Can't believe that Jamie was 4 months old yesterday - where has all the time gone?
As for his development, we were warned that as he was 5weeks early he may remain 5weeks behind for a while. However, this does not seem to have been the case. He is certainly following the 50th centile line for his weight and the 75th for his length. When he was weighed on the 16th July (when he had his 2nd lot of jabs) he was 12lb 5. This week he rolled over for the first time unaided and I have caught his lying on his side a few times. Also, he has begun to gurgle quite happily first thing in a morning and then about tea time, and it even seems as if he is trying to form words himself; especially when he is sat on mine or Daddy's knee and watches us speaking. He seems to especially enjoy the oooh sound and the corresponding lip movements. I have read that now is the time to provide a running commentary to what you are doing. Your baby may begin to be able to repeat sounds he hears you make, but they will probably sound more like ahh, boo, caa than anything that resembles a word. When he makes a sound like ‘ahh-coo’ repeat it back to him so he can hear what it sounds like. We started reading to Jamie quite early on but now Jamie seems to be getting more involved - actually looking at the corresponding pictures in the books.
I was disappointed this week as I have been waiting to attend a Baby Massage course and I finally get a place for a two week course starting this Wednesday, only to be told that due to the Swine Flu 'epidemic' and the surgery being used as a pick up point they have decided to cancel the group. I am also booked in on a 'Weaning' course in a few weeks but have not heard whether or not that will be going ahead....
Now that Jamie has started to become more or a 'character' - becoming vocal, interacting and so much more interested in his surroundings, I really want to get him to engage with more children. I also feel that I need to meet more mums. As I said I have attended a few of the Friday morning sessions but unfortunately this week will be the last one. I have therefore asked the local NCT group for details of the groups they run and I am going to try to attend one or two in the next couple of weeks - although I think some of them might be breaking up for the summer hols!! I must also make an effort to visit my other friends with children of a similar age.
Sunday 26 July 2009
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Cyst Update
For those of you that have just joined us, when I went for my 12week scan (August 2007) and we were told the baby had died, it was discovered that I had an ovarian cyst. Following a lot of trauma and general uselessness from the hospital - see Blog entries 14th May 2008 (http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.com/2008/05/operation-update.html) for details of my operation, and 18th June 2008 (http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.com/2008/06/3-weeks-since-my-last-post.html) for a copy of my letter of complaint - I returned to the hospital yesterday to discuss the current size of the cyst.
Once again I did not get to see the Consultant and was greeted with; 'Are you still trying for a baby?' Did she not read the notes? 'I seem to have missed that'...... She also could find no details of the scan I had on the 9th July and had to send the nurse ut to try and find details!! When it turned up I was told there was once again 'no change'. This time she left the room to discuss my details with the Consultant (would it not have been easier for me to have just seen him?) who felt we should leave it for the time being but if I suffered any abdominal pain to get it checked as soon as possible!
I also asked about whether taking the mini-pill would have any effect on the cyst. She replied that they were known to reduce the incidence of cysts so not to worry. However, that is not what I have found on the Internet. Under 'What are the Side Effects of the mini-pill?' it says; there's a small risk of cysts in the ovaries – indeed, it’s best not to use the POP if you’ve already had an ovarian cyst www.netdoctor.co.uk/teenagehealth/mini-pills.htm Who do you believe?
Part of me is still tempted to continue with the original complaint but then I think what good would it really do?
Once again I did not get to see the Consultant and was greeted with; 'Are you still trying for a baby?' Did she not read the notes? 'I seem to have missed that'...... She also could find no details of the scan I had on the 9th July and had to send the nurse ut to try and find details!! When it turned up I was told there was once again 'no change'. This time she left the room to discuss my details with the Consultant (would it not have been easier for me to have just seen him?) who felt we should leave it for the time being but if I suffered any abdominal pain to get it checked as soon as possible!
I also asked about whether taking the mini-pill would have any effect on the cyst. She replied that they were known to reduce the incidence of cysts so not to worry. However, that is not what I have found on the Internet. Under 'What are the Side Effects of the mini-pill?' it says; there's a small risk of cysts in the ovaries – indeed, it’s best not to use the POP if you’ve already had an ovarian cyst www.netdoctor.co.uk/teenagehealth/mini-pills.htm Who do you believe?
Part of me is still tempted to continue with the original complaint but then I think what good would it really do?
