Comic book shop Fumetteria Dott.Comic & Miss Manga Review

Yes this is a geek alert and my geekiness is showing lol!   

I am a bit of a geek when it comes to video games mainly RPG’s (Role playing games) where you play online with other players around the world being hobbits, orcs, super heros, starwars characters etc etc.

And believe me i have been many different characters in many many different games through the years! Heck i even met Alex my Italian Husband online in one of these games!

We both have a love for them and it was love at first group up and level togeather 🙂 lol

And things havent changed much since back then we still love to play online a range of different games! We even have one evening a week where we go to a friend’s house and do a table top roll playing game with pen & paper!

Which is alot of fun when you get to spend the time with good friends who all enjoy the same thing you do and sometimes the story/game can really catch your imagination!

Its nice to have something you can share & have a passion for with you partner/Husband no matter what it is 🙂 Which tend to make it easier to do things togeather and spend alot of time with eachother even online.

Even though with Peanut on the way we haven’t been doing much gaming lately but spending quality time togeather in other ways talking, preparing baby stuff, watching tv series togeather.

So anyway things like this interest me alot! Even back when i was a school girl i collected comic books like Spiderman, Sons of the midnight sun, Ghostrider once a week as they fancinated me!

So it was no wonder i would fall in love with an Italian geek! Who also has a love for online video games, comics and table top roll playing games! 😀

So when we discovered a comic bookshop had opened in our area in Roma we were very excited and wanted to get in there and paw……i mean look at all the comics, manga and graphic novels they had!

And so we ventured out to have a look at Fumetteria Dott.Comic & Miss Manga!

Its a really nice shop not huge but with a large selection of different titles! Spiderman, Thor, Wolverine, Batgirl just to name a few! Modern and fantasy!

Theres also alot of Manga books and comics if you are into those and of course graphic novels!

I must admit i do love graphic novels alot 😛  and did spend some time looking at them all in Italian of course at its an Italian comic book shop!

I also liked they way they had alot of t-shirts you could buy, models of some of the characters and other little bits like keyrings all of them super heros etc

They were also having a sale as its sale season and soon Alex was engrossed in all the titles that interested him! I even found a few that i knew he liked!

We decided to leave it until saturday to go back and have a proper look and buy some of the ones which really interest us 😛

 

This is their website http://dottcomics-missmanga.blogspot.it/  and they also have a nice facebook page as well 😉

I like to encourage Alex’s passion for these books and the role playing books we both find them interesting and it also makes him happy and sparks his imagination when he gets a new one.

I even get him them for his birthday and Christmas and we have many bookshelves over flowing with them which i dont mind at all as its nice to have a wide variety for when we play with friends! 🙂

And we both know our little Peanut will end up being a geek just like her parents one day! Especially surrounded by our geekiness lol

 

 

Breastfeeding/Nursing Bra’s in Roma

I plan to breastfeed when Peanut comes if im able to which shouldnt be a problem. So decided i would probably need some breastfeeding/nursing bra’s before D Day.                                                                            

I noticed my friend who we visited a while ago with her baby boy had these bra’s which just unclipped down over the nipple area so the baby could get to the milk without removing the whole strap/bra.

So i decided to get googling and see if i could find these here in Roma.

I had already visited a big Prenatal store and hadnt been able to see any breastfeeding bra’s although they had maternity underwear. (Although i was told by a friend afterwards they do sell the nursing bra’s there to).

I did find that H&M have these breastfeeding bra’s i was looking for http://www.hm.com/it/product/07657?article=07657-A

But only 2 of the H&M shops in Roma sell maternity clothes and both are in the big shopping malls Porta di Roma & Roma Est.

They have a little clip that unclips so you can pull down the material as i said over the nipple area. There quick and easy to use and have room for the breast pads.

As you will need breastfeeding pads to help stop leakage of the milk and you dont want to make a mess of your bra’s or the tops you are wearing 🙂

I have mentioned a few breastfeeding Groups before in another post http://www.themilkbar.it/pages/rome-store#en  and this one http://www.genitorididonato.it/joomla/index.php

And they are promoting Breastfeeding for mothers here in Roma alot and teach you how its done and things to expect.

I will also be shown at Santa Famiglia when Peanut is born how to breastfeed her properly and i also have some pregnancy books on the subject as well.

