Welcome to the next instalment in my pregnancy journey. I'm nearing the end of my 9 month journey (this is equal parts terrifying and exciting) and these posts are a way for me to capture these memories and share my experience. 

I hope you enjoy following along!

HOW FAR ALONG:

32 weeks a.k.a 8 months (eeek!)

SIZE/FOOD COMPARISON:

My little girl is on the larger end of the scale, and has been for a little while now. My gynae estimates her weight at about 2.7k's (pretty frightening considering she has about 8 weeks of growing still to do!).

I'm not sure the generic food comparisons are quite right anymore for our 'little' one hehe

WEIGHT GAIN:

I'm not sure what's happened over the last month, but either the scale is lying to me, or need to accept the reality...I've gained a total of 15kg's so far. Seeing as our bundle is on the bigger side too, perhaps my body is wanting to make sure she doesn't feel so out of place when she arrives ;)

BABY BUMP:

Well no one is going to confuse my belly with anything but a baby bump now. It seems that everybody loves a pregnant lady, and I get all sorts of smiles and happy faces and well wishes from strangers wherever I go.

Those smiles never ceases to leave me feeling happy.

MOVEMENT:

Goodness me has she been kicking up a fuss lately. I actually cried out in the mall the other day after she gave me the biggest kick yet, and then hastily had to reassure the people around me that, no, I wasn't going into labor, and yes, I was okay.

EXERCISE:

Still loving my Pilates, and try to stick to my twice weekly schedule. Although, I have been struggling for the past 2 weeks with her pushing my stomach and lungs around, often leaving me breathless and like I'm going to regurgitate my lunch.

SLEEP:

Sleep for the past few weeks hasn't been great at all. I'm up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom, and I have to sleep with 3 pillows...one for my head, one between my knees and one around my tummy. Poor Farmboy is not very pleased about this, as he often wakes up just in time to catch himself from falling out of bed.

CLOTHING:

I've been living in my H&M maternity leggings and my go-to Cherry Melon vest that goes under all my clothes. Luckily the vest ensures I can still wear my pre-preggy tops because it doesn't matter if they creep.

HOW I’M FEELING:

I have been getting the WORST upper back pain for the past 2 weeks. It's one spot, above my right shoulder that aches and aches and aches if I over exert myself. I'm not sure whether I pulled something at some point, but it's been awful. I think it's my body's way of reminding me to take it easy and not over do myself.

I've been for a wonderful full body massage (in case your wondering how it's possible to have a fully body massage when you can't lie on your tummy...basically you're on your back or your side as the therapist does their thing) and I'm going again tomorrow in the hopes that I can get a bit more relief from the pain. A very helpful lady at Clicks also told me I could use DeepHeat spray, which I did yesterday and which did provide a bit of relief. I have also been told to use a hot water bottle/wheaty bag which is safe for baby too. 

My friends and family also threw me the most amazing baby shower a few weeks ago. I was completely blown away by how beautiful everything was, the attention to detail was out of this world and I was left feeling so totally and utterly loved and spoilt. Will be sharing more photos from the day soon.

CRAVINGS/AVERSIONS:

I haven't really had any of the above, although I have been hankering after sushi for the first time in my entire pregnancy. We've never been huge sushi eaters, but for some reason it's been on my mind (and tummy!) a lot lately. Not too long to go until I can really tuck in to some salmon rolls.

I have still been been drinking A LOT of hot lemon tea (boiling water poured over a few slices of lemon and ginger mixed with honey) which has become my staple drink. It really leaves me feeling refreshed and I try to drink a cup on an empty stomach in the morning to give my body a good start.

WHAT I MISS:

• Sleeping through the night!
• Not having back pain
• Sleeping on my stomach
• Being fully submerged in the bath! Now my belly just pokes out and gets cold, leaving me unable to really relax and enjoy the bath.

NURSERY:

Thanks to the baby shower, our little girl now has just about everything she needs, and we have been putting all the final touches to her room.

I have also been spending the past few days washing all her blankets, nappies (we are going the cloth nappy route!) and towels. It's made my heart fill with such joy to see all the little baby things hanging on the line. Another huge thank you to my Dad and stepmom for spoiling our little girl with so many practical and thoughtful gifts and baby related items.

The moses basket is a family heirloom, and a very special item in the nursery. I can't wait for our little girl to have her turn to sleep where her family have also slept.

Farmboy has put up my framed photographs above the cot.

There are no words to describe how amazing it is seeing your work displayed in printed form. A very big thank you to my wonderful mom for having them printed and framed for me. 

PURCHASES:

Lots of last minute purchases have been happening, the majority of which have been items for my hospital bag. After having so many people ask me whether my hospital bag was packed (it wasn't until just yesterday!) I realised I better get on it pronto. 

Here's a pic of what's inside it so far (full post to come soon):

I also got hospital authorisation from Momentum & booked our bed in our chosen hospital (we are going to Mediclinic in Pietermaritzburg). We had to pop in and sign some documents which meant we were able to have a quick tour of the maternity ward. It was such a special moment, walking around the ward and hearing the soft cries of other babies and meeting the nurses.

Needless to say I was in tears...the happy kind of course!

HUBBY:

Farmboy is patiently waiting for endless afternoons digging in the garden, showing her the cows, chickens and horses, and taking her for long walks around the farm. Here's a lovely photo of us in the place he loves to spend his free time...the veggie garden. Thank you to Julie for the special photo.

We go for our antenatal class this weekend (I managed to find a one day workshop so we don't have to make the big trip to town every week) and I'm so looking forward to attending this with him. I think it's going to really open both our eyes to what's to come. We will also be chatting with the two ladies who run the workshop, one of which is a doula and the other a midwife. We will be asking one of them to be with us for the birth of our baby. Will keep you posted on that.

CAN’T WAIT FOR:

The full reveal of photographs from the maternity shoot I modelled for a few weeks ago!

I organised a collaboration out here on the farm, amongst the aloes, and had an incredible team of creatives join in.

Here are a few sneak peeks of the day from Julie (of Julia Jane Photography & Design): 

A huge thank you to the following people for bringing my maternity shoot ideas to life:

• Hair, Makeup & Styling: Rosemary Anne of MothWorks
• Photography: Jule of Julia Jane (images pictured) and Louis of Momentography (pictures to come) 
• Dresses: Wondering Willow Prop Shop

Thanks for reading and following in this next chapter of my life. Click below to read more updates in my pregnancy series, as well as all my other pregnancy related posts:

Until the next update!

Lots of love

x