Keira Charlotte

From what Dave and I can gather quite a few people read this blog these days and we would love to have some friends and family say hi to us and let us know they are reading. At the bottom of this blog is a little ‘comment’ tab and if you click on it you can leave us a message. Please do – it would thrill us to bits! We are also keeping this as a record for us & the baby – a little piece of history for all of us!

I always knew that there was a skinny person inside me just waiting to get out – and the funny thing is now there truly is!

I have had my first injection of Anti D at the hospital this week. These injections are so that my blood does not attack the baby’s blood (as I am a negative blood type and the baby is more than likely to be a positive blood type). It will also protect future pregnancies.

While I was at the hospital for the injection, they ‘hooked’ me up to the foetal heart monitor just to check on how things were going. The nurse then had to leave me as she had a patient currently in labour so I had about half an hour by myself. To hear the heartbeat is always a thrill and when my obstetrician checks it, she does it very quickly and I always find myself wanting to hear it just a little while longer. So I got to play around with this very expensive machine, located the heartbeat and sat there very content. One nurse popped her head in and asked if I wanted to be ‘unhooked’, I grinned and asked for a just a little while longer. The only thing that would have made me happier was if Dave could have been there. The heartbeat was around the 150 beats a minute mark.

We finally finished the nursery by putting up the wallpaper border. It really looks like someone’s room now and it looks really cosy. Now we can spend the next 10 weeks shifting the furniture around trying different ‘looks’ - we're having a Feng Shui Baby!!

We start our antenatal classes on Monday 27th February – this class goes for two hours and is titled ‘Early Labour’. Topics include nappy skills, when to come to hospital, induction of labour & a tour of the hospital. Should be very interesting. I can only presume that the nappy skills will be most useful whilst at the hospital since they use cloth nappies because we have planned to use disposables at home.

From now on I will be seeing the obstetrician every 2 weeks. I’m currently now at the stage of leg cramps, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, itchy skin, aches and pains, swelling, heartburn, indigestion and . . . the baby's arrival!

Definately time to focus on the positives and prepare for the ride.

Baby development info

Length is now about 36cm from head to toes. Weight is about 1300g. About 9 out of 10 babies born now will survive with intensive care services and the help of medical technology.

Our little miracle is growing and developing at an astonishing rate!

We wanted to say a big thank you to all the friends who’ve been giving us bits and pieces, you know who you are and we’re very very appreciative.

There is not a lot left to buy now although we still need to buy a baby monitor, rocking chair, nappy bag & baby bath with a stand.

The baby’s bag is all packed and zipped up! And our neighbour Peta (who is also pregnant with a really cute button belly) bought me a great little pregnancy pillow, which sits like a little wedge under your tummy when you sleep; it certainly helps take some of the pressure off the spine.

Dave is in training to be a dad, we purchased a mountain bike & helmet and he has plans to get fit in preparation for the baby’s arrival and the crash course in housework he is more than likely about to encounter *grin*

We’ve also bought a couple of packets of antacid tablets for heartburn, which has started pretty much on cue. In fact Dave has it too! Who says we are not sharing the trials & tribulations together. It is funny how you read week by week what new experiences pregnancy has to offer and if it says heartburn then heartburn it is. So far I can pretty much tick off the list of symptoms.

The best news of the week is that Dave can now hear the baby’s heartbeat by simply resting his ear against my tummy!

This week marks the beginning of the third trimester!

Things are great here – because I am not working I am able to manage my energy levels much better and obviously rest when I need it. Little things around the house that have needed doing for quite a long time are now getting achieved with real gusto. Although I do find it awfully frustrating that if there is anything heavy then I have to wait until Dave gets home to help me. A hard lesson for a stubborn and a once fiercely independent person!

Dave is exhibiting his first real signs of pregnancy – whilst I seem to have some of my memory back his has gone who knows where! I have never known Dave to forget so many things as his has recently. He states that it is because he is “having to remember all his stuff and my stuff”

I have discovered a really cute quirk of the baby’s. If it is a little quiet in utero and you ‘knock’ on the tummy – it knock’s back! How clever is that? I have jokingly started telling people that we have a genius on our hands as it is learning morse code already!

