Obstetrics Appointment

As I write this my little nugget is kicking and punching away. Today would have been the day I would be going back to work at college after Spring Break but instead I'm on bed rest and having my first Obstetrics appointment. I did manage a walk around my block yesterday, I was pretty proud of myself and it did feel amazing to get some Sun. The other half practised his photography skills whilst I waddled down the road.




We also watched the episode of Friends where Rachel gives birth. Even though my partner is a Radiographer and can handle all sorts of blood and guts... childbirth is his kryptonite which he's told me repeatedly even before we found out about this little one. I think he might be slowly trying to desensitise himself to the whole process, I'm sure his addiction to youtube documentaries is also helping and he's not just relying on episodes of friends.

It wasn't particularly all fun though, having visited the ladies (maybe for the 12th time?!?) I noticed blood in my urine... having a cervical stitch you know any kind of infection within that area just turns on your panic button. Thankfully my partner is amazing at calming me down. At the obstetrics appointment today there was only +1 leukocytes which is normal in pregnancy. But due to me having some pain around my bladder, some blood and having just recovered from another UTI a couple of weeks ago, they'll be sending a sample to be cultured anyway.

Besides what could possibly be a UTI I have been discharged from Obstetrics! Having a family history of heart problems they wanted to keep an eye on me but my echo and everything came back normal. Even my blood pressure is down, typically I would see 140/90 whereas today I had a reading of 101/61. Apparently, progesterone can assist with vasodilation and it makes sense that could bring down blood pressure. So everything is looking good at the moment, 24 weeks and 5 days, which means it's only a few more days until we're 25 weeks!

I have brought myself to look at the 20 week scan, with everything that surrounded that day I've found it pretty difficult. I am less emotional now but even looking at babies of instagram can set me off. Seeing him just makes me want a video of what he gets up to in there. I know my hospital does DVD's and 4D imaging but I think just having a video that I can see is quite priceless.

Nugget at his 20 week scan

24 weeks today!

I woke up this morning to see this!
Along with quite a few messages of support
and love

So we have made it to 24 weeks today! The past four weeks have been full of lots of fears, tears and hospital appointments. I'm really proud of my little family for what we're managed to get through together and how amazing my other half has been driving me to and from the hospital at all times of the day and putting up with these crazy hormonal mood swings. So it's time to reset the countdown and see if this little nugget will be patient enough to reach the 26 week mark.

In babies born preterm, the chance of survival at less than 23 weeks is close to zero, while at 23 weeks it is 15%, at 24 weeks 55% and at 25 weeks about 80% (Tommy's Organisation). For every week that he decides to stay in there cooking his chances look better and better. So I am quite happy to just try and plump him up as much as possible until then, however much his also impatient daddy wants to meet him (I say this whilst eating a Viennese swirl after finishing a bowl of grapes). I am starting to wonder if I am just producing a new improved version of my other half.

One of the things that has bothered me since having my cervical stitch placed was the fact that they kept referring to a 'miscarriage' if anything were to happen. That means that no birth certificate would be given. Now that we have reached 24 weeks my little one is now considered 'viable'. I know these are technical terms and the reasoning behind them but it is comforting to know that his birth will now be recognised. Not all ladies are this lucky. Scrolling through the internet this morning I did find this petition-

https://www.change.org/p/department-of-health-uk-allow-registered-birth-certificates-for-children-born-from-20-weeks

Even though the likelihood of a baby born before 23 weeks surviving is greatly reduced, I think it is important that these births from 20 weeks are acknowledged. Especially with babies born much earlier than 24 weeks surviving. During week 24, according to the baby center, the little ones taste buds are forming and the brain is growing quickly. So that means whatever I'm eating, those chemicals and theoretically tastes are being passed to the amniotic fluid for the little nugget to take in. Now if my other half figures this out I feel he'll be force feeding me chicken so he can have a food buddy and also an excuse to bring home buckets of chicken wings.

Last night I visited the ladies two or three times... I believe my bladder is now the size of a walnut!