Week 28, Day 7 (But are you SURE about that?)

We had another midwife check up today, and depending on how you look at it, it's either all good or mostly good with a disappointment.

Let's get the "hmmm" moment out of the way first, before we hurt ourselves jumping to conclusions ;-)

It seems my plan of birthing at Lincoln is unlikely to be allowed. Apparently (in this age of hyper-protectiveness & OSH mania) only skinny young things (or those who've done it all before) are now considered a safe enough risk. That's a bit of a bugger, yes, because Lincoln is just wonderful, with totally lovely laid back staff, great surroundings, no smog, no parking hassles, and just the best ever spot to hatch a kidlet.

However.. providing there's room, once I've had baby at Chch Womens', I can transfer with bubs providing there's no complications with either of us. (Excuse me Mrs G, can you please get out of the car and back on the table, the placenta hasn't come down yet..)

Chch Womens is by nature a big (for NZ) hospital with everything that entails. Good things such as all the medical whistles and bells (and machines that go "bing" if you're a Monty Python fan), lots of drugs (wheee!), and if they decided I needed a quick caesar at least there's no travel or traffic to negotiate first.

On the downside, big hospitals tend to be unfriendly and clinical, Chch's smog is appalling, the parking there is even worse, and everyone I've ever known who gave birth at this hospital went home with less than they went in with. Let's hope security is better at the new hospital, because it's very uncool for women in labour to have to worry that their clothes/camera/baby bag are being stolen while they're otherwise occupied.

But I hear the Garden Room (a birthing suite) at Chch Womens is just beautiful, with a queensize bed that Dad can share with Mum after the birth, so htere's compensations eh.

Now for the other news. The fundus (Mum, that's the medical name for the top of the uterus) is found up between my ribs, in the 30+ week mark. Our midwife thinks another scan is a very good idea, to confirm or amend dates, and also to see how baby is lying. I daresay this will happen later rather than sooner.

So there's a big question mark at the "28" week mark, and we might have less to go than we thought. (But Mum and I privately think that I'm actually bang on for dates, we're just having a big thriving baby. But what do we know, LOL! I thought I was having a daughter!!!)

Blood tests were taken today for the usual third trimester stuff; diabetes, pre-eclampsia, antibodies, iron levels yada yada yada. I had to drink some cloyingly sweet soda stuff first (which nearly had me evacuating my breakfast), then wait an hour, then get jabbed.

Long time readers (and personally known victims) will be saying "Oh. Karl had a blood test? How much blood is on the floor, then? And whose?"

I was very good, actually. In fairness it was a team effort. Wayne had hold of my left hand (for support or restraint, I'm not entirely sure). Robyne (midwife) kept up a clever patter of questions and quips to keep my left brain occupied, and I just sat very still, answering questions, squeezing the hell out of Wayne's hand, and thinking of the baby.

It was all over in a few moments, didn't we do great :-)

Blood pressure 130 over 80 (I thought that was high for me, but Robyn said it's fine). Weight up 600 grams from last month, which is also fine considering how much Tads has grown. I'm looking and feeling great, although the belly continues its bid for its own postcode.

All in all, we're blooming :-)