I keep reading in all the pregnancy books tips on getting a good nights sleep at around this stage in pregnancy. So far I am sleeping well (in-between toilet trips anyway) but as the ‘best’ way to sleep is on your left side (due to blood flow to the placenta) I am waking with an incredibly painful left arm! Sleeping comfortably takes some planning these days.

Food cravings are now concerning, with sweets now firmly established as the attraction. I was never very interested in chocolates or biscuits pre-pregnancy preferring savoury foods to sweet foods. Now it is a real battle to look at a plate of sliced fresh fruits when my brain is screaming ‘there are biscuits in the kitchen! Go get ‘em!’ I will battle through this latest challenge and if it gets too tough then I have choices. I can -

a) Give In and keep telling myself I can deal with it later
b) Be force fed whilst blindfolded
c) Justify my actions, as iBlob obviously needs chocolate and biscuits right now
d) Eat only the ‘fruit filled’ chocolates like the Strawberry Creams!

Baby development info

Length is now about 35cm from head to toes. Weight is about 1150g. The eyelids are open and eyelashes are present.The lungs, liver, and immune system still need to fully mature, but if born now, iBlob would have at least an 85% chance of surviving.This week, the membrane that has covered iBlob's eyes will split apart to create the eyelids. Now a new visual discovery begins for iBlob.At this point iBlob's eyes are probably blue. They will only take their true colour some time after birth.

The great news is that since I have now gained 2kg in the whole six months and the baby weighs 1.1kg now things are not out of control! I will certainly not deprive the baby of good nutrition as much as I kid around sometimes though. The weight gain apparently steadily climbs from here on. My tummy feels rock hard now – really odd, you can feel all around the ‘edge’ of the uterus and sometimes you encounter an extra hard bit. I joke that if we keep poking and prodding we may end up with a child with a big dint in its forehead or one squinty eye!

We found out that if Dave puts his ear against my tummy he should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat! So far he hasn’t heard it but to think that he should be able to hear it at least soon is pretty amazing. For some reason, that still baffles me, when the baby is kicking madly I often get Dave’s hand so he can feel it. The baby seems to settle almost straight away then resume the kicking party as soon as Dave removes his hand! I cannot figure that out but have read another women’s account of the same behaviour on a pregnancy forum on the Internet.

The blood tests results for gestational diabetes and Rhesus negative antibodies (as explained in last weeks blog) are good news…..no reason for concern.

I am on maternity leave (although I do have an unfinished project for work to complete) and it is amazing how many people ask if I am relaxed yet!

It has only been a couple of days so work is not yet a distant memory!

Feeling very healthy although heavy and sometimes breathless & have icky burning bile in the back of my throat most of the time. I have bought some new maternity swimwear and already tested them out! I love swimming and now that I am on leave I hope to do quite a lot of it. The outfit is quite cute and it is in two pieces with the top obviously having a bit of room for the ‘pooch’. When you swim though it has a habit of lifting up like a tutu but luckily there is a second section underneath so you can retain some decorum!

My most recent appointment with the obstetrician went well, she is really lovely and I certainly feel like I am in the best of hands for the delivery. Dave is still yet to meet her but at this stage the appointments have not been worth him having to leave work and lose the income, as it is normally a chat, blood pressure, heartbeat and an abdominal palpitation.

Every time you turn up you need to weigh yourself and tell the obstetrician. I discovered that if you lean back ever so slightly you weigh a kilo less! When she asked the weight question I couldn’t help grinning and telling her I wasn’t sure which weight to pick – the one where I have gained 2 kilos or the one that I have lost 1! We had a laugh and since I am now 6 months pregnant and haven’t gained any weight (after losing a lot because of the morning sickness) we chose the gain of 2 kilos. Dr. Hughes commented that that’s pretty good but the gaining weight will start from here on anyway.

Sometimes it feels like an obstacle course of worrying. I mentioned my recent concerns about the baby’s movements being less energetic than normal during the last week and was reassured yet told if I had any concerns to ring the hospital and go in so they can do a quick ultrasound. It is hard to know who you call sometimes between your obstetrician, doctor & hospital.

