If it was just the cold it wouldn’t be so bad but at about the same time I started getting a sharp strong pain on my ribs on the left side. The result is that I can’t sit down unless I’m leaning backwards and the worst of all, I couldn’t sleep on my sides. Right or left. Sleeping on my back is not advisable especially at this point in the pregnancy and it certainly isn’t comfortable. Worst bit even? Asthma came back and together with the blocked nose the result is I can’t sleep on my back! So I couldn’t sleep! I got to the point of desperation!

Fortunately the asthma eased and the pain in the ribs decreased so I can now sleep on my right side for short periods. But I still have a blocked nose and a pounding headache. But much better than before

My bump has dropped considerably (might have helped with the ribs) but it’s still growing and Tubbs is certainly still moving a lot. I think more than ever. And it’s really funny how she responds to external stimulation

One thing that I’ve noticed is that whenever Russ puts his hand on my bump she calms down. Guess who will be putting her to sleep?

Anyway I have been reading lots about babies and found some books that are a bit more real and prepare you for what can go wrong even with breast feeding. Until now the picture was painted as a perfect one. It is slightly concerning but I think I prefer to be prepared for it than to be caught off guard and feel like a failure or like I’m not a good mother.

I’m also getting quite impacient! I can’t wait to see what she looks like and to be able to hold her. I mean she is inside me but I can’t touch her.

I already packed my hospital bag (I like to be prepared) and realised that she has loads of clothes but only up to 3 months. Nothing above that! We are going to have to do some shopping. We have almost everything else. All we need is some sheets and  a mobile for the cot, some towels, a thermometer and a couple of toys she can look at and touch.

34 weeks tomorrow

The doctor was the slowest doctor I’ve ever seen. At first I thought it was because he was foreign (sounded like a germanish accent) and wasn’t very comfortable with English, but even writing down the notes took ages. Very odd. I was supposed to see him about the latex allergy but the only thing he asked me was what made me think I was allergic and that was that. I’m not sure if it’s because of the allergy or the possibility of diabetes but I am being followed by both the midwife and a hospital doctor so I have another appointment with the hospital.

In the mean time I haven’t been sleeping very well. My back has been hurting all day and night and together with the heartburn and the night visits to the toilet I’m not left with much time for sleeping. I getting bigger and bigger and it’s starting to get a but frustrating not being able to do anything. I can’t get out of the sofa without Russ’s help, I can’t pick up things from the floor or reach lower cupboards, I get tired just going up the stairs to use the toilet, I’m in constant pain and starting to get bored. Especially when there is so much left to do with the house and I can’t do it. Honestly I’m starting to get a bit fed up with being pregnant and I can’t wait till Tubbs is born healthy and beautiful. Still 10 more weeks to go (if she’s not late) and my mood is getting worse each day (Poor Russ)

The test results came out ok and now I am waiting for an appointment with the midwife at the new surgery close to where we are gong to live. She should do a general check up as well.

The baby has been kicking A LOT! Sometimes it even hurts. You can actually see my tummy jump and it doesn’t make things like driving easy. She seems to be all over the place and you can already tell she doesn’t like loud noises (just like mum).

The bump is growing and growing. Getting into a car is becoming more difficult and I can’t bend or reach things that are too low down. Low seats and sofas are a no-no. I also stopped being able to see a few parts of my body

I also lost my skinny hands and feet. They are swollen. Lets say there is nothing even remotely skinny about my body anymore

But the worst is the insomnia. As if t wasn’t enough to be too big and struggle to change positions, I can’t go back to sleep for hours after I wake up to go to the toilet. Her kicking doesnt’ help as well. So lately I’ve been waking up at 3.30-4am and having no choice but to get up and do something useful. I usually go back and have a snooze after 7, but my sleeping patterns are definately weird. I guess it will help me get used to the not sleeping at all that comes after the baby is born

Well we have been on holiday and very busy with setting up the business and looking for houses. All still in the process of being done.

The holidays in Portugal were great although I did confirm that flying doesn’t agree with me both mentally and physically. My legs looked like tree trunks!

In the 10 day I was away my bump got a lot bigger (no doubt it also has to do with the fact that we get fed till we drop of culinary goodness)

I realise a couple of things:

- I can’t sleep without my maternity pillow! Terrible nights I had with lots of back pain.

- I only have 4 tops left that actually cover my bump

- I now have to tie my trainers sideways cos I can’t reach them by leaning forward.

- It is also very difficult to lean or reach things that are close to the floor.

- I will have to ask Russ to cut my toe nails at some point which will be interesting (I can’t stand anyone touching them)

- My feet and ankles are not skinny any more

- And…

I felt the baby move!!! What an amazing feeling! I can feel it more when I’m lying on by back and it protests when it gets to tight in  there.

I can’t wait ’till Russ is able to feel it too

In the mean time people gave us clothes for the baby to had to what we already bought and Tubbs now has more clothes than me

It was also nice to talk to my mum. I asked her if her bump was big as I have noticed mine is quite big comparing to some other pregnant women. She told me she was thinner than me when she was pregnant and had a huge bump. Even the doctor was wondering if there were twins. Of course I was 8.5 pounds when I was born which might have something to do with it as well.

Tomorrow starts my 20th week (half way through, Woo-hoo!) and I have an appointment with the doctor and an anomaly scan on Thursday. I can’t help but feeling nervous because they are going to check for anomalies but I also can’t way to see Tubbs again

Cat on the other hand is a light sleeper, and often spends hours trying to drift off to sleep. Being pregnant only makes matters worse, as the constant changes to her body, extra pressure on her abdomen means needing the bathroom more often and having a growing bump makes lying down in a comfortable position more difficult.

Enter the pregnancy pillow! I never heard of these before, but there are hundreds of different types of pillow that surround you to provide extra support and comfort to expectant mothers. Cat bought one and tried it out for the first time last night. Did it make her sleep better? Well… no. But she was more comfortable!

Taking this back to the start of this post, surely none of this “pillow talk” affects me? Alas, I have never slept so poorly than this past week. With Cat needing to move, get up to go to the bathroom, and even burst out laughing as she remembers bits from Ice Age 3 which she recently watched, has meant I woke up 4 or 5 times. And to top all that off, the pillow that surrounds her has made snuggling up to her all but impossible!!

So when you all see Cat, and offer her support and sympathy as she undergoes the changes of pregnancy, spare a thought for poor Russ, who is waking up throughout the night, is half asleep throughout the day, and all before the baby is born!

So I bought some comfy pregnancy jeans and some tops. Even Russ said today looking at my tummy that I can’t hide it anymore

Sleeping has become a lot more difficult though. I keep waking up to go to the toilet and then I can’t go back to sleep. It’s also becoming more tricky to find comfortable positions to sleep.Last night I had to sleep with a pillow between my legs but even like that is gets difficult. So now we are hunting for pregnancy pillows. There are so many! Russ wakes up because of me moving around and the pillows are so big he is saying he might have to sleep in the sofa

In the mean time we got the blood test results back from the hospital and it seems like the baby is in very low risk of having Down’s syndrome. That was good to know .We have a midwife appointment on Tuesday and she’ll be taking some more blood out for further tests like spina bifida. It’s always a bit nerve recking thinking of everything that might go wrong but positive thinking!