34 weeks - Count down begins

I've finished work which is wonderful! I'm keeping active with yoga, swimming and walking, as well as all the home improvements and general sorting and cleaning I'm doing whilst in nesting mode. I have birth preparation classes to go to, books to read and baby stuff to buy. I thought I might get bored but now I'm not even sure six weeks will be long enough!

I'm making an effort to do self massage with dhawantharam oil, drink raspberry leaf tea and do perenial massage. I have weekly pre-natal check ups with my midwife and the good news is the baby is head down and engaged. The surprising news is the baby is big, even though I am small, but I always suspected that I could grow a big baby!

We have the birth pool, but I'm still gathering enough old sheets and towels to contain the mess of a home birth. We have a wonderful rocking chair (after searching for months IKEA has done it again!) but are still searching for a light weight stroller. We've got cloth nappies and I figure that a newborn really only needs nappies and a couple of boobs, so really we're set.

I've got a few birth videos to watch with my friends and family who will support me through the birth, and my birth plan is pretty much ready for action.

So now it's time for rest, exercise, good food and positive thoughts. And spending some time with my darling husband whilst we are still only two.

A-Z of cloth nappies

Cloth nappies, or diapers, have been a big area of research during my pregnancy. I went to a baby expo which was horrible (think fast food and Bob the Builder) but had a great range of cloth nappies being demonstrated so I could see them all side by side. It's hard to work out what's going on, especially from websites, so here's my little guide.

You've basically got the following choices, and loads of variation in between.

Flat squares

Old fashioned flat square nappies are what our grandparents probably used. You need something to hold them in place, like safety pins, snappi fasteners or a elastic band around the waist. You also need to buy pilchers, or waterproof covers. This is the cheapest nappy option out, but you have to learn to fold them properly or they leak.

Prefolds

Prefolds are still similiar to the old system in that you have nappy inserts and waterproof covers. They are fitted covers like disposables, but flat square inserts like old fashioned nappies. The advantage is that you don't need to learn any folding techniques and you don't need to use pins or other fasteners.

All in ones

All in ones are the most like disposables because the nappy lining and waterproof cover are all sewn in together. This means they are the easiest to put on the baby. The disadvantage is that you have to change the whole nappy each time, unlike pre-folds or squares where you usually only change the nappy or liner and use the pilcher or cover all day. All in ones also take the longest to dry as you can fold them out flat. They are the most expensive option (other than disposables) becuase you need to buy a lot more of them.

One size fits all or sized nappies

Of course you don't need to buy as many nappies if they are one size fits all, but you do risk leakage on newborns and bigger toddlers. You have to buy more sized nappies, but they will fit better.

So that's the pro's and cons, and here's my choice:

Real Nappies

This is a sized, pre fold system invented by a mother in New Zealand. The website, as usual is totally confusing, but read through the topics under Advice to get the gist of it.

The reasons I chose this system is because the folding is very simple and their are videos on the website if you need help. The nappies are very cheap ($3.50 each) and the covers are a reasonable price at $15. The nappies are square so they will dry quickly.

I also bought a pack of flat square nappies, I'll use these round the house without covers, and generally for mopping up spills and "catching possets" and for all the other messes that baby's make.

Finally (I'll write a whole post on this later cause I'm obsessed) I want to practice EC with my baby. Which is basically a fancy modern name for what humans have been doing for years, offering their babies the use of the toilet instead of letting them sit in wet nappies. Check out this great website for more info. And in my opinion prefolds will work best with EC.

Make your own baby wipes

It's so easy! It's cheap and involves less chemicals, processing and packaging and is therefore gentler on baby's bum and on the earth. I'm hooked. Google it and you'll find plenty of variations on the theme, here's what works for me.

What you need:

1 roll of kitchen towel (recycled paper if they exist)
2 plastic containers with lids (big enough to fit half a roll of kitchen wipes, mine are 1.25 litres)
3 cups water
2 Tbs baby and earth friendly soap ( I use envirocare body and hair cleanser, which is cheap, locally made, available online and can be used as shampoo and soap for the whole family)
4 Tbsp oil (I use sesame, but for nappy rash I'd switch to coconut)
4 drops of lavender oil (for it's antibacterial qualities)

What to do:

1. Cut the paper towel in half with a knifes (not a serated knife as this will leave jaggedy edges) and remove the cardboard roll inside.
2. Boil and cool the water and then mix with soap and oils.
3. Put half the kitchen towel in each container and cover with half the liquid each.
4. Close the lids tightly and leave on container of wipes at your change station and the other in the fridge for later.

