Tomorrow I will be 33 weeks pregnant. Baby may possibly be here 7 weeks from now.

These next couple of weeks I have a long To Do list and the key things that I will be sharing with you here on the blog are:

Setting up the nursery corner in our bedroom;
Packing a hospital bag for me;
Packing a hospital bag for Baby;
Making a birth plan, updating and confirming my original thoughts;
Making a plan for Esther and William;
Writing open letters for Esther, William and Baby;
Sorting out a pram;
Choosing a Baby carrier;
Strengthening my body for labour and birth.

It is really not long to go now and I think that the time is starting to pass fast.

According to BabyCentre Baby now weighs over 4lbs and is about 44cm long. The bones in her body are hardening apart from those in her skull which stay soft to allow her to pass through the birth canal. She is also becoming less red and wrinkly as more develops underneath her skin.

When Esther and William were 33 weeks they seemed to be quite chubby little things, especially looking back.

BabyCentre also advises that

You may notice that your feet and ankles are quite swollen by the end of the day. Water retention, also known as oedema, is often worse in warm weather and late in the day. Surprisingly, keeping hydrated helps reduce water retention. Your body, particularly your kidneys, and your baby need plenty of fluids, so drink up. If you suddenly feel swollen or puffy in your hands or face, however, call your doctor – it may be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

Thankfully so far I do not seem to have suffered from any swelling. When I was pregnant with the twins I had severe oedema after my surgery. I could not sit down as everything below my waistline was swollen. My skin was so tight through my legs it felt like it might tear apart. It was horrible. I could not wear underwear as between my legs was so swollen and sore. It was horrible. I hope that I do not have to go through that again.

To try to avoid the swelling I am trying to increase my fluid intake but it is really hard as I just need the loo all the time which is not always convenient when out and about with a twin buggy. We do not fit into toilets at all in some places!

As I am now anaemic I have started taking Floradix iron supplements. It actually has a rather nice taste and I know that it will be doing me and Baby some good. I have also adapted our diet a little bit so we are eating more red meat and having green leafy salad with every meal. I am also washing down my food with a glass of fresh orange. I am hoping that every little will help.

As the day of turning 33 weeks dawns I have been having some name concerns. I love the name Matilda, I really do, but have started having doubts about it. After talking at length with David we have decided that while Matilda will always be her Bump name our Baby will only be named once we have met her. We are busy finalising our short list and think we have four true contenders, of which of course Matilda is one.

At the moment Matilda Bump is active and I can feel her wriggling and kicking. Most of the time time I am sure she is still head down but today it feels like she may have flipped to breech. When my birthing ball arrives from The Miracle Box I am going to start doing some of the optimal foetal positioning exercises I was introduced to during our recent antenatal weekend.

This weekend David and I are having our last night without Esther and William and our very last lie in for what I am certain will be a long long time. We are house swapping for one night with my best friend so that she can enjoy some quality time with her Godchildren and David and I can enjoy some very rare quality time together before the final countdown truly does begin.

32 and a bit week bump