I haven’t noticed many woman breastfeeding in public i have to admit or seen any little areas for this either. I know in some countries it can be frowned upon to breastfeed in public but what are you supposed to do when your out and your baby gets hungry?

At the end of the day thats what the boobs are there for when you have children! And i dont think its right that a mother and child should have to go into a public toilet or somewhere to do it.

Although apparently some shopping Malls here do have areas where a mother can breastfeed in peace while she is out someone told me. It’s weird once you get pregnant you start looking for and noticing things you wouldnt normally like that where ever you go.

I have read its good to have a little blanket to just cover your shoulder/chest if you do want to feed in public.

Then no one will get offended, you wont get self conscious and you can still feed your baby in public.

I kinda like this idea and probably will do this! Especially as im not going to be stuck in the house all day with Peanut we will be going out for exercise and places on weekends with Alex 🙂

Anyway we went to Porta di Roma last saturday in search of these Breastfeeding/nursing bra’s which i needed anyway for my hospital bag.

Its was nice to get out of the heat as the temp had gone from 34c last week up to 38c and will apparently continue for a week.

Yes the heat is unbearable for me in my pregnant state it makes me grumpy, tired and more hormonal and my hands and feet swell more. So it was nice to have a very slow wander about in the shopping Mall with all their aircon on 🙂

As i have said before your milk apparently kicks in 24/48 hours after giving Birth so having these bra’s & the pads for them ready is a big bonus as you dont want to leak everywhere!

H&M dont have a huge Maternity area but there were a few nice tops, trousers & underwear for pregnancy! It did take me a while to find the section as there were no signs over it so i ended up having to ask a staff member where it was.

I kinda roughly knew what size i wanted bra wise and started looking through the 6 choices of bra’s they had. I noitced they did do the packs of 2 bra’s togeather and these did say nursing bra’s on them.

On the website they were 14.95 Euro’s for a pack of two but in the shop they turned out to be 19.95 Euro’s which to me is still a bargain! My boobs have gotten bigger through pregnancy and i have read can get bigger when the milk comes in. So you really need to work out what size bra your going to need as you dont want them to be tight but comfortable especially if you have to wear them even at night time.

Normally im a 34B but they have gotten bigger so Alex suggested i grab a 36C to try on in the dressing room just to test the size.

This size fitted in the cup area lovely with some room to grow after D Day if needed and also they werent to tight round my back area so would be very comfortable to wear and light as they are made of cotton.

So i was really happy with this two pack nursing bra’s and relieved i had managed to find them! Alex even said if we needed more (which we probably will) we could come back and buy them especially if my boobs get even bigger lol 😉

And while im mentioning boobs/breasts in this posts mine last week were very painful! Nipple and breast ache is not nice and after having a read i guessed i must have a duct blockage!

Even though the milk isnt ready yet your boobs are still in the stage of preparing for D Day and some of the ducts for the milk can become blocked causing pain.

I found that bathing them in warm water helped and solved the problem and believe me it was a big relief! Its also something you cannot ignore and if it doesnt improve its always good to mention it to your Doctor!

Choosing Baby Names

So we have already chosen a name for Peanut and to be honest we already had it picked out from 4 months along 🙂

We had about 4 girls names we really liked and 2 boys names before we knew the sex of the baby. But one just clicked for both of us and so thats what we chose when we found out Peanut was a girl.

We didnt want anything that couldnt be pronounced properly in both Italian and English. As this makes it easy for people to say and not complicated for the English grandparents!

Im not going to say what the name is as we both want to wait to tell people until after shes born so shes just Peanut for now!

I have been talking with some other expecting Mom’s here in Italy about baby names and its surprising what ones are popular and which are not. We even started coming up with silly names to make eachother all giggle!

Funny names like, Roma, Roman, Mela (which is apple in Italian), prosecco (which is a White wine), Milano.

So the few girl’s names i have heard which seem popular are Sophia, Valentina, Martina, Chiara. Boy’s names i have heard often are Andrea, Fabio, Francesco, Paolo. 

I like the non popular names to be honest as we already know about 5 Sophia’s and its nice to have something different.

Even some of the old fashioned Italian names are nice, cute and not to much of a mouthful.

I would never go for a really weird name like some parents do as the kid has to live with it forever unless they get it changed lol.

And i know some people like to copy celebrity baby names but even some of those names are just plain weird and i think famous people just think its expected of them to give their kids weird/unusual names.

