One piece of advice that was given to me, quite sometime ago now, about becoming a parent was to listen to all advice that people offered and be ready to dismiss about 95% of it as useless.
I have found that even though this is not the first time around for us we are still getting advice hurled at us left right and centre! Are people looking at Peanut and thinking that we stuffed up so badly with him that we need to be set straight?
One thing i have found SOOOOOOO much easier time around is feeding, when Peanut was born i had no idea what to do are how to do it that it took us a few days to figure out how to feed and then a couple more to get into a really good rhythm. This time around, i did learn from my previous experience, Bean and i got into a good feeding rhythm right away. She fed like a trooper and i felt like a feeding pro.
When we got home from the hospital we had a couple of visits from the hospital midwives (this is normal...) and of course they had to have a look around Beans room to make sure it is "babyh safe" as well as check that i am feeding confidently. The look around the room went well - it had babsicaly just had Peanut moved out, the sheets changed from blue to pink and the clothes in the drawers changed from nearly 3 y/o boys to newborn girls.
But when it came time to checking my feeding technique, though i felt i displayed confidence in holding Bean and she fed no problems, the midwife had a suggestion of rolling a cloth nappy and placing it between her and my body - to get us into a better position, a more comfortable position for Bean. I took this advice and practiced it with every feed.
The next midwife visit and again the baby room and feeding technique had to be checked, and again there were no problems found with Bean's room. I should also point out at the time the midwives were visiting Bean was yet to move into her room - she was still sleeping the bassinette in our room, but anyway...
So the midwife then asked to see me feed Bean and asked by i was placing a rolled up nappy between us. I told her that it was a suggestion from the previous midwife, and she agreed that it was a good trick... She then made a suggestion of her own, to change the way that I lay Bean down next to me. I took this advice and practiced it with every feed.
Bean and i went then went through a few weeks of awkward, uncomfortable feeding. At first i blamed this on one "side" producing differently than the other and that Bean had a tendency to want to turn her head one way rather than the other.
M34tb4LL then pointed out that prior to adapting the midwives suggestion on how to improve my feeding postion Bean and i had no feeding problem, so i stopped using their advice and low and behold - Bean went back to feeding better and for longer, meaning longer between feeds and a happier Bean all round really!
So here is the question that has been left behind from this experience - if a person is doing a task very well and not experiencing any problems when they are being visited by a professional, does the professional feel that they still have to provide information on how to improve the task being preformed? Or in other words, did the midwives not like that fact that i did not need their help and gave it anyway?
I have not very few complaints about the the service we received from the hospital and for the most time for the post care that we have received. But where it comes to the advice they gave me on feeding:
"Thanks for your input but i don't need it, please take your advice and shove it. I'm doing fine, great even and you can not make better so don't bother trying"
:) Reggie
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
It is about time i did the all important post!!!
Welcome to the world little bean!
Bean has been born, and on her due date - the date that was revised after the first ultrasound and not the original date that M34tb4LL and i got or the original date that the hospital came up with (that was a few days after our date) - confused? I am!!! and i have been a part of each conversation about Bean's due date!
So Bean was born 10 days before Christmas, on the date that the hospital planned. She did not make her way here on her own, she had to be brought on... just like her brother! But at least unlike her brother we did not have to sit around waiting for weeks after she was due. The last obstetrician that i saw said that with any luck i would go into labour naturally before the date we had been booked in to be induced. She thought there was a good chance because i had already started to show signs that i was getting ready for the birth, and she gave me a few tips to try that might help bring on labour. And i did try a few of the things that she suggested but the body did not come to the party so medical intervention was brought into play.
On the morning of 15th December, not long before 7.00am M34tb4LL and i walked into Box Hill hospital and were shown to a delivery room and told by the midwife that we had to wait for a doctor to get the go ahead. This go ahead took a bit of time to get, and it was in the form of a doctor standing not very far into the room and taking the opinion of the midwife as to how they should proceed with bring on the baby - whether to use "the gel" or whether to skip this step and go to breaking the waters. Seeing as i had been told a week prior that i had already started to prepare for labour i was confident that the gel step would be missed, and the midwife said that there was no point doing the gel first, but the doctor had to be consulted and it was his choice. He told the midwife to skip the gel (surprise surprise) without looking at me himself, which i did not mind.
I had requested on a few occasions that as much as my care and the care of my baby be provided my midwives. I wanted midwives being the ones who would provide me with assistance during the delivery and i can tell you know that i am very happy with the way the hospital respected my request. When we had Peanut we had midwives assistance for most of the birth, but doctors had to be brought in at numerous times to "check my progress" and when it was time for Peanut to enter the world the midwives had to take a step back so that the doctors could assist with the birth. I did not find this a bad thing, but this time around i did want as minimal doctor involvement as possible.
So the decision was made to break the waters and this is what was done (I am really going to try and NOT be graphic with any part of this story) by one of the midwives there. It was then suggested that we go for a walk to see if we could kick in some contractions. We were told that half the time breaking the waters was enough to start things off so M34tb4LL and i walked around the hospital for a about an hour waiting to see if i got any twinges or niggles - nothing.
We returned to the room and the midwives said that the process was wait for two hours after the waters are broken before starting on the hormone drip, but seeing as i had not had any signs that labour was going to kick in - and seeing as it would taken them a while to setup the hormone drip and things - they made the decision to put a drip in me and give me hormones to bring on labour.
A stand with a couple bags of clear liquid and another with monitoring equipment on it were wheeled into the room and a needle was put into my arm. I then had the drip connected and was hooked up to the monitor - that monitored both the baby's heart beat and uterus activity - we waited for things to start happening.