Sunday 19 July 2009
Feeling better....
....about my weight this week as, although I am still (at least) 2 stone overweight I have been able to fit into some trousers I have not worn since before I became pregnant. And then at fat club I reached my first ‘Silver’ 7 – having lost 7lbs in 7 weeks!! My aim is to have lost another 7lbs by the end of August when I have been invited to a Classic 80’s Rock Night where I will (hopefully) be able to wear my skinny jeans.
I did get quite upset a few weeks ago when I went to the Doctors to discuss the Big C – Contraception – as she had put me on the mini-pill and I had the longest period ever of 23 days until I stopped taking it. I asked whether I could go back onto the combination pill but she said because I was too old and too fat she did not want to risk a stroke. (ok, so she didn't quite say it like that!) The swabs they took all came back negative so it was nothing untoward. I know there are other options but until we have fully ruled out not having a second child I don't want an implant just yet. We have agreed to give it a year before making such a big decision as ‘no more children’……
Back to my age. Went to baby group this week for the second time in two weeks. I had missed out a few because I felt they weren't really of use yet (Dentist, Weaning) and because it has been hard getting up for 10am on a Friday after 3 hourly feeds. Anyway, I am really glad I didn't totally give up on the group as I really enjoyed the last couple of groups and have been chatting to other (really nice) mums. One of the mums told me this week she is 46. She thought she was going through the menopause but instead found she was pregnant. Her daughter is fit and healthy and growing well!!!
I did get quite upset a few weeks ago when I went to the Doctors to discuss the Big C – Contraception – as she had put me on the mini-pill and I had the longest period ever of 23 days until I stopped taking it. I asked whether I could go back onto the combination pill but she said because I was too old and too fat she did not want to risk a stroke. (ok, so she didn't quite say it like that!) The swabs they took all came back negative so it was nothing untoward. I know there are other options but until we have fully ruled out not having a second child I don't want an implant just yet. We have agreed to give it a year before making such a big decision as ‘no more children’……
Back to my age. Went to baby group this week for the second time in two weeks. I had missed out a few because I felt they weren't really of use yet (Dentist, Weaning) and because it has been hard getting up for 10am on a Friday after 3 hourly feeds. Anyway, I am really glad I didn't totally give up on the group as I really enjoyed the last couple of groups and have been chatting to other (really nice) mums. One of the mums told me this week she is 46. She thought she was going through the menopause but instead found she was pregnant. Her daughter is fit and healthy and growing well!!!
Tuesday 7 July 2009
Two years later....
It has been just over two years since I started this blog on the 1st July 2007. Then I was 6weeks pregnant (and feeling very rough) with a baby that I later lost; described as a 'failed abortion' at 13weeks. A few days after being told at my scan that the baby had died at about 5weeks I suffered a miscarriage. Following that I had to wait for an operation to remove an ovarian cyst which they found instead of a baby and was told not to try for a baby during this time. The operation was unsuccessful and I considered suing the hospital trust (I have not fully ruled it out). I was sent for grief counseling and resigned from my job after having so much time off sick.Then on the 21st September 2008 the blog reported I was 7weeks pregnant. This time we paid for an early scan at 8weeks and a private Nuchal Translucency Scan with Nasal Bone Measurement and associated blood test; which tests for the probability of Downs, Edwards, Pataus and Turners Syndrome. My blog then followed the ups and downs of the pregnancy; midwives, fact finding / information gained from various sources, parent craft classes, pregnancy worries, family dynamics, weight gain, back ache, Christmas with a bump, scans, snoring, nest building, a 40th birthday without alcohol and then finally my waters breaking 6 weeks before my due date!!
I am now the proud mother of a 13week old baby boy - Jamie - born 4th April 2009 - 5weeks early - and am attempting to document the highs and lows of motherhood.
Today I joined www.mumbloggersclub.co.uk/
Thursday 2 July 2009
No Rush To Loose Extra Pounds
This week I was very disappointed at Fat Club because I didn't loose (or gain) any weight but stayed the same!! In 6 weeks I have lost 5lbs - not good enough!! I have organised a school reunion - on behalf of someone else - on the 17th July and I really don't feel like I will be going. And then there is the Classic 80's Rock Night on the 30th August for which I should like to be able to squeeze into my tight jeans!!
