36 weeks now

Bump 3 is really growing. By the end of this week I will be full term. This means she can be born any day now. (Babies born before 37 weeks are premature or pre-term, and those born after 42 weeks are post-mature or post-term.) I am feeling increased pressure on the lower abdomen and notice that baby has dropped, I thought it was because my muscles are weak but apparently this is all very normal. This is called lightening or engagement. My lungs and stomach will finally get a chance to stretch a bit, even though I am still quite short of breath. The reason for my breathlessness isn't just because I am a shorter than average person and haven't got a lot of room in my tummy, it is because the top of my uterus is up under my ribs, apparently I should try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths, yeh right, what a site that would be, once I got down I wouldn't be able to get back up again. Walking is increasingly uncomfortable, it sometimes feels that baby is going to just fall out or being kicked out as she is a real kicker, much worse that Megan and Erin. I also feel I need to wee all the time and it is annoying when I do reach the damn toilet for nothing to happen, very frustrating.

I should at this stage be practicing my pelvic floor exercises but I am just too lazy and just keep forgetting!

Apparently baby now has her fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys, her liver can also process some waste products. There's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. I am now 11stone 7, shouldn't really be telling you my weight! I have put on 23 pounds when the norm is between 25 and 30 pounds, so I am doing ok, I was a little overweight to start with but I am happy with my weight today anyway. My belly button has got bigger and looks horrid, I don't like belly buttons at the best of times.

I saw the midwife yesterday, she took two lots of bloods and tested my urine for protein. Got the same telling off for not drinking enough water but apart from that everything is ok. All the aches and pains are just normal, so are the swollen fingers and feet, dry lips, tiredness, heart burn, emotions etc. She just told me to put my feet up....Is she for real, when am I going to find the time to do that!

That has to be it for now, I have written way to much this evening and have a busy weekend. Tomorrow we have a big BBQ at the club and on Sunday we have the London Marathon and Fluff is taken me to the movies to see a film all about the ballet, we were both ballerinas in our youth you see, just one of the things we both have in common.