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Halloween Success
Halloween was fabulous! I left work a bit early (shhh... don't tell anyone) and set about carving our pumpkin. I drew the scariest face my carving talents would allow and put it outside the front door, along with my stepdaughters' three pumpkins. The eldest, Hannah, draped her fake spider webs all around the door and the fence. It looked very spooky indeed!
Once the house was decorated, I started decorating Ruth. I did her makeup and sprayed her hair. I helped her with her dress and veil and handed her her black flowers. She looked great! Just like the scary little girl from The Ring, a movie I loved. We took some photos but I'll have to post them at a later date as I haven't even taken them off the camera yet.
All in all, our doorbell rang about 8 times. Sometimes, there was a group of kids and sometimes just one with a parent. We handed out candy and ooh and aahed over their costumes.
The funniest visit was from a guy in a mask who was about 6 feet tall. "You're a little tall for trick or treating, aren't you? How old around you?" I asked. In a voice that could only be described as 'manly', he told me that he was 15. I laughed and told him that 15 was a bit old to be trick or treating. He just shrugged and I gave him some candy. Just then, his buddy comes down our walkway. He's also wearing a mask and he's tall too! I ask him how old he was and he told me that he was 20! Closer to the truth for the both of them, I bet!
Anyway, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't have more visitors, but I still considered the evening to be a success. We had a lot of fun and even spoke to a few of the neighbors, something I haven't done in the three years I've been living here.
We rounded the night off with take-away pizza and chips. Two-for-one on the pizza at Pizza Go Go! And it was yummy too.
15 weeks today
Today, this pregnancy hits 15 weeks. A momentus occasion, me thinks. Baby and I are doing well, as far as I can tell. As I'm not at the stage of feeling any movement from within yet and I'm passed the stage of feeling nauseous, I've been landed smack dab in the middle of the am-I-still-pregnant stage.
Strangely, the loss of my waist fills me with joy as it's the one sign I have to cling onto that this is actually happening to me. My clothing is tighter around my waist now, but I am still wearing the same clothing that I've always worn. By that, I mean that I haven't needed maternity wear yet, even though my waist is disappearing.
I still feel really tired. I'm supposed to be at the 'glowing' stage now and I simply don't feel it. Mornings are difficult for me. Getting out of bed, showering, dressing and walking to work simply drain the energy from me. By the time I get here, I'm yawning and sniffling and I'd do anything to get back into bed.
I'm looking forward to getting home this evening and putting my feet up...
Awake and Moody
Well, I didn't really put my feet up last night after work as I'd said I wanted to. Instead, I went to the gym with the family. I used the pool and the shower and I felt better for having done it. It was nice and refreshing, but by te time we got home and made dinner, it was about 10pm before I sat down. I felt totally drained.
As I may have mentioned once before, my stepdaughter is training to be a nurse. She in the middle of a nursing placement at the moment. They have her doing shifts so she does some early shifts, some more normal shifts and some late shifts. The normal and the late shifts don't bother me a bit, but her earlies drive me crazy. I'm used to the house being quiet and I wake at the slightest sound.
She did earlies both yesterday and today. She has to be out of the house by 6am and sets her alarm for 5am. Being pregnant and getting older, I don't have the bladder I used to and usually get up to visit the loo during the night. Today, I was up at 4:40am for that reason. I was back in bed quickly and tried to get back to sleep. Just as I was dozing off, I heard her alarm go off and I've been up ever since.
Don't get me wrong; she wasn't noisy. She didn't bang doors or stomp her feet. She simply moved around, used the toilet and did other 'morning' things as quietly as she could.
But I couldn't sleep. I lay there listening to her come back upstairs. I listened to her go into the living room. I listened to her turning on the kitchen light.
My husband gets a bit exasperated with me and perhaps a bit defensive. He says that I shouldn't let it keep me up because she's being as quiet as she can be. And I'm not arguing that point. Not at all. I can't help that it keeps me up. I wish I could. I'd be feeling a bit more alert right now! And perhaps, if it was something she did on a daily basis, I'd be more used to it and I'd sleep through it - kind of like the hum of the refrigerator or the heating coming on and off.
Thankfully, her placement is almost over though, as the wonderful NHS could only provide her with a place for 2 of the 6 weeks she was supposed to be doing her placement. But that's a story that I'll have tell at a later date. Suffice to say that I'm quickly losing respect for nursing training in this country.
...has officially left the building
With my waist official gone, I have been left to decide where the waistband of my clothing should sit. Should it sit where my waist once was? A little lower to accomodate future growth? Or should I pull my elasticated skirt waistband all the way up under my boobs? Oh, the dilemnas that pregnant women face.
For the past little while, it's been too uncomfortable and tight to have my waistband sitting on my waist where it's always been. My increasing girth obviously needs it's space! And I've come to realize that I can't really wear the waistband of my clothing further down on my hips as all my shirts just sit on my hips and the two would not meet. Not too good for work.
