Rowan

Bit of an abridged version...
Mine and Gareth's son (Rowan) was born three days late on Christmas Day, 06:52AM, and weighing 7.1lbs  It was a bit of an ordeal, as I was in labour for 36 hours during which time the baby turned into a back-to-back position (a notoriously painful and difficult position to give birth to), and his heart and breathing stopped. I had a spinal tap, episiotomy and forceps delivery.

 

There was a horrible few minutes after our baby was born when there was complete silence.  No baby crying, no staff talking, just silence whilst the medics worked on resuscitating him.  Eventually, we heard a weak mewing sort of cry, and our son was then rushed off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

 Disconcerting photo of Rowan attached to various 

equiptment.

Rowan was treated by being cooled to 34oC, and we were also fortunate to have him put on a trial for a treatment that reduces the spread of any potential damage.
I got to touch him a few hours after he was born, once the spinal tap was wearing off.  I was discharged the next day.

First contact

Rowan spent 4 days on NICU and he did amazingly well.  He 'passed' all the physiological tests, and recovered well when his ventilator and sedation was removed.  As we had to await one final MRI scan before we could take him home, I was admitted back onto the maternity ward with Rowan so I could feed him.  That was a long four days!  It was impossible to sleep, as if Rowan wasn't waking up for feeds then someone else's baby was, or someone was having obs etc. done.

Rowan has now been home for almost a week, and we are slowly adapting to life with a baby.  Although it is a bit of shock, no matter how prepared you think you will be!

 'Bump' photo.  41 weeks plus 5 days.

The pregnant woman's kitchen

The brands may be a little different from household to household, but I reckon you'll find variations of the following in every pregnant woman's kitchen.  For me Gaviscon is becoming synonymous with dessert.

Midwife appointment

I had a midwife appointment today and everything is going well.  I'm measuring spot on for my dates and Little Parasite's heartbeat is still very strong. It's also moved into a head-down position. Of course, knowing how much LP moves, I imagine it's back in breech now.  When the midwife palpitated my stomach to check the position, LP kicked her out of the way!  The midwife commented on how active the baby was (you could see lots of movement without having to place a hand anywhere to feel).  I hope LP isn't overdue, because at this rate I'm going to end up with internal bruising!
Gareth and I have our first antenatal class next week, so that should be interesting.  Although this one's about using car seats, so maybe not that interesting.

Pregnancy yoga is still great, and is really helping my back.  I sometimes do some of the stretches in the toilet cubicles at work when my back is particularly sore!  Mostly, I've enjoyed having a couple of hours each week to totally unwind and relax.
I've stopped running now as it was getting too uncomfortable.  Without an intense workout, I feel really unfit, especially since the heavy load that is my baby makes it feel like I've run a mile when I've only walked up some stairs. All perfectly normal, but I don't like it!

In other news, things are finally moving forward on the house front, although I am reticent about getting excited about an actual completion date - typical inter-solicitor bantering causing delays.

31 weeks pregnant

Single digit countdown! I now have 9 weeks till Little Parasite arrives.  The last few months have flown by at an alarming pace.
My midwife called me last week to let me know I have borderline low iron in my blood.  I've been taking iron tablets since then and my energy levels have been increasing.  I'm glad the tiredness is subsiding as I have so much to do with the house move!
For the last week I've been craving sugar.  I'm not sure that it's an actual pregnancy craving as such, but it's not just a case of fancying a biscuit either.  Gareth did a bit of research and found that craving sugar in the last trimester isn't uncommon.  The baby's brain is rapidly developing over this time, and glucose helps with neuronal growth.  It's as good an excuse as any to indulge in some Cadbury's Fruit and Nut!

My bump grew a lot between weeks 30 and 31, and I have finally had to stop wearing my regular t-shirts (which I have probably ruined through stretching now anyway).  My bump is just starting to feel cumbersome now, and bending down is getting annoying - there is a human in the way.
I've also had to change my driving position since I now get wedged in behind the wheel if I use my usual position.


Things I'm looking forward to in 9 weeks (apart from meeting Little Parasite!):
1.  Drinking coffee - now the smell doesn't make me feel ill, I really miss it!
2.  Exercise properly - I miss crunches!
3.  Cycling - though I doubt I'll be leaping on a bike the day after giving birth...
4.  Sleeping on my front - currently I flip from my side to my back like a landed mackerel
5.  Being able to see my dogs when I train presents:

This is my current view of Tangent when

training presents.

 And my view of Willow.  She tries to keep eye contact

when doing presents, and can't keep seem to resist

trying to peek over my bump at me.

I think my belly shots for the last couple of weeks show a definite growth spurt...

30 weeks pregnant.

31 weeks pregnant...

 31 weeks pregnant.

Where the Hell did that come from!

Anniversary and maternity cards

Below is the anniversary card I made for Gareth a couple of months ago.  I like the design, but unfortunately smudged silver ink all over it.  I really enjoy sewing on cards! I think it adds a nice texture and impact to the overall effect.

A simple design, but I like it!

