Week 31, Day 3 (Playing catch-up)

Okie doke - a lightning revision of the post that got eaten.

Antenatal continues to drag, but we hang in there because I'll go nuts wondering if I've missed something crucial if we wag. If pain in labour really isn't such a big deal (quoting the instructor) then why is pain control info taking up more than a third of the entire course, displacing other info that was promised in the brochure?

Decided to avoid epidural unless given no choice as we found out that having an epidural dramatically DECREASES your chance of a 'normal' delivery. (Conjuring the stats from memory, hope I've got it right).

After an epidural:
8% of births require the vacuum assistance (like forceps but without prongs)
12% end up as a forceps delivery (and forceps ALWAYS means an episiotomy, we were told)
41% end up as a caesarian section
39% are otherwise normal.

To sum up, have an epidural and your chances of further intervention increase by 61%.

We're talking about breastfeeding tomorrow night, and have been asked to bring a soft toy to practice on (what, we can't borrow a few real babies from the nursery downstairs?)

Wayne thinks we should take our parrot puppet (large cartoonish Macaw-type parrot whose beak you can operate by inserting your arm up its cloaca). Should be good for a laugh, although I'm sure that our instructor won't enjoy the levity.

Btw, as is usual with any class, we're seeing dropouts as each week progresses. What's sad is the ones who are falling along the way are the ones who appear to need the class the most (ie the ones who seem to have done bugger-all research of their own, and/or are barely old enough to have functioning reproductive systems). There's only one couple left under (an apparent) 25, and not even the entire couple. Girlfriend hasn't missed an appointment, but in three classes she's brought a different support person each time. #2 was the supposed father, a boy racer whose pants hung so low we almost didn't need his girlfriend's bulge as proof of his manhood (!). He was a total jerk to her throughout class and none of us were sorry to miss him last week (although as we left, we saw him waiting in the car).

Okay here's the midwife latest:

We're up to two-weekly exams now, and the usual tests came in good but there's still a bit of blood showing up in the pee test so it's out with the acidopholous yoghurt, and if the blood is still there next time then Robyn will check further. Weight increased, but not alarmingly (all within good levels for this time period). Blood pressure is what I would consider high for me (130 over 82) but Robyn assures me is normal for the general population, and very good for a pregnant woman.

The 28-week blood tests showed no problems other than the one we checked further, except for my iron levels which need work. So I'm back on the iron tabs (double dose) and keeping the ghastly Metamucil handy just in case the pills gum up the works.

Baby growing like the weed he is, and a scan is on the cards for around the 35-week mark to see what we can see. You betcha I'll get them to take a closer look at the family jewels to see if we have a Braeden or a Rowyn. Still don't care which, but I'd love to know for sure! (Actually knitting a pinkish cardy & bonnet to balance out all the blue and green things, LOL)

And for the other news, yes I did ask if (seeing as he's big and October is a hellish month for us in business) we can go early, ie induce at around 37-38 weeks. The answer was a very firm NO. If bubs considers himself ready he may start things off early, but there's no way they'll induce me early. In fact I've been told to prepare for an overdue baby rather than an early one, as first timers go late, and my Mum was 2 weeks overdue carrying every single one of us.

Gnashed my teeth a little at first, but then the control freak thought about it for a bit and realised that later is actually better. If (rolls eyes) I'm well/fit enough, and IF I can get everyone seen to early, then I can pretty much clear my schedule by about the 15th October and have a big old break until late November/early December, with only the occasional client visit. It will be a pinch, and I'll probably go into labour almost comatose from exhaustion and calculator fatigue, but the thought of NO WORK for over a month post-delivery is such delicious
bait, how can I refuse?

Okay - post this, pause to admire husband's efforts in the dishes department, then get on with posting the rest of the news you don't know about :-)