Bump update - 9 months

It's all getting so close now! As of 5.30pm this Friday, I will be a free woman. For the next ten months anyway. Of course there will be a fair amount of work involved during those ten months, but let's not spoil it and just concentrate on the free woman bit. 

By the end of this week I will also be 37 weeks which will mean Pip will be full term. If I go into labour from Saturday, she won't be considered premature, just a little early. Woah.

I was laughing in this photo because my belly button looks bloody ridiculous. It's the cherry on top of the baby cake.

I simply cannot wait to start maternity leave. I mentioned in my last update that the pelvic pain had ramped up a notch. Well it's done so again. I can't drive at all now and Dan's had to move into the spare room temporarily to give me more room in bed. Bizarrely, the pain's worse when I'm lying down. I hate going to bed at the moment and as I'm not sleeping great, I'm usually tired and a bit grumpy. I've basically turned into an 85 year old woman!
There is a name for it, this pain. Symphysis pubis dysfunction or SPD and I've been told that it should go away once Pip's born. I hope really so! I have to be honest though, I felt a whole lot better just knowing that it wasn't all in my head and to have the midwife finally take me seriously.

It's not just the pelvic pain that's moved up a gear this month either. Everything seems to happening all at once now. We had our antenatal classes (some were better than others if I'm honest) and our tour of the maternity unit. The unit is quite small, but cosy and very hot! When we went there I was moments from ripping my dress off in the water birthing room. I can't have a water birth unfortunately due to the epilepsy, but that's ok. My main worry was that they would want me on my back on the bed, all covered in monitors. What I really want to do is have the freedom to move about and just do what comes naturally. Thankfully, they are extremely supportive of this and so I'm no longer afraid of the labour part..just what comes afterwards!

Other than that little lot, this past month has included the following; swollen hands, swollen feet, itchy belly, LOTS of this body butter (amazing stuff), getting upset that I can only fit into a tiny portion of my wardrobe, oranges, knitting and braxton hicks.

Whether there will be a ten months bump update is anyone's guess, but I promise you all that once my maternity leave starts, I will do everything I can to sit back, relax and just enjoy the ride.

What's left of it anyway!