Also trend names tend to pop up each year as well where everyone might name their child after a new famous actor or tv/movie character so you suddenly have 10 little Edwards running around.

The Royal baby boy was born this week to! to the Duchess of Cambridge and i kind of wondered what name they would come up with for him? I was more than sure it will be an old fashioned English name likes Charles, William, Henry!

There wouldn’t be any modern or strange names for a Royal baby im sure! I actually wondered if they are given a list of names they can use by the Queen so they stay traditional.

And did read somewhere the name of the baby has to be approved by the Queen before they can name it!! CRAZY!!

It wouldnt actually surprise me if this was the case!

In the end they named him George Alexander Louis which are very traditional Royal names! And names of Kings that have gone before him in the past.

But George i really like as a boy’s name and makes him sound a bit more down to earth. If he was Italian his name would be Giorgio Alessandro Luigi which sounds nice to.

Another thing parents tend to do is go for a very unusual name like naming there child after a bike, City, country or something along those lines. Which i guess is possibly nice in one way as its different and not many kids will have the same name.

And lets face it there are a million websites/baby name books out there to help you pick that perfect name for your little one 🙂

One suggestion i read said you should pretend your naming yourself as if you can start a new life tomorrow and see what the name is like and how your child might live with it.

So we are 34 weeks along and Peanut is the size of a butternut squash!

At less than two months to go, she roughly weighs in at about 4.2 pounds to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches.

Apparently now she recognizing and reacting to simple songs, which is nice as i do sing to her & she still loves her classical music times in the afternoons with the earphones on my belly.  She’s also urinating about a pint a day.

Bump pics! from 25 weeks to 33 weeks

So here are the next set of bump pics as you know i take a pic weekly & a few people have been asking to see bump progress 🙂 these are from 25 weeks along to 33 weeks pregnant.

So this is 25 weeks along below and we went to see the obstetrician for the first time as i blogged previously about.

As you can see Bump is already looking bigger from my previous bump pics from weeks 17 to 24!

Next is week 26 along below 🙂 Peanut is kicking alot stronger and i had gone completely off tomatoes! Bump is still very rounded here.

 

Week 27 below and we are finally in the 3rd Trimester! woohoo!! Been feeling a bit over whelmed, anxious but happy about it all as it all seems to be going so fast! Bump is much more pointy now as you can see 🙂

Week 28 below and Peanut is very very active shes much bigger now and i can feel her alot of the time kicking and moving. She’s also started to poke me which feels very different than the little kicks! We are also trying to cope with the summer heat now 30c-34c and rising.

 

Week 29 below and we have started our first pre-natal class at the birthing clinic which is really interesting! 🙂 Also we have alot of baby stuff now ready for Peanut’s arrival in September so we are ready just incase she decides to come early 🙂

Next is 30 weeks below! Im feeling really heavy now and slow when i move around and i can feel shes bigger from all her wiggling around lately!

 

31 Weeks along below and my hormones are surging like crazy making me very weepy/over emotional lately also i have very sensitve skin now from the increased blood flow. As you can see im starting to let my belly out in the pics as sometimes with the tops on you cant really see the progress very well 🙂

32 weeks belly still growing and still no stretch marks yippie!! Hoping thats help from the Almond oil i use every morning and good genetics as my Mum never got any stretch marks from having 4 kids!

           

33 weeks along pics below and Peanut feels really big now as i know shes growing fast. Sometimes she moves and my whole belly will move from one side to the other! And it can be weird to watch like a big fish skimming the top of the water or seeing what looks like a head suddenly stick right out. So sometimes i get to see a back, head or bottom, it can also hurt if she kicks to hard!

So the next set of pics will be from 34 weeks to when Peanut is born!! Exciting! 😀

Bag for the Hospital

I have to start thinking about a bag for the hospital now as i have to have it ready from now til D Day. Having it ready just incase we need it early etc

So after seeing what other Mom’s have packed heres what i will pack so far:                      

1) Big huge pads for after the Birth apparently its very messy for some days after until it calms down to a normal period flow.

2) Sexy netted special underwear for the messy days straight afterwards so you dont ruin your normal ones (provided by a friend as she didnt use the Whole new pack of hers!)

3) Nightie not short and revealing but not to long so its hard to get to the areas needed.

