28+6

Its 4:40am and yet again i have been up for well over an hour. I'm at work today though so going to try and get a bit more rest before i go. I do find that when I'm struggling this much to sleep, often i am better to get up for a while and potter about or get something to eat rather than just laying there in bed.

I am nearly 29 weeks pregnant and so much has happened in the past week. I went from work to my usual antenatal appointment with heather on Wednesday at 11am. When i got there i discovered that Heather was off sick, so i had another midwife instead.

I got in, and did the usual blood pressure and urine tests etc. There was still protein in my wee, so it has been sent off to the lab yet again. The midwife listened to the baby and took my blood, then spent a while looking at my growth charts. She was quite concerned and said that i needed to be seen for my growth scan, and to be monitored more closely by the hospital.

I booked another appointment with Heather for three weeks time, and went outside to find out how i was going to get to the hospital. I phoned Adam and my mum to let them know what was happening, mum was going to be at work for a while longer, so Adam came and fetched me. We got to the hospital and headed straight for the scan department. It was lovely to see Button again, we saw all his her tiny little fingers and toes, it was magic!

When we first went into the room the Sonographer asked us if we knew the sex, and we told her we didn't. After a few minutes of scanning she said 'I just need to get a measurement of her legs'. My heart stopped, i looked straight at Adam, wondering if he'd noticed. I waited a few minutes to see if she said anything else, and then i asked her so say (without giving it away) whether she had been able to tell the sex. She said she hadn't looked, so that she wouldn't give anything away, so i assume it was just a passing comment.

She took all measurements and baby seems to be the perfect size, apart from having a slightly tubby little tummy, but nothing above average, and more to the point the head circumference is perfect :D (sigh of relief!)

We came out of the scan, and the sonographer disappeared for a few minutes to make a phone call. She came back and told us that we needed to head down to the Pregnancy Assessment unit.

When we got there, they asked me to lie on the bed, and they strapped two monitors around my bump, they then put a little button in my hand and told me to press it every time i felt the baby move. She left me there for a while, and we could hear Buttons heartbeat and all the kicks and wriggles which was lovely.

We could here Lois, the midwife on the phone just outside our curtain. She made me panic a bit because she was talking about me, and using lots of medical terms that i didn't understand. We then heard her say 'i need a doctor to come and explain everything to the lady and explain why we've got to do it'.

I looked straight at Adam, panic stricken. I had no idea what they were going to do to me and now felt petrified.

Lois came over to us, she sat down at my bedside and put her hand on my leg. She explained that the scan had showed that iv now got a lot of fluid again, and that there were a few tests they had got to do to make sure everything was OK. She said that the doctor was coming to talk to us, and warned me that some of the things that the doctor was going to say to us would sound quite scary, but we should try not to get too worried.

The doctor had a very strong accent, and spoke very quickly, and i was trying so hard to concentrate on everything she said, but really struggled to get my head around a lot of it.

She basically said that because i am measuring at 7 weeks ahead of what i should be, and because my 'fluid levels' were at the limit i am now at risk of premature delivery, as the membranes could just give, so basically my waters could break at any time. At this point, i was trying to digest all of this, but the doctor went on to say there are other risks, such as my cord could drop low down and i could end up having to have an emergency cesarean. (Which has always been one of my biggest fears). I was told that I'm going to be very closely monitored from now on, with extra consultations and scans every couple of weeks.

I had to go back on Friday for a series of other tests. They have tested for gestational diabetes, TB, Toxomaplosis, Rubella, Common colds and some other bits and bobs, and general infections. I had to do a 14 hour starve, and have a further two blood tests! So i am now awaiting all of these results, as well as my urine ones too!

I now have another scan booked in for next Tuesday to monitor how things are going.

After speaking to several people, we have come to the decision that it would be in mine and babies best interests to bring my maternity leave forwards. Which i really didn't want to do, as id rather have more time with the baby at the end, but i have been rightly reminded that now is the most important time for me, and the baby, to make sure we are both as healthy as possible, and its more important for me to ensure that every things going right now. So i am meeting with Shawna today, and possibly making my last day 15th July, instead of 3rd August. Two weeks of that is holiday so its still not massively early, just more than i had originally planned.

Its 5:35 now and I'm going to try and get another hour and a half sleep before work. I'm hoping its going to be a calmer Tuesday than usual though, as we have only got one clinic running, compared with the usual three.

