Wow… but Ow!

I have had a wonderful day and the most fantastic evening, but so tired and sore now. That is all.

27 weeks

I am so close to the home stretch now that I can almost taste it. 13 weeks to go!

This week has been pretty non-eventful. Baby was extremely lively from Monday to Wednesday and then quietened back down yesterday. Today she has been very quiet, at first I was a bit worried, and then I realised that the pressure I have been feeling in my lower abdomen is actually her pushing (I don’t know if it is her bottom or her feet but she sure is pushing hard!) so there is movement even if it is not actual kicks.

I think I have grown again as well. When I measured my waist this week (as I do every week) it is up 4 cm from last week. That is actually quite a lot. Also this week a lot of people have stopped me to ask when I am due, when I say that I have 13 weeks left, they are amazed, apparently I look like I am due any day… LOL, I wish!

On the downside of things, I just received a letter from the hospital stating that I failed my latest Post Prandial Blood Glucose Screening. I am now booked in to have the 3 hour Glucose Tolerance Test next Thursday morning. Guess we will wait and see what that holds. By all accounts it is not that bad, and at least it gets me out of work for half a day!

How far along: 27 weeks

Total weight gain/loss so far:+2lb – pregnancy total now is + 14lb.

Maternity Clothes: Totally. I bought a couple more tops this week, but even thought they are maternity tops, they are a little short already.

Symptoms: Movement; Back, hip and Pelvic Pain (SPD?); Fatigue; Braxton Hicks

Sleep: Still OK, but normally with 2-3 bathroom breaks

Movement: Yep, strong enough to see and feel from the outside, but not all that regular.

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

What I miss: A decent nights sleep and being able to walk without waddling like a duck!

What I am looking forward to: 28 weeks and 3rd Trimester! 1 week to go!

Milestones: 27 weeks is the ‘good’ infant survival rate. If baby was born today, there is an 85% chance that she would survive, with a 40% chance of serious medical complications. Wow! 85%, that is pretty good odds indeed. Regardless though, hang in there little one, at least for 10 more weeks!

Work in Progress

So far our nursery is very much a work in progress.  We have cleared out the the double bed and drawers that were in there previously, and what we have now is almost a blank canvas (apart from the ever growing pile of baby gear in the middle of the floor which badly needs sorting!).

We have decided to go with a Winnie the Pooh theme.  It is beautiful and classical, suitable for a boy or a girl and has long been a firm favourite of mine!  Unfortunately I am not much in the way of a decorator, so until my mother in law comes to visit in March, we are pretty much at a standstill.  Until then however, I can share some of what we have already.

The cot – from the Takeley range at Mothercare.  This is not the cot I would have chosen.  It is a cot and not a cot bed.  Also it is rather plain… however it is perfectly functional, and more to the point we managed to get it for a bargain price from an ex-colleague.

Change table – from the Ashton range at Mothercare.  Again not exactly what I would have chosen, but was a bargain from the same person we got the cot from.  I decided to compromise on these items (and saved around £500, so that I can splurge elsewhere if I need to!).

The bedding – Winnie the Pooh range from Mothercare.  I don’t yet have this, but it is what I am going to get as soon as I can.  Bedding was giving me a headache.  I had this vision in my head of how I wanted the nursery to look, but was compromising on so much that I was really afraid that I would not be able to achieve my vision.  I tried finding cheaper bedding, stalking eBay until I was getting so frustrated that cot bedding even haunted my dreams.  Eventually I gave up.  I felt like I was going mad that something as stupid as bedding was driving me to tears!  I told J what I wanted, and simple as that he said fine… so we are going with the above.  I looooove it.  It just makes me sad that it is so expensive!  All I now have to source is some cream curtains, I already have some nice tiebacks, and then we will have the Winnie the Pooh nursery that I want.

The pushchair – Maxi Cosi Loola by Bebe Confort.  I really like our pushchair.  We actually chose this one as it fits the car seat that we bought from a colleague a while back, however it is perfect for our needs.  It is suitable from birth to 4 years old.  Is fully reclining.  Both parent and forward facing.  The wheels can swivel or lock straight.  Folds up pretty small and was actually pretty cheap (we waited till a good price came up and then snapped it up with almost 60% off!)

