Feb 5 2014

So will it be a c-section? (29 weeks pregnant)

Posted on February 5, 2014 by admin

So this week I went to see the midwife to discuss the extended breech saga. Beforehand I’d been really worried I’d be dismissed with a casual flip of the hand “Private scan companies don’t have the expertise to interpret your baby’s position”, “Don’t worry she’ll turn when she’s ready”, or “You had a bad experience with your son which has got you in panic” - Thankfully I have the best midwife in the world.

She was quick to have a little feel of her own but conceded that imaging is by far the most accurate method of determining baby’s position. Without further ado she pulled me up to my feet, placed her hand on my knee, looked into my eyes and asked me how I was feeling. I’d spent so many sleepless nights worrying about Mini Madam and how I was going to get her out safely, I hadn’t really thought about myself. I wasn’t expecting that question at all and it took me all of 30 seconds to reach for the Kleenex.

image001 So will it be a c section? (29 weeks pregnant)

She pointed out to me that some women are just unfortunate. There are a whole host of reasons why your pregnancy history could have bearing on subsequent pregnancies so I might simply have an underlying predisposition for carrying babies in this way. Although this makes it less likely I’ll ever give birth naturally, at least history has shown us I can bring a beautiful, happy and healthy baby into the world. There’s no reason at all that this shouldn’t be the case for Mini Madam - she’ll just make her way into the world via scalpel rather than her mummy pushing her out.

In a bid to get to the bottom of the problem she’s brought forward my final consultant date to the beginning of March where we’ll find out once and for all Mini Madam’s position. This is the earliest recommended date possible as a consultant is unlikely to make any recommendation at all prior to 35 weeks. If she’s breech (in any way whatsoever, I can book my c-section there and then. Having had a previous c-section I’m not a candidate for ECV so no attempt will be made to turn her - big relief!

I wasn’t so much upset by the idea of not being able to birth naturally - I guess I just expected a fight with the NHS to get authorisation for a c-section. The thought of my waters breaking hadn’t seemed like an exciting prospect anymore - it seemed like a nightmare. I’d had all sorts of visions of pushing for hours on end then being rushed into surgery - I’d been consumed with worry about the distress it would cause my daughter.

29 weeks bump1 So will it be a c section? (29 weeks pregnant)

I’m so pleased my midwife asked me what I wanted, rather than blithely following the handbook. She’s even booked me a same-day appointment with her immediately after the consultant, just to talk through my revised birth plan (if indeed it will change). She explained that this is because although my consultant will guide me through the physical procedure, she’s not best placed to talk to me about me.

Now I’ve had time to think about everything I feel much more relaxed. I’m not sure Mini Madam does though. She’s definitely up to no good in there and I can feel one side of my pelvic bone bulging in protest (SPD). The pain is mild yet persistent and keeps me up most of the night. I have discovered a genius product (Snoozle - a maternity slide sheet) which does help, but my mind is still struggling to shut down at night. I’ve refused physio for the SPD as I’m fairly good at pain management, I just feel we might be meeting our first daughter a little earlier than first anticipated.

So the answer to the question is… we just don’t know. But we are one step closer to finding out. All I do know is that I’m not the first mum-to-be that will undergo a second c-section, and I won’t be the last. These little monkeys do have us worrying don’t they?

Dec 5 2013

Eeek! I’ve Gone and Opted for a Natural Birth

Posted on December 5, 2013 by admin

So last week we met our consultant for the first time. I think I’d really over-estimated her involvement in this pregnancy as it turns out I’ll only be seeing her once more at 35 weeks. It was a short chat that saw her flicking through my notes, asking me two or three questions, and nodding her head a few times. She reminded me a bit of Mo Mowlam.

I knew before I went that I’d be asked about my birth plan, and whether I’d like to attempt a natural delivery this time around. To be honest though, with the house move, the gender scan, and our recent holiday, I hadn’t really thought through what I was going to say. I’d tried to discuss it a few times with Craig but every time Dexter would whack his head on the tv cabinet, emerge from the kitchen with bin-treasure, or insist on serving us a plastic chicken he’d lovingly prepared in his toy kitchen (by ‘insist’, I mean ‘shove in our faces’). There just never seemed to be the time.

To be honest, I’d always assumed a Cesarian section would be my only option after the disaster with Dexter. I’m also a Strep B carrier so always assumed that the doctors would prefer to keep this baby away from the birth canal and whip her out through the sunroof. I knew they’d try to tempt me into a VBAC as it’s more cost-effective for the NHS, but I didn’t think they’d put up much of a fight. It seems I was wrong.