4) Crock slippers for walking about the maternity ward

5) Little socks

6) baby towel which we were asked to bring

7) baby cotton blanket we were also asked to bring

8) Newborn onsies for Peanut to wear.

9) Baby carrier and bed prepared for taking baby home etc

10) diapers ready & waiting

11) burp cloths so you dont get dribble or puke when you feed baby.

12) A dummy (pacifier) just incase but we dont really want to use one with her.

13) small bag of bathroom toiletries like toothbrush, tooth paste, soap, etc (need to ask what they have at the clinic already)

14) nursing bra with the pads for leakage

15) A going home outfit

16) Mobile phone & charger

17) Book

18) Camera

Other suggestions i have read about are Ipod, magazines, books to keep you amused if the labor is long but im not sure if you can concentrate on that kinda stuff if your going through contractions?

Won’t it be a matter of clinging to your partner/Husband’s hand telling him your never going to have sex again as you fight through the pain? Do you really have time to sit there and read a book?

I will be in the Clinic for some days afterwards so it would probably make sense to take these things so i dont get bored from waiting around.

I guess i can take a book with me just incase and my camera as well probably to take some baby pics afterwards 🙂

I didnt really think about how much stuff i might need and the list is kind of long and growing! Someone else even suggested a snack bag for Alex incase he gets hungry waiting then he doesnt have to leave the building in search of food!

Any other idea’s on what i should take?

I was in a bit of pain begining of the week as Peanut decided to lay on an organ or something and it wasnt nice for me. It was really painful for about 10 minutes and i had to lay on my side to get her to move! Luckily this has only happened once but i know shes getting big i can feel it.

Also yesterday afternoon i had shooting leg pain down my left leg but have read this can happen if the baby lays on a nerve quite low. I feel fine today which means she moved again 🙂

Today Peanut is 33 weeks the size of a Durian (which is a Southeast Asia fruit)

She roughly weighs about 4.2 to 5.8 pounds and measures about 17.2 to 18.7 inches. And she may grow up to a full inch this week which is amazing 🙂

She’s keeping her eyes open while awake. Peanut also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Her bones are hardening and she going through (more) major brain development — that’s one smart baby!

How im feeling at 8 months

So we have reached 32 weeks which is the begining of 8 months along in pregnancy! (still 2 month-ish to go! remember they usually count from the first day of your last period so pregnancy is actually more like 10 months long)

My pregnancy journey is almost at its end and i have to admit im actually happy about this! After 8 months of having restrictions on food and what i can eat, i will be happy to go back to normal.

I really miss raw veggies, fruit i dont have to peel,  salame, prosciutto, some desserts i havent been allowed to have. And its been really hard especially living here in Italy where these types of foods are everywhere and part of the culture!

And believe me once you have seen the advert on tv for prosciutto or something else you cannot eat 1 million times a day it can drive you a bit nuts!

Its got to the stage im really bored with the food im eating and i really miss the big variety of foods i had access to in the UK! (even the frozen ready meals and thats me being desperate lol!)           

But as i said the journey is almost over and Peanut will soon be with us YAY!

I will also be happy to get back to exercising!

I must admit apart from feeling alot more tired again im feeling pretty good. I can’t walk for ages and ages as i get a pulling pain in my side which i have mentioned before if i walk to fast. This is the ligaments stretching there and the Gyno did say it would get worse and was completely normal.

So now if i have a walk i have to have a very short one then rest on a bench which i have been doing. I feel really heavy now with my big belly and walk really slowly and also have to watch where i put my feet so i dont trip over.

I have also been getting slight back ache last few days which i think has alot to do with my suddenly growing bump!

I have been really lucky with the Italian weather this year as its not been as hot as it can get at all. Its been around 28c-31c so far lately and that was from mid june onwards when usually it starts to heat up from April.

I know its not going to last and it will go up to 37-38c at some point but hey i cant complain to much about it and i have missed a huge chunk of it! 🙂

This cooler weather of 28c-31c has helped alot with my hand swelling which i havent had alot of recently and even though my feet are slightly swollen i have had no problems with them.

I havent been sleeping well as i keep getting up to pee or to roll onto my sides (which im now a pro at) plus its quite warm at night which also disturbs my sleep.

I have noticed my palms are red and blotchy now but apparently thats to do with the increase in hormones/blood flow and is nothing to worry about at its perfectly normal.

