38 weeks

While I was lying in bed last week wide awake and thinking baby was on the way, there were lots of thoughts going through my head. One of those was about the state of chaos the nursery was still in. So I got mum to come over and she and I spent a couple of hours going through everything. The bike gear has all been sent to the shed, the Tupperware and Christmas decorations have been packed up and re-homed and the nursery finally looks like a kid’s room! We even set the bassinette up, so I could find out if I had the right sized sheets. It took a bit of trial and error, since we couldn't find any instructions, but we got there. Then of course the instructions turned up, in the secret pocket of the bottom. Where else would they be? I have even managed to clean some of the tyre marks off the walls, although only the ones I could reach, of course!   

We had a meeting last week with integrated living, one of the assistance schemes available in our area. We had a lady come out to visit and go through the paperwork needed to set me up as a client. Basically I've set it up so I can get assistance with housework and personal care after baby is born. I hopefully won't need it, but it's set up ready to go if I do!

I have been so sore lately! My neck and shoulders are full of rocks and so tight! The extra weight I'm carrying, combined with the poor posture it's giving me is not doing good things. When I get really tight in my shoulders, I get a nasty needle sensation. It's kind of like an itch, except it's under the skin and I can't scratch it, it only goes away when the knot is worked out. Which is not helpful when it's out of my reach. Poor Tim gets to help me deal with this at all hours of the night when it's keeping me awake. He tells me I've been snoring too, another common pregnancy symptom. At least my snoring will go away once the baby is born...

I remember talking to my rather-well-endowed-in-the-breast-department cousin about how she had had to start sleeping in bras while she was pregnant, because she needed the support. Can't say I had expected that to happen to me. Guess what? It has. 24 hour bra wearing it is! I've also noticed that my belly makes this really hard lump on my right hand side when I get up. Because I have a pillow under my hip to take the weight of my veins and nerves running down my spine, baby shifts to the side over night, resulting in a very lop sided bump when I first get up! 

So it’s been a rather eventful couple of weeks. First the floods and my waters breaking, oh wait, no they didn't. This week Tim and I got a really nasty bout of what we think was food poisoning. We both went to bed a few nights ago feeling awful and within a couple of hours poor Tim was suffering waves of vomit and diarrhoea. Fortunately for me, I don't eat as much as Tim, so I only had the vomiting and I hung on for a while before I started getting sick. I was feeling pretty bloody awful by morning, but nowhere near as bad as Tim was. He couldn't keep anything down and was starting to cramp up. He said to me at one stage that his cramps were the worst pain ever, or something along those lines. I think I told him we will decide that in a few weeks once this baby is out! 

By afternoon I wasn't keeping anything down either. I'd been drinking all day but I knew I was getting dehydrated anyway, so I gave the hospital a call and they told me to come in. I left Tim flat out on the couch and my mother in law drove me in. 

When I got in there, they stuck me in isolation, under suspicion of gastro and started to monitor the baby and I, take my vital signs, all the usual racket. My blood pressure is usually low, but it was very low by this stage, around 80 over 30. I wasn't feeling like it was particularly low, mostly just feeling really tired! So of course they stuck me on fluids. I know I've said this before, but I don't have good veins at the best of times. I though the doctor looking after me might have actually been able to hit a vein, but she struggled. Also, it turns out she was just a confident intern. From now on, no one is sticking needles in my veins unless they are a senior doctor, paramedic or pathology nurse. They seem to be the only people who can reliably hit my veins. I don't mind having students around and even having them use me to practice on most things, but that is now off limits. 

Next on the list was to insert a catheter and do an examination. They weren't in any hurry to give me a catheter, but with a cannula in my hand, I sure as hell couldn't do them myself! So the intern doctor came back to do both of those. Like last week, they used a speculum and had a look at my cervix to see what was going on. She was about to do that when she looked up and asked if I was scared of those too. I must have had the most dumbfounded look on my face as I told her of course not. I really wish I'd added that I wasn't scared of needles either; she had just really hurt me!! I think she might have got that idea when she saw how deep the bite marks I made on my arm were, as I was trying to distract myself. Anyhow, I digress. My cervix was not ready to let a baby out anytime soon and the baby wasn't 'engaged' so they were pretty confident my contractions were from the vomiting, not because I was going into labour. I was glad that I wasn't going into labour off no sleep, dehydrated and a day of vomiting, with Tim in even worse condition. 

