The Síle Seoige pregnancy diary: Doulas, sneezing and balloon feet

At week 35 I find myself googling sentences like "Will I get much bigger than this?" and "What  can I do about my balloon feet?"

Luckily I don’t seem to have developed stretch marks but I’m told it can still happen. I’m continuing to smother myself in oils and creams every day though and I’ve been taking Omega 3 oils throughout my pregnancy and I definitely think they help too. Fingers crossed. I can’t stop sneezing! Especially first thing in the morning or late at night. I don’t know if it’s the remnants of a head cold or hayfever or if I’ve simply developed a sensitivity to something. It’s annoying as there isn’t much you can take when you’re expecting but it’s certainly manageable. We got a TENS machine this week too, to (hopefully) help the contractions especially in early labour. We just need to get to grips with it before the big day as it looks a bit fiddly. I was in The Coombe again for a check up with my consultant, the wonderful Professor Deirdre Murphy and I’m thrilled that all looks good. I don’t need to take extra iron as my bloods results are normal and most importantly baby is thriving. I had a quick scan done and I’m told that baby is about 5.5 pounds in weight and I’m also delighted that he/she has shifted position and is no longer, back to back. The yoga exercises I was doing might’ve done the trick. Who knows if baby will stay that way but I’ll continue with my visualisations and affirmations anyway. This is a great website to check out regarding baby positions and what you can do about them. I’m also very excited this week as we’ve decided to have a doula, especially as I really want to have a natural birth if at all possible and I’ve heard from friends that having one there on the day really helps you stay on track. Studies have shown that having a doula as a member of the birth team decreases the overall caesarean rate by 50 percent, the length of labor by 25 percent, the use of oxytocin by 40 percent, and requests for an epidural by 60 percent. This is really important to me as I would love to have a drug free birth so I’m excited and feeling comforted by the fact that we’ll have an extra person on our team on the day to work with the midwives and my consultant. I know baby will decide how he or she will come into the world and that there are no certainties but I am working towards a natural birth if I can. We’ll see what happens when the time comes. My Top 3 Do’s For This Week Storytime I started doing 'stories' on Instagram so follow me to get more pregnancy related updates! Keep a Journal You can of course use your phone or tablet to take pregnancy notes but I’m old school and prefer to write my thoughts down on paper…even if it’s a struggle to read my own writing at times. I’ve been keeping a daily pregnancy diary since I peed on that first pregnancy test! (I did five in total!) and it’s a great way to keep track of how you are feeling, physically, emotionally and mentally and do a daily check in with yourself. So, my recommendation is to get yourself a notebook or journal. Treat yourself to a pretty one and enjoy keeping a record of this magic time - I’m on my second now. It’s also really useful to bring your journal with you to antenatal classes or anything pregnancy related so you can keep everything in one place, otherwise you might find you have pieces of paper with notes on them scattered around. Also it’s worth getting a folder to put the countless leaflets you get at the various classes you attend into it, otherwise you’ll have bits and bobs everywhere! Wear Sunscreen We all know how important it is to protect yourself from the damaging rays of the sun but you need to be extra careful on sunny days when you’re pregnant as your skin is uber sensitive. I wear factor 50 year round and although I am keeping out of the sunshine as much as I can, due to the general sweatiness and meltiness that ensues, I am still plastered in freckles! I also have the remnants of a touch of sunburn I got on day two of our babymoon in the sun back in April. April!! It’s nearly July!! So don’t take any chances and protect that gorgeous delicate skin of yours. Until next week! Big love,  Síle xxx PS Don't forget to follow me on Twitter.