Cherry Blossom Adventures

Noah is one week old today. In some ways it seems like he has been here for a lot longer and in others it feels like just yesterday that he arrived but I can safely say we survived the first week quite well. Motherhood is still definitely a learning curve for me but we are plodding along well!!

He is a pretty good baby (hope I don`t jinx myself) and sleeps quite well at night, waking up to feed every 3 to 3.5 hours and generally going back down fairly easily. Of course sometimes it takes some time to get him back down to sleep or once I put him back down he wakes up again with in ten minutes but most of the time he is good although I am still a bit tired!! He sleeps a bit during the day too of course and tends to drop off for a little bit after each feed then might wake up again 45 minutes later for some awake time! I think I need to start taking some day time naps if I want to survive these first couple of weeks! This might be more possible once my mum arrives (Shun is at the airport now and she should of landed already meaning they will be here in under 2 hours- SQUEEL!!!!!)- he generally stays awake for an hour and a half in the morning and another hour and a half in the afternoon and during those times we either sit watching tv together or he has some tummy time or plays in his bouncer. Yesterday being christmas we listened to carols and I read him a couple of Christmas stories (which I am sure he was thrilled about?! HAHA!)

The couple of baths we have given him have gone well although he much prefers to be in the bath and in the warm water than been out and getting dressed!! I have waited for Shun to be home before bathing him and of course it is easier having someone around but by the time my mum leaves I think I will be up to doing it by myself (Shun gets home too late really in general to wait for him all the time)

A couple of times he has sucked on his thumb or hand and he feeds well- breastfeeding is going quite well I think and he seems to be getting more than enough just from breast milk. He cries when he is hungry or wakes up (although often I will hear he is awake before he starts to cry) and sometimes when he is getting his diaper changed but generally his cries do not last long. I am waiting for them to get more powerful though as I know they will!!! He still has a tiny weak newborn cry at the moment!!!

He loves the song Puff the Magic Dragon and if I sing it while changing his diaper he doesn`t cry and it seems to quieten him down at other times as well. I have learnt to be very careful while changing him to to watch out for spontaneous peeing! Being a little boy it kind of goes everywhere often requiring a change of clothes! hehe!

Shun seems to have taken to fatherhood- always offering to help or hold Noah (although he is not much help at night unless I wake him up myself- he doesn`t hear him cry or anything unless I physically shake him awake but then again that was to be expected since he sleeps through all alarms and once slept through a fire alarm at our old apartment). He is even changing diapers, even the poopy ones, without complaint. It is really cute to see him with him and you can see the adoration in his eyes.

Here are some photos that have been taken since we came home.

Shun put the Sock Octopus (Made by Melanie) on Noah while he was sleeping in his basket on the sofa.

Noah next to Paddington Bear. I received this Paddington Bear from my dad the day I was born almost 25 years ago (my brother received one in different colours when he was born 2.5 years later). They are about the same size!!!!

First bath at home!

Big yawns while chilling with mama during awake time.

Today Catherine, Mai, Nao, Ryomei, Hiro & Junni came to visit little Noah-kun. All friends from when I was on exchange at Seikei University 5+ years ago. They were very excited to meet him!

Hiro holding Noah- he was so proud and happy!

I am enjoying being a mother. Of course I am tired and still adjusting but it has been a surprisingly smooth transition and one week in we are doing well. I can not wait to see what the next week will bring!

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At 4:30am on Saturday 19th December 2009 I woke up to pee – waking up to pee in the middle of the night had become a ritual that occured at least 3-4 times a night since I had entered my 3rd trimester. No surprise (since it was start of the weekend) that I found Shun still fiddling with his computer and playing games but I convinced him he should go to bed since he had a dentist appointment scheduled and we had made lunch and shopping plans for the day. I wasn`t having any contractions but I did notice a bit of blood when I went to the toilet- I had noticed a little bit the night before as well when I thought my waters broke ( turns out they had a little bit- much to my surprise. Was watching TV with Shun and was like “ohhh” and Shun said “what?” and I replied with “I think I peed myself a little” but I guess it had just been a sign of what was to come- I had thought it might have been Goma-chan`s way of telling us he was on his way but I hadn`t wanted to get my hopes up)

I hopped back into bed and at 5:30am I woke up with period pain like cramps in my tummy that were coming every 10 minutes or so. I timed them while semi- sleeping until 6:30am when I woke Shun and said that I thought I was in labour but was going to go watch TV for another hour and moniter them to make sure. By 7:30am the pains had still not gone away, were coming regularly at 10 minutes apart and getting slightly stronger in intensity so I woke up Shun and he rang the hospital. They said to come when they got to about 8 minutes apart and to have a shower and some breakfast since it could take awhile. Shun rang his parents who said they would come in the car and arrive in an hour.