Just like as with Peanut, not long after the drip was connected i started to get contractions that were not painful and after a while they stopped. Then they started again and boy did they kick in with some intensity! I don't remember much of what labour and delivery was like with Peanut and i was kind of grateful for that - left me ignorant to go back a second time. But i do remember most, if not all of the labour and delivery with Bean and i am glad that i do remember more this time.
Also just like Peanut, once the contractions kicked in with force i did not have too much a wait. It was only about 1 1/2 hours or maybe even less after the contraction started (for the second time) that Bean was ready to be born.
There is an important part of the story (well i think it is important) that needs to be added at this point. You see the midwives that had been with us since we arrived at 7.00am were due to finish their shifts at 3.00pm. At 2.30pm they told me that one of midwives who would be coming in to assist (they always work in pairs) with the delivery and that she was a student and that she had finished all her training but just needed to get her 20 "catches" to get her accreditation. The midwife that was starting at 3.00pm had 18 catches under her belt already! We were told in the last few days she had assisted with a few deliveries but unfortunately at the crucial moment - at the time that the little baby was about to enter the world - a doctor had to be called in to assist and she therefore did not get the credit for the catch. I said that i would try to what was within my powers to help her out.
So right on time (or a few minutes early) the relieving midwife came into the room, and what seemed like right on time at 3.00pm Bean was ready to be born! And the midwives who had been there the whole day said that seeing as i had progressed to "stage 2", the giving birth sage, they were not going to leave us.
A bit after 3.00pm, with the help of three midwives, Bean was born - naturally, without the need of calling on doctor assistance. With the third midwife in prime position (and wearing an over sized apron to try to save her white top...) she got her 19th catch.
So here are the stats that you have been waiting for -
Born: 15th Dec 2009
Time: 3:16pm
Weight: 3.43 kg (7 lb 9 oz)
Length: 51 cm
Name: Eleanor Grace
:) Reggie
Bean has been born, and on her due date - the date that was revised after the first ultrasound and not the original date that M34tb4LL and i got or the original date that the hospital came up with (that was a few days after our date) - confused? I am!!! and i have been a part of each conversation about Bean's due date!
So Bean was born 10 days before Christmas, on the date that the hospital planned. She did not make her way here on her own, she had to be brought on... just like her brother! But at least unlike her brother we did not have to sit around waiting for weeks after she was due. The last obstetrician that i saw said that with any luck i would go into labour naturally before the date we had been booked in to be induced. She thought there was a good chance because i had already started to show signs that i was getting ready for the birth, and she gave me a few tips to try that might help bring on labour. And i did try a few of the things that she suggested but the body did not come to the party so medical intervention was brought into play.
On the morning of 15th December, not long before 7.00am M34tb4LL and i walked into Box Hill hospital and were shown to a delivery room and told by the midwife that we had to wait for a doctor to get the go ahead. This go ahead took a bit of time to get, and it was in the form of a doctor standing not very far into the room and taking the opinion of the midwife as to how they should proceed with bring on the baby - whether to use "the gel" or whether to skip this step and go to breaking the waters. Seeing as i had been told a week prior that i had already started to prepare for labour i was confident that the gel step would be missed, and the midwife said that there was no point doing the gel first, but the doctor had to be consulted and it was his choice. He told the midwife to skip the gel (surprise surprise) without looking at me himself, which i did not mind.
I had requested on a few occasions that as much as my care and the care of my baby be provided my midwives. I wanted midwives being the ones who would provide me with assistance during the delivery and i can tell you know that i am very happy with the way the hospital respected my request. When we had Peanut we had midwives assistance for most of the birth, but doctors had to be brought in at numerous times to "check my progress" and when it was time for Peanut to enter the world the midwives had to take a step back so that the doctors could assist with the birth. I did not find this a bad thing, but this time around i did want as minimal doctor involvement as possible.
So the decision was made to break the waters and this is what was done (I am really going to try and NOT be graphic with any part of this story) by one of the midwives there. It was then suggested that we go for a walk to see if we could kick in some contractions. We were told that half the time breaking the waters was enough to start things off so M34tb4LL and i walked around the hospital for a about an hour waiting to see if i got any twinges or niggles - nothing.
We returned to the room and the midwives said that the process was wait for two hours after the waters are broken before starting on the hormone drip, but seeing as i had not had any signs that labour was going to kick in - and seeing as it would taken them a while to setup the hormone drip and things - they made the decision to put a drip in me and give me hormones to bring on labour.
A stand with a couple bags of clear liquid and another with monitoring equipment on it were wheeled into the room and a needle was put into my arm. I then had the drip connected and was hooked up to the monitor - that monitored both the baby's heart beat and uterus activity - we waited for things to start happening.
Just like as with Peanut, not long after the drip was connected i started to get contractions that were not painful and after a while they stopped. Then they started again and boy did they kick in with some intensity! I don't remember much of what labour and delivery was like with Peanut and i was kind of grateful for that - left me ignorant to go back a second time. But i do remember most, if not all of the labour and delivery with Bean and i am glad that i do remember more this time.
Also just like Peanut, once the contractions kicked in with force i did not have too much a wait. It was only about 1 1/2 hours or maybe even less after the contraction started (for the second time) that Bean was ready to be born.
There is an important part of the story (well i think it is important) that needs to be added at this point. You see the midwives that had been with us since we arrived at 7.00am were due to finish their shifts at 3.00pm. At 2.30pm they told me that one of midwives who would be coming in to assist (they always work in pairs) with the delivery and that she was a student and that she had finished all her training but just needed to get her 20 "catches" to get her accreditation. The midwife that was starting at 3.00pm had 18 catches under her belt already! We were told in the last few days she had assisted with a few deliveries but unfortunately at the crucial moment - at the time that the little baby was about to enter the world - a doctor had to be called in to assist and she therefore did not get the credit for the catch. I said that i would try to what was within my powers to help her out.