So, I've been left with pulling my clothing up higher, over the 'bump', which isn't actually a bump yet. This only works, of course, with elasticated waistbands which means that I'll have to get new clothes soon. But that's OK; I like shopping.
On the upside: my skirts are a bit shorter now. Sexy!
Back to School
I've been having some troubles recently with internet access at work. You see, they've decided to block a lot of sites and give us limited time on others. Strangely, this hasn't effected my blogging! But every 5 or 6 clicks, I'm getting a 'Page not found'. I wait a few minutes and try again and there's no problem. Why?? So, I finally complained to IT about this 'Page not found' thing. I was supposed to designing a menu poster for a Christms Lunch. They wanted me use pictures of Santas and other Christmas images. I went to Google image search and found a few good ones. I searched for 'gifts' and 'presents' too and came up with a few good clipart images to use. But that 'Page not found' thing kept recurring and it drove me bonkers. I spoke to a guy in IT who sounded wholly unimpressed and bored. I asked him if it was the company's way of discouraging internet usage. He said that he didn't know. I told him how I was trying to find images for a menu poster with pictures of Santa on it (you know, so that he knew it wasn't personal surfing; it was work!). Again, unimpressed. He told me that he's made a note of my complaint and they'd check the lines. Whoopty-do! But I've vowed to complain again if it keeps happening. Other people are experiencing the same damn thing. And, to top it all off, I found a good piece of clipart of christmas gifts and I clicked on it to copy the larger version. Blocked! I get our IT company's page come up advising me that I am not allowed to view that page because it's an internet shopping site. So I tried another one. Blocked because of something about lifestyles and I-don't-know-what! All I want is the picture of the gifts!! My only way around all this is that have my boss request that my status be changed, meaning that I'd be back to full internet access. He won't be keen on doing that as he'll be questioned by the company as to why I need it. I mean, in the end, I got another picture of gifts, but it took me three times as long to get it and it wasn't the one I wanted. But I'll tell him anyway and see how he feels about it. Am I back in Kindergarten?!
Ready, Steady, Cook
I have an appointment at the hospital today. I was told that I'd be meeting the 'consultant', whoever that is. Is he the main man? The big guy? I've dealt with nurses and sonographers so far so a consultant is new to me.
I don't even know what kinds of tests I'll have today. Maybe I'm just going in to meet the guy and have a chat, along with the usual checking of the blood pressure and stepping on the scales. I just don't know. All I do know is that I'm not due for more blood tests or scans for a while yet.
My appointment is at 2:30pm, so the real plus here is that I get to leave work early today. Yipee! Maybe I'll pick up some fancy bits for dinner so that I'll have something to do after I watch Ready, Steady, Cook! I always feel hugely inspired after I watch that show. I just love Ainsley Harriot! I've been bugging my husband to come and see a recording of the show with me in London and, although he's agreed to go, he doesn't seem that excited by it. Am I the only one addicted to Ready, Steady, Cook?
Happy Birthday to me!!
It was my 31st birthday yesterday. This one didn't bother me nearly as much as turning 30 did. God, last year, I moaned and groaned about it to my family but they didn't seem the least bit bothered. It was a real turning point for me. I was no longer in my twenties. No longer... young.
Anyway, I didn't even think about 31. 31's no problem.
I did scrutinise my face for a bit yesterday though. I've found that I have the beginnings of a few little wrinkles under my eyes. I have a few grey hairs too! See? Not young anymore.
But I did very well in the gift department again. From Ruthie, my youngest stepdaughter, I got a book about pregnancy and babies. It was one that I'd seen previously and she must have gone back to get it. Sneaky thing! She also got me some After Eights, my favorite.
From Sarah, middle stepdaughter, I got a book about the Krays (I love reading about gangsters and violence!!) and a hot water bottle in the shape of a dog. It's adorable and it works well. It kept me warm last night.
From Hannah, the eldest, a nice red dressing gown with black paw prints all over it, some mint chocolates and a puzzle book.
From my husband, I got a Pocket PC. The ViewSonic V35. It's amazing!! It's OS is a Pocket PC version of Microsoft Windows. It has Word and Excel, Internet Explorer and Outlook. It came with Windows Solitaire and I've downloaded 4 other games from the Microsoft site for it. I love it!
We had Pizza Hut for dinner with entrees of potato skins and garlic bread, followed by a lemon cake at home. It was another great birthday for me... but I still don't want 32 to come around too quickly.
What sample?
Thank you for the birthday wishes Minkleberry and Refblog... and the sweeties, of course.
I went to the hospital yesterday for my 16-week appointment. Upon checking in at reception, a nurse asked me if I had a sample ready. Sample, I thought, what sample? Oh! Urine sample! Oh, ummm, well... I'm panicking. I'm thinking back to the toilet I visited not 5 minutes earlier and flushed away the sample that she seems to want from me now. She hands me a vial and I retreat to the ladies' room with hopes of a miracle.
As soon as I emerge from the bathroom, another nurse ushers me into a private room and asks me to sit up on the bed so that she can take my blood pressure. "But first," she says, "do you have your sample?"