His parents showed up just before 9am and the contractions were still fairly bearable (I sat and ate breakfast, had a shower, layed down a little watching tv) and at 8 minutes apart. We got in the car with all the hospital baggage and headed on the 40 minute car ride to the clinic.

In the car the contractions jumped from 8 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart within 10 minutes of starting the journey. Shun`s mum was freaking out a little and I could tell Shun`s dad was trying to drive fast without trying to panic or go too fast. It was a pretty bumpy and uncomfortable car ride and I was trying my best to find a comfty position to sit in (it was a tiny car) and breathe properly while still trying to time the contractions (I gave up in the end!)

We arrived at the hospital at 9:40am and I went straight upstairs to the birthing area and into the freestyle labour room (choosen because I thought I would have a long first labour and wanted Shun to be able to lie down and rest too if it was taking a long time plus it would allow me to move around and use a birthing ball etc if neccessary however in the end none of this was neccessary) – we told the midwife that the contractions were already 2 minutes or so apart and she said “already??” and said to go into the room and she would be in in one minute and would start setting up. They checked me and said I was almost 9cm dilated but not to start pushing until she said because they still had to get everything ready. They strapped a monitor on me to check the babies heart beat which thankfully was strong and steady.

Shun came in with me (and his parents waited in the waiting room since he told them I was almost 9cm meaning the baby wouldn`t be far away- they had planned to go home and come back) and the contractions were getting pretty bad and definitely a lot stronger but I was probably more comfortable than I had been in the car since I could lie down and move around a little and find a (more) comfortable position.

At 10:00am the midwife checked me again, said I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. The freestyle labour room was futon on the floor so Shun sat behind me and I had my head on his lap on a pillow so that my head/stomach were a little raised making it easier to push when the time came. The midwife said the baby would probably be born by 10:30am (and I had my eye on the clock from then on!).

Pushing was hard. Much harder than dealing with the contractions had been.

I was still pushing at 10:30am and I was saying “where is he?” and the midwife was saying I was doing well and to keep pushing with each contraction. I was getting tired and had to rest through a couple of the contractions instead of pushing- I was beginning to think he would never come out and I was definitely getting over the pushing. I also ended up having an internal tear which was making the pushing quite painful and felt like I was burning.

The doctor came in at 10:40am.

Noah James was born at 10:52am after the doctor performed an episiotomy. I hadn`t wanted one but by that stage I just wanted him out and they said if they did it then he would be out with the next contraction so I agreed.

They placed him on my chest immediately (and Shun made a noise like he was going to be sick when the baby slipped out- but he wasn`t!!!! Shun was very skeptical about coming in with me for the birth but I gave him no choice- I know now he was glad he was there. He is not a fan of blood and I had been afraid he would be sick or pass out but he did very well) and I was so happy to have him out and there with me. I don`t even remember the placenta coming out but it was before 11:00am so it was also delivered very quickly. I kept looking at Noah and saying to Shun that he was so much smaller than I thought he would be. Shun ended up cutting the umbilical cord as well (despite having said he would never do it- when I wrote my birth plan he had made me write that he definitely didn`t want to do it- he is lucky they asked him again).

So in the end I was in labour for just over 5 hours and Noah was born an hour and ten minutes after we arrived at the clinic (way quicker than I thought he would be! If I had known he would arrive so soon we would of made an earlier start! Next time I will definitely leave for the clinic a little earlier!). I had the episiotomy and I tore and I had an internal tear so I required quite a few stitches- due to the internal tear they decided to put me in the operating room and ended up giving me a general anaesthetic to stitch me up so I was put under and was asleep for about 50 minutes. Sitting over the next couple of days was a little uncomfortable but I am definitely getting better each day!

They took Noah to weigh him and do some tests and Shun went with him while I was being stitched up.

