36 Week Midwife Appointment

Today Tracy the midwife was calling round to my house to have the 36 week appointment where we sit and discuss the birthplan.  Steve happened to be out walking Izzy which was ok as he wasn't really required for it!

Steve and I had discussed what we think already, so we've opted for the midwife led birth and will put ourselves down for a pool birth if it's available.  If the pool is busy, there's also a hydrobath thing apparently, and if both are taken, it's just a calmer environment!

I'm hoping to be as mobile as possible, start off as naturally as possible with gas and air and then just see where we go from there.  Having no idea really as to my pain threshold I'm open to pethidine if necessary, but if we're in the pool the water will hopefully help.  The only thing I'm resistant to initially is an epidural.  I don't want an iv in my hand, I don't want an increased risk of an assisted delivery and therefore an episiotomy.  It's all a lot to take in really.

I've also said that I'd like to deliver the placenta naturally as this can mean although you bleed more directly after the birth, it's only liquids that need to come out, and you won't bleed for as long as if you had the injection (more like 2-3 weeks rather than 5-6 weeks).

I have said ok to the vitamin K injection for baby once arrived as well.

Oh, and I've also said 'yes please' to a student midwife!  I do believe in helping student nurses with their training if possible, and I've also been told how helpful they are as they can stay with you to assist with things more than a midwife who may have more than a couple of labouring women to see to!

So all in all, things are well with baby.  All set with the head down (which I can kind of tell from the pressure on my nether regions!!) and the bum has swung round to my right side now with legs tickling my ribs on my left side.

I tried taking Izzy out this afternoon as I was feeling a bit bored and wanted some fresh air, so I put her in the car and went to the castle thinking it would be quiet.  How wrong was I.  There were more dogs there than I've ever seen before, and she was so naughty running off to say hello to them all.  I know she's friendly and just wants to say hello and play, but you never know about other dogs or their owners, or if they have little children she could knock them over and I couldn't waddle after her fast enough so I decided to bring her home again.  She really needs some harsh training to get her sorted and a bit more obedient.  She does seem to have regressed a little recently, maybe she's in her teenage rebellious years.

This afternoon I cooked a beef strogonoff for dinner.  Steve sat with it on his lap saying how much he appreciated me cooking for him.  I could see though he wasn't actually eating it at all.  Honestly, if it's not junk food he's not interested.  He then said he wasn't hungry and put it in the kitchen and came back out having stuffed a doughnut in his mouth whole.  Humpf.  I liked it, and thought it was tasty.  He's so hard to please with normal food.  Offer him a big mac and he'd be happy.