WOW, I can't believe I am even here writing this - 37 weeks pregnant with our 3rd (& final) baby! This pregnancy has definitely been my hardest, not that I want to complain because I am incredibly grateful to have our 3rd child on the way... however, sometimes I just love to have a sook 😅
My baby bump has never been so big, I have never been so out of breath and uncomfortable, I've never been so antisocial (by choice), I've never been this lazy during a pregnancy, I have never had the pelvic pain- basically I AM OVER IT but I know I am SO close to the finish line. I think I am so over this pregnancy because I'm chasing around Ollie (who will be two on Dec 1) and also have my eldest daughter, Scarlet (who was 4 in July). I should also mention, we are in the mix of moving house AND I have a business…All I know is, I can confidently say this is my 3rd and final baby!!
On a more positive note... I am BEYOND excited to meet this little babe. I literally just cannot wait!! I am due on December 7th but anyone who has had an elective caesarean would know that we get booked in a week or so early. Fun fact: both Scarlet and Ollie were breech but this baby has decided to be head down... I have been advised by my obstetrician to go ahead with a 3rd caesar after two previous! When we had Ollie, we were booked in on December 1st at 9am but my waters ended up breaking at 2.30am so I guess he was always going to arrive on that date. I am wondering if that will happen again this time or not? 🤷🏼♀️ My obstetrician has also advised they like to keep their baby's in until 39 weeks: "as cooked as possible” , which of course is exactly on Ollie’s birthday 😬 As Ollie gets older, I don’t think he would be too pleased to know I scheduled it for his birthday, so we are currently trying to work out another date 🥳
Being able to have a date booked in allows me to organise my big kids and book in as much help as possible. We are set to move into our new house this week (mid November) so I'll be having this baby a couple of weeks later! My husband starts back at work on Dec 6th LOL so I'll also be booking in more help for that week too!!
My 3rd caesar is definitely a different type preparation because I know what I can and can't do and I know how I will feel. I thoroughly enjoyed my hospital stay (Epworth Geelong) for 5 nights, I loved the one on one time I had with Ollie, the fact my food was delivered all day and the quietness of the hospital... this time round it will be even more quite as my husband is the only person who can visit during my stay (which obviously has it's pro's & con's 🤣). I will miss my 2 big kids dearly and I will miss not having my Mum in the hospital... Mitch usually stays night 1 and then my Mum stays with me for the rest of the time overnight, Mitch would just spend the days in there with us!
During my first 2 pregnancies I felt as though a vaginal birth was taken away from me which felt disappointing however looking back now, I wouldn't change a thing and heading into this caesarean, I feel super confident, excited and more relaxed about everything as this is all I know!
One of my biggest reasons for starting Missta stemmed from my 1st breech baby and the judgement I felt from others around having a caesarean. I am so passionate about Mums/Dad's, parents, doing what's best for them and doing it proudly. How you fall pregnant, how you birth your baby and how you feed your baby doesn't define you as a parent - Our baby's won't remember how they came out or how they were fed... they remember the love.
If you know someone who is is having an elective caesarean or ends up having an emergency caesarean, some tips from me to you:
- Let Mum have some extra time to recover, not only is she raising a newborn (with or without siblings) but she has also just had major surgery
- Pre cooked food packages for the win: stuff that can be heated up, eaten immediately or that will last a few days in the fridge
- Offer to take the older sibling(s) out of the house for an hour or two to give Mum a break or just some chill time
- Drop off groceries/essential house items: post caesar, we can't drive for 6 weeks nor can we do any heavy lifting
- ALWAYS drop off coffee ☕️
As my 3rd pregnancy is coming to an end, I can honestly say I will miss the feelings of my baby kicking in my tummy but for now... I am WAY more excited to have the final Duncan family member in my arms, just in time for our first Christmas in our new family home!
RANT OVER lol
Love Demi xx