There was one interesting thing to come from all this- I can definitely feel contractions!! I was lying in bed, waiting until I thought I could feel them, then checking the monitor to see if I was right. Once they got a bit stronger, I was getting it right basically 100% of the time. It feels like a tight band around my belly, and pressure on my bladder. I feel a bit more confident now that I'll know when I do go into labour. 

They ended up keeping me in overnight to monitor my contractions, then discharged me at lunchtime. 

I have been proven wrong! My butt pressure sore has indeed healed before baby’s arrival! One less thing to worry about there.

We have finally got the nursery to the stage where it actually looks like a nursery. (Obviously it takes me a while to write a post sometimes). I'm really happy with how it has come up. 

This makes me smile everytime

I've found that one of the things already-parents seem to delight in, is telling soon-to-be-parents about poonami's. For those of you fortunate enough to have never witnessed a poonami, it is literally a shit storm. A poo explosion. Every parent has experienced them and they give us almost parents these sage warnings and smile at each other as if to say 'oh they think they know what they are in for. How adorable'. While they are giving each other this look though, they miss the wry look between Tim and I that says 'oh I think we have a pretty good idea'. 

You see, part of having a spinal cord injury is that you have a limited amount of control over your bowels. Every para and quad out there has experienced some form of bowel incontinence at some stage. A lot of us are able to manage pretty well after a while, by medication and following a routine. However things don't always go to plan. In some ways the pregnancy constipation is easier, because it makes it highly unlikely that things are going to explode everywhere. Because I was in the hospital with a drip in my hand Tuesday night, I skipped my bowel meds. That was no problem, but it meant there was a bit of a back up a couple of days later. Let me tell you, a baby poonami has nothing on an adult one!! (Not to mention they are babies, they don't care. It's never fun as an adult having to deal with incontinence issues). So lesson to self, and others in my position, don't skip bowel meds at 8.5 months pregnant unless it's absolutely essential. Two showers and two toilet stops later.... No wonder I'd been feeling uncomfortable overnight! Also, total credit to Tim who is my runner is these situations, mainly to the washing machine and spare chair parts cupboard. It's not a fun job for either of us. After this week, what can a baby possibly throw/project as is we can't handle? Ha! 

We went into the hospital this week to have our check up with Dr D, only to find out she was sick with the flu. I went off to the bathroom to do my UTI sample and came back to find Tim had been busy while I was in there. They had had me booked in to see Dr P instead (the Dr who had wanted to book me in for a caesarean without even considering any other option), so Tim told them we didn't want to see him. They gave Dr D a call to see what she wanted to do and she's rescheduled our appointment for next week. That will be to check my progress, to see if I (and baby) am ready for an induction next week. We do have a date tentatively booked in, depending on our progress, but I won't be sharing that date here sorry. You'll just have to wait and see!

Well, I think that is about it for now. Who knows what I will have to write about next week?

37 weeks

I came across a comment recently, asking me to post daily, as I'm getting close to b-day. While this is a fabulous compliment (I think that means people are enjoying what I'm writing) I'm afraid that would be terribly boring! Unless I have appointments, most of my days are very dull at the moment. I stay at home, dressed in what Tim calls my koala suit, and my day basically goes: sleep in, eat, toilet, eat, shower, eat, nap and/or read, eat, cook dinner, eat, go to bed. If it's a particularly productive day, I might empty the drainer and do some dishes, write a blog post or do some work on my quilt instead of reading. I really don't have much energy or inclination to do anything more than that! Which is why the nursery is still full of boxes!

The 'koala suit.' Pregnancy fashion at its best.

I have now finished my Clexane injections, as per the anaesthetists instructions. Since my haemoglobin levels are still low, I want to minimise any bleeding during birth, so it's now time to lay off the anticoagulants. I'm now on aspirin instead, which is easier for the hospital to counteract.