So thats some of our big purchases to date!

An award…

I was extremely touched today to be given my first ever blog award.  Summastarlet has given me a Versatile Blogger award:

This award asks me to:

• Share 7 random things about myself
• Pass on the award to 15 recently discovered great bloggers

So here goes:

1. I am a bit of a geek.  I blame it on J really.  He has always been a gamer and so naturally it followed that if I wanted to spend time with him then I would have to become a gamer too.  Our game of choice?  World of Warcraft.  We have been playing since it was first launched about 6 years ago, and the number of hours that I have sunk into that game make me blush!
2. I love to read.  Always have and I am sure always will.  My reading matter of choice is normally urban fantasy or paranormal romance.  If it has vampires, werewolves, witches or anything similar in then I am sure that I will have read it!  I also like crime, medical thrillers and forensic fiction.  If anyone wants any recommendations, I am always happy to share!
3. I am an animal lover.  I only have 2 cats currently, but if J would let me I would have a houseful of other pets.  I was a vegetarian for 11 years because I couldn’t bear the thought of animals being killed just so that I could eat.  At school I had aspirations of being a vet, but decided that I could not deal with having to treat all animals (see below).
4. I have a phobia of snakes.  I can’t stand them.  I can’t even watch them on TV.  They make me feel sick to the stomach just to look at them.  A friend used to have a ‘pet’ snake in a tank at her house and I would refuse to enter the room that it was in…  I am shuddering just thinking about them!
5. I also do not like spiders at all.
6. I have an ambition to one day have a book published.  I don’t think this is likely to happen as I lack the imagination.  Every time I start a story I write a fantastic opening prologue/chapter… and then that is it, I can’t get any further. 
7. I like to knit.  I am not the most proficient knitter, but I have managed to turn out a few passable items of baby clothing.  I really ought to try and knit more know I have my own little one to clothe, but it is extremely difficult to knit when you have 2 kittens who like nothing better than to eat your yarn!

So that is it, a few little snippets about me.  I actually found it surprisingly difficult to come up with 7 reasonable interesting facts

Now to tag some others.  I don’t think I can tag 15, and most of them I have been reading for a long time, but here goes:

• Janae at at home with Genevieve 
• Samantha at And Baby Makes 3!
• Jess at Here Comes the Sun
• GS at The (Baby) Elephant in the Bedroom
• Nani at Paranoid and Pregnant
• Hope at Leave it to the Beavers
• Kelly at Little Looman Log
• Alison at A Baby I Pray
• Carolyn at Everything is Ducky
• Ashley at A Ruby Family

Each of these blogs I have found inspirational in some way.  Summa, if I could tag you back you would be there too…

26 weeks

I can’t believe that so much has happened this week… Monday feels so long ago! This week has mainly been a week of hospital visits. Thankfully all planned and no emergency trips. The visits have actually been very productive and hopefully will help to make the rest of my pregnancy easier than it has been.

On Monday I had my physio appointment. The physio was very nice, she looked at my back, pelvis and hips and said that whilst nothing is out of line, they are obviously struggling to deal with the demands of pregnancy. Whether or not it is actually SPD she could not say for sure, however the treatment is pretty much the same. She has given me a support belt to wear which goes across my lower back and under my bump. I wear this pretty much all day, but especially for walking and standing. I have really found that the extra support helps especially as I seem to have had yet another growth spurt this week. She has also given me some exercises to strengthen my back muscles, and advised that I do not over stress my back. On her orders I am not allowed to do the ironing or vacuuming much to J’s chagrin! I do not have another appointment to visit her but if it gets worse/doesn’t improve then I am to go back to see her for some hydrotherapy… and if it really worsens crutches Fingers crossed that it doesn’t get that bad. Over the course of the week it has been OK. I only had one really bad evening where my pelvis felt like it was going to snap in two. I couldn’t even stand without intense pain, but thankfully a couple of paracetamol and rest helped.