During the labour/pushing I got really hot but after he was born and after they were taking me into the other room I started to get very very cold so before they could do the anaesthetic they had to warm me up because I was shivering too much for them to put an IV in. I don`t really remember but the nurse and midwife said I kept asking about Noah`s weight and that I told the anaesthetic doctor that I had a little boy and that he was gorgeous.

Shun had only slept for 3 hours when I made him get up and call the clinic and his parents so he looks much more exhausted in all the photos than I do I think. Shun stayed that first day until about 8pm and after I woke up from the anaesthetic and was put into the recovery room Shun bought Noah back in (they had cleaned him up a little!) and his parents and brother and sister in law (who arrived while I was getting stitched up- they live within walking distance of my clinic) came in for a quick visit. They layed Noah on the bed with me so that we could spend some more time getting to know each other before we were moved upstairs to the bedroom.

Noah was very sleepy and after we were moved upstairs to my bedroom (they kept him downstairs for an hour to monitor his temperature which was a little low) he continued to sleep so I didn`t get a chance to breastfeed until about 5 hours or more after he was born- the midwife came in to help me wake him up and get him ready for his first feed which he did surprisingly well at. My milk didn`t come in fully until Monday night but he fed well those first few days anyway. He now feeds like a champ and we have not really had any issues with breastfeeding much to my surprise.

They were very worried that he wasn`t peeing (he didn`t pee until late on the 20th then didn`t pee again til the afternoon of 21st- they were concerned he might be a little dehydrated) so I gave him some sugar water a couple of times until my milk came in. He is now peeing 8 or more times a day so he is more than fine!!!

I am glad to be home and we are enjoying our time together as a family- Shun is working today and tomorrow but then he is off for 9 days. Plus my mum arrives from Australia on Saturday which I am very excited about. I am glad that Noah is finally here with us.

Oh and we still call him Goma-chan from time to time! Especially Shun! I guess the nickname really will stick.

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Noah James (aka Goma-chan!) arrived on Saturday 19th December 2009 at 10:52am Japan time an hour and ten minutes after we arrived at the birthing clinic. The kanji for Noah is 希明.

Weight: 3278grams

Length: 50cm

All is well and we were released from the clinic today. More photos can be found here and a birth story will follow soon! For now we are chilling at home and getting used to our new surroundings and lives!

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I was officially 40 weeks yesterday and still no sign of Goma-chan but it did mean that I was at home yesterday when Benay & Naoki visited before going to pick up her mum from the airport. So Nay joined me for a “bump” shot so that we can show Baby N and Goma-chan that they were friends even before birth. Nay is 24 weeks pregnant today and I was 40 weeks yesterday so there you have it- that is a 16 weeks difference shot. My bump looks like it is going to jump on Baby N, tackle it and squash it to death it is so big.

I went to the doctor`s today- I had hoped (like all mum`s in there final weeks of pregnancy) that the baby would be born before the appointment today but no such luck. My MIL came and picked me up and drove me to the clinic- she is a very nervous driver (and passenger) and we got lost about 7 times on the way there even though she has driven me before and she kept asking me if I thought she should turn down this street or that street and of course I had no idea. Oh and she has a car navi so I put the address in for her but she prefers to guess aimlessly about which way to go so doesn`t really follow it.

Funnily enough we arrived 10 minutes early and I took my blood pressure and was shocked to see it at 157/80 as it has NEVER been that high before. The nurse made me take it again 5 minutes later and it was already down to 140/72 which is within safe range apparently- she asked if I had been stressed on my way over. I told my MIL it must have been her driving! hehehe

I gained no weight this week (FINALLY!) but I gained so much at my last appointment- so in total I gained 12.5kg for my first pregnancy-more than half of that was in the last 8 weeks (SCARY!). More than I had hoped (11-12kg was my own personal limit but unfortunately went over) but considering I had 4 weeks on medication for pre-term labour and couldn`t get out and about much during that time I am not too stressed about it.  Hopefully I will lose at least half before I leave the hospital and the last bit will come off in the months following- that is what I keep telling myself anyway.

Baby was genki/happy- had moved down a little bit more and an internal showed I was dilated somewhere between 1-2cm. Doctor seems to think baby will be born in about a week and suggested inducing me on Tuesday or Wednesday next week if baby hadn`t arrived before then but I asked to be induced next Monday if baby hasn`t arrived since then I will get out of the hospital on the Friday or Saturday in time for my mum`s arrival on Saturday 26th Dec (she speaks no Japanese and I think it would be best if I was home by the time she arrived- obviously if it doesn`t work out that way then I can`t do much about it but if they were going to induce me anyway the next day then a day earlier probably wouldn`t make much difference). So if contractions don`t start before Monday 21st December then I will be arriving at my clinic by 9am to be induced at 41weeks 1 day.

