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?

Jan 27 2014

A Sneak Peek at Mini Madam & Some Bad News (28 Weeks)

Posted on January 27, 2014 by admin

Well the good times were short-lived. Just two weeks after telling the world I was finally feeling better with this pregnancy, I’m feeling rubbish again.

Emotionally, I’m beginning to worry about the stresses of having another little one to look after. As Craig is self-employed and solely responsible for supporting this mini family, the night-feeds will be my job (and my job alone) from Day 1. Of course, this would be the case anyway, it’s not like Craig can detach my boobs and get on with it without me! But all of a sudden it seems very real and very scary.

With Dexter not yet at nursery, and getting ever-more demanding throughout the day - I do worry I might see a resurgence of PND too. I also really worry about how my little man will cope with sharing me… and how I will cope being shared! I have this mental image of Mini Madam latching on and Dexter emerging into the room with various treasures he’s managed to collect from around the house - bleach, knives, and scissors… Of course these things are usually locked away, but what if I’m exhausted and get careless, or if Dexter develops telekinesis due to abandonment issues???

In other news, I’m positively ravenous. The odd cherry bakewell and satsuma doesn’t touch the sides anymore. I’ve read that an 11lb weight gain is typical in the third trimester but if this carries on I’m likely to surpass that and eventually require air-lifting to the hospital!

Baby Girl 3D 28 Weeks A Sneak Peek at Mini Madam & Some Bad News (28 Weeks)

We also saw our gorgeous daughter in 3D this week. Craig managed to get a sneak peek too, in-between liberating various medical instruments from Dexie’s clutches throughout the scan. We counted all her toes and fingers and all the right bits were in the right places… including her girlie bits. This was such a relief. There was however bad news to come.

It seems my wonky belly button is due to Mini Madam chilling in just the one side of my belly. My placenta is wedged in beside her and she’s largely confined to my left hand side. Her feet are also wedged in beside her ears in all the tell-tale signs of another extended breech situation. What are the chances???

So it seems I have yet another Tom Daley wannabe lounging in my tummy. Dexter adopted exactly the same position throughout my first pregnancy and it ended with a failed ECV and a ruptured placenta. On my first day of maternity leave I bled out in my living room and had to call an ambulance. Dexter was delivered by emergency c-section a matter of hours later.

Of course there’s a slim chance baby could do a few somersaults and get into position before D Day - but there’s not much room in there for her to pull out such gymnastic feats. Of course I’ll be offered another ECV to try and poke and prod her over-and-under. But I’m beginning to think it would be selfish of me to even attempt this. An ECV might seem like the safest option, but I’ve seen firsthand what happens when it goes wrong. The thought of her getting tangled in my umbilical cord, or kicking my placenta to bits and compromising her ability to get those vital nutrients, frightens me more than the prospect of yet another c-section.

Of course I’m really reveling in the ‘what if’s’ here, but I’m still disappointed and worried. I had been really excited about the prospect of giving birth naturally and it’s sad to think I won’t be able to experience this. I also worry about whether my body will be able to cope with another pregnancy after this.

I’m off to see my midwife tomorrow - seems we have lots to talk about…

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).