So right on time (or a few minutes early) the relieving midwife came into the room, and what seemed like right on time at 3.00pm Bean was ready to be born! And the midwives who had been there the whole day said that seeing as i had progressed to "stage 2", the giving birth sage, they were not going to leave us.
A bit after 3.00pm, with the help of three midwives, Bean was born - naturally, without the need of calling on doctor assistance. With the third midwife in prime position (and wearing an over sized apron to try to save her white top...) she got her 19th catch.
So here are the stats that you have been waiting for -
Born: 15th Dec 2009
Time: 3:16pm
Weight: 3.43 kg (7 lb 9 oz)
Length: 51 cm
Name: Eleanor Grace
:) Reggie
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Crunch Time
One of the things i have been asked most this pregnancy is whether i have had any weird cravings - and my answer is that though i tend not to go for crunchy food, i am loving a few things that i would normally not go for because they are crunchy foods. I have never been that partial to apples or snow peas or any kind of crunchy biscuit for the simple reason that i don[t really like crunchy food! But i am loving them at the moment!
Fooled you, this is not a post about crunchy food, that would be a little bit daft!!! But i wouldn't put it past me to ramble on for a couple of pages about eating crunchy foods come to think of it
No - it is nearly time for us to meet our little Bean. The lease on her current place of residence is coming up and eviction date has been set!
Due date as far the hospital is currently concerned is 15th December. Last week there was a bit of a question marked raised about the due date by the obstetrician i saw. I have seen this obstetrician only once before and i remember him being rather strange to talk to and a little bit crazy! Last time we saw him (and M34tb4LL was there and can vouch for the weirdness of this guy) he insisted on going through the process of a certain optional blood test that can be done at the same time as the 12 week scan. He spent a good ten minutes going through the reason for having the blood test while looking at his hand and listing every set on his fingers. He did not look at us at all throughout this entire conversation! It was not till i managed interrupt him and tell him that i had already had the blood test done that he stopped going on about why we would or would not want to have the test done.
Anyway, back to last weeks visit. I was being seen by the same crazy obstetrician - same 18 weeks later than the first time i had seen him - i had been waiting for three hours for my appointment, i was told they were running a little bit behind... The obs came into the waiting area wearing a very fetching blue paper top and pants outfit with matching blue paper shoe covers. He called my name and apologised for wait, he explained that not only was he the only obs seeing clinic patients at the time - but he was also on call for the delivery suites. He then told me that if i was unhappy about waiting so long i should write a letter! and he was serious, he said that he could say something about the inconvenience his patients are put through but no-one would listen to him. Where i was sitting from i had already waited three hours, I could not be bothered then spending more time writing a letter about it. However i am happy to ramble on in a blog post that will not be rad by anyone but i WON'T write a letter - yer i don't see the logic in it come to think of it.
OK, once again i have to get back to the hospital visit. One of the first things the obs did was question the babies due date. You see based on what we worked out the due date should have been we got 18th December, but the hospital worked out the due date was 20th December, then the first ultrasound gave a due date (based on the babies size) as 15th December. The date in the hospital computer system was changed to the 15th based on the ultrasound results. Well the crazy obs questioned the fact that date was changed because the scan date was within a week of the estimated date and if it less than 7 days the estimated date shouldn't need to be revised. He then went on to say that because my blood sugars and blood pressure are well in control the hospital would not see any need to intervene in me going naturally into labour for 10 days to 2 weeks past the due date. He then asked me is i wanted to have a New Years Eve baby??? It was at this point that i started to cry at the thought of waiting that long (yes, i literally started to cry) and he went to take my blood pressure. My BP was up on what it had been every visit up till this point - little wonder why!!!
And this was the point that he told me that i had to get "fetal monitoring" done, to get a half hour trace on the baby's heart beat and a couple of BP reads over the same time frame. I asked why could that not have been done already in the three hours that i had been waiting - and he started talking about writing a letter again...
As i was leaving i asked if he was going to change the baby's due date considering he did not agree with the fact that it had been changed from 20th to the 15th, he said he would leave it as the 15th at this stage. At this stage??? At 38 weeks pregnant "at this stage" there is not really much time to go!!!
I had to then go back to the hospital on Friday to have monitoring done, and got the all clear - better than all clear. Baby's heart rate was strong and there was plenty of good movements from her. And my blood pressure reads were all nicely within the "normal" range. And i was in and out of the hospital in just over half an hour!
So now i come to the appointment this week. I only had to wait about 15 minutes to have my name called and see an obs - she was petite Asian woman who looked me direct in the eyes and gave me a big warm smile. We spoke about my concerns that i may end up going over my due date - and she did not question the due date as being anything other than 15th December - and she agreed that, in her opinion it would not be advisable for me to go too far over. She then did a bit of an examination (I will NOT go into details) and found that i have already very slightly progressed already. She decided that seeing my body was already starting to prepare for birth, and having gestational diabetes and the fact i have suffered a fair degree of stress through pregnancy she did not think i should have to wait past my due. She felt that i was ready to have this baby and that the baby is more than healthy enough and willing enough to be born!
This was the best news i had heard in weeks! especially after the last few weeks of hospital visits where i have felt that i have been left in limbo a bit. Things that have been said to me like "your blood sugar if fine for now, but we will have to check how you are going next week", "your baby's growth seems a bit erratic week to week, how about another ultrasound just to make sure she is ok" (I have had four ultrasounds in last six weeks), "things seem to be going alright at the moment, we don't know why you are stressing so much" - i am stressing because i feel like some medical people have been watching me waiting for something to go wrong, waiting for the blood sugar or the blood pressure to go out of control. Waiting for an ultrasound result to come back not in the normal range! I sometimes wonder if medical science of able to keep too much of a close eye on thing.
