Week 37

I took this photo last weekend, as we spent much of it in the garden as it was so beautiful. Unfortunately this week, the clear blue skies have vanished and replaced by grey clouds again.

At least I don't feel like I'm wasting too much time, going back and forth between two local hospitals, as there's less inclination to want to go out when it's cold and wet, than when it's warm and sunny. So whilst my never ending trips to the hospital have been a real pain, there's not been too much else I can do in the meantime. Especially as I'm starting to get very tired now.

Am I ready for baby number two?....no not quite yet.

Today was another long session at the hospital. A growth scan, Doppler and fluid volume measurement, followed by seeing the midwives and finally my consultant obstetrician.

So what's news? Well, just as I suspected...I have no gestational diabetes. Baby seems fine, and fluid volumes are OK for this stage of pregnancy and baby is still big. We're talking 3.7kg already! So we've agreed on a c-section, as we can't risk another stuck baby, especially as this one is likely be be much bigger than Oliver (4.2kg at 42 weeks).

So unless I go into labour before ....I'll be having a c-section just after Easter on the 15th April. At least this gives me enough time to prepare myself for an Op (never had anything more than a few stitches before), and get some rest before we three become four.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend...and thank you for your prayers.
x

Mothers Day

Despite initially being woken at 6am, I was allowed a lie-in on Mother's Day.

I was then treated to breakfast in bed.

What a treat!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Good things come to those that wait....

...actually I could probably have a small one of these. Full of iron!

Happy St Patricks Day!

35 weeks

...which means Easter is only 4 weeks away, and it's 5 weeks until our 10th Wedding Anniversary plus the due date of baby number two.

However, I went for an ultrasound scan yesterday. It had been booked in for two reasons, (1) a low lying placenta visible at my 20 week scan, and (2) to check how big the baby is.


I was kinda hoping that any kind of decision making about the delivery would be taken out of my hands, but it didn't really go like that. Great that the placenta had moved out of the way, but then I hear that all of baby's measurements are off the scale! She's 7lb already and gaining 0.5lb a week for the next 5 weeks or so...therefore we're looking at another big baby. Probably even bigger than Oliver, who was 9lb 4oz (4.2kg) at 42 weeks. I had said up front that if the baby was going to be over 9lb, that I would seriously have to consider an elective c-section. Oliver got stuck you see.

The other concerns on the scan were that there's not enough fluid in my womb and also the possibility that I'm developing/have developed gestational diabetes. Not convinced on the latter one myself, as I've had no visible symptoms of diabetes.

But anyway, I now have to have twice weekly fetal monitoring to check that the baby can handle the reduced fluid volume, weekly ultrasounds to check size, and a glucose tolerance test to rule out (I hope) diabetes.


So looks like I'll be having a c-section this time, which considering the traumatic birth that Oliver suffered, is probably the right answer, despite my fear of surgery and staying in hospital (picked up a super bug last time!).

I'll keep you "posted"!

P.S. Had to show you these beautiful orchids that I have scattered around the house. I've been a bit orchid free over the past year or so, as I was experimenting with strains other than Phalaenopsis, which are really easy to keep flowering for a few years. My love of orchids grew on a holiday in Thailand in 2001. Anyway my local supermarket, whose marketing slogan is "try something new today", was selling these at 2 for £10, which was a real bargain. I bought two. Told Mum of the offer and when I went back to get her two, I bought another 2 for myself.

Nesting

This week I am starting to disappear behind the biggest pile of ironing I've ever seen. I thought it was about time I started to get things in order for our new arrival, as before I know it he/she'll be here.

Every time Oliver out grew something, it just went straight up into the loft/attic. I hadn't realised how much "stuff" there was until we started to bring it all down again. Everything has been sorted into keep or discard, then into all the different age ranges...up to 18 months. Funny that Oliver is in a mishmash of clothes ranging from 18 months to 3 years at the moment. Will clothing stores ever sort their sizing out?

But this nesting urge feels very strange. I don't really remember it when I was pregnant with Oliver. I know that I had lots of things to buy and a room to decorate, but this time I can feel it in the tips of my fingers....this needs cleaning, that needs cleaning. I must de-clutter! I wonder if it's because it is Spring? When I finished work with Oliver, it was the beginning of a July heatwave....remember 2006? Literally the day the heat arrived so did the biggest ankles I have ever seen. I swear they were as thick as my knees...what a sight. So most of my final days were sitting in front of Wimbledon on TV (funny that day one of Wimbledon was wet....and I was actually there on center court watching Federer...for all of 30 minutes)....with a fan on....the patio doors open, and a very large bucket of cold water and a chair in the shade of the patio, so that I could waddle out from time to time and soothe my monster legs. Oh the joys of late pregnancy.

But this time I'm enjoying the coolness of approaching Spring....and I'm still able to wear my wedding and eternity ring. And I still have ankles!! Hooray!

Spring is here...

...and I think I'm slowly emerging from my state of hibernation.

October to March has gone so quickly, and now I don't have to think about work, until next year! Next year? That's 2010...Yippee!

I never imagined I'd be so pleased to finish work. With Oliver I worked until 38 weeks, and wondered how I'd fill my time with 6 months off work. This time I'm trying to work out how long I can stay off work, and have finished at 34 weeks. I realise now how tired I've been, actually let me rephrase that, how utterly exhausted I've been. Not so much because of the pregnancy, as that has been pretty smooth (excluding the 18 weeks of constant nausea), but things that have happened. I'll say up front that I'm OK now, so too is baby, but I managed to have a nasty fall at work before Christmas. Thankfully no broken bones, but bruising can hurt just as much, if not more...especially when it's your left arm and hip/leg, which is exactly the side you're told to sleep on when you start getting bigger in pregnancy. So no sleep since before Christmas. No wonder some days I can hardly string a sentence together...so now I'm on catch up. Though I have so much to do before Easter in preparation for our new arrival. For now "nesting" will have to wait. I'm off for a nap...though hopefully my emergency plumber will arrive soon...we lost our hot water and heating last night, and it's freezing! I look quite a sight, sat here at my computer with hat, scarf, extra fleeces on.

Happy Spring...Back again soon!