Ignoring Cat’s post 4 days ago which was about having no signs, today our daughter Kaia was born. She weighs a healthy 7lb 6oz, and both mum and daughter are doing well. We’ll write more in time, but here is a picture 
Now the real fun begins
No signs at all. No show, no contractions, not even milk leaks… And after 7 first babies I know being born from one month to a couple of days early it’s getting quite frustrating. Only mine left and it doesn’t look like she will follow the trend of being early or even on time.
Lots of people said she would be early but I really don’t think it will happen. I am prepared to wait a couple more weeks even though the discomfort has taken a new level. I am also prepared for the possibility of having to be induced just like what happened with me and Russ. But that is not what worries me.
What worries me is that we have now confirmation that Russ will be in Exeter for a week, possibly 2 (maybe including the weekend) after the 15th. She is due on the 9th. If she is even a week late, Russ will be 4 hours drive away. I will not be alone, as my dad and step mum arrive tonight, but I would still prefer to have Russ with me through the whole process and I am certainly not prepared for him to miss the birth. I know that it can take hours but it can also be quick and I’m also not happy of Russ to leave a very important client and drive 4 hours under stress and in a hurry. I need him safe and sound and with energy to help me.
The other thing is that my dad is staying for 3 weeks and we tried to arrange it so that he could see his first granddaughter before he leaves. That is the purpose of the visit. But if she is very late and the induction takes ages to work he might miss it.
For now all I can do is wait and see.
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? 
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 )