 This is the 'you're leaving to have a baby' card (I'm guessing they're just called maternity cards) I made for my manager recently.  The cross stitch design looks simple, but it was surprisingly fiddly.  It was stitched on 32 count aida so I was a bit cross-eyed by the end.  It also has metallic thread which is notorious for tangling.

 You can't see it very well, but the gold

embellishment is a baby's bottle embossed 

on gold vellum.

 I'm not sure why my photos of cards keep coming out rubbish.  I think I need to explore my camera settings a bit more.  More examples of poorly photographed cards are below.  The first was a birthday card for my mother-in-law, and the second was for my neice's 3rd birthday.  Not that I'm trying to catch up on craft blogging in one post or anything.

 Another simple card. I think it works

ok, but I feel there is something 

missing.

A very girly card! I can't say I'm a   fan  of the

design,but it seemed perfect for a 3 year old girl.

I messed up the French knots used for the eyes too,

so the bear looks like she's stroking out.

Holiday!

This week was a rarity as both Gareth and I had the week off.  Due to the nature of Gareth's job, we don't often get time off together, so an entire week was brilliant!  It was Gareth's birthday too, and I was so glad that he was able to have the whole week off for it, since he works crazy hours and deserved the break.

 We visited my sister early in the week.  We don't see my sister's family nearly enough, so it was nice catching up with them.  Unfortunately, my brother-in-law was at work, and my nephew and one of my nieces were at school, so we only saw my sister and youngest niece.  I'm glad we were able to see them before LP was born, as I wanted to show off my bump to my sister!  However, LP (who is usually very active) was being boring and wasn't moving about very much, so my sister didn't get to feel the baby move.  I'm hoping we get to meet up again soon when LP isn't in such a contrary mood.  My sister also kindly lent me a lot of baby stuff.  With all the baby things around the house now, reality is definitely sinking in.

Mid-week we took the dogs to Weston-Super-Mare.  It's been about 3 years since we'd been to the beach, and Tangent in particular was very happy about the change of scene.  We were somewhat spoilt when we lived in Aberdeen, as our flat was just a 10 minute walk away from the beach.  Luckily, it was out of season so the dogs had free reign of the whole beach.  We strolled about for a couple of hours and shared a portion of fish and chips.  Gareth went off to explore the peer whilst I played with the dogs along the water edge, and promptly lost the frisbee to the sea as neither dogs were keen on wading beyond their knees to get it.  Wusses. 

 The peer

Gareth looking pensive.  Originally

Tangent was sat by his feet looking 

out to sea too, but he moved out of 

frame when I took the photo   

J'accuse!

 I didn't realise how much I missed 

the beach.  I took it for granted how

close we lived to one in Scotland

 

Willow waiting for the frisbee to be thrown. 

However, by this time said frisbee was slowly being

dragged out to sea

 

Tangent amongst an array of lugworm burrows

 

 

Gareth and I went to the Lido to round off the week.  We opted for a package that included lunch (with a glass of champagne for Gareth), full use of the facilities (outdoor heated pool, sauna and hot tub) and a spa treatment.  I currently can't use saunas and hot tubs as the excess heat isn't good for foetuses - essentially turning your body into a boil-in-the-bag baby unit.  Unfortunately I couldn't use the pool either as I have expanded out of my swimsuit beyond social decency.  It stretches around my bump, but I think people would object to the amount of side-boob action going on.  I wasn't about to pay out for a maternity swimsuit for the sake of one day either (my local pool is an hour away by two buses, so swimming isn't a realistic pregnancy exercise option either).  However, I thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing read by the pool whilst Gareth went for a swim etc.

Our spa treatments were completely opposing, with Gareth opting for a rigorous Hawaiian Lomi lomi, and me a pregnancy massage.  There was a bit of confusion at first as they initially had Gareth signed up for the pregnancy massage!

We also had several lazy days interspersed in our week, so all in all an excellent break!

28 weeks pregnant

I am now officially in the last trimester.   The second trimester went so fast it's scary!  I'm glad to be in the final 12 weeks. As much as I'm enjoying being pregnant I want to meet Little Parasite!  Although I'm not looking forward the weight gain I hear is common in the last few weeks.
I have a good sized bump now, which I occasionally forget about when trying to squeeze though gaps I clearly no longer fit through. I don't think my brain has caught up with the growth spurt yet!

My 28 week midwife appointment was earlier this week, and I had more blood taken to check iron levels etc.  The baby's heartbeat is very strong and regular (about 140 beats a minute) and the midwife seemed amused by how active he/she was.  Considering how busy Little Parasite generally is, I'm just hoping it doesn't have ADHD!
I need to get the 'flu and whooping cough jabs soon too.  I did try calling today but the line was busy and I didn't want to pay to listen to jazz music whilst I was on hold (I really don't like jazz).

Generally I'm still feeling ok.  Less frequent nausea; some heartburn; tiredness but other wise good.  I feel that I need to do more exercise than I'm currently doing, but I always think that anyway, even when I wasn't pregnant.  Gareth assures me I'm doing enough exercise, but I find it difficult knowing whether I'm being sensible or lazy.

And on to the bump photos...

