1 day left!!

Yes, that's right, it's just one day to go now! So here's a couple of parting shots of the big fat tummy at 39 weeks and 1 day. It's just like a big ball attached to the front of me.

39 weeks - 2 days to go

The countdown on the whiteboard says 2 days.

Thank goodness! I am not able to do much except sit at the computer, sit on the couch or lay in bed. Everything hurts and i get tired if i do anything for more than 5 minutes.

I am so excited about Thursday. We are so prepared and it's the last day of work for both Kylie and me today, it's just all so exciting!!!!

Single figures!

9 days to go!!! Yay!!!

We went to the obs last week and the little Walex has done a backflip and is now bum down, head up! And to think he'd been head down and ready for action for so many weeks!! Not sure what his thinking is around this, but alas, his head is up under my ribs and he's ready to show the world his best side first!

I am so, so ready...i keep telling him to just come out, we're ready for him. So far he's chosen to ignore me - perhaps that's just practice for his entire childhood and adolescence!

We're off to see the obs again tomorrow. It's 38 weeks today - here's a pic of the tummy at 38 weeks - it's like a basketball!

Countdown

Still here...counting it down......17 days to go......

Went to obs last week, thankfully he gave me some Zantac for the heartburn that had been getting me down for a week or so. It has worked wonders and I feel alot better. I am still fat and uncomfortable, really struggling to walk around now, hard to sleep....but other than that.....!!
We have to see the obs weekly now, so off to see him again in two days. We are 37 weeks tomorrow. Thank goodness! Will take a 37 week pic and put it up....be warned, stretch mark city!

Alexander

My friend Jo went in for her Caesarian on Valentine's day. She had a little boy that they named Alexander. Yay Jo!

Flat

The belly button is a strange thing during pregnancy. First it started to slowly push out, just little bits of it, when i was laughing or something, so i was a partial outtie. Slowly it became a full outtie and now, it seems my stomach caught up with it and it is so stretched that it is now 'a flat'. It's just a dot sometimes! I looked in the mirror the other day and saw this little pink dot thing on my stomach and thought 'what's that' - and it was my belly button, just a little flat dot!
It goes between a flat and an outtie now depending on what the baby is doing and what i am doing. It also has like a crater or a moat around it! Kind of like a little depression that encircles it and then the flat/outtie. Very interesting! It's also very very soft skin. Talk about naval gazing! I don't suppose i'll get to see it like this again (unless i have another bub) so i should take a photo of it!

Ready

I've had a pretty uncomfortable week. Having lots of heartburn now and just feeling pretty heavy, sore and crappy most of the time. Doesn't seem to matter if i eat or not, still have heartburn. Feel crap laying down and feel crap sitting up. Haven't slept well for a while.
Finished up work yesterday - well, working in the office, anyway. Gonna work from home for a couple of weeks now. I am so relieved as it was really becoming quite a struggle to go in, so at least now i can work at home and just have a lay down when i need to.
Walex is still moving like crazy, sometimes it makes me feel sick or kinda like i have palpitations.
I can't wait for the next three and a half weeks to pass, i am so over feeling crappy that i am really excited and looking forward to having my stomach cut open!! How sick is that!!

35 weeks

Well, it was inevitable, i guess.....stretchmarks....... :(

For some reason I thought that given i had got so far without them, I would manage to get away with none. Alas, they have arrived and are getting bigger and multiplying drastically with every cm that Walex grows - and he's growing lots!

Oh well, guess that's just part of the fun.

On the positive side, I've worked through my name dilemma. I spoke to a friend of mine, who is a long time sailor, to see what he thought of 'Jonah'. He said not to worry about it and that he'd hardly ever heard it referred to as a bad luck term. So now I'm happy again and i still think it's top of the list at the moment.

Little Walex is still really active, given that he's supposed to out of room to move in there! His actions are quite forceful and sometime can hurt a bit and there are times where i'm sure he's just gonna jump on out any minute now! But he can't - because as a colleague of mine reminded me the other day - i don't actually have health cover for maternity related care until Feb 19th!! So if i go before then, it's off to the public hospital for me! So need to keep him in there for another week at least!

34 weeks

Had another appointment yesterday with the obs. Once again all is going to plan, heart rate good, big fat tummy size good, baby generally good.
I am not feeling fantastic and am pretty sore and still struggling - but that's not new...
We have a confirmed date now - March 13th. Have to be at hospital at 1200 for the Caesarian at 1415hrs. I think that's a good time, can get up really early have some breakfast, then back to bed for a bit. Kylie will be working the night shift so will come home and then we can leave about 1100 for the hospital.