Have tried getting the party started myself by drinking loads of pineapple juice (cheaper than actual pineapples), some spicy food when I can, walking, stairs, squats, raspberry leaf tea, sex, reflexology and I am sure I have tried other things too- Nothing has worked much although most of the things above do cause braxton hicks contractions (which I still get frequently) which I am hoping is aiding in dilating me further before baby comes.

Goma-chan is now officially late  and I for one, just want to meet him so hope he gets his butt into gear and makes his way into the world sometime this week!!!

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On Saturday night we met up with a friend who was in town from Germany- my last little night time outing for awhile since Goma-chan should be showing up sometime soon. He is Japanese but was transferred to Germany three years ago and is just completing his stint there now- It was great to see him and some other friends I hadn`t seen in a couple of months. It was my first time in an Izakaya in ages as well- I forgot how much I love Izakaya food (although it is not very good for you!)

Shun, me & Cat

Ryomei, the one in the middle, is the one that was here from Germany. It was so funny to listen to him speak German and even funnier when Mai (girl on the right) said that when they were in Africa earlier this year travelling he spoke a bit of English  with a German accent. That cracked me up the most- listening to him try to speak English and him having an obvious German accent! Both of his languages have improved though- I had never heard him speak much English before and before he went to Germany he spoke no German so he has done pretty well!

Sarah & Sakura were also in Chiba overnight and I can not believe how much Sakura has grown in the 2.5 months since I last saw her!!! She was so alert and genki and had so much fun playing with her toys and watching what was going on around her. She was already asleep when Shun got home last night but they had some time together this morning and Shun was not nearly as scared to hold her as he was a couple of months back!!!

Sarah left this afternoon for the airport and they should be flying on there way to America now- I hope Sakura is being a good little girl for her mum. They will stay with us again on the 28th of December (and my mum will already be here then too- so full house!) since they fly in early evening and it would be too difficult to get back to Niigata after that long a flight. Will be interesting to see how much changes in the three weeks! Plus we will be able to get some cute Sakura & Goma-chan photos!!!

Here are a couple photos of Sakura- she loves playing with her rings a lot!!!

Doctors appointment yesterday went okay. The doctor said baby had moved down a little bit but not much- he said we can probably assume that the baby will be late. Shun mentioned that I was really against the idea of having a c-section unless absolutely necessary and the doctor said that should be fine and that if I am still pregnant on the 21 December they will induce and hope for the best. I am hoping of course labour starts naturally before then but at least I know they are not going to go straight to cutting me open if it looks like he is going to be late. Doctor didn`t do an internal but I assume he will do one next Monday when I will be a day overdue.

They said he was still super genki, looked to weigh about 3.1kg and that they would see me in a week unless contractions started sooner. I have a lot of braxton hicks type pain still and I think he has moved down a little bit but on the ultrasound it showed that his arms over his face are what is stopping him from moving down much further so hopefully he moves them out of the way soon! Shun asks me everyday if I think the baby will be born today and every day I tell him “I don`t think so”- it is cute that he asks though. I told him he will be the first to know if baby starts to make an appearance!

My blood pressure was a little higher than usualy- up until now I have had 110/70 at the highest but it was 135/75 yesterday- I think part of the reason was that I was nervous about seeing the doctor and hearing what he had to say this week but they didn`t even mention it to me (I take my own bloodpressure and it prints out on a piece of paper that I give to the midwife) so I am guessing they were not too concerned about it especially since up until this point I have had no blood pressure issues at all.

I am in pain when I walk or do much so will be nice once he is out and in my arms!!!

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Dear Goma-chan,

Sometime in the next two weeks I will be holding you in my arms after 10 months of having you grow inside me- it is officially one week until your due date. You have no idea how excited this makes me feel and how excited I am to finally meet you and look into your eyes. Daddy is also very excited and asks me every day if  I think today is going to be the day you arrive.

