I can not believe I am 28 weeks pregnant! I’ve been trying to have all my appointments this week so that I can enjoy my holiday next week. So far this pregnancy has been really nice. My blood pressure has been fine, I’ve had no issues with blood tests and I finally met my consultant. I have been a bit warm this week with the heat and trying to keep hydrated, drinking plenty of water and taking precautions. Adam has been doing the afternoon school runs as it’s been so hot and I’ve been doing the mornings where it’s been cooler as it just made more sense, especially now he’s finished college.
Dealing with Heat Waves in Pregnancy
I am so happy we’ve had some sunshine but being pregnant in this heat can be really tough so it’s important to keep cool. I’ve been doing these things to help:
- Keep windows open, curtains closed and using fans
- Drinking 3 litres of water to keep hydrated
- Having an isotonic drink occasionally to top up electrolytes (can also use coconut water)
- Trying to stay indoors when sun is at it’s peak
- Freezing bottles of water and placing them in front of fans to circulate cold air
- Adam has been doing the afternoon school run
- Wearing light, cotton clothing. I bought a pair of legging shorts and they have been great.
- Cold baths – getting your hair wet keeps you cooler for longer
28 Weeks Midwife Appointment
Well, I had it down that my midwife appointment was on 27th June however, we later found out that I had been booked in for 20/7 which is weeks away and too far for me to do my 28 week blood tests. Thankfully the midwives at the birth centre didn’t turn me away and I did a full check with a really lovely student midwife who is really passionate about individualised care and women birthing where they want. We chatted for quite a bit which was really nice. As usual she checked my blood pressure and urine which was all clear before taking my blood. We then had a good listen in to babys heartrate which sounded absolutely perfect. I love feeling him kick around and move but hearing the heartbeat is just really special. She had a good feel and thinks baby is head down although we all know that could change over the next couple of months.
She then did my first fundal height measurement of which I am measuring pretty massive. I’m 27+5 days and measured 37cm when they would expect me to measure at around 27cm. However, most of my fat is on my tummy so I really don’t think my fundal height measurement is going to be a clear indication of the size of the baby. I’m not worried as Evie measured large across my tummy but was born at 8lb3oz at 42 weeks so I really can’t imagine this one being any bigger than 10lbs. The best thing was if I continue to measure as high as I will with fundal height it looks like he will be something like 14lbs…I can’t see that being accurate at all however I will have growth scans in the third trimester and that will be a much better way of measuring baby than fundal height. The only thing I am a bit concerned about is how the graph will portray with varying fundal height and growth scan measurements. I imagine there is going to be a lot of spikes with this because I just don’t think fundal height will measure me accurately with the amount of extra weight I have. However, it is really obvious I have extra fat so I hope when we are considering the measurements with midwives they do take the very obvious into consideration.
Meeting My Consultant
I met my consultant for the first time today as well which I was, initially, very nervous about because I didn’t have a brilliant experience with my consultants during my first pregnancy. In fact, I couldn’t even tell you there name. This time around the meeting wasn’t rushed, we went through my previous labour, we talked through my ideal birth plan, my concerns with the fundal height measurements and what I would like to happen during a planned or, even an unplanned, c-section. He was absolutely happy for me to have a VBAC birth as well as happy for me to plan the section in place of induction. I came away feeling really positive about the last trimester of this pregnancy. He had a feel of my tummy and baby boy is head down with his back slightly to the left. We had another hear of the heartbeat and he is absolutely fine.
I do, however, have a lot of appointments coming up to track the measurements and as long as baby boy follows a steady curve or centile on the scans and my fundal height measurement shows a steady growth, all will be well. To be honest I am sure all will be well anyway. My next appointment is with the health visitor who is visiting at home, then the consultant midwife and then an appointment with my midwife. I then have a few more growth scans booked in at my local hospital, an appointment with the anaesthetist clinic to check my back for a spinal and seeing my consultant again at 37 weeks. This will be after my scans and I should have a good few measurements to talk through as well as being much closer to my due date. Alongside all of this I have some hypnobirthing sessions booked in and some more chats with my doula to go through a few things closer to the birth. I am also trying to book in a confident birthing antenatal class which is run by the NHS as suggested by the midwife I spoke to at my last appointment.
For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.
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