Got a little name dilemma....we had a short list for ages, then just recently came across another name - Jonah - that we both like and i think that was gonna be the one. The problem i have is that, being a sailor, Jonah carries some negotive connotations in sailing circles based on the biblical story of Jonah. So i really like it and i don't care about silly connotations, but all my friends are sailors and i can imagine what we'll hear from them. Also, what if he grows up to be a sailor like me - then not a good name to have.....bummer......anyways, will have to talk about it with Ky again.

Nearly 34 weeks

Pic from 32 weeks:

Yep, 33 and a half weeks now. Sometimes i think this stomach cannot possibly get any bigger....but it does! I am pretty fat, uncomfortable and sore most of the time now. Struggling to get around and to do anything that involves activity for too long without needing a rest.
Had a little hiccup a couple of weeks ago when i fainted - luckily was sitting down at the time! It was a bit worrying but Walex has still been moving around and all seems good. I would have called the obs, but he's away on holidays. Was gonna got to GP just to make sure everything ok, but in the end, haven't done anything. Now i have worried myself into a bit of a state thinking what if something is wrong and it's my fault because i haven't gone to dr? The obs is back this week and i have appointment on Tuesday, so hopefully he will check everything out and put my mind at ease.

Have been really sore low down in my stomach, kind of like muscular sore, sometimes so much that i stuggle to walk. In bed at night i can't lay on my back, get really sore hips on my sides and it hurts and takes quite some effort to turn over. For the most part I think i am coping ok, but it sometimes gets me down. I have felt crap everyday of the entire pregnancy and can't remember what it felt like anymore to feel good. Just hanging in there now, counting down the days.

Speaking of counting down, just 8 more working days for me in the office, then 8 more from home. I can't wait. I can feel the stress leaving me and the things that would normally be stressing me out at work aren't stressing me anymore as i know i won't be there much longer! It's a really nice feeling actually to go to work and not be so stressed and angry all the time. Poor Kim, my replacement, though! He's copping it all now!

31 weeks

He's been an active little thing over the past couple of weeks - it's kind of like he's moving and pushing and trying to make some more room as he gets bigger and his cosy home gets more cramped. I am feeling really heavy and my tummy gets so sore, especially toward the end of the day. I can't wait to finish working!
Had another obs appointment yesterday, all is good, average size for 31 weeks, heart rate 141bpm (normal).

29 Weeks

Wow, what a busy time it's been!

We've moved into our new house with all the fun and games associated with moving. It's really great to be in our own place. We've got a list of things that we need to fix, buy, build etc...and we'll just tackle them as we can. I am getting fat and uncomfortable - what do i mean getting....i seem to have always felt fat and uncomfortable! It's stopping me from doing lots of things that i want to do in the house, which can be frustrating, but i am getting better and don't try anything that it just too hard! That leaves poor Kylie to do nearly everything!

We had our three prenatal classes this month just gone. There was one about Breastfeeding, one about Early postnatal and parenting and one on Caesarian section. They were all pretty good, nothing really earth shattering, but i'm glad we went and it prompted me to think about a few things and learn about some community resources.

We had some difficult times just before Christmas as dad's wife Sue's mother died and on the day of her funeral, my nana died. We had the funeral for Nana on Christmas Eve, which was her 97th birthday! It was sad, but i was ok for the most part. Mostly wanting my mum to be ok.
We had a little hiccup on the baby front, with my initial Glucose Challenge Test being deemed as abnormal (found out it was actually 8.0, when it was meant to be <7.9).>35 (we had about 40 today too!!) - the weather has shown that our house is a hothouse and so we bought an air conditioner yesterday that Kylie's dad is going to put in. It's a lot of money, but it did worry me about not being able to cool the house when we have a little baby in it. Am going to look at ceiling fans for the two front bedrooms.

We had another obs appointment yesterday and once again, all is well. Apparently we can expect a big growth spurt from now till about 35 weeks. I just can't imagine where it is going to go and how fat and uncomfortable i am going to feel, given how i feel now!! In the next 5 weeks or so little Walex will about double his weight from just over a kilo to 2 kilos - i can't believe it!!

26 weeks

Here is the big fat tummy at 26 weeks!!! It is massive!!!

I am becoming a partial outie!!!!

All is progressing well on the baby front. I am feeling better than earlier days now but still mostly having a big sore stomach all the time. Little Walex has been very active over the last four weeks or so, which is really cool and you can even see my stomach move when he does a big kick! Kylie can feel him too which is really exciting.

We move into our new house this week and then we can set up the baby's room! It's just so exciting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are going to see a lawyer on Wednesday to see where we stand legally in terms of a parenting order so Kylie is recognised as the other parent and a will so that Kylie and Walex are looked after in case of......well let's not think of that.

Next obst. appointment is New Year's Eve!!

21 Weeks

These pics are from the 19 week scan. One is normal ultrasound, other is 3D alien looking ultrasound!