They are really looking after me at work now, and making sure i spend the majority of time sitting down to take the pressure off my bump.

So in conclusion, I'm feeling very strange after the weeks events, i cant believe that the baby could literally make an appearance at any time! When i think of it like that i feel so unprepared. I'm going to make a start on getting my hospital bag ready now just in case. We went to the hospital last night for an antenatal class (which wasn't on!) and were given a tour round the birthing suites. They are lovely and have made me feel more excited about the big day.

I'll make sure i keep you all up to date with any news!

Love love love xxx

The ring of ugh!

For the past few days i thought id been getting bad outbreaks of eczema on my arms and chest, its been driving me mad. I woke up this morning, the patches were itching more than ever and seemed to have spread. They had gone really dark round the outside, like an exact line around the edge, and my neck was starting to swell and itch. I got ready for work and had to battle the urge to scratch on the bus. I popped into the pharmacy when i first got there and they backed up my suspicion that it was possibly 'ringworm' (which sounds disgusting but doesn't actually involve worms at all). When i got to work, Shawna phoned the doctor and i pretty much turn straight back round and got back on the bus. Dr Allen confirmed that it is ringworm, and its contagious but not dangerous. He prescribed me some cream, and said its at the discretion of management at work whether or not i return. The decision was made that i should take the rest of today off, but return tomorrow morning.
I have had 6 baths today to try and soothe the rashes (which seem to have been popping up fast). I don't see working like this being much fun but I'll just have to do my best. I'm wearing a black polo top to cover the majority of the infection, to stop me scratching, and so that patients don't see it.
I was supposed to be going swimming with my mum tonight too, which i was really looking forward to :(
Just to add to the discomfort, heartburn is welcoming itself into the equation now too! Iv woken up in the night with it pretty bad a few times over the past week. Maybe Button will be a little Fluff nut :)
Had some really exciting family news tonight too which has cheered me up no end! Don't think i ought to say what it is yet, but i will definitely be able to within the next couple of weeks! Very exciting!
Iv bought a couple of pregnancy and baby magazines tonight, so I'm going to snuggle up in bed and have a good old read in a minute :)
I literally don't seem to be able to read enough baby info! With the Magazines i got a free car sun shade (with a sunshine and a crab on!), a book of baby names, a 'Maisey story' (which i loved as a child) and a few catalogues, so plenty to be looking through!

I'm glad im finally getting more chance to blog now. I think the motivation of how many people are reading it is really pushing me too! My stats have reached over 2000 now!

Nighty night
Love 'mummy moose' and 'baby Button' xxx

"Pregnant Princess"

Sorry i haven't blogged for a while, I'm up to my neck, drowning in revision for my assessments, which by the way, i still wish i could fast forward through. I am not looking forward to them one little bit. The idea of them is keeping me awake at night.It'll be heavenly when they are over and done with!!

There isn't really a great deal more to say at the moment, the sickness is still only just bareable, I'm still exhausted but I'm loving it all. Apparently if u stretched button out, from head to toe is about 4cm!! But its much comfier to curl up at the moment :)

I went to Asda with mum and Adam last night, mums bought me some black maternity jeans, and black work trousers, a little denim maternity skirt and tights which I'm going to give her money for. I can literally only fit in maternity stuff now! I got a nice black maternity dress too for Shawna's 21st Birthday Bash which is in a couple of weeks, so now i can stop worrying about what I'm going to wear for that :)

Its the 'baby event' at Asda too, and there were some amazing deals, such as a car seat for £25!! So we bought a set of bottles and sterilizer, which was reduced to a fantastic £10!!

Iv had a rather lovely day today. Went to a car boot sale with mum and Chris, which was hardly worth the 75p entry fee as there was literally nothing there! Then we had a drive to Sutton and had a look round Matalan. We bought a few bits from here too, some little white socks (pack of 5) 3 Neutral feeding cloths and a fluffy reindeer hat and gloves which is adorable!! We also found the most amazing maternity top, its white with 'Pregnant Princess' written on in swirly letters!! :D

There's some really nice baby stuff in there, changing mats, outfits, bedding etc so I'm definitely planning a trip with Adam once we've been paid!