26 weeks pregnant

Looks like I've swallowed a gym ball 

similarto the one in the background.

Probably mistaken for a giant pea .

28 weeks pregnant

Not a great photo to show off the bump;

it just makes me look fat!

Monthly update

I've realised it's been a month since my last post. I'm really going to have to either stop apologising for not updating, or just get better at posting regularly.

We have reached a point with the house buying where nothing seems to be happening, but there's a lot going on in the background (i.e. legal searches).  There was a bit of a delay as the vendors hadn't instructed their solicitors for three weeks.  There was a miscommunication between them from what I gather, but thankfully things are progressing.
It's looking more like we will move in early November, so a bit later than we'd have liked but still way before the baby arrives.

Pregnancy-wise everything is going well. I'm still getting bouts of nausea but it's a lot better than the early weeks.  The movements are very strong now, and at times it can be uncomfortable. I don't mind this since it means the baby is active and well.  I'm not saying I wouldn't appreciate it if it would stop bouncing around on my bladder though.  I'm getting to a stage where running is getting uncomfortable, so I think I will have to stop altogether soon - I'm finding it hard weaning off completely!  I feel really unfit at the moment, although I know that's pregnancy-related.  Walking up stairs leaves me feeling like I've sprinted a mile with no warm-up!  I walk for 1hr40mins a day, do yoga once a week and a pregnancy fitness DVD once a week, so I doubt I am actually as unfit as I feel just now.

The first trimester

I’m currently 15 weeks pregnant, so officially in the second trimester.

These last couple of months have been hard. I remember people telling me how tired being pregnant can make you, but until you’re actually pregnant I don’t think you can really comprehend just how exhausted you feel all the time. Add to this a constant feeling of nausea that stays with you all day and evening, and you the whole miracle of growing a baby inside you is a little overshadowed by just how miserable you feel.

I even reached the point at 10 weeks when I stopped running (and exercising altogether). Walking to and from work was exhausting enough. I did feel bad about this, since I was always adamant that I was never to be one of those pregnant women who just sit on their arses. However, my body was giving pretty strong signals that an afternoon nap was about as exciting as my social life was going to get! Fortunately, the tiredness (and sickness) seem to be lifting, and I’ve managed to get back to dog club and start pregnancy yoga recently. Although I have decided to forego running altogether until I’ve had the baby. Apparently your tendons turn to elastic (due to a hormone called relaxin) when you’re pregnant, and as I’ve only recently recovered from tendonitis I think it’s sensible if I keep to low-impact exercise. A hard decision, since I love running!

Luckily I haven’t actually been physically sick, but I often wished I was just in case it would make me feel better! Rushing to the toilet just to stand over it feeling like you’re going to hurl, but nothing coming up can be frustrating. Having said that, I am completely rubbish at being unwell anyway, and very impatient when I am ill, so maybe I’m just being a wuss. I did find it reassuring feeling nauseous though. In my mind it meant the baby was doing ok!


A brief summary of my thoughts during the first trimester:

1. I’ve forgotten what having energy feels like
2. Feeling sick all the time is both exhausting and boring
3. I miss pooping
4. My boobs look awesome!
5. Is there really a baby in there?

Below I’ve included some belly shots to show my slowing growing bump.  I've tried to wear the same jeans (while they still fit!) to give some kind of reference point.

 5 weeks pregnant.

I included this shot so I could look back

and remember what it was like to once

have a waist!

8 weeks pregnant.

Goodbye abdominal muscles!  It's been

fun beasting you with crunches.  See you
in a few months for more beasting!

10 weeks pregnant.

The stirrings of a bump.

Although at this point it looks more

like I ate too much cake.
I'm not sure why I'm grabbing my
own boob.

15 weeks pregnant.

Definitely starting to look more like

a baby bump!  I'm starting to show

through some of my t-shirts now too.

The reveal...

You might remember that I mentioned a pretty cool project I was working on a while ago.  Well, I can now allow a sneak preview of this work in progress.

It still needs a bit of work; its head a bit too Roswell Incident currently.

A work in progress.

We spent an hour at the Ultrasound Department today whilst the staff struggled to get a decent image for their measurements.  It turns out our little Parasite is a wiggler, and would not keep still!  Between that and an overfull bladder (boy was I aware of its fullness!) it made the sonographer's job pretty difficult.  After a couple of trips to the loo to empty my bladder a bit, and a call to the radiographer for help, the baby had finally settled down.  Unfortunately, in completely the wrong position.

The radiographer then suggested I bounce my bum off the table a few times to wake it up (the baby, not my bum).  It slept through that, and I had to then roll on my side and wiggle my pelvis until it woke up.  Eventually, after being allowed to completely empty my bladder, they got an image they were happy with!

Although this was probably very annoying for the staff, Gareth and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to spend an hour watching our baby wave, flail about and generally having a whale of time not doing as it was told (something I hope it gets out of its system before it's born).

I'm 12 weeks 2 days, which is exactly how far along I thought I was, and Little Parasite is due 22 December 2012.  Which is only 6 months away... there suddenly seems an awful lot to do before then.