Here's the tummy at 21 weeks:

Had dr appointment today. All is going well. He's active and has a good strong heart beat (the baby - not the doctor - well the doctor may as well, but i wouldn't really know - oh..you know!) and things are progressing as expected.
We had the chat about the birth and it is confirmed that i will have a caesarian at 39 weeks. Tthe dr was understanding of my concerns given my neuro condition and said that in the circumstances it was perfectly reasonable and he would make the arrangements. I really did feel a tremendous sense of relief not to have to worry about that aspect of things anymore and not to have to convince or argue in anyway. I had done a lot of reading and feel that my decision is an informed decision.
Strangely, following the appointment (just this morning) I have been feeling tremendously fat and think that Walex is growing at epic proportions and if he goes on at this rate i may just explode!

20 weeks

Had our 19 week scan last week and all was well. Definately a boy - we saw the crucial boy bits! He was about 15 cm or so from head to bum. All major organs appeared ok.

We've been playing about picking out names and have a big list of them on the whiteboard now, most have been contemplated, discussed and crossed off, until now we are left with four - Will, Patrick, Harrison and Daniel. Still plenty of time and i think we'll probably just leave it at a short list till we see him! Not too late to add other options though!

I'm still fat and sore. Amazing just how much weight i have stacked on in the last few weeks. My tummy is really a pregnant looking stomach now!! I sometimes catch a glimpse in the mirror and and think 'holy crap, look at that!'. I am not feeling as sick as much, which is wonderful, but still sore and just not feeling great alot of the time.

We bought a house, which is really, really exciting! A real family home! Can't wait to move, although feel a little bad as poor Kylie will have to do most of the work as i can't lift anything! We've been packing things up even though we've still got about 6 week so before we move, but at least it won't be a mad rush at the end! Just got to con some friends/family into helping out on the day now! I've attached a pic of the new house.

Got another appointment this week coming with Obstetrician. Gonna have to talk about the whole caesarian vs. vaginal birth thing again. I've been doing some research, but honestly, the more i read about the perineal consequences of normal birth, the more i want to go for a caesarian. Looking at the research and the stats, i'm surprised anyone wants to have a normal vaginal birth!! I swear, if men had to push babies out of their penises and were then told that their penisese were likely to not function properly for months, years or possibly ever again, all babies would be born by caesarian! What a lot of crap women have been brainwashed to believe, being told that having to bear the consequences of vaginal birth are just a part of life!

17 weeks

We're 17 weeks now and it's hard to believe those scans i put up last were only at 13 weeks! The baby is about 13 cm long now. We had an appointment yesterday with the Dr who had a little look on ultrasound, it was awesome. And.....he thinks.....it's a boy! But he wouldn't put his house on it (I asked him!!). So that's very exciting. The baby was moving around heaps and the Dr commented that he was an active little thing and growing well. So all is good.

I'm still feeling sick quite a lot and uncomfortable/sore, but the Dr seems to think my ovaries are getting smaller, so that's good. I do feel sick still but i think perhaps it's getting better....then again....i'm not sure, perhaps i'm just trying to think positive!

I'm a bit stressed out about the birth thing at the moment. Went to see the neurologist to discuss my neuropathy concerns and get her recommendation for caesarian vs vaginal delivery. We talked about it for quite some time and given the lack of research available, she pretty much said she doesn't know what could happen, but he are some possibilities....and told me about possible neuropathies that could result. Mostly, the concern for me is a pudendal nerve neuropathy, which could cause problems with urinary incontinence (or more seriously faecal incontinence...hmmm...that's not good). Also loss of sensation in the perineum affects sexual function too (hmmm...that's not good either!). Anyway, by the end of that visit i was definately leaning toward caesarian and pretty much thought she was too. When i went back to the obstetrician, however, it seems her letter to him sat on the fence, so he wants to do a normal vaginal delivery. I am confused now. I think the only way for me to feel good about it is to do some research into Vaginal delivery vs Caesarian, in terms of general pros and cons and also in terms of what sort of neuropathies can result from each option. I want to make an informed decision and am generally the sort of person who is not just happy to 'do what the dr recommends' unless i am convinced that it is the right course. After all, i'm the one wearing the consequences.

So I am now trying not to stress and instead will throw myself into some research in order to make my decision.

We have our 19 week scan in two weeks, can't wait! We get another DVD and pics and get to look at the baby moving around and all it's bits and pieces. They will probably be able to confirm whether it is in fact a boy as the Dr thinks, as it'll be a bit bigger, they'll have more time to look and probably better ultrasound gear. So that's all very exciting. Looks like we'll be able to start buying cool little blue clothes and throw out all the pink we've been given from hand me downs!!! Ah, the stereotypes!