I have been going to see my (awesome) GP and nurses twice a week to get the sore on my butt checked and dressed. While I'm quite comfortable in knowing when a would is doing what it's meant to do and when it needs to be seen by the doctor, I can't see this one, so I've left it entirely in their care, instead of doing every second dressing myself. Much to my surprise, it has healed much better than I expected and I was sent home with instructions to remove the dressing in a few days and it should be completely healed! They photo they showed me looked like it basically was. Sorry, not sharing butt pics here, you'll just have to take my word for it! So that is one less thing to worry about, one less would to risk getting infected. I'll still put another dressing on it though, since it's on an area that can get bumped easily. I don't want to open it up again, so I'll give it a bit of extra time to strengthen up.

For those of you on the other side of the world, poor little Tasmania has copped a bit of a beating the last few days. We have had a storm system move down the east coast of Australia causing almost cyclonic conditions. As a result, a good portion of Tassie has been flooded. We were ok at our place, (our creeks flooded, but they often do), but Launceston was flooded to almost record levels and a lot of the roads around our place were impassable, with several bridges being closed. Most of them are still closed now as they are structurally unsound. Anyway, as a result, the hospital called us to push our ultrasound back a day, since the sonographers couldn't get to work.

The (new) day of our ultrasound, I woke up at 4am in a big puddle. I got up to go to the bathroom and before I could get my catheter our to pee, there was a big gush of fluid. For those of you who are a bit naive in the area of childbirth, a gush of fluid, or waters breaking, is one of the big signs that baby is on its way. So I had a drink and went back to bed, then woke Tim up and told him. Of course we both tossed and turned for the next hour (or two, for me). After we had gotten up and had breakfast, I called the hospital and told me to come on in. Remember, we were still dealing with floods at this point and had to negotiate washed out roads and bridges. I had had some Braxton Hicks (practise contractions) over the past week or so and I was pretty sure I'd had some contractions that morning, though not very long or often. So I had a quick shower and we headed off to town!

In the middle of all this, Mum had headed to Hobart for the day, so she was at the other end of the state, with neither of us knowing what was going on. I told her to wait and I'd let her know what they said when we got to the hospital, but she headed back anyway. I can't say I blame her, it's not much fun, that feeling of helplessness, knowing there is nothing you can do, but desperatly needing to do something.

Once we arrived in at the hospital, they whisked us off to one of the birthing suites and hooked me up to a monitor. They took my blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels and monitored baby's heart rate. They also had another monitor on to measure any contractions I was having, and how often and strong they were. The results? Baby was happy but I wasn't having any contractions! They left the monitors on for half an hour, but it was showing nothing labour-ish. Dr D was on the ward and came in and checked on me. Another OB came in and did an ultrasound to check bub's position, then she did a physical exam, not unlike having a pap smear, except they use a speculum (is that right, the duck bill thing?) with a light on it and get you to cough, so they can see if you're leaking fluid. I couldn't feel anything, but I'm thinking it wouldn't be a particularly enjoyable sensation.

By this stage, they were feeling pretty confident it was a false alarm, but they weren't going to push me out the door if I wasn't convinced. Tim and I decided that since we had an ultrasound that afternoon, there wasn't much point in us going home, especially since we didn't know what was going on with the flood waters, so they put me in a room on the maternity ward to wait. Since I'd lost a bit of sleep that morning, I had a nap, while Tim went for a walk into town.

Monitoring baby's heartbeat and my (lack of) contractions.

Our ultrasound went well enough. This baby is a monster! It's weighing in at over 8 pounds already! 8 pounds would be fine if it was b-day already, but I'm only 37 weeks! It's head was measuring at 40-42 weeks! I'd been holding out hope that our last ultrasound had been right after a growth spurt, but I think I've just got a baby with a big head...

