Well, would you look at that!!

Double page spread in the centrefold of the local weekly :D Yeah I know you can't read the words but that's what you get from an excited iPhone snap!

This has been the only picture I took today, apart from some pics I took as I was making the final few paper bags for Ben's party bags. Which aren't great and aren't representative of today really. Nor is this, really, because the Big News for today is....


HUBBY IS HOME!!!


Hoorayyyy!!!


He got home around 7.30am this morning and Ben and I were still in bed. I'm glad I didn't deadlock the door! He came up to say hello and once Ben had woken up a bit more he didn't stop chattering and bouncing all over his daddy. He was SO pleased to see him! So pleased that he was too distracted to eat any breakfast but wanted to be with daddy showing him all the things we've done this week.

Eventually we packed him off to see his friend Ede for the day. They were going out puddle jumping and duck feeding while Steve and I headed off to the hospital for another scan and another joint diab / antenatal clinic.

I posted a breakdown of the hospital visit elsewhere so I will copy and paste it at the end of this entry, more for my own records than anything else I think. But briefly, the scan showed baby isn't 2 weeks ahead of dates but = around 1 week ahead possibly, although the sonographer couldn't get a measurement of his head because he was so far into my pelvis. Which was excellent really, a good place for baby to be! We had a proper giggle though, the guy was from the Wirral and a real good laugh. He kept making me laugh, which developed into giggles, then he'd tell me off for giggling which just made it worse - of course he couldn't get on with the ultrasound while my belly was shaking with laughter! The meeting with my diabetic consultant and the senior diabetic nurse went really well as well, they are very experienced and quite laid back and just what I needed. Some good advice, no stressing about anything, positivity, all good. And the obstetric doctor said that as long as I was aware of the risks they would support me in my choice to NOT be induced at 38 weeks but to let me go to term naturally to give spontaneous labour a chance. Just got to convince the obstetric consultant in a fortnight now...!

Ben was still out feeding the ducks when we got home so we were able to have some quality time together :) It's been a lovely afternoon. Steve has also caught up on some sleep, and I've finished the party bags and wrapped Ben's presents. I had to wake Steve up though when a puddle appeared from under the washing machine!! Uh-oh. Thank goodness it happened today and not any time last week. Turns out the valve behind the dishwasher had been knocked and was dripping slowly, pooling on the floor under the dishwasher and washing machine. And it chose today to start very slowly spilling out onto the main kitchen floor! So Steve has fixed that and mopped up and eventually we started falling asleep into our dinner so decided it would be a good idea to maybe go and pick Ben up so we could all go to bed.

Ben's had a fantastic day out. (And we've been particularly grateful for it too!) Feeding ducks, splashing, playing with his best friend, eating really really well (I'm beginning to think it's my influence on him that makes him act up when I'm around and we're eating, because he sits at the table really well for Christina!!), drumming, watching DVDs. So good. And I've had some fab pictures to look at of their day out too :D Surrounded by ducks, totally unafraid, feeding them.

He's in bed now, Daddy's in bed, the dishwasher and washing machine are still blocking the kitchen but Steve said he was going crosseyed and needed to go to bed - as long as they get put back in the morning, yeh?!

And I will be in bed very very soon too.

Oh it's such a relief to have Steve home, and to have had such a positive meeting at the hospital as well. I feel like I have actually been treated like a person, rather than just a baby-growing machine.

And baby is making up for being prodded by being REALLY pokey at the moment....! At least I've a good idea where he is. I know where the feet are, the fists, his bottom, and his head. Funny being able to prod his hand back when he tries to push his way out ;0)

So it's looking like it's not 4 or 5 weeks left (before being induced) but normal person length left, 5 or 6 weeks!







Hospital Update (long)

Been for yet another growth scan and diabetic / antenatal appointment today, was all set to give them a proper grilling about risks and stuff. Growth scan showed baby was actually right on the level, even though his head was tucked so far down into my pelvis that the sonographer couldn't actually measure it. Thigh bone however measured in at 33wks (I'm 34wks now). He said he couldn't believe I'd been told baby was measuring big last time - baby is well within acceptable limits for growth, and all it does is stress out the mother. Hear hear! He was a fab sonographer, kept telling me off for giggling and laughing and then making me laugh even more! I SO needed a good giggle, it's been far too long since I laughed properly.

I saw my diabetic consultant and the senior diabetic midwife who are the least stressy people on the planet thank goodness, and they've given me some tips to try and get post-breakfast sugar levels down (they're the only ones they're concerned about at all), and when I told the obstetric doctor that I really didn't want to be induced at 38 weeks this time round he pointed out the risks (he had to) and then said that if that's my decision, they will support me through it. Steve and I both agreed that if it got to 40 weeks and still no baby we'd both be getting twitchy though, and the team agreed. Risks are basically a fractionally higher risk of stillbirth at term, and also due to physical size of baby - usually head, shoulders and tummy can be bigger and the potential is there for baby's shoulders to get stuck in the pelvis on the way out. However from what I have read, if labour is allowed to start spontaneously the mother is usually ready to give birth and the pelvis will be loose enough and open up enough to birth a baby without risk.

SO in a fortnight's time I go back for my routine 36wk growth scan, and they're going to make sure I get to see my consultant obstetrician to talk over birth plans etc. I'm absolutely refusing to budge on the "please do not induce me" thing though, and if they're happy for that, then I won't push the homebirth option! In fact if they're happy for me to wait (I suppose "happy" isn't really the right term here) I may raise the homebirth option anyway.

We shall see. I don't want a re-run of last time, and so far the team seem happy that I understand the risks, and have actually treated me like a person rather than just a baby-making machine, listening to my concerns etc.

Glad Stephen was in the room with me today, he has understood where I'm coming from and was able to back me up, he didn't stay silent.

I feel SO much better after that appointment. Just what I needed: laughter, relief that baby is spot on, the least stressy people possible to talk over diabetes issues, and an obstetrician who actually listened to me and Steve.

After the past two weeks being probably the most stressful of the entire pregnancy it's such a relief. Roll on 36wks and the meeting with the obstetric consultant!!