But once again i seem to have gone off the topic here - my hospital visit this week... The obs took my blood pressure - it was high - and then went to get a book that had the dates of woman who have been booked in to be induced. She confirmed my due date again as being the 15th of December and went to that page in the book. There were not currently any appointments on that day and she asked me if this was date was alright ot be booked in. I was both shocked and in a state of joy! I did not even have to worry about getting to my due date and then waiting a couple of days to be induced! If our little Bean does not come in the next few days I am going to be induced on the due date!!! No waiting, no wondering, no stressing!!!
So at the moment it is 10.30pm 12th December 2009 - and this baby is going to be given a nudge towards being born as of 7.00am 15th December 2009 if she does not make moves towards making her entrance into the greater world before that! Not long to go now! Only a matter of days at the most!!!
We could not be more ready for this baby to born, and the funny thing is - now that we have a more firm time frame - i feel quite panicked about the things i still have to do!!!
:) Reggie
Fooled you, this is not a post about crunchy food, that would be a little bit daft!!! But i wouldn't put it past me to ramble on for a couple of pages about eating crunchy foods come to think of it
No - it is nearly time for us to meet our little Bean. The lease on her current place of residence is coming up and eviction date has been set!
Due date as far the hospital is currently concerned is 15th December. Last week there was a bit of a question marked raised about the due date by the obstetrician i saw. I have seen this obstetrician only once before and i remember him being rather strange to talk to and a little bit crazy! Last time we saw him (and M34tb4LL was there and can vouch for the weirdness of this guy) he insisted on going through the process of a certain optional blood test that can be done at the same time as the 12 week scan. He spent a good ten minutes going through the reason for having the blood test while looking at his hand and listing every set on his fingers. He did not look at us at all throughout this entire conversation! It was not till i managed interrupt him and tell him that i had already had the blood test done that he stopped going on about why we would or would not want to have the test done.
Anyway, back to last weeks visit. I was being seen by the same crazy obstetrician - same 18 weeks later than the first time i had seen him - i had been waiting for three hours for my appointment, i was told they were running a little bit behind... The obs came into the waiting area wearing a very fetching blue paper top and pants outfit with matching blue paper shoe covers. He called my name and apologised for wait, he explained that not only was he the only obs seeing clinic patients at the time - but he was also on call for the delivery suites. He then told me that if i was unhappy about waiting so long i should write a letter! and he was serious, he said that he could say something about the inconvenience his patients are put through but no-one would listen to him. Where i was sitting from i had already waited three hours, I could not be bothered then spending more time writing a letter about it. However i am happy to ramble on in a blog post that will not be rad by anyone but i WON'T write a letter - yer i don't see the logic in it come to think of it.
OK, once again i have to get back to the hospital visit. One of the first things the obs did was question the babies due date. You see based on what we worked out the due date should have been we got 18th December, but the hospital worked out the due date was 20th December, then the first ultrasound gave a due date (based on the babies size) as 15th December. The date in the hospital computer system was changed to the 15th based on the ultrasound results. Well the crazy obs questioned the fact that date was changed because the scan date was within a week of the estimated date and if it less than 7 days the estimated date shouldn't need to be revised. He then went on to say that because my blood sugars and blood pressure are well in control the hospital would not see any need to intervene in me going naturally into labour for 10 days to 2 weeks past the due date. He then asked me is i wanted to have a New Years Eve baby??? It was at this point that i started to cry at the thought of waiting that long (yes, i literally started to cry) and he went to take my blood pressure. My BP was up on what it had been every visit up till this point - little wonder why!!!
And this was the point that he told me that i had to get "fetal monitoring" done, to get a half hour trace on the baby's heart beat and a couple of BP reads over the same time frame. I asked why could that not have been done already in the three hours that i had been waiting - and he started talking about writing a letter again...
As i was leaving i asked if he was going to change the baby's due date considering he did not agree with the fact that it had been changed from 20th to the 15th, he said he would leave it as the 15th at this stage. At this stage??? At 38 weeks pregnant "at this stage" there is not really much time to go!!!
I had to then go back to the hospital on Friday to have monitoring done, and got the all clear - better than all clear. Baby's heart rate was strong and there was plenty of good movements from her. And my blood pressure reads were all nicely within the "normal" range. And i was in and out of the hospital in just over half an hour!
So now i come to the appointment this week. I only had to wait about 15 minutes to have my name called and see an obs - she was petite Asian woman who looked me direct in the eyes and gave me a big warm smile. We spoke about my concerns that i may end up going over my due date - and she did not question the due date as being anything other than 15th December - and she agreed that, in her opinion it would not be advisable for me to go too far over. She then did a bit of an examination (I will NOT go into details) and found that i have already very slightly progressed already. She decided that seeing my body was already starting to prepare for birth, and having gestational diabetes and the fact i have suffered a fair degree of stress through pregnancy she did not think i should have to wait past my due. She felt that i was ready to have this baby and that the baby is more than healthy enough and willing enough to be born!
This was the best news i had heard in weeks! especially after the last few weeks of hospital visits where i have felt that i have been left in limbo a bit. Things that have been said to me like "your blood sugar if fine for now, but we will have to check how you are going next week", "your baby's growth seems a bit erratic week to week, how about another ultrasound just to make sure she is ok" (I have had four ultrasounds in last six weeks), "things seem to be going alright at the moment, we don't know why you are stressing so much" - i am stressing because i feel like some medical people have been watching me waiting for something to go wrong, waiting for the blood sugar or the blood pressure to go out of control. Waiting for an ultrasound result to come back not in the normal range! I sometimes wonder if medical science of able to keep too much of a close eye on thing.
But once again i seem to have gone off the topic here - my hospital visit this week... The obs took my blood pressure - it was high - and then went to get a book that had the dates of woman who have been booked in to be induced. She confirmed my due date again as being the 15th of December and went to that page in the book. There were not currently any appointments on that day and she asked me if this was date was alright ot be booked in. I was both shocked and in a state of joy! I did not even have to worry about getting to my due date and then waiting a couple of days to be induced! If our little Bean does not come in the next few days I am going to be induced on the due date!!! No waiting, no wondering, no stressing!!!
So at the moment it is 10.30pm 12th December 2009 - and this baby is going to be given a nudge towards being born as of 7.00am 15th December 2009 if she does not make moves towards making her entrance into the greater world before that! Not long to go now! Only a matter of days at the most!!!
We could not be more ready for this baby to born, and the funny thing is - now that we have a more firm time frame - i feel quite panicked about the things i still have to do!!!
:) Reggie
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The end is nigh...
Today is about the 3 1/2 weeks to go point in this pregnancy, and to be honest I am very keen for the next 3 1/2 weeks to go as fast of possible. Of course i am nervous because Peanut went two weeks over and i am dreading that Bean will follow in her big brothers footsteps. But i have also been thinking a fair bit lately about my own mothers experience with her second pregnancy (that would be her pregnancy with me), i was born a premmie, and if i was mother pregnant with me - i would have a 2 1/2 week old baby by now... does that make sense?
I was born six weeks prem and this pregnancy has only five weeks to go. I wouldn't mind going a little early - a week or maybe two at the most. I have been told that a once a gestation gets to 37 weeks the baby can be considered full term. So if Bean comes a week or two before the 40 week mark that would be alright, there would not be any big reason for concern. Well no more reason for concern than the normal.
I have been getting weekly update emails from a pregnancy site that gives little bits of info about the approximate size and weight of the baby, things that i might be experiencing and tips and hints about to what to expect in the weeks to come. It would have been close to 10 weeks ago that i got an email from this site telling me that a baby born at that point had a good chance at surviving. A baby that had even made it to the third trimester!
I am amazed at what modern medicine can do, what it can achieved. But it is also a rather scary thought. I must say that i do not say that because i don't think that a baby born that much prem should not be saved - very much the opposite! I am just amazed how much hope there is for such a prem baby. And i think about what my mother must have gone through having a baby 6 weeks prem, 6 weeks prem. I mean 37 years modern medicine was not as modern as it is now! And six weeks prem today is not at all as scary a thought as it was when i was born.
But with only 3 1/2 weeks to go - only half a week till the "term" mile stone, i don't have to worry at all the prospect of having a prem baby, not that i thought i would have to worry. If i was worries would i have stayed at up until yesterday? nope. But at of yesterday I'm no longer working and once i get a few things done I can completely focus on having this baby.
So am i ready to have this baby? Not really! But that does not mean that i don't want her to come - and that i am not completely over being pregnant!!! I just mean that will i ever be ready? was my mother ready to have me 6 weeks early? Was i ready for Peanut 2 weeks late? no!
But in saving that i am not ready, i hope she gets here sooner rather later. I don't think i could cope with the idea of going through a couple of weeks with another womb camper. Plus... she is due so close to Christmas as it is - who wants to be spending Christmas day in a hospital? However i suppose their are worse people that Bean could share a birthday with.
(: Reggie
I was born six weeks prem and this pregnancy has only five weeks to go. I wouldn't mind going a little early - a week or maybe two at the most. I have been told that a once a gestation gets to 37 weeks the baby can be considered full term. So if Bean comes a week or two before the 40 week mark that would be alright, there would not be any big reason for concern. Well no more reason for concern than the normal.
I have been getting weekly update emails from a pregnancy site that gives little bits of info about the approximate size and weight of the baby, things that i might be experiencing and tips and hints about to what to expect in the weeks to come. It would have been close to 10 weeks ago that i got an email from this site telling me that a baby born at that point had a good chance at surviving. A baby that had even made it to the third trimester!
I am amazed at what modern medicine can do, what it can achieved. But it is also a rather scary thought. I must say that i do not say that because i don't think that a baby born that much prem should not be saved - very much the opposite! I am just amazed how much hope there is for such a prem baby. And i think about what my mother must have gone through having a baby 6 weeks prem, 6 weeks prem. I mean 37 years modern medicine was not as modern as it is now! And six weeks prem today is not at all as scary a thought as it was when i was born.
But with only 3 1/2 weeks to go - only half a week till the "term" mile stone, i don't have to worry at all the prospect of having a prem baby, not that i thought i would have to worry. If i was worries would i have stayed at up until yesterday? nope. But at of yesterday I'm no longer working and once i get a few things done I can completely focus on having this baby.
So am i ready to have this baby? Not really! But that does not mean that i don't want her to come - and that i am not completely over being pregnant!!! I just mean that will i ever be ready? was my mother ready to have me 6 weeks early? Was i ready for Peanut 2 weeks late? no!
But in saving that i am not ready, i hope she gets here sooner rather later. I don't think i could cope with the idea of going through a couple of weeks with another womb camper. Plus... she is due so close to Christmas as it is - who wants to be spending Christmas day in a hospital? However i suppose their are worse people that Bean could share a birthday with.
(: Reggie
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Quit your whinging!!!
Am i remembering pregnancy through a pair of rose coloured glasses? Was the morning sickness i had with Bean worse than i had with Peanut? I don't remember all the finer details of what it was like when i carrying Peanut, and i seem to be under the impression that I am having a harder time of it this time around - but i could be wrong - time has a was of making you forget what it was really like, that is why people can go back and have more kids i suppose!
But rather than focus on the negatives there are many positives that can be focused on... and i don't just mean the the wonderful little prize that we will be getting at the end of the pregnancy! But that one is going to be very special.
I am talking about the little positives, the small things that i have notices that bring on a smile. The little things that people notice and comment on that give me a bit of warm fuzzy feeling.
A lot of people, both at work and socially have been saying how well i look. And they have not been using the cliche comment that i am "glowing" - kind of glad about that one, because if i was told i was glowing the sarcastic side of me would instantly kick in with some smart-arse comment about being sweaty from just having to throw up or something (whether it was true or not).
I have also noticed that my skin is a lot softer than normal - and M34tb4LL and Peanut have noticed it as well. A few days ago Peanut was lying between us in our bed watching a bit of Saturday morning tellie. At one point Peanut rolled over and while gently stroking my cheek told me how soft my skin felt. My skin has also been very clear, I have not the normal few little pimples that seem to have not realised that i am no longer a teenager (and have been for a quite a while now).
My hair is doing the same thing that it did while i was pregnant with Peanut - or should i say it is not doing the same thing that it did not last time (wait.. what?). My hair not falling much at all, normally ever time i run my finger through my hair i then have to untangle the wade of hair that had knotted itself around them. But now when i do it there is at the most a single strand of hair that follows my fingers rather than staying put. Although i am not confident that the same thing that happened after Peanut was born will not happen this time (again... what?). Like last time, i am sure that after Bean is born my hair will not only start to fall out again - but will try and make up for time lost! And the poor vacuum cleaner!!! Won't someone think of the poor vacuum clearer!!!
I think my hair is also growing a bit faster at the moment, i feel like i am having to cut my fringe more often at the moment, although i can't see anything at the moment as it is over my eyes AGAIN!
And now to just share a few other random observation - it intrigues me the difference in movements that i am feeling between Peanut and Bean. I remember the first time i felt Peanut move, i was in a meeting with my manager at the time and the expression on face made her jump a bit. After i told her why i had pulled such a strange face she called the meeting short, she didn't see much more being achieved at that time and left me to call M34b4LL and tell him. I was around the 28 - 29 weeks pregnant at the time, and was a little bit concerned about not feeling movements at that stage because I was being told left right and centre that i should have felt him by that stage.
I remember the movements i would feel with Peanut were quite fluttery and he I would feel them for a while, he would move around for some time and the movements could last for at least ten minutes at a time - if not an hour!
With Bean i felt movements a lot earlier. And i am told that you do feel movements with your second before you did with your first because you have more of idea what it feels like - but trust me, with the movements i have been getting with Bean, if i had have felt the same with Peanut i SOOOO would have to have had some pretty severe gastric problem to mistake then for anything else than baby movements!
And the movements with Bean have not the gentle, fluttery, fluid movements like with Peanut. Movements that will last for a while. They have been quite jerky, random and a even a little bit rough! The kind of thing that you would call a baby kick not just baby trying to find a comfy position. And i may be get a single kick - a few kicks, but nothing that lasts longer than a couple of seconds at the most. Of course this means that every time i say to M34tb4LL "She's moving, quick feel!" he will place his hand on my tummy and there will be nothing for ages, not till he gives up that is, then she will sink one of two more kicks into me...
Today is two months to the day to Beans due date, and though i am not quite ready (and i doubt she is ready either) for her to come - I just hope the time from here goes really fast!!!
:) Reggie
But rather than focus on the negatives there are many positives that can be focused on... and i don't just mean the the wonderful little prize that we will be getting at the end of the pregnancy! But that one is going to be very special.
I am talking about the little positives, the small things that i have notices that bring on a smile. The little things that people notice and comment on that give me a bit of warm fuzzy feeling.
A lot of people, both at work and socially have been saying how well i look. And they have not been using the cliche comment that i am "glowing" - kind of glad about that one, because if i was told i was glowing the sarcastic side of me would instantly kick in with some smart-arse comment about being sweaty from just having to throw up or something (whether it was true or not).
I have also noticed that my skin is a lot softer than normal - and M34tb4LL and Peanut have noticed it as well. A few days ago Peanut was lying between us in our bed watching a bit of Saturday morning tellie. At one point Peanut rolled over and while gently stroking my cheek told me how soft my skin felt. My skin has also been very clear, I have not the normal few little pimples that seem to have not realised that i am no longer a teenager (and have been for a quite a while now).
My hair is doing the same thing that it did while i was pregnant with Peanut - or should i say it is not doing the same thing that it did not last time (wait.. what?). My hair not falling much at all, normally ever time i run my finger through my hair i then have to untangle the wade of hair that had knotted itself around them. But now when i do it there is at the most a single strand of hair that follows my fingers rather than staying put. Although i am not confident that the same thing that happened after Peanut was born will not happen this time (again... what?). Like last time, i am sure that after Bean is born my hair will not only start to fall out again - but will try and make up for time lost! And the poor vacuum cleaner!!! Won't someone think of the poor vacuum clearer!!!
I think my hair is also growing a bit faster at the moment, i feel like i am having to cut my fringe more often at the moment, although i can't see anything at the moment as it is over my eyes AGAIN!
