Now the real fun begins

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!!

The midwife came and used some kind of Doppler machine to find the baby’s heartbeat. It seemed to take a long time, but eventually after the point at which I would have given up, she found the baby’s heartbeat and it was beating strong and fine. A while later, the doctor came to see us and was checking that everything was OK.

Some time later, the doctor came back with the midwife to do an examination on Cat to see if they could work out what caused the bleeding. Then the doctor went away again to speak to another doctor to get a second opinion! Eventually they all agreed to give Cat some anti-D and do a blood test and send her home.

At this point it was already quite late (or very early if you prefer) and both of us fell asleep on and off. Cat had a bed but I had a chair that refused to allow me to sit comfortably! To be fair, I think the bed was just as uncomfortable!

We were also kept awake by the noise of several women giving birth in nearby rooms. I couldn’t help but laugh at the noise, but I think poor Cat was given a reminder of what is to come.

Eventually a nurse came to give Cat the anti-D injection into her bottom. I saw the 2 inch needle and had to turn away. Cat’s face showed just how unpleasant it was, and I give her a gold star for bravery!

We were then allowed to leave, and after wrestling with the car park ticket machine, we came home, thoroughly exhausted and drained from the whole experience.

Today I had to get up to go to a meeting at my old work, but when I got back home, I went almost immediately to bed and slept for about 6 hours. Cat was on her own for most of the day, and both of us are still worried and upset, but I think Cat is more so than me. We need things to go OK without incident for a bit, as last night shook us up quite a bit, and you begin to understand how worrying being a parent is going to be.

Hopefully this is the worst thing that happens in the pregnancy and everything goes better from now on. I think all of this is made worse by the fact that it is our first child, and everything is new to us. I’m sure my mum will tell us that the second one is easier

It was awesome, and I can’t wait for it to happen again. Poor Cat is going to be completely battered and bruised by the time the baby is born!

Cat on the other hand is a light sleeper, and often spends hours trying to drift off to sleep. Being pregnant only makes matters worse, as the constant changes to her body, extra pressure on her abdomen means needing the bathroom more often and having a growing bump makes lying down in a comfortable position more difficult.

Enter the pregnancy pillow! I never heard of these before, but there are hundreds of different types of pillow that surround you to provide extra support and comfort to expectant mothers. Cat bought one and tried it out for the first time last night. Did it make her sleep better? Well… no. But she was more comfortable!

Taking this back to the start of this post, surely none of this “pillow talk” affects me? Alas, I have never slept so poorly than this past week. With Cat needing to move, get up to go to the bathroom, and even burst out laughing as she remembers bits from Ice Age 3 which she recently watched, has meant I woke up 4 or 5 times. And to top all that off, the pillow that surrounds her has made snuggling up to her all but impossible!!

So when you all see Cat, and offer her support and sympathy as she undergoes the changes of pregnancy, spare a thought for poor Russ, who is waking up throughout the night, is half asleep throughout the day, and all before the baby is born!

What amazed me most was how clearly you could see the baby’s arms, legs. It was an emotional moment for both of us when we saw the heart beating live before our very eyes!

Also we couldn’t believe how much the baby moves! Right now, it only measures about 6cm, but it was moving and wriggling, full of vigour! Today was the day I truly understood what it means to be a parent, and what I have to look forward to. I can’t wait for the next scan!!

I have to be honest and say that the thought of having a baby scared me at first. I guess I still don’t see myself as very old, but I’m at at age where many people have already have 4 or 5 children! The real problem comes from having never truly understood how to take care of a new born. Sure, once they reach a certain age, I am OK with children, but at first I’d be clueless.

However I’ve come to realise a few things. Firstly is that everyone is in much the same boat, and everyone has to start somewhere. In fact I am very fortunate in that there is a wealth of knowledge freely available – something my parents never had. The other thing is that people have been having babies for millions of years, even before the internet!! So this is really nothing new in the grand scheme of things. And finally I realised like every other experience, I’ll learn it, and so I should not be afraid and hold off until it is too late!

The other problem to face is the cost. Everyone knows babies cost money, and with the wedding still to come, things could get difficult. But as my friend Adam T always says “You’ll find the money”. And it’s true. We’ll find a way no matter what else life throws at us.

Today was proof to me, that my nerves and worries will dissipate with the acquisition of knowledge. Vicky, the midwife we saw today, was absolutely lovely and answered all of our questions, and took us through much of the process we have to look forward to. I feel a lot better already, and we are barely 2 months in!

I don’t think I’ll truly be anything less than petrified, but more than anything, I’m looking forward to holding little baby Aloysius in my arms for the first time