Sunday, November 27, 2011

7 Months!


Well almost...... in 2 days I will be 7 months pregnant so figured I'd sit down now and get you up to date as Ive been so slack. These 2 pictures are taken of me lounging round like a fat roley poley in the garden today. It was such a beautiful warm day, Ive started wearing summer clothes but unfortunately not looking quite up to par in them but anyhow not long to go now till this giant belly will be gone and replaced with a real life baby! only 12 weeks to go! or less if he decides to come earlier! woo hoo!

Since my last post I have had another midwife visit at 27 weeks and all was on track. I had this visit at the hospital because I had to get my Anti D injection. My blood pressure is fine, baby is fine, measuring well and apparently has good co-ordination as he was following around the heart monitor with his foot. I am now having visits every two weeks. 

I am getting bigger by the second, some days I hate it, others I find it completely fine to deal with, just depends on my mood, which is also very up and down. 

Baby is moving loads still, and watching my tummy move is one of my favourite things! He is definitely in a routine of when hes up and when hes asleep, as for my sleeping its not too bad, I get up alot to pee and am not overly comfortable but not too badly yet. 

I finish work in two and a half weeks! I'm so excited. I know this seems really soon and like I will have loads of time off, which I will, but  I had initially planned to take off 2 weeks over Xmas, then return to work for a few weeks in January. But so it happens my families I care for don't require me for January, thus leaving me with no work. Whats a girl to do. Well nothing! amen to that! I look after 2 boys and both sets of parents want to get them settled into their new care in the new year so they didn't see the point in coming back to me after Xmas. Initially I was panicking about money, but now that me and gardener guy have sorted things out and worked out a few things financially, we don't really care, and I just cant believe I'm almost done working!!!! After 10 or so years of caring for other peoples children I am going to be finishing to care for my own, seriously that is the most awesome feeling ever!. Me and gardener guy had initially also decided that I would get work again when the baby was about 4months old, that I would work 3 days a week, but now upon reassessing everything we have just decided not to put a time on it and just see how we go. If our little boy is sleeping well and through the night and I'm feeling ready to care for another child I will start looking for another contract, but if he is a bad sleeper and I am just not feeling up to it, well then I simply wont go back to work until I am. No stress. Gardener guy has said he would rather it was me getting up to the baby in the middle of the night and not working then us both working and both sharing the night feedings. 

I have made some decisions on a few baby related issues, I will breastfeed, but I will introduce the bottle quite early on, I want to express my milk and give gardener guy the opportunity to feed his son, I want to have a bit of freedom and not be a milking machine and that is it. The baby will be in his own room from day 1, not in ours, at some point I want to introduce the dream feed - being wake him up before we go to bed and feed him, thus giving me a bigger stretch at night. I will be starting back at the playgroups etc that I go to now fairly early on, I want to get out of the house and keep up with these activities. I will not listen to other peoples advice, I know this sounds a bit mental and stupid, but I have been told by many people that you get hurled so much advice from so many people that it can just make you go crazy! I will do what I think is right and what I feel is working well for our family. I respect that what worked for one mother may not work for another. But if I do need help I will ask for it. I will appreciate peoples guidance, but there's a fine line between saying "oh we tried it this way" and "you should do this, we did". I guess as a new mother there is lots of smiling and nodding of the head and then you just go away and pick and choose what you listen too. One thing I will be happy for help on though is breastfeeding, Ive clearly never done that and from what Ive heard its not often as easy as just pushing your baby to your tit and there you go, your meals on wheels. It can involve alot more.

