing. BB#3 moves properly, his heart is fine except for the extrasystoles and there is nothing to be worried about. That’s great!
On Monday, I had my appointment at the hospital for my admission. As usual, she told me “it’s a third baby, you know what to do”. Except I’m changing hospitals so I’m not well aware of everything. I had to change my suitcase because the hospital doesn’t provide everything like the clinic. What was interesting is the hospital usually sets an intensive monitoring when you are at your due date (december 31st for my case). But here, the midwife decided to begin from december 13th so it seems my intuition is getting true !
My osteopaths told me something similar on Tuesday. According to her, I won’t go beyond the 10th !
I’ve also met the anaesthetist so now, I’m ready !
Weight ?
+6,7kg
Nutrition ?
My diabete is quite steady and my appetite quite small, so I imagine my enormous weight gain is due to BB#3 getting himself handsome and because of my water retention.
Water retention was hard this week. I now wear support stockings all the time but it doesn’t help much. My midwife assures me all the weight is in my belly and my legs are watery so for her, everything is normal.
Movement ?
Getting myself out of the sofa is my kind of physical exploit right now. It’s quite something !
Motivation ?
I still have so much to do before BB#3 arrives !
Christmas preparation, business accounts, the baby room, finding his name … Nope, not ready at all. And sleeping or lying down half of the day don’t help either !
Self Care ?
That’s it, I can’t sleep more than 4 hours straight, day or night. It looks like my body is getting ready to welcome BB#3 and the strange newborn rhythm. It’s quite great but I expected to rest a little bit before his arrival…
As great news, we have found our Doula ! She’ll come next week for prenatal care and after the birth to help me on breastfeeding and avoid my collapse like I did for my previous postpartum. We got along and I’m quite reassured to know I’ll have some extra help and comfort!
Another great news, we also found a solution to babysit the boys while I’ll be in labour ! That’s a great relief !
And last but not least, we have had some domestic help once a week since yesterday ! She can’t do everything but it is precious and relieving !
Reflexions ?
When I review past events of this week, I see so many positive things and so many difficulties at the same time, I’m not sure what to think about it.
I feel on the edge, with emotional rollercoasters taking me from great joys to deep depression. I don’t know if it’s related to the hormones, the fatigue, the end of the pregnancy or the 3, but it’s very demanding for my mental health and my family’s as well. I really understand why having a Village is so important, especially for the 4th trimester. My need for comfort is increasing with the holidays and the new Covid restrictions. To sum it up, I’ll have to focus on self care and gratitude to go on !