Your daddy and I are anxiously awaiting your arrival but we are all packed for the hospital and now it is just a waiting game. We hope you will be with us soon. A lot of people ask me if I am nervous but I don`t think I am- I think I am just ready to meet you more than anything and see what you look like. I am thinking you will look more like your Daddy but we will have to wait and see- Daddy is still hoping you might come out blue eyed and blond haired but I think he knows that that is VERY unlikely considering your genes.

You are still moving around a fair bit although your movements are a lot slower now- I guess that is because you have very little room to maneuver. You have also made my stomach grow out EVEN more which I did not think was possible causing a couple more stretch marks- it is a good thing I never planned on ever wearing a bikini again. Next summer when we take you to the beach for the first time I will have to find a nice one piece!!!

Auntie Cat sang a Scottish song to you last night and it caused a bit of a ruckus- I am not sure you liked it or hated it but it sure caused you to do some rapid movement AWAY from her voice (she was singing into my belly button). She thinks your Scottish genes from my mum`s side of the family must be coming through.  You had your last izakaya meal for awhile too since Daddy & I went to Akihabara to see Ryomei who was visiting from Germany. You will get to meet him in person again in a couple of months but he liked to tell me over and over again that I was going to be a mother soon and that your Daddy was going to be a daddy- I don`t think he could quite get his head around it!!!

Some people really hate being pregnant and while the ride hasn`t always been fun I have enjoyed most of my pregnancy and not had that many issues. The scariest thing that happened was definitely when the doctor thought you might come early and I had to take medicine to make sure you stayed inside to grow some more- luckily it seemed to have worked very well because now the doctor thinks you will probably be late. I still remember when I found out I was pregnant and I was so excited and jumping up and down and your Daddy told me that because I was pregnant I should probably stop jumping because I was shaking you up too much. You have certainly been an active baby and started making a lot of movement very early on- our first ultrasound in Japan showed you swimming around like crazy and you still tend to move a lot when we see you on the screen at the doctors so it makes me wonder if you are going to be crawling and getting into mischief from a young age- highly likely considering what your Daddy & I were like as kids it seems. So far we have not child proofed the house but we might have to get onto that!!!

I hope you are not TOO late- I am a big fan of promptness and if you arrive early on time I promise to love you forever. Who am I kidding- I will love you forever anyway but it would still be lovely for me if you arrived sooner rather than later. Maybe the doctor will tell me tomorrow that you will be on your way soon- I hope that is the case and if not well perhaps you could take it a little easier on my bladder!!!

I love you more than you will ever know,

Love Mama

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• Shun bought me a poinsetta plant on Saturday after the “traumatic” appointment at the doctors. I am feeling much calmer now by the way- isn`t it cute though? It is certainly brightening up our apartment!!!

• Also knit a hat for Goma-chan using hand spun yarn from Cassie`s shop- I think I may even have enough yarn left to make some matching booties but will see how I go.

• I haven`t had any blood pressure issues at all during my pregnancy but for some reason I am now retaining fluid in my feet- namely my right foot. I think it is my right foot more so because my left foot doesn`t have as good a circulation due to previous ankle injuries. Also, my wedding rings still fit BUT last night my left hand (and only my left hand!) swelled up over night so I took them off just to be on the safe side. Feels weird not to be wearing my wedding rings- I think this is the first time since getting married that they have been off for more than a minute or so.
• Have been busy looking into accommodation for my brother and his girlfriend for their visit to Japan next March/April- They are here for about 16 days so plan to do a fair bit of traveling down to Kyoto (with day trips to Nara & Osaka), Hiroshima, Himeji and then also some day trips out of Tokyo/Chiba while they are staying with us. It is fun helping them plan their trip!!! Should be able to finalize their bookings for them tomorrow!!! I can`t wait for them to get here- Goma-chan will be about 3 and a half months by then and they will be able to meet him for the first time. The plan is for them to stay with us for 3 nights at the start of their trip and then again for 3-4 nights at the end of their trip.
• Nesting seems to have hit me a bit- I can not seem to sit still for very long and keep thinking of things I could do and writing lists of things to do for the following day. I scrubbed the kitchen floor (literally on all fours!), cleaned the stove top and grill and cleaned out the entire fridge all in the last 24 hours. Plus regular things like dusting, washing, repacking my hospital bag for like the 3rd time, cooking and more. Good thing we live in an apartment and I can`t do anything like paint the walls (but I did think about it!)- I think I am definitely getting to the sick of being pregnant stage of pregnancy as well. Seems very hard to find comfortable positions to sit/lay in and my back has been aching (the scrubbing actually helped this though!)

