I'm such a hoarder

Yes... Apart from being a shopping whore, a perfectionist wannabe and a neat freak, there's something else to add to the list --I'm a hoarder!

Was clearing our my kitchen cabinet n look at the amt of things I have to throw:

Apart from clearing the cabinet, had another gynae check up this morning. Second time this wk. the total wk's damage-- $540! Ouch! Dr Ho did another cervix dilation check. This time I'm mentally prepared n Dr Ho, probably sensing my anxiety, guided me to breathe n that certainly helped. However, I still felt violated! Anyhow, the verdict-- I'm not ripe yet! 2 more days to EDD n I'm thankful it's a long wkend thus the hub is here for me. For the past 39 weeks i've been waiting for this moment. The birth plan is written, bag is packed, and im sure that any minute now i will feel the first contraction. Gulp! And then... nothing. Not even a twinge. Everyone is anxiously anticipating lil watermelon's arrival. Even daddy dearest called me!! A rare gesture as daddy dearest is a man of few words. Maybe I need to gv lil watermelon a nudge though mil says the longer the smarter! The following methods are how one can stimulate labour:

Nipple stimulation
It is when you gently rub or roll your nipples to encourage the start of contractions. The idea is to stimulate the suckling of your baby. This releases oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions to start. Nipple stimulation could well work if you're ready for labour. The hormone oxytocin is released in your body when your breasts are stimulated.

Oxytocin helps your labour progress. It controls the contractions of your uterus (womb) during labour. Midwives sometimes use a synthetic type of oxytocin to induce labour. Oxytocin also stimulates the flow of breastmilk. So nipple stimulation can help labour start, but only if your cervix has already started to soften, thin and open ready for labour. In a study, 37 per cent women who had tried nipple stimulation went into labour within 72 hours compared to just six per cent of those who had not.

Nipple stimulation tricks your body into thinking you are suckling your baby. This means you'll need to gently massage the dark area around your nipple (areola), not just the tip of your nipple.
Place your palm over the areola and move in a circular motion, firmly and gently. You may need to continue doing this for some time. Stimulate your breasts for an hour, three times a day. Spend 15 minutes continually stimulating one breast, and then alternate to the other breast for 15 minutes until the hour is up.

If you're having a healthy pregnancy and you haven't had any complications then it's fine to try nipple stimulation. It won't over-stimulate your uterus, which could be dangerous for your baby.
Please don't try if u hv a high risk pregnancy.

Raspberry leaf
Raspberry leaf can be taken as a tea or in tablet form. It is thought it may stimulate your uterus and encourage labour. Raspberry leaf won't help to bring on your labour, but it may help it to progress well once it's started. It will work best if you start taking it when you're about 32 weeks pregnant, not before. That's because raspberry leaf can have a stimulating effect on your uterus (womb). If you start taking raspberry leaf at 32 weeks, it'll have plenty of time to build up in your system. I'm probably a little late but better late than never.

You can take raspberry leaf as a tea, or in tablet form. To help prepare the muscles of your uterus for labour, you could start with one cup of tea a day, gradually increasing to three cups.

One study has shown that raspberry leaf could speed up the second stage of labour and reduce the need for assisted birth.

Sex
Having sex can be tricky when you have a big bump. But it could trigger the release of oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions. Having an orgasm could also stimulate your uterus to get labour going. Id like to do this but the bump isn't exactly putting me in the mood.

Walking
The pressure of your baby's head pressing down on your cervix from the inside could stimulate the release of oxytocin, a hormone which causes contractions. Being upright also encourages your baby to move down onto your cervix. According to obstetrician baby is down n engaged, perhaps I'm too tense?

In anycase, I'm a believer of letting nature take its course so m trying to chill m enjoy the remaining days of couple hood though the hub is showing his excitement too by always telling me that the lil watermelon is knocking on the door. Ironically, last night after arriving Hm at 830pm, he wanted to join the boys for soccer at 9pm! That will lead to supper which in other words, he won't be back till midnight! Talk about enjoying couple hood! Grr. To redemn himself, he rushed Hm to whip up a top shell cream sauce spaghetti for us tonight. :) this was probably to reciprocate my efforts last night:

The poor thing did not have a proper dinner. Due to the lack of ingredients, I could only make do with a breakfast menu.

To keep my hands busy n mind off things, here's my other project of the day:

Ohhh n lastly, I got my fix of rum ball cake ($1 per tiny pc) and coconut tarts(70cents per tart) from my favorite stall: Donna Manis @ Katong Shopping Centre. A Quaint small confectionary. Fresh out of the oven! Heavenly: