Pop goes the Weasel – Birth Story Part I: 40 weeks, 5 days

Well, my last post appears to have done the trick as my beautiful little girl has arrived and here is how it happened! I’m a waffler so I’ll do it in instalments (nothing to do with adding drama and suspense, no I wouldn’t do that to you...).

After a lovely day celebrating Callum’s friend’s 4th birthday at her party followed by a chilled evening, I went to bed and slept really well until I needed a wee at 4.30am. No signs, twinges, I just went for a wee then back to bed. I had just started to enter the world of snooze again when I felt a pop in my bump like a mattress spring pinging back to place. I quickly prodded Stuart awake as I waited for the big gush of waters to come forth. Stuart stirred “Is something happening?”. But nothing, no big gush, no trickle of water, no contractions…perhaps I’d imagined it or perhaps just an enthusiastic kick from the little lady. I went to the loo again to see if my waters started to trickle…not really. I found myself standing in the ensuite over the security of the tiled floor too nervous to head back to bed in case the gush decided to occur! According to my twitter tweet, this was about 5am.

After 5-10 minutes, this was getting silly and I doubted I was going to go back to sleep so I left Stuart trying to get in a few more zeds, while I went down to bounce on my ball for a bit as I had started to get mild tightenings in my back. I’d bought my ipad down with me with Contract Master loaded ready to start recording. Eventually, I went to the loo again, and there was a trickle of waters tinged pink (this is normal).

Half hour later and contractions were definitely there but had jumped straight in at a regular 2-3 minutes and lasting 35-40 seconds. I had expected them to come in at 10 minutes apart and knew that when they reached about 5 minutes apart and were lasting for a minute then you were to go to the hospital. These contractions weren’t following that pattern! What should I do? They weren’t too strong yet and I could easily talk through them. The TV documentaries had taught me they wouldn’t let you in the maternity ward if you could still speak through your contractions so I guessed I should just hold on. I thought it was about time I got Stuart up and we should think about getting my parents to come over. If contractions were already this close if they got stronger, there wasn’t going to be much time to get to the hospital! By now it was 5.45am.

Stuart called my parents and downloaded the contraction master app to his iphone so he could help with the recording as I kept messing it up. I also called the hospital to warn them I’d be coming in at some point explaining waters had broken and contractions had started, were close together but not yet strong. They told me to call back when they ramped up a gear or got closer together (how close did they want them to be? I ignored this bit and would call when they intensified).

My parents arrived around 6.30am so I called the hospital about 6.45. Contractions were still 2 minutes apart and were getting stronger. I could still talk through them but decided to ‘play it up a bit’ otherwise they wouldn’t let me go in. I knew you should labour as long as possible at home and could understand how going to hospital could slow things down but we had a 25ish minute drive to the hospital and I didn’t want to risk not making it! I craftily added in a pant half way through a contraction while speaking to the MW on the other end of the phone. She noted it and said I could go in (yay). So off we went, around 7am, kissing my parents goodbye (while Callum still snoozed without a care in the world upstairs!). I checked Stuart now knew how to get to the hospital as we hadn’t managed to drive to Poole without getting lost yet! He assured me he did.

Every corner or jolt was quite painful when I got a contraction and the car journey did affect the timings. They weren’t so frequent now – often between 3 and 4 minutes, but were lasting longer – for about 1.5 minutes.

Sure enough, after a while, I noted the scenery outside he car and suspected we had gone past the hospital! Yep! We had got lost again and needed to back track somewhat! Doh!

We got to the hospital just before 7.30 (thankfully traffic was minimal due to time of day). I then had a little panic that I had somehow managed to misplace my phone – one minute it was in my hand, the next not – I had no memory of what I had actually done with it though – I had only walked from the car to the hospital doors! After a silly panic of trying to find it and Stuart going back & forth to the car to look, I found it – I had put it in my hospital bag. So, off we went to maternity ward.

We buzzed but no one came to the door until eventually a cleaner opened it and let us in!!!! Not really correct protocol! We headed to the reception desk and got a surprised look from the lady behind wondering how we had got in! We explained who we were and she showed us into our delivery suite (I love how they try to make it sound so much nicer by calling it a suite! – clinical delivery room doesn’t have the same appeal!). After what felt like quite a long while a Midwife came to see us and explained that they were just about to have a change of shift so she wouldn’t examine me but would start off procedures by asking me some questions while she made her notes. Sure enough, shortly after the first of my 2 actual midwives came in to take over – Louise. By now it must have been around 7.45am and I was panting through contractions for real by now.

Hold on to your seatbelts now and try not to blink for part two – To be continued.

Bump photoshoot with DK Capture

When I was pregnant with Callum, Stuart bought me a photoshoot experience gift. I thought about using it after baby was born but I didn't have long before I had to use it by and not knowing how long it would take me to loose the baby weight, or if I would ever lose it, I decided to use it for a pregnancy shoot. Considering it took me about 2 years to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight it was the right decision. We came away with 2 photos - the deal was to get one free framed photo but think we negotiated 2 photos without the frame!

