Last week at work....

...and I have rung in sick. Yesterday I was moving boxes of books about and although at the time I got very tired and sweaty I did not think it was too hard. However, when I got back from work in the evening I began to struggle and this morning my lower back told me in no uncertain terms that I would not be doing much at all today - and definitely not working!!

However, I have used the time wisely and been able to catch up on my magazines from the Tesco www.tesco.com/babyclub/ and the Boots Parenting Magazine http://www.boots.com/ which although they contain a lot of adverts for their own products, they also contain a lot of useful information. Thanks to them both for some vouchers which I will be using shortly....

But I must say I have learnt some things:

• Most relevant today is that backache is caused by being thrown off balance by your bump and overarching your pregnancy-loosened spine to compensate. The advice given is to 'pull your bottom in and up, so that the weight of your baby drops into your pelvis.'
• Itchy skin is caused by your skin having to stretch tight over your expending belly.
• That you should not have a hot bath or sleep on your back due to the fact that they might cause your blood pressure to drop and you might faint.
• That Breastfed babies have nicer smelling poo - but this breastfeeding lark (and what you need to buy) seems complicated.
• You can be changing up to 12 nappies a day!!
• That a Episiotomy is where they cut between your vagina and your back passage. (This was on the birthplan from Boots but I wasn't sure what it meant initially!) I also learnt more about Pethidine and Epidural painkillers!
• I must remember to do some Pelvic Floor Exercises once in a while.

And I also got a letter this morning confirming our place on a Parent Craft Class starting next Monday!

Nest Building....

Have to say that with only a week left at work the nest building started in ernest this week. Decided that we needed a major de-clutter of what was once the study/spare room in order to turn it into a nursery. Felt very pleased with myself that I was able to send a big box of books and clothes to the charity shop, and there was only a few things that were moved into the loft or thrown out. Am at least trying to be environmentally friendly. And am being helped by a number of friends who have been good enough to give us their old baby stuff. I have been given some maternity clothes and we have got a cot and pram already, and my mother has bought a few clothes. After the Bulls chat with his brother last week I also made a few purchases from Mothercare.com but these were really essentials we shall need straight away. So far we have spent a grand total of £741.65. This includes scans, hospital car park charges, maternity clothes, as well as things for baby. I have written a list of other essentials but shall wait a while before spending any more money - at least til the Bulls payday!!

So, I can honestly say that the Nursery is taking shape, we do have space, and the house is slowly being converted into a child-friendly / welcoming zone!! It does feel strangely calming and the fact that I can feel the baby moving now has reduced at least some of my fears. I still seem to be plagued by thoughts of it being Downs but, as the Bull keeps saying, we have had the test and the 20week scan showed no problems, so there isn't really that much to worry about - but I just can't help it!!

Some may think that it is a bit early (29weeks) to be doing so much preparation. However, I know I am not going to be in a fit state in a few weeks. I am rather large now - having gained well over 2 stone (the scales have broken so I can't see how much!) and can only do so much before having to rest either because I am tired or because something hurts. Thank god I have only 3 days left at work - Monday / Tuesday / Friday - and counting....

The low down on Lucy Rose

Rang The Bulls brother last night to find out how they all were. Baby and Christine were sleeping so Dean filled me in - The Bull didn't want to know and passed the phone over!!
I must say he sounded very grown up.....

Turns out Chrissie was in labour from Thursday evening til Saturday morning when she finally had the C.Section. They had induced her on Thursday and kept adding to the drugs until ultimately they were at maximum dose. Dean said once they decided to do the C. it was straight into theatre. 8 people in attendance, Dean wearing a gown and not much else but at least there was a screen to separate them from the messy business. The text he sent just after the birth said; 'Get him to read up and prepare in case you need an emergency c section. I was a wreck! Not helped by the fact I didn't know what was going on. Chrissie was fine!' Saying that, Dean said on the phone that there was no 'pain', the scar wasn't too bad and they were back home on Tuesday.

One thing he recommended that Chrissie had found helpful during labour was the use of 'visualization' and relaxation tapes.

More Fact Finding

Last week was very busy baby wise. I went to visit Baby Blog 10 - Ella on Wednesday. Her mum confirmed details regarding the use of a sieve in the birthing pool...

Then on Friday I saw the Midwife again. It was time to give my blood. However, I did ask her about my size as so many people have been making the comment that I seem to be rather large for my weeks. Some have even asked whether I am sure there is only one in there!! So, she measured my belly and it was 29 - perfect!! The bloods however, were a different matter as although she said my arms and their veins looked good when it came to taking the blood out it was another matter. No use in my right arm so had to start again on my left. Tried not to notice the amount that I was losing, but I was so glad that The Bull came with me and could drive me home and make me a sweet tea and provide chocolate before I had a little snooze... Must remember to breath next time and of course during the birth!!

One thing the midwife mentioned - which was news to us - was the issue of a Vitamin K injection for the baby at birth. The Bull is convinced it is some kind of David Icke conspiracy but it seems straightforward to me: http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/health/vitamink/

As for the birth of Lucy Rose (The Bulls niece) we know it was a bit traumatic but as yet Daddy has been too tired and Mummy is still in hospital, so the graphic details have yet to be shared!!

Blog Baby 11

Congratulations to Dean and Christine on the birth of Lucy Rose at 6.37am on Valentines Day. Weighing 7lbs, 6 and a half ounces.

Born by C. Section after a long wait..

Photo shows her at 4 hours old.

Fact Finding and More.....