The consultant pointed out the 70% of women achieve a successful normal delivery after experiencing a Cesarian - and there was no reason in my notes to suggest I couldn’t do so too. The Strep B can be controlled via anti-biotics in labour, and it doesn’t follow that the placenta abruption I had with Dexter increases my likelihood of having the same happen again. Never-the-less the choice was very much mine to make.

In my head I had a very crude set of pros and cons to a repeat Cesarian, these being something along the lines of:

PROS

Set birth date - easier to plan
I know what to expect
No threat of Strep B infection being passed to baby
The pain and recovery-time the first time around was minimal
Less likely to embarrass myself on an operating table (no poo!)

CONS

Less exciting - I still wouldn’t know what it feels like to have my waters break
I’d have at least 5 days recovery-time in hospital - I HATE hospitals
There’s no guarantee the recovery period would be as easy as the first

I knew the consultant would be unlikely to sign off on a Cesarian based on such weak arguments, but I can cry-on-cue and could easily invent some kind of emotional trauma that would convince her to put pen to paper. But for some reason, I didn’t.

I found myself bleating on about how a natural birth was important to me and something I was very keen to (at least) attempt with this baby. Wbere that decision came from, I’ll never really know.. It didn’t really hit me that I’d signed us up to such a huge quantity of Unknowns until I strapped on my seat belt as we left the hospital car park. Knowing me, it’ll be a very long and painful labour, I’ll foul myself on the delivery ward, and Craig and I will argue the whole way through.

Oh well. I guess I can still turn on the waterworks at the 35 week appointment! For now, I’ll just have a few midnight talks with Craigy and try to create some kind of birth plan that doesn’t scare me into early labour (… just in case we actually go through with this thing).

Nov 28 2013

20 Week Anomaly Scan: The Gender Reveal

Posted on November 28, 2013 by admin

Yesterday we discovered if our house is set to be taken over by dinosaurs or dollies.

If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know I predicted long ago this would be a little girl. According to almost every old wives tale going, the results were equally conclusive…

Old Wives Tales Gender Prediction 20 Week Anomaly Scan: The Gender Reveal

Yet despite all the intuition and so-called evidence, we still secretly hoped there would be a dinky willy on the ultrasound screen. Of course, we both understand we are blessed with this second child and are delighted to be expecting (whatever the sex), but it would have been very sweet to have given Dexter a little brother. So we’d both got it into our heads we would be welcoming a little guy and have had several rows over names. I really liked Mason, Carson, and Anderson, and Craig had his heart set on Jake. We’d kept all Dexter’s old clothes and were hopeful we’d be rescuing them from the loft and re-homing them in the nursery shortly.

It therefore came as a bit of a shock when the sonographer informed us that this is, in fact…

A very healthy, and active little girl!

Introducing my Little Madam jpg 20 Week Anomaly Scan: The Gender Reveal

I cried a little bit. Not through disappointment, just utter shock. I think it was a short bust of fear about the unknown.

Having now told all the family, and had some quiet moments to let it sink in, I’m now really excited. If she is anything like Dexter, she’ll be beautiful, funny and independent. It’ll be so nice for both of our children to have a sibling of a different sex to play with and Craig and I will get to experience what it is like to parent one of each. She’ll be our very first daughter and we’re so blessed to have her.

We revealed the gender to Dexter by buying him a Baby Annabell Doll to play with. He’s already proving to be a very attentive big brother and has smothered her with cuddles and kisses. I have no idea if he understands the significance but it has reinforced his love of all things baby. He’s very careful with her and it’s lovely to see him sat so proudly with his hands around her shoulders.

Proud Big Brother Dexter 20 Week Anomaly Scan: The Gender Reveal

Although Annabell is very girly, one thing that is for certain is that our little madam won’t be decked out in pink, and is very unlikely to wear a tutu in public! I also give it a month before Craig is Googling chastity belts.

The only unwelcome thing we did discover, was that I’m carrying my placenta low. The sonographer had to do an internal exam to be absolutely sure and seemed a little happier upon doing so, but it isn’t a foregone conclusion that I’ll be safe to deliver our baby girl naturally.

We meet the consultant to have an initial chat this Friday. I was hoping we would be told we have a full range of options (including a home birth) open to us, but it seems this might not be as straightforward as we thought. As Dexter was born via emergency c-section, we always knew we were being slightly optimistic, but our midwife had gone some way in reassuring us that a VBAC might be possible. Oh well, when it comes down to it, we only want what is best for our daughter and for her to arrive into this world safely. Besides, less choice means less night-time deliberation and one less thing to argue about!

So sleep tight baby girl. Get big and strong and mummy and daddy will see you in a few weeks time.