After our ultrasound, Dr D came to see us again. The ultrasound had shown normal levels of amniotic fluid and I'd not had any more leaking, so she was satisfied I'd had a 'false show' and nothing was going to happen as a result. She'd also got the result of my swab, showing I don't have strep B, so won't need antibiotics throughout labour, which was good. One less thing to worry about! We had a clinic appointment with her booked for the next morning, so we didn't have to go to that, but we will go in next week instead.

We also spoke about how long I might need to stay in hospital for (she couldn't really give me an answer, just when baby and I are both healthy and I'm feeding well etc) and about the option of switching to the private hospital after the birth if it looks like I'm going to be in for a while.

After all that, we made it out of the hospital just in time to go to tea and the Uni Review, as planned. All's well that ends well! Until next time!

36 weeks

Ok, so I'm just about ready to admit to myself that I've had enough of the being pregnant bit. I'm ready for the next stage now. If I could walk, I'd be waddling. I have this huge belly-way past a basketball! I'm tired, heavy and uncomfortable basically from when I wake up to when I go to sleep. No matter how much I drink, it doesn't seem to be enough. I try to avoid cordial, juice Milo etc in an effort to ensure I don't drink too much sugar, but have decided that I need to keep my fluid levels up more than I need to keep my sugar levels down, so I just drink anything I can. Except soft drink, I don't really drink that. I'm certain there is a link between my fluid levels and metal mouth, but I can't work out exactly what it is! Part of the being so huge thing also means that not only is there very little room for baby, but my already limited stomach space is squished even further, and I have finally succumb to pregnancy bladder, otherwise known as the-need-to-pee-frequently! 

Look at that belly!

I've been finding that no matter how tired and sleepy I am, as soon as I lay down at night, I'm wide awake. Playing music quietly) on my phone has been a huge help though (to me) and I usually fall asleep after one or two songs. I don't think it has quite the same effect on Tim, but he's putting up with it for me. I do try and wait til he is asleep before I put it on, but some nights he is just too slow.  
I've been eating a bit earlier and trying to give my food some time to settle before I go to bed, which also seems to be helping. I don't find myself lying there needing to burp so much. On the other hand, I've been having lots of vomit burps lately, which is really not pleasant. This poor stomach of mine is getting seriously squished! 
 
I know I've said before I don't really 'feel' the baby move from the inside, but I still have a pretty good idea of how it's moving. I find sitting with my arms crossed pushes me back and sits me up straighter, which in turn helps with my sore back, neck, shoulders, everything. Crossed arms feel a lot of baby movements. Including hiccups. Either that or the baby is practicing from a career as a drummer, but I'm pretty sure it's hiccups. It's a bit of a strange feeling. Me drinking water doesn't seem to help getting rid of them either! 


We had another appointment with Dr D last week. We didn't really talk about the birth plan stuff as much as I'd expected. We are now on 2 weekly appointments, so our next appointment will be next week. She did suggest we look at inducing at 39 weeks, so we will be looking at that next visit. 
I'd got another blood test done to look at my iron levels. They are still the same, so my iron levels are good, but my haemoglobin levels are quite low still. There isn't much to do about it, other than keep a close eye on how much blood I lose during the birth and potentially give me a blood transfusion if I lose too much.  

Each OB visit they measure your blood pressure (a little higher than usual but still lower than most people), baby's heartbeat (good) and the size of your belly. Basically, your belly should be about the same in cm as you are weeks in pregnancy. I think they measure from your pelvis to the top of your uterus. At 35 weeks my belly was measuring 38cm. So I probably am actually gestating a dragon. This is making an induction at 39 weeks look all the more appealing. 
On the one hand, I'd rather not have the intervention, as it doesn't allow your body to go through the motion and warm up in the same way as you would naturally. On the other hand, first babies are often late, so if I wait, I'd potentially have an extra week or two worth of baby growth to push out... To be honest, I probably have enough... challenges to deal with already, I don't need extra complications. 
We also spoke a bit about using a bosu ball. She is happy enough for me to use one if I want to, but also said a lot of women use movement as a pain management tool as much as anything, so I might not find it particularly useful. She also mentioned that pain relief isn't the only reason an epidural could be helpful to me. I can't remember what the other uses were she mentioned. Something about increased circulation maybe? 