Once we got back to mums, we spent a couple of hours looking online at different prams. We saw an amazing one, which i have since shown Adam, and he loves it as much as i do! Its a 9 way pram, which means it would last Button a long time, and we needn't buy a car seat, a moses basket or maybe even a highchair! It does everything!! It is a little out of our budget though £635, reduced from £835!! But there are some on EBay in fantastic condition for a lot less!

If you cant see the pictures at the top very clearly, you can see a larger image of them if you go on www.mamasandpapas.com and type in 'Ultima 9 in 1' .

Right, time for me to get back to exciting old revision :( Lucky me!

Love to all xxxxxx

Bad day :(

Today has been a bad day, literally from setting off this morning its been no fun. I started the day feeling pretty chuffed with myself, as i got up in plenty of time to wash and dry my hair, iron my uniform and pack myself a lunch. I had a stroll to the bus stop with plenty of time to spare. Looking back, i don't know how i managed to get through the journey, the sickness was almost unbarable. As i was about to step off the bus, it jolted down (as if to let a pushchair on), this is normally done as a gentle release, but it was one sudden jerking movement which sent me flying. My bags went flying and i hit the concrete flat on. I lay there for a second, confused, blood was dripping out of my mouth and i could feel the scuffs on my knees and chin, the only thing i could think was 'have i hurt my baby'. Nobody even offered me a hand, or picked my bags up, people just walked straight by. I got up, shaking, and didn't even acknowledge the blood, i walked in a daze clutching onto my tummy praying i hadn't done any important damage. After a few minutes i had a quick drink of water to rinse away the blood in my mouth, and went into Subway. There i went into the toilet to check i had all of my teeth, and gave my chin and my knees a little wipe. I wanted to cry, i felt like a child. It wasn't the pain of the grazes, it was the fear of what i could have done, and the shock that nobody was willing to help me. I trembled into work and stumbled over words trying to ask Shawna for an antiseptic wipe. She looked puzzled at me and asked me what id done to my chin. I just burst into tears. She took me round the back and sat me down, cleaned me up and got me a drink of water. What a lovely start to the day.
Work was manic today, every time i turned round we had a new que of patients at the front desk. It was a pretty stressful day, and i found myself counting down the hours until i could go home. We were 30 minutes late leaving due to a late dispense, which convinced me i had missed my lift home with Amber. When we finally got out, i rushed round to D&A and luckily for me everyone had been held behind there too. I nipped into MacDonald's while i waited and got a drink and some chips for us both, as i felt weak with hunger. Amber soon came out and we set off for the car. As we got outside the Swan pub in the town centre, we saw a man on the floor and a girl screaming for help knelt beside him, the man was bleeding quite badly, had had a fit and was foaming at the mouth. There was a girl in a nearby telephone box already on the phone to the ambulance service. We rushed over, both of us froze for a moment as we panicked and went blank. We got the man into the recovery position and i checked his airways. We cushioned his head and i began to talk loudly to him. The girl in the phone box was getting upset and struggling to talk to the operator, as she knew the man, so i ran over to take over for her. Amber stood at the entrance to the phone box and shouted questions and instructions at the girls as the woman talked me through everything. We stayed on the phone until we saw the blue flashing light Amber went out and waved the ambulance over, and they started seeing to the man. We hung around for a few seconds and then made our way back to the car. Adrenaline pumping through both of us. Since getting home, all i can bare to do is sleep. Its pretty frustrating for me as there's so much i want to do, but i can barely keep my eyes open. Adams been fantastic. I told him to let me sleep for 20 minutes before waking me up to start dinner. I woke up over an hour later to find that he has cleaned the whole kitchen and is doing dinner himself (home made shepherds pie ) :)
I feel really bad for him though, he is ending up doing all the work because I'm almost to exhausted to hold my own head up. I have felt really rough since waking up. Been violently sick upstairs and I'm aching everywhere. I actually feel ill rather than pregnant tonight. But i have got my appetite back a little bit after smelling the yummy dinner that's being cooked for me as i type :)
I love my Adam, he's a fantastic husband and has been such great help to me throughout this pregnancy. I just hope he isn't getting fed up with all the work he's been doing, I'm hoping the exhaustion wont last to much longer, and I'll be back to my energetic self, able to really start working hard around our beautiful house.

Lets hope tomorrow is a better day!

Love always xxxx