Got sent an email today from The Food Doctor http://www.thefooddoctor.com/ discussing celebrities and the desire to be thin straight away after giving birth. This is what it said:
Trying to copy celebrities who are back in skinny jeans weeks after giving birth is unrealistic and dangerous, new mothers are being warned. It can take women six months or even a year, not weeks, to shed the weight they put on in pregnancy, say experts. Crash diets and intensive exercise programmes are not only likely to fail but can harm mother and baby. The advice comes from Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.
The Institute's director Professor Peter Sawicki said: "Often, the extra effort women have to make to look after a new baby and breastfeed after giving birth means the kilos just melt away without effort. "But for about half of all women, the weight will not go away as quickly." Those new mothers still in their maternity wear weeks later should not rush to do punishing exercise classes, says the guidance, but should instead follow a sensible diet and build up slowly to more strenuous exercise. "Even though many magazines have 'get your bikini body back quickly' diets on their covers, promising women they can achieve their ideal weight in time for summer, it is not getting quick results that counts the most. This is particularly true after pregnancy. It is normal for it to take three to six months for women to lose the weight they gained in pregnancy," it says.
Louise Silverton of the Royal College of Midwives agreed with the advice. "We would discourage a rush to lose weight after pregnancy, it places undue strain on the mother's body when she needs her strength to look after her baby, and the evidence suggests that slow and sustained weight loss, if needed, is the sensible option.
The Food Doctor says; As with any crash diet, the effects are short term, and likely to do you more harm than good. This is even more likely the case when you have just had a baby, and these latest suggestions really highlight the importance of sensible and steady weight loss after a pregnancy. If you are breastfeeding, then you need around an extra 500 – 750 calories a day. What is important to ensure is that you eat the right sort of foods to keep your energy up, whilst also replenishing all those lost nutrients, getting you back to your old self. Some good choices are porridge oats, brown rice, oatcakes, wholemeal bread, bulgur wheat and pearl barley. And don’t forget as many fruit and vegetables as possible, to really pack in those vitamins and minerals. As with any kind of weight loss, if it is done sensibly, and over a reasonable period of time, then it is far more likely to stay off, and avoids the slippery slope into yoyo dieting. It is also a far healthier way to do it, and helps establish good eating habits.
Got sent an email today from The Food Doctor http://www.thefooddoctor.com/ discussing celebrities and the desire to be thin straight away after giving birth. This is what it said:
Trying to copy celebrities who are back in skinny jeans weeks after giving birth is unrealistic and dangerous, new mothers are being warned. It can take women six months or even a year, not weeks, to shed the weight they put on in pregnancy, say experts. Crash diets and intensive exercise programmes are not only likely to fail but can harm mother and baby. The advice comes from Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care.
The Institute's director Professor Peter Sawicki said: "Often, the extra effort women have to make to look after a new baby and breastfeed after giving birth means the kilos just melt away without effort. "But for about half of all women, the weight will not go away as quickly." Those new mothers still in their maternity wear weeks later should not rush to do punishing exercise classes, says the guidance, but should instead follow a sensible diet and build up slowly to more strenuous exercise. "Even though many magazines have 'get your bikini body back quickly' diets on their covers, promising women they can achieve their ideal weight in time for summer, it is not getting quick results that counts the most. This is particularly true after pregnancy. It is normal for it to take three to six months for women to lose the weight they gained in pregnancy," it says.
Louise Silverton of the Royal College of Midwives agreed with the advice. "We would discourage a rush to lose weight after pregnancy, it places undue strain on the mother's body when she needs her strength to look after her baby, and the evidence suggests that slow and sustained weight loss, if needed, is the sensible option.
The Food Doctor says; As with any crash diet, the effects are short term, and likely to do you more harm than good. This is even more likely the case when you have just had a baby, and these latest suggestions really highlight the importance of sensible and steady weight loss after a pregnancy. If you are breastfeeding, then you need around an extra 500 – 750 calories a day. What is important to ensure is that you eat the right sort of foods to keep your energy up, whilst also replenishing all those lost nutrients, getting you back to your old self. Some good choices are porridge oats, brown rice, oatcakes, wholemeal bread, bulgur wheat and pearl barley. And don’t forget as many fruit and vegetables as possible, to really pack in those vitamins and minerals. As with any kind of weight loss, if it is done sensibly, and over a reasonable period of time, then it is far more likely to stay off, and avoids the slippery slope into yoyo dieting. It is also a far healthier way to do it, and helps establish good eating habits.
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