I have been more hormonal since the begining of the 3rd trimester with alot of fears coming out for Peanut, the labor & delivery which are very normal fears as well.

The last few weeks we had alot of thunderstorms in the afternoons which were almost tropical! Peanut was going crazy during them wiggling and sqirming it was crazy. I guess she could sense the storm and this made her restless 🙂

We are pretty much done with getting all the baby stuff now and its just a matter of waiting for Peanut to arrive now.

So i have began the process of going through and washing everything ready for her with mild washing powder. You cannot use anything scented or softner or anything like that because her skin is very sensitive for the first 40 days when shes born.

Im kinda hoping she comes in August even though shes due first week of september but we will see what happens. Its all down to her when she wants to come out and weather she turns or not.

I can’t wait to be able to see her and hold her and Alex feels the same way.

I have kinda lost interested in everything lately…maybe thats just the surging hormones but i just feel bored. It takes a real effort to get myself to watch a movie or read a book.

I also feel anxious when Alex is at work and only feel more relaxed when he gets home again in the evenings.

My cat Ciro is even more clingy lately and tends to demanding hugs almost all the time which i can find annoying when im hot and tired. But i know its not his fault hes hot to and probably feeling insecure because he can see and sense all the changes going on.

He’s also been trying to suckle more on my t-shirt on my arm or shoulder which is weird! Alex has been saying for two weeks now that i smell ‘milky’ and i didnt believe him. But i guess with Ciro going into kitten mode it must be true lmao!

I have started sorting out my bag for the hospital for when i need it and began the process of washing all the baby clothes, sheets, towels etc which Peanut will need for the big day.

And heres a pic of me below in a dress the only pic of me wearing a dress while pregnant that will ever exist lmao! Yes i look like a whale! For i am whale woman & my super powers include hormonal out bursts, and a super sense of smell.

but hey it wont be for much longer just a few more months. And then i have to get used to my post pregnancy body which everyone tells me will be different.

So i think i might start reading up on that this week as i like to be prepared and i know my body will be different than it was before after i give Birth 🙂

Third Prenatal class – Breast Feeding

We skipped the Prenatal class last weekend as our obstetrician was busy delivering babies!

So we had to move the class to the following week. So Yesterday (friday) at 8pm we went to meet up with her and have a chat about Breastfeeding.

We did get there a bit early so had a cheeky gelato before going in which was really nice as it was quite a hot evening.

She started of explaining that the baby once born has to start suckling straight away as this stimualtes the breasts so the milk will kick in 24/48 hours after birth. Before the milk comes theres another substance which is clear which the baby will drink until then.

Its very important for the baby to suckle as much as possible to stimulate the milk flow because when the placenta de-taches at birth it leaves open veins which are part of the heavy bleeding after birth.

But once the brain recognizes the baby is out and suckling then this helps to stop that flow of blood right down as the uterus contracts.

I asked about the baby feeding and latching on properly and explained i had read this can hurt if the baby doesnt suckle properly.

She explained that the baby must take the nipple and alot of the areole deep into its mouth. As if it suckles like this it helps stimulates the milk flow better.  If it just takes the nipple part then the milk doesnt come easily and will cause you pain.

So the baby has to be laying on its side facing your breast this is the best position for it to feed apparently and she asked if we had a breastfeeding pillow which we do which will help alot she said.

She then said that the baby should feed from one breast at one feeding each time as the first thing to come out when you feed them is a sugar like milk which is easy to digest.

This happens for about 10 mins before the fat milk kicks in which makes the baby feel fuller so you have to stick to the same breast.

If you dont then the baby will be ready to feed again much quicker because it didnt get the fat milk.

And if your doing it right with the baby on the breast properly then they can feed for 20minutes taking alot of milk then be content for 3-5 hours before wanting another feed. If they havent taken enough or only got the sugar milk then you will be feeding every 2 hours.

She said its important to only feed the baby when it wants to be fed and it will cry to let you know when that time is. You dont have to set your watch for every 2 hours.

And also to try and avoid using a dummy/pacifier as much as possible as the baby must associate the nipple as feeding and using one of these can make it lazy to feed.

Apparently depending on how tired i am will effect the flow and production of milk. I will know when one breast will be full of milk and ready for feeding as it will be hard and fuller.

Alex then asked about bottle feeding and she told him you have to use different grams each day and she would write them down for us closer to the D Day time. Also the powdered milk is better as if you buy the ready made milk it only lasts 12 hours!