I'm down to my last week of clexaine injections now, then onto aspirin instead, in case baby comes earlier than they have anticipated. I'm officially full term next week. Anytime Thursday onwards, since we are going out to dinner and the theatre (ok, the uni review) next Wednesday and I'll be very disappointed if I miss that! I also get to do a vaginal swab this week (oh goodie) to test for Strepp B. They test everyone for this and if you're positive, they give you antibiotics during labour to protect bub.
I have been told on occasion that I am 'cheeky' or a 'smart arse' and sometimes I do speak before I think. Like when Dr D asked me if I'd had any 'vaginal loss' and I told her 'so far I know it's still there'!! Poor Tim was trying to hold it together. It turned out what she mean was had I had any bleeding or mucus secretions. Oh, nope, nothing to report there! Both are signs of potential impending labour, as is the baby 'dropping' into the pelvis, so the head is getting into position, ready to engage in the pelvis for birth. We do have the head drop, so baby is basically in position, ready to on your marks, get set, go.     
My pressure sore on my butt is improving, though I'm not holding out much hope that it will be healed before baby arrives. I ended up needing a second round of antibiotics which I've now finished. Because it's in such an awkward place and I can't see it, I'm still getting it dressed twice a week by the nurses, instead of doing it once a week myself. Fingers crossed the good progress continues!  


I have discovered I do have some stretch marks, just tiny purple lines on my boobs. Hardly surprising, they are huge! I had to send a couple of the new bras I ordered online back since they were too small. One fits me now, the other I think will be good once my milk comes in, but I'm going to wait and see.

I'm really looking forward to the bit where all my fluid retention disappears. My poor hands are so sore of a morning, since all the fluid from my feet seems to pool in them overnight. I wake up with these painful hands that I can't even close and my knuckles all hurt. 


So we are basically down to 3-4 weeks now! I’d been thinking I had 5 weeks left, then it suddenly hit me that no, if I decide to go at 39 weeks, it's actually only just over 3. That was a bit of an 'oh shit' moment! 


I had one of my new-mum friends come to visit this week. I'm now so short of lap space that when I was holding her baby, she was sitting up on my belly! She's also been my go-to-girl on packing my bag. Just how many nursing pads does one need to pack? What about maternity pads? Nappies? She's a wealth of knowledge! I hopefully now have appropriate amounts of these items in my bag!

 
We recently had a family function over the weekend and several aunties and I were discussing all things baby/childbirth. One of my aunties asked how I can out, as in what position. While I was there, I really don't remember much of the grand event. Dad told us I came out head first with my feet under my chin. We all looked at him funny trying to picture how that would work, until he started giggling away and said something about the sheep lambing and he must have got confused! Dad's think they are so funny! 


I have also picked up the final twovital baby products- the pram and capsule! So my car is now fitted out, ready for baby's arrival. I think that is probably about it for now. Until next time!

34 weeks

It's not that I'm getting 'over' being pregnant, I know there are things about it I'll miss, but I am definitely over feeling like a huge clumsy awkward fatigued, no exhausted, lump. I'm back to first trimester (less, for the most part, the nausea) energy levels. Every time I think I've sorted out what dose I need my bowel meds at, my body gives me a big 'f**k you, you're going to spend the next 4 hours on the toilet.' I keep thinking I'm going to achieve stuff. Nope.
I'm almost a week overdue on this post. I have made some progress on the quilt I'm making for bub, but I still have plenty to do on it. I have Tupperware to pack up and deliver. The nursery is a little better, but still has a heap of stuff in it that needs relocating. I have managed to pack my hospital bag, but it needs repacking since it's missing half my stuff.  My house is a mess and baby isn't even here yet. Ok, I'll stop now.