And now to just share a few other random observation - it intrigues me the difference in movements that i am feeling between Peanut and Bean. I remember the first time i felt Peanut move, i was in a meeting with my manager at the time and the expression on face made her jump a bit. After i told her why i had pulled such a strange face she called the meeting short, she didn't see much more being achieved at that time and left me to call M34b4LL and tell him. I was around the 28 - 29 weeks pregnant at the time, and was a little bit concerned about not feeling movements at that stage because I was being told left right and centre that i should have felt him by that stage.
I remember the movements i would feel with Peanut were quite fluttery and he I would feel them for a while, he would move around for some time and the movements could last for at least ten minutes at a time - if not an hour!
With Bean i felt movements a lot earlier. And i am told that you do feel movements with your second before you did with your first because you have more of idea what it feels like - but trust me, with the movements i have been getting with Bean, if i had have felt the same with Peanut i SOOOO would have to have had some pretty severe gastric problem to mistake then for anything else than baby movements!
And the movements with Bean have not the gentle, fluttery, fluid movements like with Peanut. Movements that will last for a while. They have been quite jerky, random and a even a little bit rough! The kind of thing that you would call a baby kick not just baby trying to find a comfy position. And i may be get a single kick - a few kicks, but nothing that lasts longer than a couple of seconds at the most. Of course this means that every time i say to M34tb4LL "She's moving, quick feel!" he will place his hand on my tummy and there will be nothing for ages, not till he gives up that is, then she will sink one of two more kicks into me...
Today is two months to the day to Beans due date, and though i am not quite ready (and i doubt she is ready either) for her to come - I just hope the time from here goes really fast!!!
:) Reggie
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
"What's in name?...
... That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
I realised i have not blogged much during this pregnancy, and i feel that the reason for this is quite multi-layered. However the two many reason that i blame for not sharing my thoughts are this -
I realised i have not blogged much during this pregnancy, and i feel that the reason for this is quite multi-layered. However the two many reason that i blame for not sharing my thoughts are this -
- Time (never seem to have it, or it may be energy that i am lacking, not sure)
- Reality (though in my right thinking mind i know what being pregnant is all about and what one hopes the end result will be, I have found that this time around there have been so many preoccupying thought going on, and so many medical type people overloading me with their opinions and scrutinising everything that is going on that i am focusing so much on getting through the next few months i am finding it hard to remember the greater goal - finding it hard to see the little baby that will be the end result. Does that make sense?)
But anyway, back to today's topic - NAMES
When we were pregnant with Peanut i remember getting a little freaked out at the idea of choosing a name for him. I had thoughts of "What if he doesn't like the name we pick! He will be answering to this name - every single day - for the rest of his life!". Of course i got over myself and within two days of Peanut being born we had given him a name, which he now answers to...
One was for sure though, M34tb4LL and i did not want to commit to a single name for Peanut, or tell people what his name was going to be before he was born. We both felt that we wanted to meet him first, see what he looked like and if any of the names we had picked out suited him. Lucky for us we felt that the name that was right up with top favourite names was perfect for him!
But now i am back here again. Back with the pile of baby name books trying to get a short list of names to pick one from when the time comes (that is, when Bean comes).
I was listening to a podcast the other day that was talking about baby names and how names can go in and out of fashion. It was very interesting, talking about how people might want to give there child an unusual or uncommon name and without knowing it may end up choosing a name that everyone else thinks the same way of - and end up making the name more popular that ever.
One thing that the woman who was running conversation said was that there is a bit of rule of thumb when it comes to putting together a list of name. She said that is the expectant mothers task to put the list together and the expectant fathers job to knock names off the list.
This might be a bit of harsh way of saying it, but it is kind of right... Sorry M34tb4LL. I have put together a list of names that i personally liked and when i shared them with M34tb4LL all but a hand full of names where removed from the list for one reason or another - most of the time for very valid reasons, things that i had not even thought of. Like a name that was very similar to Peanut's name, or the name that sounded too much a fictional cartoon caricature, of the name that was very similar to a villain on a recent TV show (to be honest, that is kind of why i likes that name so much...).
When playing the naming game, it is a good thing that Bean is a girl though. Having used our favourite boy's name with Peanut, if Bean was a boy - he would have been stuck a name that we thought was second best!!!
(: Reggie
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Gender Defined
We had our 19 week scan yesterday and we know the gender of our little Bean!!!
But before I give the most important piece of information am going to tell the story of getting to the scan...
I have already mentioned that we have had our 19 week, but I am 21 weeks pregnant! The reason for the initial delay for the scan is that we had planned to get it done at the hospital that we are booked into for Bean's birth. Being a public hospital, I assume that there is a degree of demand on their services and the first appointment they gave us was at 7.30 in the morning and the likely hood of getting to that time AND being able to organise kid wrangling for Peanut were little to none. When I called to change the appointment time (from 7.30) the next time they had available was nearly 2 weeks later!
Anyway, our scan was scheduled for yesterday at 9.00 in the morning and I had organised the day around this time. I had cancelled Peanuts swimming lesson for the morning and had gone to a make-up lesson the day before. And I had organised for my parents to meet us at the hospital to take Peanut for walk while we were getting the scan done.
So yesterday morning came and i started to get ready, watching the clock to make sure that I was completely ready to leave the house at 8.00. At 7.55 I was with Peanut, putting his shoes on when the phone rang. I assumed it was my parents calling to reassure me that they were on their way but the caller ID said it was a private number - my parents do not have a private number... It was the hospital.
The hospital called me - minutes before i was about to leave the house - to say that the person due to do my scan had called in sick and was not coming in, and that they would have to cancel my appointment. They then said that they would call back later to look at rescheduling the appointment but that it would not be happening today. WHEN? When were they going to call back? In half an hour? later in the day? next week? WHEN??? They did not know when they would be able to get back to me.
