Week 37 Pregnancy Update: Nesting and Travelling


So I’ve hit full term and I am now officially allowed to have a home birth, yay. This week has mostly been about getting ready for baby with nesting, or the reality that the baby could be here very soon, kicking in.

Looking forward at 37 weeks pregnant


The Big Nesting Push


Being full term finally gave me the push I needed to get everything ready, helped by G being off work for most of the week so I had someone to get things from the loft and to do the heavy lifting. 

This week I have washed the car seat and the pushchair covers (I very nearly gave up on reattaching the pushchair straps though, when will I learn to video me removing things so I can work out how to put them back on again?). I was hoping to get a new car seat and pushchair, but I can’t really justify the cost and they have both come up looking good despite their age (other than the straps on the car seat which have signs of mould despite bleaching). I still really want a lie flat car seat or a Doona, but with isofix the cost is too much for my current income.

The Cost of Baby Clothes


I have bought some new sleepsuits and washed all the newborn clothes, but I still have bedding and 0-3 months to do. I have found some lovely sleepsuits, but I find it frustrating that you don’t know what size the baby will be when they are born so you have no idea if they will even get to wear each suit more than once. I bought one pack from Mothercare, one from M&S and one from Boots mini club (in the sale). They are all packs of 3 and full price work out at £5 or more per sleepsuit. I’m not saying that isn’t a fair price for the work involved and material etc, but given that babies can go through a surprising number of outfits a day it soon adds up.

People have recommended H&M for great prints and bold colours (which I like) but the cost is much the same.  Supermarkets have some better value options eg a 3 pack from Tu (Sainsbury’s) cost £8, about half the price of the places above. 

I’m glad I still have some clothes from previous babies (some of which are now 5th hand) because the cost of baby clothes really add up. As mentioned in my newborn baby essentials post, I strongly recommend buying a bundle of second hand clothes for the bulk of their wardrobe.

37 weeks pregnant and on Brancaster Beach Norfolk on Boxing Day

Christmas and Going Away When Heavily Pregnant


We went away on Christmas Day to stay with family for a few days which meant I had to prepare for possibly giving birth away from home. I reluctantly packed my hospital bag with the minimal essentials:
Hospital notes, baby clothes, nappies, maternity towels, absorbent nappy training pads, wipes, a nightshirt, big pants and a Tens machine. Oh and the number of the nearest maternity ward. That was it. I obviously had my things like a change of clothes, toothbrush, toiletries and cosmetics with me anyway. It was an interesting contrast to the 3 bags I packed for my last birth (a bag for me pre-birth, a bag for me post-birth and a bag for the baby). If I do go into hospital I’m going to have to give G a list of all the extra things he’ll need to bring in.

Week 37 has been pretty calm otherwise: heartburn and tiredness have continued and I have been a little achy, but nothing major. There have been a few times when I have been really short tempered for no good reason, but that could be tiredness or Christmas holidays as much as hormones.

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