We have had another visit with Dr D. Not a whole lot to report there, but our next visit will be looking at our birth plan. Which is good, since we are getting pretty close now. I don't need anything concrete, just an idea of what she is thinking/planning. Concrete birth plans are a total waste of energy anyway, babies never do what they are meant/expected to do! Still, a rough idea would be good. We had our next scan the same day. They said they were scanning regularly to make sure baby is growing properly. Yeah a small baby isn't the issue here. This thing is huge! It's head is in the 95th percentile (it's really big ok, don't make me explain percentiles right now) and all the other measurements read 2-3 week ahead of the date we got at the dating scan. So I'm hoping either the dating scan was off, or baby decided to come a couple of weeks early. Our scan was at 32 weeks, but baby was weighing 2.6kg (6 pounds) already! They usually get to that weight at about 35 weeks. Thank you Tim, for your big head and generally large frame.

While we were at the hospital, we also went up to the post natal ward again, to see about access for me and bub. It looks like I'll be in a room by myself which is pretty sensible, since those rooms are crowded without trying to fit a wheelchair in them too. With my bathroom habits (I say that like I have a choice in the matter), sharing a bathroom would really suck for any roommate I had too. So, room by myself, and they are going to get me one of the bigger high-adjustable cots from the nursery, with drop down sides. This can come up beside the bed and work as a co-sleeper, so I can get bub out without having to get out of bed, much like the bassinet I have at home, except the hospital one has wheels. We also spoke about what I'll need in the way of equipment. If things go as I hope, then I'll need a shower bench, which is easily fixed. If I am in a really bad way and unable to transfer independently, I might find I need a hoist and camode chair for bathrooming, so we have them on standby if needed. 

The lactation consultant also saw us while we were up there (I'm guessing the wheelchair gave me away). I'd asked for the referral to her, since I'd read somewhere in my research that para mums with an injury level above T6 could have issues breastfeeding due to a lack of stimulation. I'd become less concerned about this over the last couple of months, since my boobs don't seem to have any problems with that! Talking to the consultant though, it was T3 that effects that level, but milk production is not controlled by the nervous system anyway, so spinal cord injury should have very little effect on milk supply. I guess we will find out!

As is to be expected, I am continuing to stretch and grow. My big belly is making things awkward, like getting in and out of my chair/bed/car. I've had to change where I do my clexane injections, since there's no fat left in the middle of my belly to poke it into. It's making my stomach massage harder to do, which is part of the reason I'm spending so much time stuck on the loo. While I don't really feel baby move in the way you usually do, I can definitely understand why some women complain they feel like a washing machine when I've got my hands on my belly and baby is going round and round and round and round. It's certainly running short on space in there! I've got myself a pair of maternity jeans a size up, to accommodate for my belly and all the fluid in my legs and, well, everywhere! I had a bit of a nervous moment the other day when I felt a big lump on my leg. Swelling is a sign of deep vein thrombosis. In my case, it was just a big bubble of fluid (I had one the same spot on the other leg) and it went down over night.

I've also done a wheelchair upgrade. No, up size. This isn't an upgrade. I have borrowed an old demo chair, which fits me well sideways, but is much too big in the front, so I keep crashing into, well, everything. It's also so wide that I have to squeeze into the laundry. For some reason I fit into every room except the laundry and second bathroom. I guess Tim will have to clean that one. Actually, to be fair to him, he does anyway. So if I need to get into either of those rooms, it's watch out for my knuckles! Tim has been playing around and is making me a new set of side guards for my farm chair, so hopefully they work and I can use that chair, which does actually me in the front and my legs, so I shouldn't lose my feet so often, and maybe I'll crash less.

There are several para specific side effects that can arise during pregnancy. While I haven't yet had any UTI's, the most common of said side effects, I have got a pressure sore. It's a small one, but it's on my butt, which makes it kind of hard for me to monitor. It's also an area that's at high risk of infection, so I've been through a dose of antibiotics already. Having had a few burns over the years, I'm pretty good at wound management, but since I can't see this one, I'm relying a bit more than usual on my GP and nurses. I've only got 6 weeks left before baby is due (actually it's closer to 5 now, since I'm late posting this week) so I'm not loving my chances of having this healed up before then. My main concern is knowing how easily you can get infections such as staph in hospital, which could be a total disaster from my butts point of view. But we have had a bit of practise at getting these things sorted, so hopefully we can keep on top of it and be most of the way there by the time bub arrives. The other good thing is that it's not located on the sitting part of my bum, so I'm not restricted to bed rest. It kind of looked like a graze, so it could have been from dodgy transfers, but I really don't know.