I have been thinking about the birth a wee bit, We have yet to really discuss this with the midwife but I have a few ideas of my own. Nothing too demanding really, my main thing which I have told the midwife is that I don't want to stay in hospital. If me and baby are well and he is feeding well we are going to leave. I don't want to lie around in hospital when I could be lying around in my own bed. I have plenty of support, we have gardener guys parents who are in town for the babies birth and I have a great friend who is a plunket nurse living close by who I will call upon if I need her, and lots of other people to help. I am not staying in hospital! As far as a birth plan, I'm open to anything, if my midwife suggests I get in the bath to help with pain, ill try, If I like it I am even fine with giving birth in the water. I am wanting pain medication, I hope that gas will be enough, I don't really want an epidural, but again if its recommended and I have been going for too long then I will do it if its best, but my preference is not too. Will see how I go. That's it really. Ive been backwards and forwards on who gets to hold him first, I had though that I wanted him handed straight to gardener guy for the first hold, but now I'm not sure, Ive read that first contact with me promotes good feeding, so I don't really know now, perhaps to me first for a quick cuddle, then to gardener guy. I just have no idea how I will feel, people have told me that I just wont believe how over whelmed and full of love I will feel when I see him, so its all a bit hard to comprehend, yes I imagine Ill be so In love with him and happy, but from what people keep saying, unless you have experienced it there is no way you can ever comprehend how amazing it will be, so needless to say I'm looking forward to that!


Ok, enough of me going on, this was meant to be a short post, this should keep you going for awhile, will let you all know how the next midwife visit goes and any new news.

8 comments:

  1. Glad to hear that you are doing well! I agree with you about the advice - you have to pick and choose and do what works best for you and your family. I recently took a breastfeeding class and they also mentioned the importance of immediate skin-to-skin contact with mom and baby as a means of promoting feeding as well as bonding. Definitely something to consider there, I am sure there is plenty of research on it that you can look into if you choose or want more information about it.

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  2. Great to see that all is well and love your photos... you look so relaxed :)) I agree with starting expressed bottles early... friends of mine told me to start within the first few weeks and I didn't end up trying until about 3 months... too late !! My DD then never took a bottle and it was a HUGE stress when I headed back to work a few mornings a week when she was 6 months old. Next time (if there is ever a next time for me), I'm going to start expressed milk within the first 2 weeks :)) You're right - it's nice for dad to feed too :)) Follow your heart with all that you do and it will feel right - everyone offers advise but you're his mum and will know what feels best :) xoxo

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  3. this post makes me smile. yes..so many things to think about!! I know you do not take any advice..so I am not giving it:) But my choice for holding priority is..me first....and then my husband. Anyone else...is secondary to you two. I think it is great that you have a plan and your own opinions and know how to just take the rest with a grain of salt. I have not been given a ton of advice...I actually like the brutal truth of what to expect...but in all reality... each child is different. You look great!!! oh...and how great it must feel to be the mommy and not just taking care of other mommies kids. It is your turn. I wish I had the luxury to be able to take time off. You are really lucky:)

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  4. Hi! Just passed on an award to you. You need not sweat yourself much about it. It's just for fun. Hope to know more about you. God bless!

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  5. :) Just a wee something to think about...I hear you say that baby will sleep in his room from day 1...just remember if you change your mind when he is here, to just go with it. You might not be prepared for the immense pull you feel for your son, and to go from having him live inside you, to feel so far way in another room can be hard for many mums. Also, it can be easier to have them in your own room for the first few weeks for a) peace of mind b) its easier tending to their needs right there, rather than going somewhere else to do it, and c) it is a protective factor against SUDI having baby close to you - hearing their breathing and snuffling etc. This isnt me telling you what to do, its gently reminding you to keep an open mind, and go with the flow. After a few weeks you might want to have him in his own room...see how you go xoxoxo

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  6. ......also.....many mums fall in love with their baby from the second they see them....and many mums need time to love their baby. I loved Aida from the beginning intellectually, but it took time for me to LOVE love her, with my heart and soul, because i was so physically damaged from the birth (with my tailbone)...so dont worry IF those feelings of intense love take a few days/weeks/months to come xox

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  7. You look fabulous! Love the pics of you lounging - you look so happy! I completely agree with you about taking advice. Let me tell you, you get a ton of it! From everyone it seems...

    The only thing I will say is that it's good to have an idea of what you will do, but allow yourself to change your mind after the baby comes. I find myself doing a lot of things I never thought I would do... I'm so excited for you - you're getting close!

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