First, my hubby and I went on a lovely, relaxing babymoon to Mallorca, Spain. We did nothing most days besides take a nice walk, drink (non-alcoholic for me of course), play games, snuggle, feel kicks, read, and nap. We spent time together, just the two of us one last time, strengthening our bond for the challenging time to come. It was magical and of course passed far too quickly. I got lots of pictures of our Wriggles, and I can't help but think our little one will be a traveler too. S/he has already been to Switzerland, France, Spain, America and of course Scotland and England! I think EVERYONE should take a babymoon, even if it's just to the next town over for a long weekend. It's so important to spend time with your partner just focusing on being together and nothing else (not even sight-seeing!). My husband now feels more connected than ever to our little wriggler, and I think it's helped to prepare both of us for our new lives. We now agree that because we can feel actual body parts (like feet and hands) pushing through my tummy, it's like a real person in there, instead of just a large, round belly.
I totally felt like a beached whale, but Wriggles needs sunshine!
While on the babymoon, I moved into my third trimester, which makes the arrival of the baby even more real. When we got home from our trip, we put together the sidealong crib (a Snuzpod), the stroller (AKA a pram here in the UK), and unpacked the carseat, ready to go. I've started decorating the nursery and while it has a lot left to go before it's finished, things are finally coming together.
At the beginning of our trip (actually on the drive to Glasgow the night before our flight), I began experiencing severe back pain that felt like it was radiating from one point on my upper right back just next to or under my shoulder blade. A few days later I begin feeling a ripping, stinging, burning sensation on my upper right abdomen that got worse with movement. I was on holiday and it seemed that many women have many pains while their abdominal muscles stretch. It wasn't until I got home and we got through the weekend that I decided to call the midwife just to check. She had me go straight into the OB triage at the hospital, just in case. First, they monitored the baby's heartbeat and kicks, then they took blood and urine samples and tested for everything. It all came back clear, but when the doctor came to see me she said she suspected either heartburn or gallstones. Because there is no danger to the baby for either one, she started me on a treatment for heartburn first (much less invasive) and if that doesn't work, I'll go back for a scan of my gallbladder later this week. With my family history of gallstones (everyone in my mother's family has had it!), and the constant, throbbing, burning tearing pain, I would guess it is gallstones over heartburn but I'm taking the medication for it now anyways. It seems I can't really be treated for gallstones until after the birth of the baby, so I'll just have to live with it for now either way.... ouch! At least it's good practice for labor, right? Deep breathing...
I can't believe April is nearly half over already, and all our baby preparation classes start in May. It's going to be an exciting but busy month, and I look forward to every kick and milestone that Wriggles passes!
I made my hubby take silhouette pictures of me on the trip - I'm not sure which one I like better!
