Week 31, Day 6 (Pregger plusses)

Yeah, it's no good. I might as well flag work for the day and go sort out the baby's drawers. I bundled everything in there in a rush the other night (to get them off the desks and away from nosy cats), and it needs organisation into age/season/reason. (ie newborn/woolen/singlet)

Who wants to see a photo of yours truly? Granted, this one is about 42 years out of date (LOL) and to say I don't look like this anymore is ridiculously obvious. For a start, that lovely black hair fell out and grew back in as muddy blonde - except for the eyebrows which stayed an annoyingly insistent black! And the reason I'm scowling is because someone shoved a bloody bonnet on my head. (hee hee) Seriously, Wayne looked at the photo and said "you've always been opinionated, eh babe". But I know that look, it's the one that screams "Martyr alert!" Something (bonnet, camera, pram?) has offended me deeply, and judging by the squint, I'd say it's being shoved out in bright sunlight and asked to pose.

I'm not sure how old I was there, but I'm guessing around 6 mths? I was walking at 10 mths, and I must have been a bit younger than that in the pic otherwise the pretty clothes would have been under attack, and the pram would be history. Gawd.. what a little porker! I'm very impressed I could manage to sit upright!

But that's not as bad as my eldest brother on my Mum's side (blended family... I am the youngest of 15. Dad married 3 times with 2 kids from the first, 8 from the second, and then just me with Mum. Mum was married before and had 4 kids before I came along much later in the game).

When Robert was a baby, the baby food company "Glaxo" ran a competition looking for a new poster child. Mum sent in his picture, and was aghast when they returned it saying the baby was too fat to consider.

Compared to him, I think I got off light (snicker .. sorry, shouldn't make weight jokes seeing as he grew up THIN and I did NOT!).

Anyhoo, as I started out to say, there are definite pluses to this pregnancy. The most obvious one of course is the baby itself :-)))))

But there's also:

Remember the bad RSI flares I had during the first trimester? All gone now, and in fact I am completely pain free for the first time in nearly two decades. Fingers crossed this remission remains!

No fluid retention at all, and no blood pressure problems. The opposite is true - it's wonderful to not suffer from low bp, ie swooning, dizzy spells and nausea.

Skin a bit dry, but otherwise close to flawless esp on face. No new stretch marks that I can see (on abdomen), and no varicose veins either!

Forget "abs of steel" - my belly resembles Ayers Rock in its firmness and majesty. And if anyone were to poke it, they'd probably get prodded right back!

I have a cast iron excuse to go shopping for new bras (which of course means new pretty undies to go with them, and that leads to new pretty negligees for all that post baby activity!)

Which reminds me... we'll have to think about contraception for the first time in... well.. ever! The novelty of this idea is amusing at the moment, but no doubt the reality will pall.

Which also reminds me... there was a big fat blue told in antenatal this week. See if you can spot the problem with the following statement!

Breastfeeding will provide 97% contraception cover, which is roughly the same as the pill.

Hands up everyone who knows someone who got pregnant while following THIS bit of advice? Yeah... most of us ;-) I tend to follow a different rule: Once you have ONE, the rest come too easy!

So all in all, I'm enjoying the belly and all its accoutrements. Sure my hips have taken over in the ache department from the back (which is on holiday, it informs me), and snuggles in bed are a bit problematic, sex is completely out of the question (sob!), and limbo dancing is probably never going to happen ever again. Well, not deliberately..

But there won't be just me rattling around in the house on a nice winter's afternoon, looking for mischief and enjoying the avoidance of work. Soon I'll be dancing to baby's tune so I'm off to enjoy this freedom while I've got it :-))