This appointment had an extra feature, with a measuring tape draped over the doctor’s arms when she was feeling the size of the uterus on the tummy. She measured the size of the uterus from top to bottom to check growth. Apparently we are around the 28-week mark! This apparently does not mean a lot as changes in uterus size for the duration of the pregnancy are normal but it shows a good healthy sign as it is ahead rather than behind. This does not mean that the baby is due any earlier!

We went to Waverley Private Hospital for the tour one evening after work that was informative yet brief. I think for me personally seeing the teeny babies in the nursery made me realise how real this was and we will get one of those!! The young lady who showed us around was pleasant enough. The hospital has a fabulous reputation and although Dave would have liked to have the option of a few hospitals this is the only hospital that my obstetrician works at and I do not want to lose her.

Amazing how much you can type when you get started! I always think – ‘there is nothing to write about!’ Dave is the driving force behind the writing of this blog, although he rarely writes anything. A man of few words with a wife that talks/types too much I suppose!

In regards to blood types, I am A negative which is referred to as Rhesus negative. Apparently 85% of the population is Rhesus positive and 15% Rhesus negative. My blood type comes with some extra medical care being required during the pregnancy.

Rather than try to explain it I will insert some information on it from another website.

“If an Rh negative woman becomes pregnant to an Rh positive man, their baby may be Rh positive or Rh negative.If the baby is Rh positive, there is a risk that some of its Rh positive blood cells may enter the mother’s bloodstream during the pregnancy or birth.If this is left untreated, the mother will develop antibodies to the baby's Rh positive blood.If a mother develops antibodies, these antibodies will cross the placenta and may destroy the baby's red blood cells, in this or in future pregnancies. If not treated these babies may be anemic, or at risk of brain damage or even die before birth. An injection of Anti-D can be given to an Rh negative mother, which helps stop her immune system making antibodies to the baby's Rh positive cells.If you are Rh negative and have not formed antibodies, you will be offered an Anti-D injection at 28 weeks and at 34 weeks of your pregnancy.”

Dr. Hughes explained to me that at delivery the baby’s cord blood is tested, if it is Rhesus negative like me then I will not be given the last injection and in fact would not have needed any during the pregnancy as we would have been compatible. Although we do not know Dave’s blood type I think we can take a good guess that it will be a positive and we will have to wait and see for the baby’s type in 13 weeks or so!


Baby Development Info

Length is now about 32.5cm from head to toes. Weight is about 910gm. Our baby now has fully formed fingerprints and his bones are continuing to harden.

I have to go for some more blood tests and also the Gestational Diabetes test this week.

I am starting to think the menfolk have it easy throughout this time!

Anyway I am looking forward to some time to relax, go swimming, catch up with some neglected friends and cook some yummy lunches and dinners for my great hubby!

Definitely out of breath a lot now and recently had some worrying moments when the baby had a couple of very quiet days. This whole experience simply makes you worry all the time. After just getting used to the super kicks all of a sudden they were very gentle. My girlfriend Carolyn who is my pregnancy mentor (after having 4 herself) reassured me that sometimes they might be ‘at the back’ which only after she said it did I remember reading that unless they kick directly at the front of your stomach you will not feel it as there are no nerves on the other ‘sides’ of your uterus.

I even did some research on foetal movement kick records and did what they suggested. Eat a good meal, drink a sugary drink and lie down on your left side and count kicks in a one hour period. Any more than 12 and your totally fine – I got 10 in just under 10 minutes so I think I am just getting myself worked up for nothing.

Baby development info –

Length is now about 32.5cm from head to toes

Weight is about 910gm

“The lungs begin to manufacture a substance called surfactant - this keeps the tissue of the lungs from sticking to itself and allows the baby to breathe. The baby’s nostrils start to open.”

Have a nice bump now which I love! Sometimes it does feel uncomfortable though and rolling off the bed or the couch is hard to do in an elegant way! I am so so thankful that the morning sickness is over just remembering that makes me amazed that we made it through that time. And some poor women have it much worse than I did.

Headaches have eased – I am almost to nervous to state that in writing in case it comes back with a vengeance.

We're going for a tour round the Waverley Private Hospital this week which is going to be very exciting!!