Anyway, despite the fact they are still without a frame & are waiting to be shown off on a wall somewhere, I thought I'd like to do it again this time round. Originally my reasons were partly because I hated my pregnancy body! Now that might sound a bit masochistic but I thought I'd much prefer to look back at my body through professional photos & remembering it for the lovely image of what it represented (my unborn baby girl) rather than looking back at my body negatively. I know, it's an odd theory but it works for me...Debbie logic! However, as it turns out, I've learnt recently to like (love still being a bit strong) my pregnancy body a lot more than I did! Even with stretch marks appearing a week before the shoot date, although disappointed me, it didn't put me off.

The shoot was booked for Saturday 14 July (weekend just gone) so I did a bit of research beforehand to find some examples of poses I wanted to try. I was keen to have different ones to what I had done last time. I was also interested in getting some with Callum kissing my bump & to try some 'family' shots. I found a couple of poses using a sheet which I quite liked so sent the example ones to the photographer.

I took a couple of costume changes but unfortunately couldn't find a suitable sheet so had to go with the material the company provided which was pink chiffon. I did say I thought this would be ok but in hindsight I think I would have preferred a white satin sheet.

We turned up late after a number of delays getting to the venue but the photographer was understanding and also let us overrun quite a bit. I didn't feel rushed at all.

We did a few photos of me fully clothed in leggings and a fitted top first, just me on my own. Then a few with me in a pair of white skinny jeans and white bra. Then we 'tried' to include Callum! He predictively wasn't having any of it. He just wanted daddy and wouldn't perform. We eventually had to get daddy involved in the photos first and then try with all of us. Amazingly, the photographer still managed to get some good shots, even when Callum was reaching out for daddy.

After the family shots, we went for the sheet. Bra and jeans came off so I was just in my knickers & the sheet. There were a couple taken over my boobs & bump and then some taken with the sheet under my bump with my hands covering my boobs. Having seen the photos, I don't see much value in the latter ones & would have liked more taken with the sheet over bump & boobs but think there are a couple i like. I'd like to see them in black & white first & there's a good one where the colours have been played with that looks good.

Being that the shoot was only on Saturday just gone and today being Tuesday, I was very excited to receive an email today with link attached to say the photos are ready to view. Now we just have the tough task of trying to choose a couple. Again, we get one photo included in the price & Stuart has said he'll buy me another for my birthday.

Once I'm back blogging on my laptop and have decided on the photos I'll share with you both the Callum bump & Millie bump photos.

The deal we went for was for pregnancy photos then baby's first year which consists of 3 shoots within the first 12 months. Each shoot includes a 10x8 photo and there is no need to pre-book the baby photoshoots just ring up & book when we'd like one. An hour's studio time would have been £59 which is what the pregnancy shoot would've been. To upgrade to the baby's first year photos too was only an extra £20 which I think was a really good deal.

More details about DK capture can be found here. All opinions are my own, I have not been asked to write a review and have not received any fee etc for doing so (in fact they don't even know I'm writing this).


 

Posted with Blogsy

Time to love my baby bump - 33 weeks, 4 days

It's only taken 8 months but I'm finally happy with my pregnant body...when I have clothes on (still don't recognise myself naked!)...and as long as I'm not sat down!

I quite like the shape of my bump, it's position, it's size. I think stepping on the scales the other day then following it up with the growth scan has helped with that. This is all good timing cos I have a bump photo shoot booked for in 2 weeks. I need to start looking at examples of poses so I can go with some to try...if anyone has seen some nice ones that aren't the regular ones you always see, please let me know.

I'm geneally feeling pretty good. I still tire really easily, particularly by about 4 pm & I don't have to do much before my back & bump start to ache but I know if I listen to my body & rest, both of these symptoms improve.

I have a lot of preparation to do still, mentally & practically, and I am definitely not ready for this baby to arrive yet.

I still find it weird when overdue pregnant ladies start pulling out their hair in frustration waiting for their babies to start showing signs of their imminent arrival. I never got to this stage with Callum, I was still very much of the mind that the time was approaching too quickly & I wasn't ready. Pretty much the same as I feel now. It's hard to imagine the feeling of desperation for the baby to arrive & for that feeling to ever outweigh the fear & nervousness that the thought of birth & new born sleepless nights still evokes now. I'm sure I'll get there though & will laugh in that all knowing cynical way when I read this back at 42 weeks!

Posted with Blogsy

Help, I'm not fat enough! - 33 weeks, 1 day

I had the first of two extra growth scans today which couldn't have come at a better time as, get this, today I was worried I had not put on enough weight!!! Yes, you read that right, not enough weight!! There's no pleasing some people is there!

Basically, I weighed myself at 28 weeks and had put on 1 stone 5 lb since finding out I was pregnant. At this stage I didn't know if this was good or bad but it is normal, from that point as I entered the third trimester, to put on an average of 1 lb a week until the birth. That'd put me at aproximately 2 stone 3 lb if I was to give birth on my due date.