With the powdered milk you add water first then the powder afterwards before mixing it up then heating it up slightly and always check it on your wrist to make sure its not to hot. All information we need to know incase i can’t breastfeed for some reason or it stops early.

The obstetrician said my bump looks good for the stage i am at as Alex asked if it was to big lol.

The next class will be in August as she wants to see us after the last scan & big blood test results on 1st of August! 🙂

Then after that i will be monitored from the 12th August to make sure me and Peanut are ok and to see if she needs to come early or not.

She said to have the hospital bag ready from this time and always bring it with me incase they need to induce me for any reason or if Peanut just decided to make an early appearance lol

As we left the clinic Alex said he felt alot more confident about breastfeeding now lol and to be honest so do i! It also helps that they will show me while in staying there how to breastfeed her when she comes to 😀

Peanut is wiggling and squirming alot more the last 2 weeks as i guess shes running out of space she also feels quite low. But babies can change position easily so it might not stay that way.

I have been eating lots of good fats since hitting the 3rd trimester which include eggs, salmone, fish, walnuts.

All which were suggested in my pregnacy book to help with brain development which is really important at this stage 🙂

Also calcium for her bones and lots of protein! But less carbs as shes gaining fat on her body now and we dont need her to be to chunky when she comes out.

Although alot of the newborn baby fat is lost in the first few days after Birth while you wait for the breastfeeding milk to kick in 24/48 hours afterwards.

So this is my belly so far! Kinda wondering how much bigger it will get as apparently now its going to grow more which is completely normal! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=199197590238872&set=a.170176223141009.1073741828.169435669881731&type=1&theater

Today Peanut is the size of a squash

Still growing, Peanut roughly weighs in at about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds and measures about 15.2 to 16.7 inches. She’s hopefully getting ready for her descent and i hope she’s in the head-down position now. She’s also probably feeling alot more cramped in there now to.

Push Presents?!

I think i have mentioned this briefly in a very far back previous post but it still intrigues me!

I have never ever heard of a ‘push present’ before in my life until a few pregnant ladies mention it to me on a pregnancy forum i sometimes go on.            

And my first thought was ‘what the heck is this?’ and so i started to find out.

Basically its a gift your partner/husband gets you for pushing out the baby on D Day. Alot of ladies on the forum were talking about sparkly necklaces, braclets, etc they wanted and to me the concept just seemed weird.

You carry this baby for 9 months through weight gain, sickness, mood swings its going to come out eventually anyway and having the small wrinkly pink person at the end isn’t reward enough?

You need something else? a present for a pat on the back well done? Its not like the baby wouldnt come out anyway lol. Apparently the present is supposed to be for a show of support from the father of the child and to mark the occasion of the child’s Birth.

Do women today really expect a present for delivering a baby they decided to have? Isnt the child enough of a gift?

Also apparently as the name indicates ‘push present’ its supposed to be given to a woman who gives Birth naturally but apparently it does still extend now to women who have a C-section instead.

I have also read there can be peer pressure from friends to buy one on either the man or the woman to. Especially if others have done it and it seems expected that everyone else should to.

I had to admit i thought it was a recent thing someone had thought up but actually after having a search i discovered that gift-giving to celebrate a birth has long roots in England and India. You would be rewarded with a gift/money for providing your Partner/Husband with a male child an heir.

But the term ‘Push present’ actually first appeared in a publication in 1992.

There are lots of websites suggesting gifts for the present and lots of sites selling a range of things just for this occasion. So advertising and encouraging the ‘Push Present’ as something popular is big business for some companies now.

Althought it doesnt seem to have taken off here in Italy as no one seems to know what im talking about when i mentioned it to a few people which i actually found as a relief lol.

Also its doesnt seem to be very popular in the UK either! The main place it seems to be happening in is America which is why when i first heard of it i thought it was an American idea!

To be honest my idea of a push present would be something for both me and Alex to mark the occasion of when Peanut is finally born.

Like some of her first photo’s on the wall, perhaps displayed with the first onsie she will ever wear and her hospital bracelets 🙂

Something we can both enjoy and share with her when shes older.

To me this makes more sense then something sparkly only one person can enjoy!

Update:

So after posting this blog post another English expat told me that in the UK when a baby is born a woman is given an Eternity ring to mark the Birth of the first child. As the baby is supposed to seal your relationship for eternity & youe everlasting love!