You can pull a few wipes off the roll and store them in a small snap lock bag to take them in your nappy bag with you.

My main concern at the moment is that I can't find recycled paper kitchen towels, but I'll keep looking. One alternative if your really keen to be green is the keep the solution in a spray bottle and spray it onto reusable cloth wipes.

Third trimester

I missed a post over the silly season. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I had a lovely time in Melbourne with my husbands family.

Week 30 and I've finally cracked the 60 kg mark. Neither my midwife nor my Ayurvedic doctor are worried about my low weight. I am healthy and strong and energetic and my rate of gain is steady. Low weight in pregnancy only seems to be a problem if you are malnutritioned or if you suddenly stop putting on weight.

I had a few sleepless nights due to intense calf cramps and hip ache. I woke D up crying out in pain. I spent the next day doing down dog at every spare opportunity and much as it hurt at the time it really, really helps me get through the night. Can't recommend it highly enough.

My milestone of this week is colostrum. I woke up D in the night (again poor thing!) cause I was so excited. My colostrum actually let down and squirted on the bed. Only a few drops, but it makes me feel like a woman, like a mother. I had let down for a few nights in a row and now it's calmed down again, so I think my body must have just been doing a test run.

I really am feeling great, I suspect that for thin women (Vata) early pregnancy is the hardest bit, where as bigger women (Kapha) struggle later on. But maybe I am speaking too soon!

My poor sore legs!

Many women have general aches and pains in their legs and hips during pregnancy. The two affecting me the most are calf cramps and hip ache, both at night, but I have found some simple ways to ease the pain.

Calf cramps

Ayurveda attributes most cramps to Vata, and Vata imbalance is very common throughout pregnancy as your body tries to keep up with all the rapid changes. If you get a calf cramp here are a few things you can do:

• Stretch it out, even if this hurts a little. Down dog is the best way to stretch into your calves and is safe during pregnancy until 36 weeks, unless you find it uncomfortable.
• Massage it. Grab the part that is cramping, this can help stimulate the marma point.
• Warm sesame oil rubbed into your calves every day can really help.
• Hot water bottles on the site of the cramp are soothing too.

But the winner is:

• Epsom salt baths. I have one bath a week with 6 handfuls of epsom salts and that prevents cramps all week. Salt balances Vata.

Hip ache

My other main complaint at this point (it changes every week!) is that my hips ache at night. They feel really loose and open and sometimes it feels like my legs are going to fall out. Strange but true: apparently this is more common in women of Scandinavian descent. During the day my hips are fine so I suspect it is related to my posture when I sleep. Here's what I find helps:

• Give thanks to your body for opening for your baby.
• Sleep on your side with a bolster under you top knee and your bottom knee straight. The bolster should be high enough to keep your knees aligned with your hips.
• Slip a thin pillow or a fold of blanket under your tummy. This will prevent the weight of you expanding stomach dragging down through your hip ligaments.
• If you wake up sore roll over on to the other side and rearrange all your pillows-bummer!
• A yoga posture that may help is to sit with one knee straight and one knee bent and push your bent knee down to the side and back up to your chest (keeping your foot on the floor). Resist your pushing hand with your leg to build up strength.
• Avoid doing a large amount of hip opening yoga postures like butterfly.

These things do come and go so be patient. Sweet dreams!

General update and baby's first pictures

The baby hammock's going great! It still needs some finishing touches and then I'll post some pitures and how I made it, but seriously if you know how to use a sewing machine you can make one, it's dead easy.

I never posted the pictures from my 18 week scan and there are some cuties, so here they are, it's tiny little feet, a big yawn and a wave for the camera!

DIY Baby hammock

I'm in serious nesting mode, and nesting for me involves sping cleaning (ie chucking stuff out) and creating (ie making stuff). Since chucking staff out is pretty boring, unless you shop at the op-shop I donate to, I thought I write about my latest craft project.

I keep hearing about how wonderful baby hammocks are. They rock and support babies beautifully and are said to transform even the most colicy or refluxy baby. Plus they are really beautiful.

My kitchen has a cathedral style ceiling with big beams running across which makes it perfect for hanging a baby hammock from. We plan on co-cleeping but I love the idea of having the baby near me where ever I am in the house

One thing that really appeals to my au naturale baby tastes is the idea that women around the world would have just tied a piece of cloth from a tree and let there baby's hang out in there whilst they work in the fields. It just doesn't seem right to spend hundreds of dollars on something so simple.

I typed "make your own baby hammock" into google and it pumps out this blog post. God I love google! I've got a day off work this week dedicated to making stuff, so I'll let you know how I go.