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I went to the doctor`s today and am now really freaking out because while the baby was semi-engaged a couple of weeks back it now appears that he is not engaged at all although he is still head down and facing backwards. He said that the baby was still a good size although said he came in at about 2.9kg today (compared to the 3.1kg they said on Tuesday- I guess they really do “guess” the estimate weights!)

Doctor basically said that if he doesn`t re-engage soon and come down lower that I will probably need a c-section. I was in shock. I had thought baby was pretty engaged already but I think I may have misunderstood some Japanese at my previous appointments. My belly is higher now than it was 2 weeks ago though so perhaps he was engaged and really did just decide not to stay that way…That said he is not crowding my ribs or anything so I didn`t think he would be considered that high up.

The medication they gave me to stop pre-term labour might of worked TOO well perhaps? The doctor seemed to think even if I was to go into labour naturally that I might end up needing a c-section anyway if the baby didn`t come down at all as he doesn`t think labour would be enough to bring the baby down into position.

I was not expecting this at all and I do not relish the idea of having a c-section at a clinic- it is not that I don`t think they would do a good job I think I would just prefer to be in a hospital if it came to that but Shun told me unless there was a serious complication they wouldn`t take me at a hospital. I have also heard horror stories about c-sections in Japan, more with the after care, that they just give you a panadol and tell you to “gaman” the pain (“gaman” means basically “suck it up”) and won`t give you anything else if you are breastfeeding. The C-section practices at my clinic are that they do do the horizontal cut (good thing, I have heard a lot of places in Japan still do vertical) and you have an epidural and are awake for the first part until the baby is out and you see the baby and then they put you to sleep to sew you up (this seemed weird to me when they told me originally?!) and I asked at the time of my appointment with the midwife back at 32 weeks and she said that they also don`t let you attempt breastfeeding until after you have come out of anaesthesia where as with a natural birth you are allowed to attempt breastfeeding and hold your baby straight away.

Am I panicking over nothing? Why would the doctor say this if he didn`t think it was something I should be aware of. I am so freaked out and I don`t know what I could be doing to make the baby engage further apart from walking and waiting it out…Shun asked if there was anything we should do and doctor said not much we could do but wait and see. Shun also asked about induction after due date if baby wasn`t engaged and doctor said we could try but it might be a waste of time and I would end up needing a c-section anyway…

The doctor said he would check me next Monday (Dec 7th) again at the next appointment and we could discuss options then- I am not even sure why we have to discuss options then since I will still be 39 weeks and not overdue but I think they are worried also about the baby getting too big.

I am so worried and scared. Shun doesn`t know what to do or what he can say to make me feel better (nothing really) but he bought me a poinsietta when he went out to go to the dentist to cheer me up…

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Well, I am not scheduled for another update yet but figured what the hell since I went to the clinic yesterday and got another video of him moving around in there. He is so big now though you can`t really make out much BUT there is a 3D image of his face near the end…he always has his arms or hands up over his face though so we never get a clear picture.

Doctor said as usual he is a big baby. Honestly, I doubt he is going to be THAT big but hey, I am not a doctor. I put on more weight but my blood pressure was normal and I have no swelling in hands or feet. I asked about why my whole body seems to be having an allergic reaction to something (itchy all the time and now have little bumps where I have scratched too much) and he said in the 10th month of pregnancy that is quite normal- so there you go. He gave me some cream to use but seriously- I get itchy ALL OVER my arms, legs, belly, back, neck & face so I would literally have to bathe in it for it to do much good. I have tried it a little but doesn`t make much difference… I had thought it was maybe a reaction to the medicine I was on for chest infection but he didn`t seem to think so and I have now finished that medicine. Even though I still have a cough he said there is nothing they can do as there is nothing else they can give me while I am pregnant and obviously the medicine they already gave me hasn`t done much- he said it should go away by itself. I figured as much- usually when I get a cough it is really bad at first and then takes 4-6 weeks to go away fully anyway…

I also had the babies heart monitered for 20 minutes- they didn`t say anything to me about it afterwards so I assume all was normal. They checked me over and he said I am still effaced to the same point I was at 32 weeks when they put me on pre-term labour medicine but I am either not dilated or less than 1cm dilated. He said I wasn`t and then kind of said “mmm…maybe 1cm” – Shouldn`t they know? haha. So I guess Goma-chan is quite happy to stay inside for now (a little disappointing!)

