The last time…

Off to see Dr Porsche tonight – that rolled around real quick eh??

It occurred to me on the weekend (yes a bit slow on the uptake) that this will be the very LAST time I am going to be pregnant. LAST TIME!

Sad – hmmmm……not sure, mixed emotions. I feel sooooo crap when pregnant that it is not hard to be sorry not to be going back there EVER again, on the other hand there are some things I think I might miss.

Here is the lowdown:

BAD Things

• Vomiting NON-STOP for months and months on end
• Feeling tired for months and months on end
• That uneasy, quite frightened feeling you have in the first 12weeks convinced something is going to go wrong.
• Constant nausea/hunger/feeling odd
• Feeling faint when I forget to eat
• The HEAVINESS, especially in these last 4weeks
• Varicose veins in ODD places
• Bumping my tummy into everything
• Back ache
• Aching legs and cramps at night in bed
• Not being able to sleep properly in bed and sore hips from lying on one side for too long
• Feeling awkward all the time (the BIG BOY will tell you this is no different to when I am NOT pregnant)
• Toilet stops in the middle of the night
• Stretch marks
• Feeling like my bladder is going to fall out – especially in these last weeks
• Grunting EVERY-TIME I bend over to pick something up
• Being a big FAT grump – especially in the last week or two……..
• AND finally – feeling like you are going to be pregnant FOREVER!!!!!

Good Things

• Feeling my baby kick, hiccup and roll around
• Watching my little boys pat and kiss my tummy
• My tight as drum tummy
• The increased libido (well in the early part anyway)
• Watching other people’s reactions when I tell them I am going to have 3 kids under 3!
• Eating whatever in the HELL I like (and yes this includes – god forbid – deli products, coffee, chocolate, more chocolate and seafood)
• Having a sterling excuse not to exercise
• The gorgeous, gorgeous girls at Dr Porsche’s office
• Listening to my baby’s heartbeat when I have my checkup – I hold my breath waiting for it!
• Digging out the tiny, tiny baby clothes and marvelling that we will have another baby that will SWIM in them.
• Having an convenient place to rest my plate/coffee cup etc
• The excited, nervous, antsy, I “know something you don’t know” feeling you have in the first 12weeks – I usually wait until 12weeks to tell anyone I am pregnant so I have this feeling all to myself (and the BIG BOY).
• Knowing what SEX my baby is and keeping that little secret ALL to myself
• Picking out names
• Amazing ultrasound’s that show so many fabulous details
• Daydreaming about what my baby is going to look like, be like, smell like……

Well how do they measure up??? Time will tell I guess but as good as the good stuff is it is not enough to make me want to run out and get pregnant all over again……………….Dr Porsche has offered to tie my tubes and I have gratefully accepted!!!

Glorious Spring!

Today was a particularly lovely day, cool this morning and then 25deg, sun shining a little bit of a breeze but all in all – GORGEOUS!

Took the to park with the other girls from our Mum’s group, it was lovely….I do now however have some pretty impressive fat ankles to show for it!!!!

Hmmmm………obviously did not drink enough water today or the warmer weather is getting to me! When I was pregnant with LB#1 it was right in the middle of an Australian summer – HOT – all I could wear for weeks was thongs (flip-flops f0r the visiting yanks!), I wore out two pairs and got mighty sick of looking at BIG FAT BLOATED ankles.

So this is new………..

I have a weird new pregnancy symptom (if you could call it that) – varicose veins………not in my legs either, but well, er ummmm………………………much higher up, it looks weird, it feels weird and my underwear is not so comfy!!!!!

Saw Dr Porsche last night for my usual checkup, all is well (apart from the veins), he had another trainee with him last night, so he too got a good look at my “new” symptom……..ah the glamorous life of a pregnant woman!!!

Still here………..

Well we are still here, no baby yet……………….back pain all gone and pretend contractions are only happening every so often. Although my belly feels HUGE, I’m not sure if it’s because I am HUGE or I have dropped…………..????? Time will tell I guess.

Absolutely glorious day here today, the Big Boy got the lawns mowed and even did the grocery shopping for me – makes this fat, crazy woman most happy!

Naomi asked me if I my doctor was going to let me try for a natural birth, third time around – in short NO!

