ProjectXY

I’ve noticed for a while that my bump has dropped quite a bit. It was confirmed by the doctors and the midwife that Tubbs is 2/5 engaged  

The weird thing is, she has gotten into a weird position, pushing with her bottom and feet against the front of the bump and she’s making it take a weird shape. It’s like a Ferengi’s head (for the Star Treck lovers). It’s kind of a weird square shape with big bumps on the edges.

She has been a bit quieter but when she moves she tends to push against the front and it feels like it’s going to tear the muscle  It doesn’t hurt, it just feels really tight.

Still I am enjoying these times. I think we are bonding even more and I can’t wait to meet her, but I love every minute I feel her move

This is my bump at almost 38 weeks. I’m surprised I don’t fall forwards or how it hasn’t burst yet! The only people I’ve seen so far with bumps as big as me are having twins!

And the thing is, if she decides to be born 2 weeks late, I still have a whole month of growth ahead of me!

On another note, pregnesia (or baby brain or whatever people call it) has been affecting me dearly lately. I forget what I am doing often, do things I really didn’t want to do, forget what I was talking about, but worst, I’m losing the ability to speak English. I find myself talking to people and not being able to find the words or saying something completely wrong or with an appalling grammar! If this goes on I might need a translator at the hospital!

The funny side is that Russ, although in a much smaller scale, has been slightly off as well. I wonder if he will feel sympathy pains when I’m in labour?

Apparently at this stage, I should be getting nervous about the imminent birth, and the delivery of a new child.

Cat rightly pointed out that I am currently a picture of calm at the moment. Maybe I have too much work on the business to think about, maybe it’s because I’m not going to be the one going through labour, or maybe I am just totally ignorant of the storm about to hit me, but I am not too concerned with what is to come.

Sure I guess I am a bit nervous because I’ve never done it before, but I’m sure we will both manage fine. We have some nice people helping us, and most of the things we needed to buy have been bought. All we lack is a baby, so when she turns up, everything will fall into place.

I should make a note of this post and revisit it in a few months to see if I still agree with that!!

Sunday, Russ and I went to the hospital to see what is available there. There were quite a few pregnant women and their partners there and consecutive groups so a lot of people giving birth soon. I wonder if, statistically, this is the time of the year when more babies are born…

Anyway we were quite impressed. It all looks brand new – the hospital has been through major works – and it all looks spacious and clean.

There are 18 rooms midwife and consultant led. They all have en-suite and the midwife led ones also have CD player, oil burning facilities for aromatherapy, odd shaped sofa and a bed and loads of stuff to help during labour. One of them has a birth pool There are other rooms like an induction room with 4 beds in them and not a lot of space – especially not for dads to stay there during the process – so I hope I don’t need to use one of them, theatres where the C-sections are done, rooms for rest and reflection, etc.

We also got a chance to see the midwives in action with an emergency. One of the pregnant women in my group lost consciousness. It was very hot and she kept her coat on so maybe that was the cause. The midwife that was doing the tour rang the alarm (available in every room) and about 10 of them came running to help! Very efficient!

We then went upstairs to see the post-natal ward and again it was impressive. Hot drinks available in the corridors, rooms with only 4 beds each, each bed has it’s own tv/telephone/internet connection… All very good.

The best bit was when we managed to see a midwife teaching the new parents to bathe the new born. He/she was put in a see through bucket so that they (and us from the corridor) could see how it’s done. They look so small and helpless!

If everything goes well the discharge happens between 6 hours and 2 days. ou can’t leave until both the baby and the mother are checked by the doctors. You also get the chance, as it happened, to be shown how to bathe, change a nappy and breastfeed. They expect the dad’s to change the nappies while the mother is resting. I liked that

All in all I was really happy with what I saw and the people that work there seems really nice. Can’t wait

(and there were no women in labour at the time so no screams to freak me out )