I shyly hand her my vial, apologizing for it's pitifully low contents.
"That's OK," she says, "I only need enough to dip this in to test your blood sugar." She's grinning. Is she laugh at me??!
The nurse takes my blood pressure and tells me that it's good. She looks at my folder and tells me that my blood results from the tests lasts time are back and she starts to read them off to me. Apparently, my blood type is O negative and I am also part of only approximately 15% of the population that is Rhesus negative.
I had read about this whole Rhesus positive/Rhesus negative thing beforehand so I had a vague idea of what it meant but I had the doctor explain it to me anyway. From what he said and from what I've read on the internet, it means that I will need two anti-D injections during this pregnancy, one at about 28 weeks and the other at 34, to stop my body producing antibodies if indeed I am carrying a Rhesus positive baby. If any of the baby's blood cells (assuming a Rhesus positive baby) mix with mine and I haven't had the injections, my body will produce these antibodies, which could in turn attack any future Rhesus positive baby that I carry. If the baby is also Rhesus negative, the injections won't have mattered at all, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
I don't know if Stephen is Rhesus positive or negative, but with 85% of the population being positive, it is probably safe to assume that he probably is positive, which means that this baby's got a 50% chance of matching my blood.
Anyway, the doctor didn't seem too bothered by it. He said that these things used to cause problems but, with today's knowledge and technology, the risks are minimal.
Unfortunately, I think it will also mean extra blood tests to make sure that my body isn't producing antibodies. Oh joy!
But on the bright side... the VERY bright side... I got to hear our little one's heart beating yesterday. At first, the doctor couldn't find it, which didn't do my whole am-I-still-pregnant fears any good. Then, on my left side, he stopped and smiled and asked me if I could hear it. I could!! It was fast and strong and very much there.
So, despite the Rhesus negative hiccup, I'm feeling confident abut things again, having had my recent anxieties put to rest just by hearing the beating of his or her heart.
Again?
Yesterday evening, I took the hospital consultant's advise and stopped by my doctor's surgery to arrange a meeting with a midwife. I was told that the midwife came in only once a week on Wednesdays, today. The receptionist offered to book me an appointment for today but, as I'd just been to the hospital only the day before, I suggested that I probably didn't need to meet a midwife so soon.
But she seemed unsure and wanted me to meet with the midwife to discuss the frequency and timing of my visits. So I made an appointment for 11 this morning.
The receptionist handed me a little vial for urine sample and said, "Remember to bring a sample please".
"Again?" I said, "I just did one yesterday!"
She smiled. "You're pregnant now, love. You'll do a lot of these." Oh joy.
My midwife's name is Liz. She seemed nice enough except that she was a bit rushed and, although she answered all my questions, it was only because I was as pushy as hell!
We talked about the whole 'Rhesus negative' thing and she too was not the least bit concerned about it. When I told her that I'd read that 85% of the population was Rhesus positive, she seemed surprised and said that, speaking only as a midwife who sees loads of pregnant women, she would have guessed that the numbers were a bit more evened out than that. She said that she sees plenty of Rhesus negative women and that it isn't as rare as I had read, in her opinion.
Liz looked at my chart and saw that I'd had an appointment at the hospital just 2 days before and asked me why I'd come in to see her so soon afterwards. See? I didn't need to come in so soon!
But some excitement did come of it though: Again, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Liz found it immediately, then lost it and found it again a few inches over. She said that my little one wasn't cooperating and holding still, moving from side to side away from the pressure she was putting on my tummy. It thrills me to hear and, as I told Liz, I'd love to hear it every day just to know that all was well. Mind you, it would probably do my head in if they ever had trouble finding the heartbeat!
So, my next appointment is on December 10, where I will again have my blood pressure checked, my urine checked and I'll hear the heartbeat again. I'm looking forward to it already.
Epidural or no epidural - that is the question
I've just read Minkleberry's entry about reading up on things and being prepared. Of course, at 16 weeks and 3 days, I haven't discussed the birth with my midwife or doctor yet. And really, I can't say that I've given it much thought except, of course, for simply worrying about the pain!
But I have handled pain in the past and I'd like to think that I handled it well. I have no idea what childbirth feels like and I don't know how a contraction feels, but seeing as some women sail through while others suffer like dogs, I'm thinking that there is at least a moderate chance that I will be handle the whole thing without any major pain relief. Maybe that's wishful thinking, but it could be real, couldn't it?
Ideally, I'd like to avoid an epidural. I don't know much about the epidural yet and there is obviously a lot for me to learn before this little one arrives, but it strikes me as such an intrusive thing that I can't imagine actually wanting it. But then, contractions and birth could be so much more painful than I am imagining at this very moment and my husband may at some point witness me pleading for it. I just don't know.
All this to say that, probably like most first-time mothers, my provisional birthplan is to go natural, with possibly a little help from less intrusive pain relief... unless I just can't bear it and then I'll beg and plead until they knock me out!
