PHYSICAL I've put on 24 pounds at this point so I'm well on the way to the 28 I put on the first time round. Also, my hair tends to grow really fast and thick in pregnancy; the same happened last time and I didn't even lose much after little man was born so hoping for the same this time! My skin was amazing with A, and though it's cleared up a bit since pre-pregnancy, it certainly doesn't feel as good as last time! I feel absolutely massive this time and I can't wait to get my body back (but only when baby is ready to vacate).

SYMPTOMS
   01 Irritable/Mood swings; Wow, I am snappy, it's like an extreme version of PMT; I'm finding alot of people really irritating right now, even when I'm the one completely in the wrong! I'm also extremely sensitive and cry at the drop of a hat, my moods have really gone into overdrive.
   02 Pain; I've been starting to experience back ache every now & then and if I sleep awkwardly, lots of shooting pains near my cervix, round ligament pain (again) and also this weird cramp-like pain in my bum cheek periodically - it feels muscular and is so so painful when it does occur.
   03 Shortness of breath; Though it's starting to ease off now (as baby drops, I assume) I have really suffered with breathlessness these past few weeks (something I didn't experience with A). One evening in particular, no matter how I sat or laid on the sofa, I just couldn't breathe, it was awful. Laying on my back is an absolute no-no and even sitting up doesn't feel great, but as I said, it is beginning to ease as baby moves down.

I've also been vlogging my most recent updates so to find out a little bit more about why I've decided on a home birth and see my huge bump, you can watch below or subscribe to our YouTube channel here.

APPOINTMENTS At my 34 week midwife appointment, my fundal height was 3 weeks behind, but everything else seemed great so the midwife booked me in for a growth scan for the following week at the hospital. After a bum-numbing 90 minute wait, we were the last ones to be seen and thankfully baby seems to be growing absolutely fine (just a little on the small side of average weight) and must've been positioned awkward. It was nice to see the little one again, and know that he or she is head down (still) and this time the consultant informed me that she had seen the sex. We have a follow-up growth scan around the 39 week mark to ensure baby is still growing well, which will be interesting as I never saw A on ultrasound past 34 weeks. At my 36 week appointment, I was measuring 35 weeks (pretty much on track) and baby's heartbeat sounded great.

We did have a cheeky private scan this month so we knew that baby was measuring well before our NHS scan, and we even saw the teeniest glimpse of a 4D face (with a big squishy nose that terrified me, but I'm pretty sure it was distortion) and the sonographer even checked that the anatomy of baby was good - seeing ribs, hearts and kidneys at this late stage was amazing. Baby was actually playing with their cord throughout the scan and we were told they've got lots of hair (I've had minor heartburn but nothing particularly bothersome).

FEELING Better now! In the last couple of weeks, I've been feeling really crap, struck-down with some kind of cold/flu illness that really knocked me for six; the first day I was pretty much bed-ridden and have been up and down ever since. Fingers crossed it now appears to be slowly leaving my body so hopefully it won't be hanging around for labour. Otherwise, I feel pretty well; I'm sleeping great compared to how uncomfortable I was with Archie (I think that's in part down to my amazing DreamGenii Maternity Pillow) - I wake once or twice a night but after a quick wee tend to drop straight back off.

We'll be reviewing these gorgeous merino wool baby clothes sent by LanaCareUK

BABY seems to be doing well, lots of movement though it has become calmer in it's intensity which is actually quite nice because some nights I was in pain from being booted so much. Now the movements are slower and more deliberate and that's obviously because I pretty much have a fully grown newborn in there! We know baby is head down (but not engaged) and has been for a little while so hopefully that's where they'll stay and besides showing as a little smaller than average in size at the growth scan, everything else has been fab.

EXCITED ABOUT Throughout pregnancy, I've had the thought of a home birth at the back of my mind but never really felt confident enough to believe I could do it, yet for some reason in the last week or so, something has clicked and I now feel sure that I want to at least attempt it. I didn't have a particularly enjoyable experience at the hospital with my first, and I love the idea of being in my own surroundings and having a fully-dedicated midwifery team on hand, as well as knowing little A isn't too far from home (he'll be round the corner at my parents if he's not in bed). It's all booked, though sadly I've been told if there's a midwife shortage I have to go in to the hospital (though I've been told they have a duty of care to send someone to you if you refuse). I'm yet to buy or rent a pool or make the final decision on whether I even should or not and with time ticking ever closer, I really need to get prepared!

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