35+1 – Last day at work

Well, I finished work today to start my maternity leave!

I’ve had a really lovely day, with lots of kind things said and lots of lovely presents, not only for me and the baby but also some presents for Lilly too!

It feels really great to finish. Work itself hasn’t really been so bad, it’s the getting up in the morning and getting ready, driving to and from work and then coming in after a full day, exhausted and having to look after Lilly for a few hours before bed. I must also say that I am feeling VERY “pregnant”. I can remember last time feeling like everything was loosening up and I was starting to feel a bit like my hips and everything were slightly wibbly. I think that was only in the last few weeks, but i’ve already been feeling like that for a couple of weeks this time. I’m also getting lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing that resembles “real” contractions. I feel much bigger and more cumbersome than I ever remember feeling with Lilly – I really feel like I’m dragging myself around a bit!

I’ve done some bouncing on my ball, and now I’m just hoping baby has turned and is no longer breech. If she has, I’m not aware of it, and I don’t know how I would tell. I couldn’t get to sleep straight away last night, and baby was moving lots, and I was trying to feel whether I could make out a hand or a head at the bottom of the bump… it was inconclusive! I really hope she has moved!

I have an appointment with the supervisor of midwives now – on Tuesday. I’ve written up my new VBAC birth plan (as I want it to be) and I’m going to take that along. Continous monitoring and mobility being the main issues. So I’ll see what we can agree on.

As far as Lilly goes, we have come to a sad conclusion this week: it is the end of the nap. Her sleeping has been up the wall for a few months now, and only in the last week have we enjoyed a few nights of continous sleeping. And only when she hadn’t had a daytime nap. Yesterday, she had an hour’s nap in nursery and hardly slept a wink last night. That sealed the deal! No sleep today, so lets see how well we do tonight… fingers crossed.

It’s a shame becuase I was really hoping she’d still be napping while I was on mat leave. But it wasn’t to be. RIP daytime naps, you will be missed!

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Six weeks, four days

Well, it’s almost two weeks since we found out i was pregnant and already so much has happened! Our darling baby now looks much like this…. hard to believe!

I’m still feeling very well, almost ‘normal’! My breasts are still a bit tender, and over the last couple of days i’ve begun to feel a teeny bit queasy if i go too long without eating. I wouldn’t really go so far as calling it nausea though. I’m having to try not to make any sudden movements – getting out of the car too quick and sneezing lying down are no-nos, as they cause a sharp pain down there!

We went to see the chemo consultant on Wednesday, and told him our news. He was very pleased and said we had managed to get pregnant fairly quick, considering everything. It didn’t feel quick to us, though, that’s for sure.

On Thursday, I had my booking in appointment with the midwife, whose name was Mary. She was very nice, but as she works at a different hospital to the one i’m choosing to go to, she couldn’t give me too much information. However, I should get a letter through from Warrington (my chosen hospital) in a couple of weeks giving me a date for my scan, and they will go through everything then. The doctor has me down as a due date of 15th Dec, going off my LMP (start of last period), but I still think 18th Dec is more acurate, going off my ovulation date. So i’m sticking to that for now, but once we have the dating scan, we can be more sure. I read in one of the many magazines i’ve been reading over the past fortnight that babies conceived in the spring and summer are more likely to be overdue, as are first babies. Considering i was only born on my due date because i was induced thanks to my mum’s high blod pressure, and my little sister was 12 days overdue, it doesn’t look good for me!!!

We have had some early discussions about names, but we are a million miles away from making a decision yet. I know the middle names – they’ll be after my nan and grandad depending on whether it’s a boy or a girl, but the first names are still very much a work in progress. So far, we seem to like Joseph for a boy, or Lilly for a girl. Not sure whether it is naff to call a boy Joseph if he’s born at Christmas time, but that isn’t the reason we like the name. Anyway, i have ordered a book of baby names from ebay and am awaiting that eagerly!

Talking of ebay, i have finally embraced this particular revolution. I am now the proud owner of three items of maternity wear – a jumper, t shirt and a skirt – none of which were more than a fiver, incuding postage! It is definitely the way forward!!

On the other side of the coin, we visited Mothercare in Warrington whilst en route to the hospital on Wednesday! (I know, i know… but we needed somewhere to kill time before my appointment, honest!!) It’s funny, as you do feel a bit of a fraud, wandering round without either a) a small baby or b) a pregnant belly or c) both. Never mind, it was really exciting, seeing all the cute baby clothes and toys and books and prams and the cute little cots!!! Another milestone in the whole “making it seem real” thing!

And yesterday, when i got up for work, i found a lovely note which T had written for me when he left a couple of hours earlier. It said: “You two have a good day, I love you both!” Really made me smile. What a brilliant daddy he’s going to be!!

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