13 weeks

Gosh, how time flies when you're feeling nauseous!

It's 13 weeks today. The nausea continues and i still have a sore stomach, but when you see pictures like those we saw today at our scan....well....surely it's worth it....!

We went and had our 13 week scan which was mainly for Nuchal Translucency (looking for signs of down syndrome) as well as generally looking for all the important bits - you know, a heart, some eyes, ears, arms, legs, kidneys, stomach...all those essential items you hope the baby has! Walex is 6.8cm long and we heard his (?) little heart beat. It was quite amazing to see little it leaping about and using my uterus as a trampoline! We still don't know if Walex is a boy or girl, but it sure was awesome just to see it and know that it's alive and moving and growing and everything is looking good. We got to keep some pics as well as a DVD of it all! My ovaries are still massive and full of follicles, a result of the IVF treatment exacerbated by the pregnancy - that explains my stomach tenderness, hopefully this will go down over the next couple of months...

It was really great that Kylie could come to this one, it's so much more wonderful to share something like this. How lucky i am. Still feel sick, but happy and sick!

When i got home Kylie had been to her brother's house and brought back a pram, a baby carrier, some bottle bags, a cot and mattress. We added this to the pram we had already bought (an ebay disaster - but that's another story!), the portacot and baby monitors we'd already bought! Gosh, it sure is become a reality now!

9 weeks

Ok, so i didn't get around to posting my questions after all, so sue me!

My appointment with Dr Pregs went well. I like him, he was nice and friendly and easy going and make you feel comfortable easily. He seems approachable and open to questions, so it's all good.

I got to have another scan, so i've got another little pic, which is ace. Little Walex looking like a bigger smudge than before.

I asked him some stuff about the birth, which was on my mind, stuff about pain relief and when he would be seeing me at the birth - you know, just to catch it as it came out, or before. He made me feel pretty good about the birth and pain relief thing. Just'go with the flow' is his feeling, see how you're coping and ask for something if you're not. I'm so all for analgesia, unlike lots of mothers-to-be it seems who are keen on 'no intervention, drug free labour'....yeah, bugger that!

I raised the question of my bizarro hereditary neuropathy with pressure palsies and whether the baby pushing it's head on my vagina for hours would result in a neuropathy....that one threw him! Seems that lots of women get neuropathies from child birth anyway, let alone freaks like me with a chromosomal deficiency leaving me way prone to it already.......i think i can see a Caesarian coming on......

I'm going to see my neurologist to ask her opinion and try to get some sort of recommendation as Dr Pregs certainly admitted, it's the first time he's had this one! I got the feeling he was already leaning toward the c-section. And hey, i'm not arguing, a numb perineum for a year or so afterward is not what i'm after either!!

Hospital Shopping

We looked at two hospitals on the weekend. I have managed to get myself an appointment with two different obstetricians, one delivers at Frances Perry House and the other at Jessie MacPherson. These are my hospital preferences as they both are associated and co-located within major public hospitals with intensive care units, both Neonatal and Adult. I can't help but think like that, seeing that i used to be an ICU nurse - always hope for the best but prepare for the worst!

Anyways, so we visited both FPH and JM on the weekend. We looked at the patient rooms at JM - but not the delivery suite and we looked at the delivery suite at FPH but not the patient rooms! Not quite sure how we are supposed to compare now! I'm not sure what i was expecting really, but i wasn't overly impressed by anything....for some reason i was expecting plush and hotel like surroundings, when what we saw, in both instances were just hospital rooms - of which i've seen many before. These rooms were just like that really.....hospital rooms......!

I have my first obstetrician appointment tomorrow morning with Dr Pregs (I know, funny!) - he is the guy who works at FPH - which i think is my preference at this point. So unless we clash terribly and i think he's a twat, i'll ring after the appointment and cancel the other obstetrician.

Looking forward to the appointment tomorrow and have written up a big list of questions, which i'll post later today. We also get to have another scan tomorrow - that's exciting too! 9 week scan.

I hate ginger

I hate the smell of ginger and I hate the taste of ginger. I find it somewhat ironic that the the smell and taste of ginger make me want to be sick and yet ginger seems to be standard natural remedy to nausea and vomitting.
I have been taking ginger and vitB6 tablets every morning in the hope that they will make my nausea go away. They haven't yet.... I have to try my best to swallow them down before i cop a whiff or a taste of it in my mouth and it makes me want to puke!
This nausea thing is unpleasant. I am so looking to forward to the wonderful 12 week mark when it's supposed to go away...well, that's the hope anyway, all the books say it should be going away by then. I'm 9 weeks tomorrow. Trying to stay positive...i read this morning (on the wonderfully informative internet of course) that having nausea means that you actually have a decreased risk of miscarriage.....well, that's good then..... :)