I have heard of eternity rings but thought they were given after so many years of marriage but apparently they to can be given when a child is born.

This to me actually sounds like a nice idea its actually a nice little tradition with a certain thing which is supposed to represent this rather than some random gift!

Saying that im still not sure i would want one lol but its Always good to know about these things 😉

Reality Check

Me, Alex and friend of mine with her husband went to visit another friend yesterday who had given Birth to a baby boy on monday and i must say it was completely Amazing!

She is already back home after a very fast natural Birth and looking really well and very happy 🙂

It was Amazing to hold her little fella who’s so small, cute and wrinkly! And he’s such a good boy who sleeps alot of the time. It was very insightful to see her changing his nappy and cleaning him.

And then afterwards watching her feeding him and i even got to hold him and touch his little hands & feet. She already has an older boy but as i said it was amazing to see her tending to her new baby like a pro!

It really put in perspective that my little Peanut will be here soon to!

It kinda hits you that all those kicks and movement inside will soon be a little pink wrinkly person in your arms! (probably a very demanding little person lol)

As so far its just been almost 8 months of putting on weight, a belly, then feeling movement and kicks and sometimes it just doesnt feel real that a baby will suddenly appear at the end of all of it!

I was both excited and scared by this! can i cope? can i hold her right? how will i know what she needs? All these questions were bouncing around inside me. I have also been very weepy and hormonal after hitting the 3rd Trimester and a bit fragile emotionally which makes my fears worse.

But talking to my friend she told me things would come natural once your holding your baby. And you soon learn what he/she is crying for weather its food, hugs or nappy changes.

I actually dreamed about it last night to and woke up looking for Peanut until i felt her kick and realised shes not here yet! 🙂

It made me realise i should enjoy these last weeks before she comes and not keep wishing she was here already.

Even Alex got a bit emotioned seeing the little baby boy, especially when i was holding him in my arms. And he was soon asking questions about how to hold him and then things about the baby bed and stroller.

We noticed she has the baby bed slightly raised at the head end and when we asked she explained it was to help him digest and breathe better and that they do this in the hospital to! So that was a new piece of information to take in and use which we didnt know about 🙂

It was really nice to see how she had everything set out to and so again getting ideas for what we could do at our place with how to set out the baby things although we already have a rough idea.

The other friend who had come to said she had lots of experience with colic so if we had a problem with it with Peanut she had 101 solutions we could try lol

Im hoping Peanut will be lucky and not be to bad with that but we shall see!

Alex said i look and smell very mother-ish now and he likes it lol I think it was just the sight of me holding a baby that has him now thinking this 🙂 But its kinda nice, he even said we have nothing to worry about and he knows i will make a good mummy. 🙂

Prenatal started there sales Yesterday with 50% of all summer stuff and 20% of autumn things as well so we decided to go to the big store and check it out. We still needed little covers/sheets for the baby bed etc. And after seeing how my friend had things set out for her little one it gave me some ideas on a few more bits i would like to.

We managed to get 5 onsies for a newborn which were super cute and the shop assistant helped us find the right ones for the weather in september as it can still be quite hot here then.

But the bed stuff wasn’t included in the sale and was rather expensive. So Alex then remembered we had seen some baby stuff in Oviesse as well.

So jumping in the car we headed to our local Oviesse in our area to go and have a look. Yes they do have baby stuff there and i actually liked the things there more.

We found a sheet set for the pram for 20 euros which had 2 sheets and a pillow case. But the one we had seen in Prenatal for almost the same money only had 1 sheet and 1 pillow case!

So the set in Oviesse made way more sense to buy! So we bought two of these sets.    

Alex remember the Doctor at the clinic had said we needed a little baby towel and cotton blanket for D Day and so we bought those to while we were in there which was also cheaper 🙂

We did see another thicker blanket set in the sale but decided to leave it for now and just get the things really needed.

So we are pretty much done now with all the little & big things we need for Peanut and hopefully we havent forgotten anything!

(I love the little blankets with strawberries on as you can see from the pics!)

Planning Runs/Exercise for After Birth

All i can think about right now is pregnancy is way to long LOL! 

People tell you to enjoy your pregnancy etc but it gets to the stage where you just want the baby here and your body back! (especially after almost 8 months).

