Life is a daze. Definite lack of energy, to switch on computer, to do, well, anything at all. There are about 10 stories I'd like to blog about but sorry folks, can't be bothered right now. Or rather, I can be bothered but not enough to write them.

Mustn't grumble, I'm actually reasonably well. I wouldn't repeat the proposition of working full time up to two weeks before my due date, it's hard going. Not so much because of work but because there are so many other things needing done: hospital bags to pack, antenatal appointments, parentcraft classes, meeting people, all these phone calls from people who take a genuine interest in how I'm doing, one last trip to cinema, gig, restaurant.

There is a lovely tradition of passing on essential baby things. It's quite amazing, and really great. One friend gave us his son's cot (not without his six year old making sure that he could have it back should he have children in the future), moses basket from another friend, maternity clothes from a third, baby clothes from three different people, TENS machine from 2 people even - though one was broken so just as well.... plus lots of odds and ends and exciting stuff to try out and pamper the ever expanding mum to be.

I'm back to sleeping well at night surprisingly, but the days are a struggle, particularly in the evening. As my body shrinks due to the laws of gravity, cubling has less room and understandably starts trying to make more of it. This is now painful plus means that any appetite is duly squashed by a pair of strong cubling feet. She's positioned perfectly (a phrase from hypnobirthing) not for an easy comfortable birth, but for effective kicks into my stomach.

I can get interesting shapes into my legs and feet by positioning sock rims onto them for five minutes or so. It looks quite funny. Apparently the swelling can be tackled by positioning the legs above the heart. So does that mean I need to do headstands? And where will cubling go then?

Hypnobirthing breathing techniques want me to breathe in and out veeerrryyy slowly indeed, which apparently will make contractions, sorry, surges, feel like mere pressure. The aim is to breathe in for 20 seconds and breathe out for the same length of time. Right. The current pregnancy induced state of my diaphragm allows for a count of 10 breathing in, by the time I reach 5 breathing out I feel like I'm going to choke, and this is without actually having any contractions.

What really bugs me is that my state of fitness has reached unknown territories. I can manage to walk 10 minutes, slowly, then my pelvic bone and lower back spasm up and that's that. All the plans of keeping active, going for walks and generally keeping fit out of the window.

However: All the really important stuff is just fine, and I'm simply amazed that inside of me, there is an almost ready baked little baby, and that I've grown this all by myself, without instructions, flatpacks and customer serivce advisers. Just like that, really quite easy, an almost human being at this stage. No real heath issues, none of the scary stuff that I was sure was in store for me. It's a blessing really.