Sunday, 18 March 2012

Mother's Day,aka MY DUE DATE and he's still not here :(

Well today is officially my due date, and also Mothering Sunday.
I have been counting down to this day for 9 months now, and I cannot describe how gutted I am that he has not turned up.

It would have been the perfect very first Mother's Day gift: my first child.
What hasnt helped, is that I have stupidly believed that he would be earlier than his due date, because everyone around me for the last couple of months have said that there is no way I would get to the due date as he is way too big a baby!

Wednesday, 14 March 2012

Midwife Appoinment: 39 Weeks

I had my week 39 midwife appointment yesterday, and it’s safe to say it scared the life out of me. It was the most beneficial appointment I have ever had, because for once it lasted more than 5 minutes and we got a lot of things done, but at the same time it has given me a lot to think about. I wish she had been my midwife a lot earlier on, as I might have got a lot more support!
Firstly, I am now officially a beached whale, and it is SO hard to try and do simple things, such as get off a chair, get in or out of bed and even bend over the sink to clean my teeth. I have had enough of being pregnant now, as I feel like I’m going to break anything I sit on and I just want to be able to roll around in my bed pain-free!

My Third Antenatal Class: Breastfeeding

This was the fun class where we had to bring in teddies to practice on. At first the midwife talked about the importance of breastfeeding, for both mum and baby, and she explained that we no longer have the natural instinct of how to breastfeed, due to evolution. She said that is why so many women struggle to do it these days, and that persistence is the key.
Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and osteoporosis for the mother, as well as suck her uterus back into place quicker and help burn 500 calories a day. It reduces the risks of asthma, other allergies and being overweight for the baby. It also contains all the correct nutrients the baby needs to set up their immune system.

Friday, 2 March 2012

My Second Antenatal Class: Pain Relief

To be honest this session didn’t really do very much for me, but I think this might be because I have already talked to lots of people and read on pregnancy forums and websites about the many pain relief methods.
The midwife started by talking through a basic labour scenario, and then would give different incidences that would result in different birthing methods having to be used. This included looking at using ventousse or forceps if the baby was finding it hard to turn in the canal, and she said this can include the doctor having to cut you (episiotomy). She said that these days episiotomies are not done very often, because it is known that tearing naturally heals a lot quicker than being cut.