I have got to the point where it is almost impossible to find a bra to fit me. I had enough trouble finding comfy bras that fit well and didn't mark before I got pregnant. Having gone up about 3-4 cup sizes, that has become basically impossible. I can't find anything in Launceston, so I'm down to two bras that fit. Oh, except the strap buckle thing has broken on one of them! So really, one. So I did something that I never do. I ordered some bras online. I got three, one is fabulously comfy, the other two I've sent back as they are too small. If the don't fit, I'll cut my losses, but either way, I'll be ordering more of the one I'm wearing! It's basically a maternity sports bra and feels amazing. I never found sports bras this comfy when I was playing ball...

I also went and stocked up on some comfy clothes for post birth. I accidentally did something really smart and got a zip up hoodie, rather than a pull over one like I usually wear, which will be much easier to wear while I'm breastfeeding. It totally went over my head when I was in Target, but since they didn't have any pull over ones, I just got what they had. Never mind that I went and bought button up pj's 2 minutes later, so that I could feed wearing them. Clearly, I was having a good day!



My energy levels are right down again. I'm sleeping about 10-12 hours a night and usually only wake up once, but I'm not sure how deep my sleep is, since I'm so tired. It could also be related to my haemoglobin levels. I'll find out about that this week. 

Tim went and got his boosters this week, flu vaccine in one arm, whooping cough in the other. Except when you get a whooping cough booster (if you're not pregnant) it comes with bonus things, like tetanus, which makes for a pretty nasty vaccine. Poor Tim was feeling pretty miserable for a day or so afterwards! His shoulder is also starting to feel a bit worse for wear as the cortisone wears off, so he will probably need another dose of that soon. 

I think that about covers the last few weeks. Until next time!  

32 weeks

So many people have told me that the last few months drag out, but I still feel like time is flashing by. The nursery cupboard doors are now painted, though they are still leaning up against the wall, rather than attached. I had wanted to put in open shelves in the nursery, but I've decided that, from a practical point of view, that is a silly idea. As soon as this baby gets mobile, everything on the bottom 2-3 shelves will be on the floor. So draws it is! Then to make a start on washing and homing all these clothes, blankets and everything else! Once that's all sorted, I can finally get these Winnie the Pooh bits up on the wall.

While time is still flying by, I am noticing things are becoming a lot more work. Everything is. I'm needing more sleep again. I often need to stop and take a few breaths after a transfer, particularly getting in and out of the car. My massive belly rubs against the steering wheel if I'm not careful where I put my seat. I can still get my chair in and out over my belly, but it's a bit of a jenga game each time.

I've got my 'fat' chair out, but I can't actually use it at the moment because I can't find my side guards for it! (If someone has a set I can borrow for a few months, that would be awesome). I actually really don't want to swap out of my good chair, since this one fits in those stupid flat pack toilets, meaning I can use most bathrooms. That's particularly handy in places that don't have a wheelchair bathroom.

I'm finding my transfers are more difficult with so much belly in the way. I can't lean over properly to get the butt lift I need, so I find I get stuck half way into my chair sometimes. The good news is I haven't had any falls lately (touch wood) even if there have been a couple of close calls.

I know I've said a bit before about things swelling. Well my poor little toes are swelling so much through the day they are getting splits and cracks underneath them! Just another thing to keep an eye on and manage. While my feet and legs do deflate overnight, that fluid has to go somewhere. A least part of it is going to my hands. Those rings would have been long chopped by now if I hadn't got them off the other day. When I wake up, they are so swollen I can't even close them properly. I have to lay there opening and closing my hands, gradually moving the fluid out of them. They are actually quite sore most days and it usually takes a good 10-15 minutes to get them moving properly.

I'm pretty sure my bellybutton is now an outie. I've also got linea nigra, which is a dark line from your belly button down that pregnant women often get. Not that I can see anything past my belly button now unless there is a mirror involved.