I was then advised at my consultant appointment following that to start taking low dose aspirin once a day. I read somewhere that taking aspirin in your third trimester could lead to the baby not growing properly but as I'd also be having 2 growth scans, I knew if there were any issues they'd be picked up.

Then today I step on the scales again & find I've only put on a lb since 28 weeks! I was expecting 5 lb. so I was worried! My bump has only grown about a centimetre during that time too.

So I was quite nervous as I went in for the scan but quite quickly my fears were proved to be unfounded as the measurements in the scan were all shown to be in the normal range. They checked the fluid around the baby and again all was well. Liver appeared to be fine and the umbilical artery doing what it was supposed to do. More Good news, my bouncing on my exercise ball had paid off as baby was no longer oblique/transverse like she was at my last mw appointment but was nicely head down with her limbs all over to my right. Apparently, she will most likely stay there now although may flip from right to left...I'm pretty sure she has been flipping back and forth for most of the afternoon.

After the scan I went for my clinic appointment with the mw & consultant. The mw checked my blood pressure & the first reading was 142/86 which had jumped up quite a lot since my last appointment of 122/70, but she wasn't concerned & I knew I had been worried about the scan so knew that could be affecting it. Still, she took it again and it was fractionally lower a 136/84. She told me that my urine sample was being sent off as it did show there were a few white blood cells present which indicated the start of a urine infection. This made sense as I had been feeling some sharp pains in my bladder area of late & suspected this was the cause. She said there was also a little bit of glucose but was a low reading so likely just that I'd had something sugary.

The consultant was rather lovely & reminded me of a better looking Hugh Grant a lot more confident than the last one I had seen, was professional, and came across very knowledgeable and understanding. He wasn't concerned about my blood pressure or any of the results. He made sure I was happy without any concerns. He said, because my high bp was quite a late onset last time that there was only a 5% chance of it happening again and, unless there was a clear symptom which indicated a risk or there was a worry at the next growth scan, they will not look to induce me...unless of course I go the other way & am so overdue that they induce me....which you just know is going to happen!!

I asked about what would happen if my waters broke early again. He said if it was before 35 weeks (so in the next couple of weeks...eek!) then it was normal that they would let me go a bit longer..until either I got to 35/36 weeks or labour came on automatically as it was more important that the baby got to near enough term/fully mature but if was after this time they would wait 24-36 hours to see of I progressed naturally before inducing me as then an infection would be a bigger risk. I guess this would still depend on bp and other symptoms.

So...pretty much, all good! Oh....and baby is still looking like a little girl so no sex change that we are aware of!

I can just be happy in the knowledge that I haven't put on as much weight this time so should hopefully lose it quicker after birth too...*shovels another mouthful of chocolate sundae into mouth*


I now have weekly midwife checks and another growth scan and consultant appointment in 4 weeks.

Who’s That Funny Girl in That Mirror There? 25 Weeks

I’m really not liking my pregnant body at the moment! I know I should and I’m trying to but I look in the mirror, particularly at me naked, and I’m almost repulsed by what I see. That sounds strong I know but its my first and natural reaction.

I’m by no means svelte and I have lots of bumps in places I’d rather not have places – some are down to pregnancy but mostly they are down to my diet and lack of exercise (she says as she shovels another spoonful of Nutella into her gob!) but this isn’t just a vanity thing! I know, with a bit of hard work, I can fix that after baby!

Its that I don’t recognise my own body – its not me.

I don’t mind ‘so much’ when I’m clothed, although I don’t like looking at my bumpy self, but naked….shiver! My tummy looks funny, my bellybutton looks odd…I just look…wrong!

I have no issues at looking at anyone else naked or other naked bumps, in fact, I often think a pregnant naked lady is beautiful – so why don’t I like it on me?

I remember when my feet first started to swell when I was pregnant with Callum. No one else could notice the difference, they weren’t hugely swollen, but I looked down at my feet and they weren’t my feet. I gasped and said “These aren’t my feet – my feet look funny, they don’t look like my own”. Its weird! This is similar – I look at my body and its not my body!

Thankfully, the next day after giving birth, I looked at my feet and the swelling had already gone down and I recognised my feet again – it was then that I knew I wasn’t going mad (too late for that!) as now they looked perfectly fine again – in fact they looked like my feet but skinnier!

I was the same with my pregnant bump last time too, so it shouldn’t be a surprise. I had hoped that when Stuart bought me a photo shoot gift experience for my Birthday at about 6.5-7 months pregnant, that it would help me to change my view on my body and get me used to seeing myself in a different light. I am so pleased I got the photos done and definitely want to have some bump photos taken this time too. I can look at them and appreciate them as photos of a pregnant woman but when I think of them as me I still feel uncomfortable looking at them and don’t recognise them as my body.

There’s no solution to it I suppose – apart from to stop looking at myself in the mirror!