Here is a (brief) run down on my previous labours:

• Water’s break – with LB#1 it was 4 weeks early.
• I am contracting on my own, but not very effectively.
• Induced with LB#1, when induction started I was 1cm dilated.
• At the conclusion of 12hours hard induced labour I was dilated a whole 2.5cms – grrrrr.
• Although I was tired and the baby was still in good health I was rushed off for an emergency c-section with a FAILED labour.
• Waters broke @40weeks with LB#2
• Not contracting properly on my own
• I had already agreed with my doctor that he was NOT going to induce me if I wasn’t contracting on my own at all – he feels the risk of my uterus rupturing was too high!
• So headed off once again for an emergency c-section.

So, where does that leave me this time………………?????? Clearly I suck badly at being in labour, my babies are nice and warm and cosy inside my womb and are not coming out for ANYONE. My doctor is not prepared to risk damage to babies or me by inducing a labour that would probably fail anyway…………………so this time – planned c-section!!!!

Am I disappointed about not having “natural” labours – yes and no……………..recovery is longer with a c-section, however I seem to recover quite well (I was knocked out cold for the second one due to complications) and with LB#2 I was heading home by day 4. Despite some fabulous nursing staff and doctors I do find it a very “remote” way of giving birth, it feels a little cold and routine……………………if that makes sense! Coughing, laughing, rolling over in bed etc are all AGONY for the first 2weeks and the Big Boy has to take at LEAST 4weeks off work because I can’t drive, lift or do housework!!!!

On the upside my pelvic floor is in sterling condition and my v-jay, jay looks just the same as it did when I was 19yrs old!!! Woo Hoo!!!!!

So, there you go…………………….most likely WAY more than you wanted to know.

False Alarm..??

Well last night was interesting – to say the least…..at about 4.45pm I started getting really hard contractions really close together, sometimes 3mins, sometimes 1min……..they were weird because they where really high on my stomach not like normal contractions. My back was also really, really sore.

I ended up having a bath with the boys to ease the pain and as I was convinced my waters were going to break last night I went to bed at 7.30pm, I figured that if my waters broke in the wee hours (like with the other two) at least I would’ve had some good sleep!

Morning has arrived and contractions have stopped, my back is still sore (dull ache, like period pain), but on the upside I had a pretty good nights sleep!!!

SO – it was either some really, really weird braxton-hicks type contractions or sometime this weekend my waters are going to break and we will be having this baby SOONER rather than LATER!!!

Haven’t packed a scrap of clothing yet, so this morning spurned on by last night’s event I at the very least got the babies clothes together – at least the poor little bugger will have something to wear!!!!

Ouch………….

My gums swelled up yesterday and I was convinced I had a cavity, off to the dentist today and although I don’t have a cavity I have a chipped filling.

Apparently because of my cold I have been clenching my teeth in my sleep, this has chipped my old filling, this in turn has aggravated my gums and my very vigorous flossing has made matters worse. Growth hormones in my body have made my gums enlarged more than usual and pregnancy makes your gums sensitive anyway.

So,

• Mangled sore gums – bleeding
• Chipped filling
• Swollen Face

and $220 big ones later, my gums are still sore and my face still feels swollen.

Have been told to lay off the floss for at least a week.

BTW – Having ANY kind of dental work when you are 35weeks pregnant is NOT advisable, had to get the dentist to keep stopping as laying on your back for too long starts to make you a little faint.

*sigh*

Co-sleeping………To share or NOT to share???

When I say co-sleeping I am referring to the movement/philisophy of child rearing that says sleeping with your baby/toddler/child is the best thing for thier development and your sanity………………..CRAP!!!!

Sorry to all those dedicated co-sleepers out there, but this woman is NOT one of them, LB#2 is going through a SHOCKING phase at the moment, he is waking 2 or 3 times a night (at least). We bring him into bed for re-settling and a quick cuddle and then attempt to put him back into his own cot……………….most nights we fail.

Some nights he is in bed with us from 1am onwards, this morning it was 3.30am through to wake up time…….we are not sure if he is cold/lonely/hungry and just going through a clingy stage………………..it makes for a terrible nights sleep for both my husband and I.

With only 4 or so weeks to go, I am unable to sleep on my back, so I spend the entire night changing sides. When you only sleep on your side and you have a HUGE belly to contend with your hips get quite sore, real fast!!! I am always aware of LB#2 is in the middle of the bed and I am conscious of hitting him or rolling on him………………..mind you he has been known to swing his arms in his sleep and connect with my head quite often.

Add to that I have to get up at least 3times a night to go the toilet……………not a whole lot of good sleep is happening in our house at the moment.

I am already tired and these last four weeks are just totally exhausting…..not sure I am going to make it with my sanity intact……anyone got any ideas??????