It's interesting how the questions I'm asked have changed throughout my pregnancy. Early on it was 'how far along are you?' to 'when are you due?' to now the 'how long to go now?' I'm not sure if I'm small, or if it's just because I'm sitting all the time, but people always seem surprised how far along I am. Not that I'm worried, the baby is certainly growing fine. I think it's probably starting to run out of room now though, because there are some really strong movements! While I wish I could feel more, I don't mind that I can't feel those nasty kicks to the ribs etc. One of my friends told me a while ago that it's a new and unpleasant sensation being punched in the vagina’. So, honestly, I'm not too upset to miss that one.

I'm now gathering bits for my hospital bag, things like cheap undies I can just throw out and maternity pads. I was discussing it with a friend the other day, how much weight we put on while we are pregnant. If you consider there is several kg of baby, a couple each more in fluid, extra blood volume, amniotic fluid, placenta, boob mass, uterus.... it doesn't take long to add up! I was thinking later about how much blood and gunk you lose in the weeks post baby. Well, if you consider how much of a mess a standard period is, with only a couple of weeks of growth to the uterus and lining, it's really no wonder there is so much to get rid of after nine months!!! Anyway, that's today’s insight into how my brain works.

I've also been putting a bit of thought into the birth itself. (Probably a good idea). I know that the more movement you can get, the more you help labour along, which is why they encourage you to walk, stand change position and so on. I'm kind of limited in that regard. Personally, I have no interest in a water birth, but I like the idea of being able to labour in the bath. Again, I'm going to be limited there, since I'm not the one who has to get me out of the bath again afterwards! I should be able to use the shower instead though, which is a pretty good compromise, I think. I'm going to be basically restricted to laying on my back or my side for the birth itself. Unfortunately labouring on your back is the least helpful position for getting a baby out, but it's not really something I can do anything about! 

Another thing I've been thinking about is fit balls. Obviously I can't balance on one of those, but I'm keen to try a bosu ball, which is kind of a half fit ball, on a board. Theoretically the same principles of sitting on a fit ball should apply to a bosu ball too. The idea of using a fit ball throughout labour is the movement and sitting upright both help get the baby into position and move along the labour process. Assuming I can get on and balance on a bosu ball, then I'll be able to get the same kind of motion as I would using a fit ball. Again, something to think about and practice.

Tim and I went back to see his shoulder specialist this week. At our last appointment, the surgeon wasn’t comfortable with doing the surgery and gave Tim a cortisone injection instead. This has made his life a lot more pleasant lately and he has actually been able to sleep on his shoulder again. So six weeks in from that, our options are now wait, go for the cortisone again, or go for surgery, but that would be to fix the AC joint not the SLAP lesion we originally thought. With the baby due in 8 weeks, it won't be surgery for now, but we may find in a few months that the injections aren't doing enough, so it's not off the table completely. 

Well, that's it for this week. Our next scan and appointment with Dr D is only a few days away, so we will know more then!

30 weeks

It's amazing how something that can drag on so much some days can also pass in a flash! We are down to the last ten weeks already! How crazy is that?

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.

Soon to be four...

I had my consult with the anaesthetist. I really wasn't that impressed to be honest. It didn't help that I was asked to be there at 8, when he didn't start work until 9, or that the lady on the phone got short with me because I wasn't overjoyed at the early start. Unfortunately as a para I can't just get out of bed and go in the way most people can. Anyway, once I got to see him, he basically told be I had to have an epidural because of 'spontaneous dysreflexia.' After I'd clarified he was talking about autonomic dysreflexia, I asked him what my other options were and he wouldn't really give me any. As with a caesarean, I'm happy to have an epidural if I need one, but I want you to give me a good reason! I'm aware that dysreflexia is dangerous, I've been a para 8 years now, after all. He was far from convincing me though. He went through the potential side affects, but he didn't actually tell me what it involved, aside from how they insert the needle between the vertebrae. I learnt more about epidurals from the birth/newborn education classes we did!
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.

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!