On Wednesday I had a liver ultrasound to check my gallbladder. It was first thing in the morning which I was ever so grateful about as I was not allowed to eat before it, and I had to have a full bladder… not easy to hold when you are 26 weeks pregnant! The guy who scanned me was very nice and friendly and confirmed that I do indeed have gallstones. I am not sure how this will be managed. I am now awaiting an appointment with the obstetrician to discuss the ultrasound findings. (Incidentally when he was scanning me, the guy had a quick peep at Little Bean (she did not like the ultrasound wand and kept trying to kick it away) and I tried to get him to confirm that she is definitely a little girl but unfortunately he didn’t oblige… oh well, guess I will have to wait until she is born!)

My last hospital visit was on Saturday morning for the 2nd of my Diabetes Screening tests. Hopefully this one will also come up below 6 mmols and I will not have to have the Glucose Tolerance Test!

So that was my week… Apart from the bits that I have mentioned, I am generally pretty uncomfortable. My skin across my belly and around my belly button feels really tight and stretched. I still have quite a lot of cramping and this week the Braxton Hicks have really upped in strength, some of them are starting to get painful. I worry a lot about Little Bean and whether or not she is OK. Her movements are fairly strong now, but not regular. There is not really a pattern that they follow either. This means that I can go for some time with no kicks/flutters/movements at all which always panics me. I am hoping that over the next few weeks they get more regular so I can predict them more and that will help me to be less anxious.

How far along: 26 weeks + 2 days

Total weight gain/loss so far:+1lb – pregnancy total now is + 12lb.

Maternity Clothes: Yep, I am really struggling to find clothes that fit these days. Everything is too short!

Symptoms: Movement; Back, hip and Pelvic Pain (SPD?); Fatigue; Braxton Hicks

Sleep: Still OK, but normally with 2-3 bathroom breaks

Movement: Yep, strong enough to see and feel from the outside, but not all that regular.

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

What I miss: Clothes that fit!

What I am looking forward to: 28 weeks and 3rd Trimester! Not long

Milestones: I am in double figures as of last Thursday Only 96 days to go!

Sadness…

I read a lot of blogs, mainly about infertility and pregnancy… people who I can relate to.

One of the blogs I read is by Summastarlet.  She is a really sweet girl who has a gift for making you feel everything that she writes about.  It has been amazing reading her story as she has travelled through a long TTC journey, through IVF and subsequently finally getting her BFP.  Her joy was catching.

Over the weekend it all went wrong… her little miracle has slipped away.  Her grief is so apparent in her posts that every time I read them it takes my breath away and tears well up.   It is amazing how you can feel so much for someone that you never met.  I just want to hug her and tell her that everything will be OK… of course it won’t… not for a while…

Life can be so damn cruel.  How can someone who wants a baby so much, who has everything to give, have it snatched away from her?  In my line of work I see so many cases of people who have children who really should not.  Who can fall pregnant just by dropping their trousers yet don’t care.  The babies are born and abused and live a life in care.  It’s just so unfair.  It makes me so angry, yet also so terribly sad.

25 weeks

How far along: 25 weeks + 1 days

Total weight gain/loss so far:+1lb – pregnancy total now is + 11lb.

Maternity Clothes: All the way. The last couple of weeks my belly has really taken over!

Symptoms: Movement; Back, hip and Pelvic Pain (SPD?); Fatigue; Braxton Hicks

Sleep: Still OK, but normally with 2-3 bathroom breaks

Movement: Wow thisweek, movement has seriously increased. Not only that, but from last Monday her kicks have been strong enough that we can feel them from the outside!

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

What I miss: Being able to walk long distances! I am seeing the Physiotherapist on Monday evening so hopefully she will offer some suggestions on how to help.

What I am looking forward to: 28 weeks and 3rd Trimester!

Milestones: Feeling Little Bean kick from the outside, even J has got to feel her (although to be honest I was a little disappointed that he has not been keener to…)

24 week Midwife appointment

I have just got back from my 24 week midwife appointment, and everything went wonderfully!

First of all, whilst I was waiting to see the midwife, the health visitor came and introduced herself to me.  She explained her role and the screening tests that she will perform on baby.  It was very informative and she had some very useful information.

