Becca has headed north, but we managed a morning together before she left to take some maternity photos. We had a bit of fun, trying a few different things, even getting Jess our dog in a few.
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| Soon to be four... |
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As for other options, all he told me was that the gas would only take the edge off, not take the pain away. Well, what if that's all I need? An epidural will lower my blood pressure- I already have low blood pressure! I also have a very limited amount of sensation and movement in that area as it is. I would like to keep control over as much of that as I can, for as long as I can. The chances of them doing anymore damage are very low, so that's not really what I'm concerned about, but I kind of think I'm going to need everything I've got, in the best condition it can be in. I also know an epidural will slow down the second part of labour, which I don't think will be particularly helpful.
Is that enough reasons to question his decision? Especially since his only reason was the risk of dysreflexia. I've not had an episode of dysreflexia in years, but having had one in rehab, I do know what signs to look out for. Not to mention they will be watching me closer than a hawk anyway. He also failed to mention that an epidural will require a cannula in my hand, to give me fluids to increase my blood pressure (still getting over the last one) and a catheter, since I won't be able to get up and go to the toilet. The catheter doesn't bother me in the slightest, since I manage to go to the toilet without the use of my legs anyway, oh and I can't feel them put it in anyway. To be honest, I'll probably be asking for one anyway, so I can spend my energy on other things, like, oh I don't know, pushing out a small human. I just think they are both things he should have mentioned! Right, rant over, onto the next topic..
Tim and I spent an entire weekend at the hospital doing our birth/caring for a newborn/breastfeeding classes. Tim really doesn't like hospitals, so it was a particularly painful experience for him, but we got through it all. The midwife who took the classes was very enthusiastic. She reminded me of Steve Irwin a little, if you can imagine him swaddling a baby or explaining the wonders of breast tissue. She did have a lot of good stuff to teach us though, including all the stuff the anaesthetist failed to mention. The tour of the labour ward was handy, since we now know where to go and what to expect. And how to get into the hospital after 8.30pm. She also talked about things like breastfeeding and swaddling, signs of problems in the pregnancy and early labour, signs something’s wrong once the baby actually arrives. I probably would have worked out myself that green vomit wasn't good, but it's nice to know for sure. All in all, it was a crash course in how to get the baby out and what to do with it once it gets here. Handy stuff to know!
Last week we had our next visit with Dr D. She is very happy with how things are progressing and it was a pretty quick visit. I did ask her about my bowel meds, since I have been a bit constipated (again a very common side effect of pregnancy) and I had been starting to get haemorrhoids (some bits of being pregnant are better than others). Anyway, as a result of this conversation I learnt that senna, the active ingredient in my laxatives, can go through to affect the baby, so it's best avoided during pregnancy. Obviously it's not a good thing if the baby started pooping into the amniotic fluid before it's born, since it's the amniotic fluid bub is sucking on. You can get some pretty nasty infections from that. She suggested I try Normacol Plus and coloxyl instead.
Dr D has also got me going to see the director of the labour ward next time I'm coming in to see her, so we can have a look at what I need and what will make life easier for everyone. We already got the ball rolling on a couple of things, like the cot (theirs are way too tall for me to get a baby in and out of), when we did our tour of the labour ward. I was ready to have a fight over the anaesthetist, but Dr D just said not to worry too much, since he doesn't get involved until we have gone through the other options (the ones he didn't want to tell me about) already.
The one useful thing the anaesthetist did tell me, was that he will get me to stop my clexane injections at 37 weeks and switch to asprin. It's not as affective, but it means I don't have to worry about bleeding out during surgery if I go early and they have to operate. I forgot to mention it earlier; I was a bit worked up.
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| Speaking of Clexane... I had a nasty bruise last week! (On another note- how huge is my belly!) |
I also went and got my flu and whooping cough vaccines this week, one in each leg! I do have an awesome GP! I also went and got a blood sample taken to check out my haemoglobin levels, now that it's been four weeks since my infusion.
I have had to take all my rings off, as the swelling of my entire body continues to progress. I took three of the four off at the beginning of the week, but it didn't take me long to realise I should have taken my wedding band off at the same time. That eventually came off, after I stuck it in ice water until it went numb and Tim eventually managed to pry it off, with the help of some dishwashing detergent. I don't think the tears running down my face helped much, but it bloody well hurt!!! At least he didn't take any skin off, unlike when I took ones of the others off at the start of the week.
My belly is continuing to grow. The stupid washing basket keeps falling off my lap whenever I try to do any laundry! And I still have two months to go... Just how much bigger can it get? Because I'm sure no pregnant woman ever wondered that before! There's been lots of kicking and belly rolls lately. As baby gets more cramped, they are certainly easier to feel. My dad finally got to feel bub move a few days ago, which was pretty exciting.
I have been doing a regular urine sample each visit with Dr D lately, to test for urinary tract infections (UTI). They do these regularly with any pregnant woman, but I am at a higher risk of getting a UTI because I self catheterise. I got a call from the hospital Friday to say that my latest sample had started growing bugs and they needed another sample to double check before they put me on antibiotics, in case of contamination. So with a long weekend coming up, I made a trip in to do another sample for them.
While I was there I asked to see a midwife to talk about things with my bowels. It had been a week since I changed my meds and I'd gone from spending about an hour in the bathroom of a morning, to spending 3-4 hours. Dr D had just finished seeing another lady to finish the day, so she stopped in and had a chat with me. She agreed that the change in meds wasn't working and I was better off to go back to the senna, but keep the Normacol Plus, so I didn't end up constipated again. There is a risk that it will affect the baby, but I can't spend the next two months on the toilet, so it's just something else we will have to watch out for.
While I was there we had a look at the results from my blood test. My iron levels are great, but my haemoglobin level have only just started to move. They will give it a couple more weeks and get me to have another blood test, then decide what to do. That could be why I'm feeling a bit sluggish still. Again, I just thought I'd been over doing it.
Dr D also suggested I try a haemorrhoid cream and ice twice daily to help look after my behind. It doesn't hurt, but I still don't want them, especially knowing my healing rate (very slow).
I think that covers most of the last couple of weeks. I'm trying to get a few things sorted around home in preparation. I've had the doors pulled off the nursery cupboard, so I could take them outside and paint them. So far it's taken me a week to do one coat. I might have to get a wriggle on there...
Until next time!
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