Pregnancy Update: Weeks 33-37

Bumpdate

We are so nearly there now! The past seven days has been a week of milestones, with last Sunday marking exactly one month until the official due date, Thursday being my last day of work before maternity leave, and yesterday being my very first Mother's Day (yes, it totally counts if you're pregnant!). The most exciting milestone however, is today. Today I am officially considered 'full term', which means that the baby really could come any day now, and if she did, she would be ready to face the outside world!

At our last OB appointment, we were told that Baby Sunshine now weighs approximately 6 pounds and is continuing to grow well. From our very first visit, she has hit the average weight and size mark for her gestational age, and I'm still so relieved every time I hear that everything is normal and functioning as it should be.

Symptoms

Where to start?! It's even harder to sleep; bending over to get dressed or to reach things that are low down is becoming impossible; Braxton Hicks contractions are becoming more and more frequent (and sometimes painful!); I am really congested and need to use a saline spray every morning in order to breathe properly and I am tired a lot of the time. This week I've also experienced a brand new symptom which is aptly named 'lightning crotch'. Look it up!

On the plus side, Baby S is now fully engaged, which means she's head down and ready to get going, leaving more room for my cramped and sore ribs. I can finally breathe a bit more freely. Hoorah!

What I've been eating

As this trimester has progressed, I've found my cravings have increased. I am obsessed with Borders biscuits (particularly the all-butter sultana ones), can't get enough of fresh fruit and I can't start my day without a large bowl of stodgy porridge with plenty of berries and golden syrup mixed in (this tastes even better when eaten in bed I've found...)

My first Mother's Day has got off to a great start 😊💕 #mothersday #mothersday2016 #motheringsunday #maternityleave #mummy #mummytobe #mummyblogger #mummybloggers #pbloggers #mum #pregnancyblog #pregnant #firstmothersday #breakfast #breakfastinbed #viewfrommywindow #cityview #lovemyhubby #love #family #morning #goodmorning #sunday #happy #weekend #sundaymornings #followyoursunshine

A photo posted by Follow Your Sunshine (@polbag) on Mar 6, 2016 at 12:39am PST

Oh hey maternity leave! 😊 #maternityleave #mummytobe #mummy #pregnant #36weekspregnant #baby #maternity #relax #friday #weekend #reading #breakfast #morning #lazymorning #goodmorning #weekend #friyay #bed #breakfastinbed #flatlay #mummybloggers #pbloggers #mummyblogger #pregnancyblog #porridge #yum #eeeeeats #tea #flatlay #bed #followyoursunshine

A photo posted by Follow Your Sunshine (@polbag) on Mar 4, 2016 at 1:46am PST

How I've been feeling

Up until last week, I was finding it more and more difficult to switch off. If it wasn't the never-ending stream of tasks that I wanted to complete before maternity leave, then it was the excessively long list of blog posts that I've committed (mainly to myself) to writing before Baby Sunshine arrives. This week however, I've really started to chill out. The absence of the 7am alarm is really helping and I'm so glad that my doctor provided me with a strict sick note instructing me not to work. That's not to say that I'm not missing the office at all! Somehow I need to learn not to keep logging into my work's webmail to check up on what's going on...

Mr Sunshine and my friends & family have collectively been helping me to relax into this period of downtime. My closest Doha friends held a baby shower for me a few weeks back, and I was completely overwhelmed by the effort they put into everything, from the hilarious games to the yummy food and thoughtful gifts. Not to mention my friend Ruth's cake, which took a week to construct and for which she took two days off work to finish! I was pretty overwhelmed that day, and feel so lucky to have this wonderful group of ladies in my life. Scroll to the bottom of the post for a few photos of our day!

Now that we're only a matter of weeks or even days away from meeting our little one, the excitement and emotions are pretty raw. I have lost count of the number of times I've teared up at the mention of how close we are to meeting her!

What I've been wearing

I'm still loving my TopShop maternity jeans but yesterday I resorted to maternity leggings for the first time and I'm sold. Now that I don't have to look presentable for work any more, I can see myself living in these soft, stretchy beauties until I give birth.

Products I've been using

My friends gifted me some gorgeous Neals Yard and White Company bath goodies at my baby shower, and I've been loving using them for long soaks in the bath before bed.

Thank you so much @pose.pointe.play - you made an expectant mumma very happy tonight! #Sunday #evening #relax #bath #bubbles #followyoursunshine

A photo posted by Follow Your Sunshine (@polbag) on Feb 21, 2016 at 10:59am PST

Baby bits

Baby Sunshine's gifts at the baby shower were so thoughtful. We received books, cute items of clothing and even some essentials like nappy sacks and baby wipes. I can't wait to put it all to good use once she's here!

5 weeks before baby sunshine makes an appearance and she's already the luckiest girl in the world 💕☀️ #babyshower #babygifts #newborn #mummy #mummytobe #pregnant #pregnancy #pregnancyblog #pregnancyblogger #pbloggers #mummyblog #mummyblogger #babygirl #babysunshine #friends #expatlife #followyoursunshine

A photo posted by Follow Your Sunshine (@polbag) on Feb 12, 2016 at 11:13pm PST

Links of the week

I've been loving inspirational mummy posts this week. This one gave me some important pointers to remember in those first few weeks postpartum. This one is crammed with hints and tips. And this lovely list is something all of us mummies should read and re-read...and add to for ourselves!

With the start of my maternity leave, I have also been looking ahead to the end, and how I might cope when I eventually have to go back to work (I know, I know, I shouldn't but I can't help myself!). This post gives a true and honest account of the rollercoaster of emotions felt by a new mum who is forced to return far earlier than she would have liked. This one is also packed with raw emotion and empathy for all of the mums who have had different lengths and experiences of maternity leave. But my friend Hannah from Pinky & Pug puts it all into perspective in this guest post for Dear Bear & Beany: we all make the best decision for our child at the time and there is no right or wrong way to go about making this difficult decision.

Final Words

I'll leave you with a few photos from my wonderful baby shower organised by my lovely friends. I am so happy that Baby Sunshine is going to have such a great group of Doha aunties out here that are going to love her and care for her!

The wonderful Hayley, who coordinated the day and made the whole thing possible!

Sending big love to my friend Allison who organised all the games for the party - she is due to give birth to a baby boy two weeks after me and I can't wait to get together for play dates in due course!