Dont get me wrong i love my bump and pregnant figure because i know its all for Peanut & im happy with my pregnant body shape 🙂 and i love feeling her wiggle and kick!

But i have started looking towards the future and trying to plan when i can get back to my running, weights anda few races which i miss alot.

I had a dilemma as this being my first full pregnancy i dont have a clue how long you have to wait after the baby is born to get back to fitness activities! And so i tweeted on twitter to the running community im part of there curious to know the answer.

I know a twitter Mum who’s pregnant to and shes still jogging! which im really impressed with (shes about 4/5 months behind me in pregnancy). I wish i could have kept it up to but as i have said before my Doctor said no to this. And so i have been good and not run.

Anyway i did get some nice feedback and was told by some running twitter Mum’s they started running again after their 6 weeks checkup! And that was after a natural Birth. So im guessing recovery time after a C-section would take longer (apparently its 12 weeks) so really its down to Peanut how she wants to arrive!

Although theres no guarantee im going to feel like running even after i get the all ok! Some people it just takes alot longer to recover and get there mojo back! So i will take it slow and see how i feel after the all OK when it comes.

So with this rough guide i can roughly plan what i want to do after the Birth now in september 🙂

If all goes well and im feeling ok i will probably start with some weights workouts at home to get some muscle tone back and build up some fitness. This is if Peanut lets me have some time and im not to tired! As i don’t have a clue what its going to be like with a newborn in the house and its no good trying to guess about it as apparently each baby is different.

Then if i get the all clear at 6 weeks check-up i intend to start running if possible 3 times a week short distances. ( I know i know maybe its to much but at least its a starting point).

I would love to do a novice running plan again to build myself up slowly with my running. Either for 5k or 10k as i havent been running since January and it will probably be a shock for my body.

But a friend of mine pointed out i shouldnt make huge unrealistic goals because it depends on my body and baby! So i guess even aiming to just go running 3 times a week any short distance will be a big achievement after the Birth.

I would love to do the WeRunRome 10k race on the 31st December 2013 this year but i guess i will have to see how im feeling. And gage my level of fitness which will probably suck so i might have to give it a miss this year 😦

If not then i can start a plan for races for next year (2014) and work towards them i guess and just try short distance ones likes 5kms.

As like before i will research and find the right training for the races i want to do and train properly. Not pick some random race somewhere and not train for it properly as that leads to injury.

Im very lucky as Alex has said he will watch Peanut in the evenings when she arrives if i want to go running as he knows how important my running is to me! 🙂 And he knows i will be happy getting back in shape again. So that is a bonus and might make running 3 days a week again easier.

I dont really do many races and they tend to be local to where i am or  where i am visiting so i should be able to fit them in if Alex watches Peanut on race days if im fit enough to run them 🙂

Also before the running i can get back into lots of slow walking in the Park with Peanut as i have read you can take a newborn out almost immediately! Only for about an hour so they get some air but even this short time is still good for fitness.

There’s also a get back in shape workout on my pre-natal workout DVD so that will probably be very useful to!   

Another thing is i can go back to my salads which i havent been allowed to eat while pregnant! So as my eating habits return to its more normal healthy ways i should lose some of the baby weight that way to. And i can do that as soon as the baby is born in september 😉

Im glad i can begin making a rough plan as i hate having everything up in the air and not know when i can get back to these things. Although i know it might not turn out the way i plan and i need to listen to my body and Doctor.

I also know my time will be limited with the needs of a new baby and i except that as a parent 🙂 But i also know that if im not to exhausted and baby is sleeping i should be able to fit in a 30 minute workout in the day some how!

But theres also MammaFit here in Roma for when Peanut gets a bit bigger i can always attend those classes! 😉 http://www.mammaf.it/location/romaeur

I was pretty fit before and im more than confident i will get back to my fitness level i had before getting pregnant. Its all just part of the journey! And the achievement of getting back into shape will be more rewarding then before when i just lost weight.

But this is all in the future and i really not sure what to expect but hey having some kinda plan is better than nothing! 😀

So tomorrow we are 31 weeks and Peanut is the size of a Pineapple from head to rump 🙂

She’s roughly about 15.2 to 16.7 inches long and weighs about 2.5 to 3.8 pounds this month. Peanut is going through major brain and nerve development now. Eye development, too, her irises now react to light! and all five of his senses are in working order.