Sunday we spent a lovely morning with Sophie and her mum and dad. As Sophie is now 16weeks old it meant that there was a lot of information to be gained from the visit - as well as a hearty breakfast!! Where do I start? Gadgets / Space Saving ideas for cots I had been unaware of, post natal classes to attend with baby, as well as hospital and labour related facts. They also recommended a book with regards to getting into a routine once baby arrives. I am so glad I have people around me who have gone through what I am en route to, as well as people who are going through it at the same time...

Then yesterday my brother and his wife went for their 12week scan and all was well. So there will be a cousin arriving in August. Can't believe how quick their appointment seems to have come around and yet all my have dragged.....

Baby Brain 2

While scanning the Internet this week I came across this article from the Times: 15th January 2006 at http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/jan/15/research.highereducation

Want to boost your brain power? Just have a baby
New American research shows that pregnancy and child rearing enhance mental capabilities.
"It is a time of sleep deprivation, constant tiredness and a regular inability to carry out even the simplest task. But now scientists have discovered - after experimenting on the California deer mouse, laboratory rats, and humans - that pregnancy also confers startling benefits: it actually boosts brainpower.

During pregnancy, learning and memory skills improve dramatically, say researchers, reversing the popular myth that it is a time of dumbing down. Key brain areas also alter in size; changes that can persist for decades. Far from transforming mothers into weakened emotional wrecks who lose car keys and drop in IQ, it turns out having children makes them cleverer. It's just hard to spot thanks to all that lost sleep.

'Many benefits seem to emerge from motherhood, as the maternal brain rises to the reproductive challenge,' says Professor Craig Kinsley, of Richmond University, and Professor Kelly Lambert, of Randolph-Macon College, both in Virginia, writing in the latest Scientific American. 'In other words, when the going gets tough, the brain gets going.'

Their paper reveals that the brain-boosting potential of parenthood includes enhanced sensory abilities just after childbirth, allowing women to recognise their infants by faint smells and sounds. It also reports that women who have children in their forties are four times more likely to survive to 100 than women who gave birth earlier. Pregnancy enhances women's brains just when the memory decline of middle age normally kicks in, say researchers, leading to better mental health and longevity.

Underlying these changes are two key processes. The first involves the hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy, birth and lactation, which remodel the brain, increasing the size of neurons in some regions. Women become vigilant and alert - and the benefits appear to be long-lasting, say Kinsley and Lambert. Secondly, rearing a child is so challenging it stimulates brain activity. Having a baby is 'a revolution for the brain', says Dr Michael Merzenich of the University of California in San Francisco. The brain creates cells that thrive the more they are used and the emotional, novel experiences of childraising provide the most stimulating use of all.

The idea may seem startling because a dimming of brain power is still viewed as a side effect of motherhood. 'It does seem counter-intuitive,' added Lambert. 'We just haven't noticed it because these boosts are masked by sleep deprivation. It wasn't until I had a baby that I realised what is involved in having a child and how organised a female has to be. It makes sense for her body to boost her mental capacities.'

But if mothers get a boost from parenthood, is the same true for fathers? Lambert says yes, but to a more limited extent. 'A man won't get a hormone boost, but if he is an involved father he will gain through sharing the challenging experience of childraising.'

Baby on the move 2

I should like to add that this weekend Baby has been moving about quite a bit - probably those somersaults before it gets too cramped!! Yesterday I had a near miss in the snow when some daft B walked out in front of my car and I skidded all over the road. Luckily I managed not to hit anything, but both me and the baby were a bit shook up all day - I felt rather sick until I left early (due to further snow forecast) at 1pm.

To me, baby movements feel like when you have a twitchy eye only its happening in your stomach and further down.

Baby is on the move…..

...and he is making me queasy. Been feeling a lot more movement over the last week or so. Had been getting worried prior to seeing the midwife at 24 weeks but now he seems to be moving about quite regularly. What does it feel like? Well, for me its like wind and I totally agree with the 'gut rumbling' sensation below:

http://www.naturallyhealthylifestyles.com/fetalmove.html says "It is difficult to describe what those first movements feel like if you have never had the opportunity to experience them before. Many women liken them to mild twitches or the popping of bubbles, and as many would agree, these movements are unlike any other they have previously experienced, although it may initially be assumed that these sensations are just gut rumblings. If you experience these flutters for two or three days in a row, you can be pretty sure that it is fetal movement.

Fetal movement has long been considered a symptom of a normal healthy pregnancy, as it does offer the mother some consolation that all is well. There will most probably be times when you fail to notice movement, but before becoming too anxious, it is important to remember that each baby is different and the number of times he moves could change from day to day. Because of this variation, it is difficult to establish what would be normal, although as the pregnancy progresses, most babies do to tend to settle into a pattern of regular activity. After the fifth month, fetal movement will become more noticeable, and can often be felt from the outer side of your abdomen. These movements will become more vigorous with time, but as you near full-term they tend to weaken, probably because there is less room in the womb for movement as your baby grows bigger.

Fetal activity usually reaches a peak during the night, with many mothers reporting that their unborn babies are at their most active between 10pm and 2am. This rise in movement can probably be attributed to the evening meal, as glucose can trigger foetal movement, or the fact that during the day your baby was constantly rocked by your movement, and at night when you relax he is no longer lulled to rest.

The average foetal sleep cycle can vary from 20 minutes to two hours, especially after a period of great activity, and a decrease in movement may just indicate that your baby is having a longer sleep. A long period of low or no activity could indicate foetal distress, as your baby will move less in an attempt to conserve energy, especially if he is receiving a reduced supply of oxygen."