I went to have my swine flu shot today at the clinic as well and the nurse that did it was awesome- seriously I didn`t feel a think and even now my arm is not sore at all and I can`t even find the place they put the needle in…

After my swine flu shot I went into Tokyo to finish my Christmas shopping. Since I have no idea when the baby will arrive I figure I had better get it finished since I won`t be able to go do it after he is born. Now everything is bought and wrapped and sitting on the floor- just need to get out the mini Christmas tree we have and our lights but I will probably do that next week. I was out for 5 hours today and by the time I got home I was so exhausted- I think I will be going to sleep early tonight!

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36 weeks pregnant today- hard to believe that I am one week away from been considered full-term.

The bump, is still growing (and yoga pants are my friend!)

Doctor`s appointment yesterday went well and I no longer need to take the medicine that was stopping pre-term labour. I have had a lot of braxton hicks contractions again and yesterday I even questioned if I was in the early stages of labour since the pain was coming in waves but after a nap it went away so must have just been braxton hicks (otherwise I would have a baby by now!)

Doctor said the baby was a good size (about 2.5kg), in a good position (head down and facing backwards) and semi-engaged. I gained 800g in the 2 weeks since my last appointment and luckily there was no more mention of weight gain at my appointment. I have now gained 10kg since getting pregnant and some of you may remember that when I went back to Australia I lost quite a bit of weight and I am now back to the weight I was when I left Japan 18 months ago- hard to believe I weighed this much when I went back. It obviously was not all in my belly like it is now!! My blood pressure was slightly more elevated than normal but still well within normal range (128/75 or something like that) – my BP is usually quite low naturally but obviously pregnancy is making it a little elevated. No swelling of the ankles or hands though (and my wedding rings still fit!) which is nice. Belly button started popping out almost 6 weeks ago and is now fully out- I think it looks kind of gross!

I have 3 stretchmarks that have appeared in the last couple of weeks- hoping I don`t get anymore- not sure if I will get my wish with that one though.

Hospital bag is packed but feel free to throw out any ideas of what I should pack because I plan to go through it again sometime this week and make sure I haven`t forgotten anything. There is a list on top of it of things I need to throw in at the last minute as well. We also have everything we need for the baby bought and packed away in his room…

Walking is getting more difficult since the baby is pressing on my bladder CONSTANTLY and walking also tends to bring on the BH contractions and/or pain so I am pretty much house bound most of the time. I think I walk like a duck but Shun has informed me it is more like a penguin (Isn`t he sweet?!)- I am uncomfortable a lot of the time BUT on the plus side I never really had too many issues with baby squashing my lungs since he is pretty low most of the time. Also due to that I rarely get heartburn anymore and when I do get it, one mylanta clears it right up.

Since I am home a lot I downloaded the first couple of seasons of ER. Probably not the best thing to be watching so close to giving birth though because every second or third episode there is someone giving birth- but maybe it is helping me mentally prepare for the “HORRORS” of childbirth. Haha, I doubt it though. Would be quite happy for Goma-chan to make his way into the world anytime soon especially since it seems I will just continue to get braxton hicks contractions everyday until I give birth and they are getting more and more uncomfortable/painful…

No ultrasound video this week- as exciting as it is (for us anyway!), you can`t really see much anymore since the baby is quite big and facing away from the ultrasound meaning we get a lot of good shots of the back of his head and his spine. It looks like a lovely spine though! Doctor told me if I go to 40 weeks then baby is likely to be about 3.5kg which is not even 8 pounds but he keeps telling me “big baby” – I didn`t think 8 pounds was that big? I was 7 pound 6 and Shun was about the same so I guess Goma-chan is taking after us both (which I don`t mind- dont want him taking after my brother or dad who were 10 pounds 10 and 13 pound respectively)

Next appointment is in 8 days since they were fully booked next Saturday and Monday is a public holiday- apparently everytime I go from now on they will do an internal (FUN!) and strap me to a monitor for 20-30 minutes to monitor baby`s heart rate and see if there are any contractions. My FIL or MIL will drive me from now on (to and from the appointments)  as well (he drove us yesterday too because it was raining- which was nice!) so it will be nice not to have to catch the train.

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