Tuesday 26 November 2013

40 Weeks Pregnant - Term plus 2

Today I had my 40 week appointment with the midwife.  I had great hopes for this appointment.  I hoped to be told that baby was fully engaged.  I hoped to be offered a sweep to get things moving and probably slightly unrealistically I hoped my waters would break then an there and I'd go into labour ;-)


Friday 22 November 2013

Hornby Visitor Centre - A Review

Being born and bred in Kent, I am ashamed to say I did not know about the Hornby Visitor Centre until I saw it mentioned last week on a local forum discussing raining day activities for toddlers in Kent. Today was definitely a rainy day and we needed an activity which involved a long enough drive for C to have a nap in the car before we got there.  Hubby remembered me mentioning the Hornby Centre to him when I found out about it, so we thought we would give it a try.

The Hornby Visitor Centre opened in 2010 and is situated in the Westwood Industrial Estate in Margate, very close to the Westwood Cross Shopping Village.  It is easily visible from the main road and we were able to find it without issue.

Monday 18 November 2013

39 Weeks - Fear and Anxiety

I went to bed on Sunday night with the feeling I might be coming down with a cold.  I therefore was not surprised on Monday morning when I woke at 5am with a sore throat and unable to breathe.  Not what I needed when I could go into labour anytime!

The combination of being heavily pregnant, being ill and looking after a toddler is gruelling.  I am ashamed to say Monday and Tuesday were spend mostly sat on the sofa watching DVDs.  I tried to make in slightly more interactive by sitting with our Thomas book while watching Thomas the Tank Engine, finding and pointing out the various characters as they appeared on the screen.

Feeling ill has not really helped my anxiety levels. I am worried about the next few weeks. I am worried that having come all this way something could still happen to blue bump and I won't get to take him home. If I do get to take him home, I am worried how I am going to cope with a newborn again, let alone a mum of 2!  I am also worried about going through labour with a supposedly large baby and about going overdue and not being allowed my water birth.

Part of me wants the next few weeks over and done with so i can stop worrying about them. Part of me wants to bury my head in the sand and hope they never arrive. 

Stupid? Maybe
Real? Very

Sunday 17 November 2013

World Prematurity Day

Today, November 17th, is World Prematurity Day.

I feel a bit of a fraud including myself in today as World Prematurity Day naturally conjures up images of very tiny, sick babies, in incubators and covered in tubes.  However any baby born before 37 weeks is classed as premature and C was born at 35 weeks and 5 days, making her over a week premature.  I therefore feel we do have a story to tell today.


Friday 15 November 2013

We Love Hatley!

I am not a particularly "label" orientated Mummy.
If I am honest I am much more interested in a good bargain than a particular look or brand.
I do however have one weakness... Hatley.
Hatley is an Canadian clothing brand, most well known for its distinctive style of children's rain gear and pyjamas.


Thursday 14 November 2013

10 Days To Go

Today I woke up feeling different.  I did not feel the same amount of cervical pressure and hip pain that I have been experiencing for the past week, and I feel I can walk again rather than waddle.  Not surprisingly I am now worried that blue bump is no longer engaged!  If the weather allows I intend to go for a long walk later in the hope of persuading him down again!

In better news I received a text in the early hours of this morning informing me that my Group B Strep test results were Negative and therefore antibiotics would not be required during labour.  This is such a weight off my mind!  One step closer to my water birth...



For more information on the dangers of Group B Strep and how to be tested in the UK, please visit Group B Strep Support

Tuesday 12 November 2013

38 Weeks Pregnant - Low and Ready to Go?

I am now officially waddling!
Today I attended my 38 week checkup with the Midwife.  It turned out to be a whole family affair as hubby was working from home and able to come too.  I was not sure how interested he would be but he was very proactive and asked lots of questions. I was proud of him!

This was the first appointment that I have had that has had a student midwife in attendance.  This made the appointment longer than usual as everything was checked twice, first by the midwife, then by the student.

My urine sample and blood pressure were both normal.
Then we moved to the bed so that they could examine my bump.  First the Midwife listened with a pinard horn.  This is the first time she has done this at either of my pregnancies and I can only assume it was for the student's benefit.  She then listened with her normal doppler.  Blue bump's heartbeat was a nice steady 150bpm.  He was still sitting head down and the Midwife said he was very low, probably 3/5th engaged.

Monday 4 November 2013

A Bedroom Fit for a Toddler

We are about to start work on C's new bedroom so there is room in the nursery for blue bump and more immediately all his clothes.  Cutting it fine I know!  Unfortunately there have been fundermental other areas of DIY that needed completing before we could begin.  C's new bedroom used to be hubby's study and that needed to be moved before we could be begin.  Also upstairs has been completely rewired and replumbed as part of the process.  I have already ordered her carpet and bought the paint, and hubby has already replaced the radiator.  It needs replastering and the wiring needs completing, then we can think about putting it back together.

I am so excited to be creating her a girly room that she can have all to herself.  The nursury is tiny and was difficult to put a stamp on... this room on the other hand has allowed me to be creative.  I want something girly but not too over the top.  I want it to reflect the fact she is stilll very young but don't want something that needs to be redecorated in a couple of years time because she he outgrown the decor.  I guess I am trying to create a room that can grow with her.  Here are a few of the items i've purchased so far...


Not everthing for her room will be new.  I have aquired an old children's wardrobe from my Grandma.  The wardrobe itself has seen better days but I have purchased some fun replacement knobs off ebay which give it a new lease of life.  There will also be a gorgeous wooden chair which was mine when I was little and was made by great grandfather.

Pictures of the finished project will hopefully follow in the not too distant future...

37 Weeks Pregnant - Writing A Birth Plan

This week I am 37 weeks pregnant and now I know I should hopefully be able to give birth in the Midwife Led Unit at our local hospital, I have started putting together a birth plan.  Although when pregnant with C I had ideas about what I wanted during labour and delivery, I had not got around to producing a birth plan before her early arrival at 35 weeks.  In some ways this was probably a good thing as preterm labour would have meant the plan went out the window!

Those of you who read my previous blog post on Labour Problems will remember there were many elements with my labour with C that did not go exactly how I would have wanted due to her prematurity.  A lot of the options available during a full term labour and delivery were not available to me.