Is there anybody out there??????

Well the answer seems to be “YES”, a very gorgeous on-line friend of mine left me a message yesterday to let me know that my bloggin efforts are not for nought and she has been waiting with baited breath for an update……………..

So there you go!!!!!

Found out last night that LB#1 has tonsilitis, poor little guy has not been well but that has been par for the course in the last fortnight in this house. We have had gastro, colds, conjunctivitis and now tonsilitis…….. I am quite sick and tired of visiting the Doctor’s, quite sure they are probably sick of us too!!

Had my regular fortnightly appointment with Dr Porsche on Tuesday afternoon, Dr Porsche currently has a lovely student doctor learning with him at the moment (for the sakes of this blog we will call him Dr Learn)…………..I am always asked if I mind if Dr Learn sits in on our appointment and I always say “no”, they have to learn at some point in time and the appointments really are pretty mundane….here is a brief run down for those of you, who have never experienced the joy:

1. Arrive, check in, sit and wait.
2. Go and see mid wife – she takes my wee sample (does some weird protein check thing) and takes my blood pressure. She also asks me how I’ve been feeling and then sends me back out.
3. Sit and wait – read trashy mags, wonder if Princess Mary really is having a “marriage crisis”?????? (I don’t actually give it a second thought, I just wonder how they can justify cutting down trees for that crap!!!)
4. See Dr Porsche, he has a feel of stomach, a quick listen for the baby on the monitor and it’s a slap on arse and away you go (ok, embellising here for poetic licence, but basically that is it).
5. He quickly asks me if I have any problems (what 3 under 3 is not enough for you??) and reviews my file to make sure he hasn’t missed anything obvious!

Dr Porsche is pretty laid back…………….well laid back would be an understatement, someone once asked me if I would recommend him and I said “YES” – BUT if you want a touchy, feely kinda Doctor – FORGET IT – If you are the slighest bit high maintenance and require constant reassurance – FORGET IT……………he is a great Doctor don’t get me wrong, but he is not for everyone…….

Anyway Dr Learn had a feel of my stomach and a listen for the baby, I love new Doctor’s they are tentative to the point of fear….he was so gentle with my stomach and tried not to poke and prod too much. Dr Porsche on the other hand just jumps in there has a good poke and usually lets my bladder know he has been there…………..lol……the difference is hysterical…………

Dr Learn looks disarmingly young, he has the baby face of an 21year old, I am quite sure that he is probably NOT 21years but he looks it, either that or I am getting OLD. I wonder if Dr Learn will be invited to attend my c-section, that would certainly be an experience for him.

So that is it, an anatomy of a pregnancy check-up – pretty boring eh????

Still alive…………and kicking………

Well it is abundantly clear that I simply SUCK at regular blogging…………..hmmmm February, quite a lot has happened since Feb……..here is a brief update for you:

• I have been sick
• I have been well
• I have been sick again and quite a few more times after that
• I had a 12week scan that went great
• I had a 20week scan, that whilst the result was OK the trainee took 50mins to do it and I was incrediably uncomfortable the entire way through
• I have been to holidays on Cairns and surprise, surprise – GOT SICK
• I have had my regular appointments with Dr Porsche and they have been beautifully mundane and boring…….
• I have had several MAJOR emotional wig-outs, one last Tuesday was particularly memorable and forced my BIG BOY to come home from work – I think he thought I was going to kill the little boys
• I have been booked in for an elective c-section – 18th September….

So dear readers (HA – who am I KIDDING I seriously DO NOT believe anyone is actually reading this), we have a little under 5weeks to go until the DAY and I will try my very, very hardest to faithfully record the last part of my journey!!!

Tired………

TIRED……with a capital “T”……I don’t just mean the tired you feel when you’ve had a couple of late nights in a row. I am talking about the kind of tired you get when you can feel it in the marrow of your bones, my body is tired, my brain is tired and I am sick and tired of being tired.

LB#1 & #2 are probably sick to death of thier mother about right now, I don’t really feel enthusiastic about doing anything, we went to the supermarket today and that was a marathon outing.

Beginning to think that I am either pregnant with twins and/or anenmic – perhaps it is both.

Almost everyone we know has been told that we are expecting our third, reactions have been mixed but almost everyone is amazed and happy for us. Sometimes I wonder if I am happy for us? This poor third child of mine is going to grow up wondering if he/she was every really wanted and/or loved….I can see the headline now “My Mother’s pregnancy blog ruined my life”……………………did I mention I was a drama queen in a former life?????