The Síle Seoige pregnancy diary: ‘I’m officially in full waddle mode’

The glamour of pregnancy is in full swing!

I’m breathing heavily, in full waddle mode and due to the outrageous swelling in my feet and legs especially, putting my knickers on is a challenge these days! I’ve also accepted that my physical form is no longer my own. The little human growing inside me has taken my body hostage and I’m simply along for the ride. In its own way though, it’s liberating, as I don’t have the energy to care as much about how I look or what the reaction is from others. I even braved a shorter dress the other day which showcased my cankles in all their pudgy glory and got sneered at by a couple of teenagers by hey, so what! All that matters right now is that our baby is happy and arrives healthy when he or she is ready. I’ll cope with all the other stuff, in the grand scheme of things, my cankles are not really that important. My energy levels are all over the place right now, I can go from wired to exhausted within minutes.

A post shared by Sile Seoige (@sileseoige) on Jul 8, 2017 at 4:33am PDT

The lack of proper sleep at night means I am having to nap often now to just get through the day, a sneaky five minutes in the car or a quick snooze on the couch. And I've never been an early bird but I seem to be these days. I was awake and up out of bed at 5.30am the other morning toasting seeds and making bread. Very unlike me! Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an irritating pregnancy symptom I’m experiencing, as my fingers are tingly and numb, but it should be a thing of the past in a few weeks which is reassuring. I’ve also started drinking the classic late pregnancy beverage, Raspberry Leaf Tea to supposedly help soften the cervix and get things moving! I’m drinking between one and three mugs of it a day but I might up it next week as I draw closer to D day. Some women had told me that pregnancy goes fast towards the end but so far I feel the opposite, I’m finding it hard to believe I’m 38 weeks already! But I’m sure that’ll change, the closer I get to my due date. I’m happy for baby to stay put for a while longer though as I still feel I have loads to do between wrapping up work, jobs around the house and getting myself prepped physically and psychologically for childbirth. But I also fully accept that baby’s arrival is out of my hands, he/she will make that decision, not me! Like water off a duck's back! I'm two weeks from my due date but the texts are already coming in thick and fast. Now, the majority are lovely, I love those saying ‘not long now’, ‘thinking of you’, ‘sending love’, they’re great, but the ones that say... ‘Any sign yet?’, ‘Do you feel like anything is happening’, ‘Are you nervous about the birth?’ are not so helpful. People (of course) mean well but I now understand why we were told at our Ante Natal class to tell people the due date was 2 weeks later than it was! So, if you find yourself in a similar position, don’t let the well-intentioned excitement of others throw you off and take you from your calm, happy place. Easier said than done I know, but simply breathe, smile and let it roll off. Remember, they mean well. Let’s get real If, like me and you hope to have a vaginal birth, the realisation that your baby will be exiting through a narrow space (well currently anyway!) is one to give you pause for thought. So, I suggest you look into perineum massage if you haven’t already and why it’s important. You may well be glad you did! Sound therapy We all know how good you feel when you listen to your favourite music and what’s good for you, is good for baby, so make sure to allow yourself time to enjoy listening to some tunes, sing to bump or even chant, as I like to do! Until next week, put the feet up as much as you can! Grá mór,  Síle xxx PS Don't forget to follow me on Twitter and Instagram.