I called my parents and told them that the scan was not happening, and being the lovely people they are they said that they would come to our house anyway so we could still have spend some time together and they can still have some quality time with their grandson. I then spent some time having a quality cry and looked up the phone number for the place that we had gotten both of Peanut's scans and the first scan for Bean done.
The place we went to for previous scans were able to give us an appointment on Friday or in a couple of Saturdays but I didn't take the time they were offering. I then wen through the list of other locations that the scanning place had and picked one that was close by. They were not able to give me an appointment for a couple of weeks either but they were able to get me an appointment at a third place - still not far from home AND for the afternoon! All I had to do was get a referral from my GP and I was set to go!!!
M34tb4LL had told his work colleagues that he was going to be in late yesterday, seeing as he was going to the scan as well, but he left to go to work at normal time so that he could leave early to come to our new appointment time.
When my parents got to the house I told them about the new appointment time and luckily it fitted into their plans for the day to help out and hang around till the afternoon appointment - fulfilling their role as kid wranglers.
The funniest thing - well I can laugh about it now at least - about half an hour after the parents got our house the hospital rang to say that they were calling to rebook our appointment and that they can see us in three weeks from Saturday. Remembering here that the scan is already two weeks overdue...
The rest of the day went nice and smoothly, we went for a nice relaxing drive in the hills - had some lunch - admired the view - and got back in time to go to the doctors to get my referral. We then went home where M34tb4LL was waiting for us, we left Peanut with the parentals, drove to Mitcham and where there with a few minutes to spare to find where we had to go.
So after a stressful morning and then a de-stressing day it was so fantastic to see our little Bean. The ultra-sound person checked all the necessary measurements that had to be checked. She looked at Beans face, heart, kidneys and I'm glad that she knew what she was looking at.
And the results of the ultra sound were all good! Everything the scanning person check seemed to look good - which was a great relief to us. We told the scanning person that we were very keen to discover the gender of our baby and she was happy to oblige.
Now after the story of how we got there, here is the long awaited answer to the gender question -
Bean is a girl! We are going to be having a little girl!!! Tickle me pink, we will have a daughter!!!!!!
(: Reggie
But before I give the most important piece of information am going to tell the story of getting to the scan...
I have already mentioned that we have had our 19 week, but I am 21 weeks pregnant! The reason for the initial delay for the scan is that we had planned to get it done at the hospital that we are booked into for Bean's birth. Being a public hospital, I assume that there is a degree of demand on their services and the first appointment they gave us was at 7.30 in the morning and the likely hood of getting to that time AND being able to organise kid wrangling for Peanut were little to none. When I called to change the appointment time (from 7.30) the next time they had available was nearly 2 weeks later!
Anyway, our scan was scheduled for yesterday at 9.00 in the morning and I had organised the day around this time. I had cancelled Peanuts swimming lesson for the morning and had gone to a make-up lesson the day before. And I had organised for my parents to meet us at the hospital to take Peanut for walk while we were getting the scan done.
So yesterday morning came and i started to get ready, watching the clock to make sure that I was completely ready to leave the house at 8.00. At 7.55 I was with Peanut, putting his shoes on when the phone rang. I assumed it was my parents calling to reassure me that they were on their way but the caller ID said it was a private number - my parents do not have a private number... It was the hospital.
The hospital called me - minutes before i was about to leave the house - to say that the person due to do my scan had called in sick and was not coming in, and that they would have to cancel my appointment. They then said that they would call back later to look at rescheduling the appointment but that it would not be happening today. WHEN? When were they going to call back? In half an hour? later in the day? next week? WHEN??? They did not know when they would be able to get back to me.
I called my parents and told them that the scan was not happening, and being the lovely people they are they said that they would come to our house anyway so we could still have spend some time together and they can still have some quality time with their grandson. I then spent some time having a quality cry and looked up the phone number for the place that we had gotten both of Peanut's scans and the first scan for Bean done.
The place we went to for previous scans were able to give us an appointment on Friday or in a couple of Saturdays but I didn't take the time they were offering. I then wen through the list of other locations that the scanning place had and picked one that was close by. They were not able to give me an appointment for a couple of weeks either but they were able to get me an appointment at a third place - still not far from home AND for the afternoon! All I had to do was get a referral from my GP and I was set to go!!!
M34tb4LL had told his work colleagues that he was going to be in late yesterday, seeing as he was going to the scan as well, but he left to go to work at normal time so that he could leave early to come to our new appointment time.
When my parents got to the house I told them about the new appointment time and luckily it fitted into their plans for the day to help out and hang around till the afternoon appointment - fulfilling their role as kid wranglers.
The funniest thing - well I can laugh about it now at least - about half an hour after the parents got our house the hospital rang to say that they were calling to rebook our appointment and that they can see us in three weeks from Saturday. Remembering here that the scan is already two weeks overdue...
The rest of the day went nice and smoothly, we went for a nice relaxing drive in the hills - had some lunch - admired the view - and got back in time to go to the doctors to get my referral. We then went home where M34tb4LL was waiting for us, we left Peanut with the parentals, drove to Mitcham and where there with a few minutes to spare to find where we had to go.
So after a stressful morning and then a de-stressing day it was so fantastic to see our little Bean. The ultra-sound person checked all the necessary measurements that had to be checked. She looked at Beans face, heart, kidneys and I'm glad that she knew what she was looking at.
And the results of the ultra sound were all good! Everything the scanning person check seemed to look good - which was a great relief to us. We told the scanning person that we were very keen to discover the gender of our baby and she was happy to oblige.
Now after the story of how we got there, here is the long awaited answer to the gender question -
Bean is a girl! We are going to be having a little girl!!! Tickle me pink, we will have a daughter!!!!!!
(: Reggie
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