All Change

This blog can now be found here.

Big day!

Today was a big day; I got dressed! Well, it's not like I've been walking around the house naked or anything, but I put on clothes, rather than just wearing my pyjamas for the day.

I also went outside. (Actually, I went outside yesterday too. J's Dad took me to our house to pick upsome clothes. I don't really want to admit to this venture since I did it in old jogging bottoms and a pyjama top.) Today I went for a walk - with baby.

I put on a jacket and a hat on her and tucked her up in her pram; put on a big fleece on me and went for a walk. I walked for 30 minutes, but not sure I got very far. I'm walking alot slower than I used to, but it's a good start. Norah didn't even notice she'd left the house and is still sound asleep as I write this (hence I'm able to write this).

Not alot else going on in the land of Mummy and baby. We eat and sleep, and eat and sleep. On Monday we have to go to the doctor for her 2 week check - that will be exciting.

Positive Birth Stories

As most of you will be aware I had my baby last Sunday, 24th February 2008. A little girl, Norah Mary. She is wonderful, and we are now both at home and doing well.

During my antenatal classes the teacher was very keen that we should be spreading positive birth stories. Western culture has given women a built-in fear of birth which does not exist in other parts of the world. She feels that by spreading our positive birth stories, rather than the horror stories that are so often told, we can overcome this fear and teach women to enjoy the experience of childbirth.

To this end I want to tell Norah's birth story but I have to give advance warning - many people may read this as a horror story. For me, because we had a happy ending and achieved the ultimate goal - a happy, healthy baby and Mum - I can only see positives. I also need to warn that it is long. What follows is a memory dump of my day, last Sunday.

I have gallstones and due to flare-ups of horrible pain, I was admitted to the maternity hospital for observation from Thursday. Each time the pain would flare up, I would need Pethidine and as a result they needed to keep me overnight to monitor the baby. On Sunday morning, I met a surgeon who was very positive in that, he agreed that the gallstones need to come and that he would be the man for the job, but none of that could happen until baby was born (due in 4.5 weeks from that day). I was told to stick to a strict NO FAT diet, continue to take the medication that had been prescribed and call him when baby was out for an appointment. I was about to be discharged.

As I had been fasting for an ultrasound scan of the gallbladder, which was now cancelled, they brought me tea and toast, so I wouldn't have a weakness :-) I ate the toast with no butter, just marmalade and within 30 minutes was doubled over in screaming agony (again)! Pethidine was administered and 30 minutes later the nice midwife came in to begin the trace of baby.

She couldn't find the heartbeat and I didn't worry cos as baby moves so does the heartbeat. It took a few minutes than longer but eventually there was baby's heartbeat. However, the heartbeat kept disappearing and going low! She called another midwife, who thought that for safety's sake they should call the doctors.

The doctors arrived and didn't like what they were hearing from the trace machine; Internal examintation, not dilated, no explanation to be had:
'Okay, Hilary,' said the nice blonde doctor, 'we're moving you downstairs to the labour ward, we need to break your waters and see what's going on in there.'
With that, me and my bed were gone from the room and I started to panic a little. I tried to console myself that it was all ok, and this was just a precaution. I didn't have the opportunity to ask any questions and I didn't want to seem like a silly billy.

In the labour ward my waters were broken; the heartbeat didn't improve and they were worried about leaving baby there. So, they started to prepare for an emergency ceasarean section. I was whisked into another room, given a spinal block and all this time ten different people came to explain things to me and ask different questions about allergies, or what could I feel here. To say at this point that panic had overtaken me bodily would be a gross understatement. I lay there silently hoping everything would be ok, but really not sure what was happening at all.
The aneasthetist was being helpful telling me what was going on:
'They're just making the incision now', she said
'Thanks', I said, 'you don't need to tell me everything', and I smiled weakly.

In a short few minutes someone said:
'you have a baby... girl!', and I heard a cry. I breathed a sigh of relief and they held up this little blue, mucky person above the screen so I could see her. Another few minutes and I was being wheeled back out of the room.

I was still in shock as all this happened so fast, but all I knew was that my baby was alive and healthy and I was a Mummy. Ten minutes later Jamie was wheeled into the room and our little family was together for the first time.

I forgot to say: The reason for the distress to Norah was a true knot in the umbilical cord and she had managed to get herself wrapped up in it. Afterwards the doctors tested the blood in the cord and said that Norah was not deprived of oxygen for long enough to cause any concern. Phew!

Not Long Now...

Today I'm 30 weeks pregnant. This means that in 10 weeks I may have my baby! (I say 'may' cos my Mum went overdue with me and all my brothers, so I expect the same to happen to me so it might still be 12 weeks before we get to see Beanie in the flesh.)

The picture on the left is how I look now. I feel huge and awkward; I'm finding it hard to get up out of chairs. I walk slower; Jamie is often a few feet ahead of me before he realises I'm not there and I waddle a bit. It's all a sign that things are progressing.

Right now, our baby weighs about 2.5 pounds. Average birth weight for babies is 6 - 8 pounds or so. This means that our baby has to more than double in weight in the next 10 weeks. This puts the picture of my bump into perspective; I have ALOT of growing to do!

This also explains the constant tiredness - I've been feeling like a right lazy lump for the last week but now I think I'm going to start taking afternoon naps :-)