After I finished with her, I went in to see the midwife.  She ran through the normal tests, blood pressure (122/78), pee dipstick (all clear), my blood results from the diabetes screening (5.2 mmols – normal) and then on to baby’s heartbeat.  Whilst lying on the couch, I asked her to show me exactly where my uterus is currently (as I thought just above my belly button, which she says is totally normal) and then she got the doppler out.  She had barely placed it on my tummy when baby woke up.  It took the midwife a good few minutes to find the heartbeat as baby was kicking so much!  The midwife even felt a couple of good strong kicks.  When she eventually found it the heartbeat was good and strong though! (140 bpm).   Next appointment she will start fundal height measurements, although she did comment today that she does not think I will have a problem, as my bump is already growing nicely!  I commented that I am going to be huge and she agreed!

The not so good part… I have been having a lot of pain in my back, hips and pelvis which is getting a lot worse, especially when I am walking.  The midwife thinks it is very likely that I have SPD and has referred me for physio.  Hopefully I will see them next week and can get some exercises or some advice on how to deal with the pain etc.  Anyway at least I am getting some help now!

24 weeks and Viability!

How far along: 24 weeks + 2 days

Total weight gain/loss so far: +3lb – pregnancy total now is + 10lb. ( I have no idea what has happened this week!)

Maternity Clothes: Definitely. I was really happy to get some good maternity bargains – I bought a dress, a top and some trousers for £19 in a sale and then came home and ordered 2 new tops from an online retailer and got a £5 discount. Good thing as I am seriously poor this month and rapidly running out of
clothes!

Symptoms: Movement. Back ache. Hip pain. Braxton Hicks. Sleep disturbance.

Food Aversions/Cravings: None. I might as well take this one out from next week. It seems that
Little Bean is a good eater already! (Although she does seemto have her father’s tastebuds i.e. sweet stuff is most definitely on the menu!)

Sleep: Not too bad this week as long as I use my pillow.

Movement: She tends to have a lot of quiet periods. I am going to ask my midwife on Tuesday how often I should be feeling kicks, because I am concerned that I am not having enough.

Stretch Marks: No new ones.

What I miss: My brain?! I have seriously bad pregnancy brain!

What I am looking forward to: 28 weeks and 3rd Trimester!

Milestones: We made it to 24 weeks, which means that if she was born now she would have a 60% chance of surviving. Not only that but doctors would have to make an effort to keep her going! (I seem to be extremely paranoid about going into labour early – it seems that all I hear/read these days is about someone having their baby early. Stick in there Little Bean!).

First trip to Triage (and hopefully last!)

What an eventful day!  I had a really bad nights sleep last night.  I couldn’t get comfortable, and when I did I get to sleep I kept waking up with a sharp pain.  I finally got up when my alarm went off at 6:30 am and didn’t feel right.  After I got up the pain that I was having (right upper abdomen) starting coming more frequently.  It was a stabbing pain which made me hold my breath each time it came.  By 9.20 am I was at work, and it was coming every 5-10 minutes so I decided to call my midwife.  I found out that my midwife is on holiday till Tuesday, so I rung the midwife’s community office, explained what was happening, and they put me through to Triage.  The midwife I spoke to in Triage told me to go straight in.

By the time J had collected me from work, we had stopped at home for my maternity notes, and got to Triage, it was 11:00 am.  The pains were still coming regularly.   We were shown to the Triage waiting room, where we waited for 90 minutes.  Finally we were shown through to a room.  The midwife on duty took my blood pressure (122/78), tested my pee (all normal) and listened to the baby’s heartbeat (strong and clear).  I was then seen by an Obstetrician.  She felt my tummy, took a blood sample, and stated that she thought that the pains are not pregnancy related at all, but that it might possibly be gallstones.  We then had to wait another 2 hours for a surgeon to come and see me.

Apparently it was an exceptionally busy day in Labour and Delivery today.  The beds normally used by Triage were already in use housing 4 mothers who had just delivered as the maternity ward was over full, therefore we spent most of our waiting back in the waiting room.  Eventually the Obstetrician came back to see me and said that the surgeon would be another hour, I could either wait for him, or I could go home, rest up, drink plenty of fluids and they would see me in outpatients to scan my liver.   Of course I chose to come home!

For the most part the pains have settled, I am still getting the occasional one, but nowhere near the frequency that I was having before.  SO that was it… my whole day, almost, at the hospital.  Not exactly fun, although on the upside I got to see what the rooms look like so I have an idea of where I will be spending my labour!