3 weeks

I've been meaning to post for ages but never seem to get round to it but today is the 3 week mark so I thought it would be a good day to get back into the swing of my blog!

Thank you for all the messages of congratulations and sorry for not responding to them individually. I read them a while ago but as I've said above, I just haven't got round to writing anything since the birth.

Things have been relatively good so far...

...ok so she doesn't like evenings - between 8pm and 1am we are constantly winding her and she won't settle any where other than on a shoulder whilst being walked around (apparently I was the same at this age!) which make me think she might be suffering from colic?

Once she's had a feed at around 1am she sleeps until 5/5.30ish and then again until 7.30/8ish so things could be a lot worse!

I think I've been really lucky with breast feeding. I had sore nipples to start with but everything seems to be going smoothly now and she seems to be settling into a sort of routine. The health visitor weighed her on Friday and she had put on 2oz since birth - she lost 6 oz in the first week so she put on 8oz in the second week - which is great as it must be every breast feeding mother's worry that baby isn't getting enough milk as there is no way of measuring the amount they're getting at each feed.

We've had quite a busy week so far - I ventured out for the first time without Grant on Monday. We met up with some other mummies for coffee which really helped me feel a bit more normal! On Tuesday we went to stay with my mum for the night. Olivia met her great grand parents, great aunty and uncle and one of her uncles as well as a few other friends of the family. My mum loved having us to stay and was a real help looking after Olivia - she took over the shoulder walking whilst I got a few hours sleep!

Today we're having a quiet day at home which has been lovely. Grant has been back at work so we've had the house to ourselves. I really miss him during the day but it is also nice to get into to a bit of a routine - we seem to slip into weekend veg mode when we are both here during the day!

My Baby Girl - Birth Story

I'm pleased to announce the birth of my beautiful (I am biased!) baby girl who came into this world at 9.14am on Thursday morning.

The birth was completely different to what I had planned. I was hoping for a home birth but unfortunately as I went over due I was booked in for an induction at term plus 12.

On arrival in hospital on Wednesday morning I was found to be 4cm dilated so they planned to break my waters and see how I progressed. Unfortunately the antenatal ward were unable to perform ARM (artificial rupture of membranes) until labour ward had a delivery room available.

The day dragged! We were given hardly any information or any updates on when they might be able to get things started. I was extremely anxious and nervous and felt as though we'd been forgotten. I ended up getting really upset and kept bursting into tears. The final straw came when I asked for some paracetamol for the pain I was starting to feel and two hours later we had to ask again as nothing had materialised. At this point we had been there 10 hours and were very fed up so asked if we could go home as it seemed pointless being there.

Strangely, having threatened to go home, labour ward were suddenly able to fit us in! So my waters were broken and I was taken through to a delivery room. From this point on things started to get better.

The midwife happened to be the same community midwife I'd seen for the last five of my antenatal checks which immediately put me at my ease. She left me for an hour to see how I was progressing but unfortunately, although the contractions were getting very strong and painful, I hadn't dilated any more than I had that morning. At this point the decision was made to put me on the syntocinon drip and I decided I'd have an epidural as I had heard that contractions can get extremely strong very quickly when syntocinon is given.

The epidural was great! I still felt the pressure of each contraction and I wasn't completely pain free but it did enable me to get some rest - much needed after days of sleepless nights worrying about being induced!

After about 8 hours of labour, I was fully dilated and ready to start pushing. We let the epidural wear off so that I was able to feel the contractions, get onto my knees and push effectively.

40 mins later, Olivia was born - head and hand first in a superman pose.

The whole experience was amazing and nothing can describe the joy I felt holding her in my arms for the first time, watching her crawl to my breast for her first feed.

After one night on the postnatal ward we were discharged and were able to go home. We've had a few days of visiting grandparents but today, finally the three of us are having a lovely chilled out day together. Grant is being a fantastic Daddy, changing the majority of nappies and generally looking after us, what ever time day or night.

Induction looking likely!

My induction has been booked for Wednesday. Hopefully all they will do is break my waters as I was already 2-3cm dilated on Friday when the Midwife did my sweep, but if that doesn't start the contractions off I will have to have the drip.

With a bit of luck I won't need the drip and I'll still be able to have a fairly natural birth in the birthing centre with the pool... knowing my luck though, I'll end up on the drip and having an epidural. At least I'll finally meet my baby!

The worst thing about being over due is the not knowing. I'm waiting for something to happen, but I don't really know what is going to happen. Every tightening, cramp, ache and pain gets my hopes up. I'm trying not to get excited but each time I can't help but think 'maybe something is happening...'

For the past few evenings I've gone to bed with tightenings but woken up with nothing. This morning has been different - I'm definitely getting some different pains and stronger tightenings but am trying really hard to ignore them for now so I don't get feel so disappointed when nothing comes of it! Not so easy to do...

I'm going to have a hot bath, go for a walk and try and enjoy the sunshine outside to take my mind off things!

41 weeks

I'd really like to be able to write that I've had my baby, unfortunately I'm a week over due instead!

I've got another sweep booked for this morning so with a bit of luck my wait may finally be over soon... I'm really anxious that I'll still be pregnant in the middle of next week and will have to be induced, something I am really hoping to avoid.

My late Grandad's birthday was the 12th February so it would be really lovely if the baby shared this date, or maybe she'll be a valentine's baby. Who knows!

I've been trying pretty much every trick in the book to help things along; hot curry, hot baths, sex, long walks, bouncing on a gym ball, evening primrose oil... every little ache and pain I get I cross my fingers but to no avail. Looks like I'll just have to be patient.

It's not all doom and gloom - although I am getting more and more impatient to meet my baby, I'm also loving this time of freedom - no work, no baby, just time for me! I've been able to enjoy just pottering about the house, watching films and reading my book, as well as having my hair cut and I've even got round to sorting out the 'junk' cupboard in the kitchen. I'm feeling really rested and ready for the arrival of our new family member.

40 weeks and counting!

This should be my last bump photo... fingers crossed anyway!

I reached my due date yesterday which was exciting. I know only 5% of first time babies are born on their due date but I couldn't help but think maybe something will happen! It didn't...

I saw my midwife who performed a stretch and sweep, and I was 2cm dilated!!! Which got me very excited but she was quick to tell me that it could still be a while before anything happens. I was given instructions to stay active so have been blitzing the house in between dragging Grant out for walks and bouncing on my gym ball!

I think I was pretty anxious about yesterday as I hardly slept on Thursday night. Last night I managed to sleep all the way through from 1.30am to 7.30am which I think is the best night's sleep I've had for weeks. Let's hope that this continues until after the baby is born so that I'm as rested as possible in preparation for the sleep deprivation I'm sure is to come!

7 Secrets - I've been tagged!

[Picture Credit]

I'm pretty new to blogging so it was great when Alison from Plus 2.4 tagged me to do this meme - my first ever! Hopefully I've done it right!

So here goes, 7 secrets about me:

1. I'm really very lazy! The rest of my family are real doers but there is nothing I love more than to spend the day in my PJs in front of the tv with the duvet, lots of mugs of tea and a pack of biscuits!

2. I have a huge guilt complex about the above...

3. I am scared of tramps - I will cross a busy road to avoid walking past one, I even have nightmares about them. I know it's not very pc and I'm sure most are perfectly nice people who have had unfortunate lives and my phobia is completely irrational as I've never experienced any hostility from one...but I can't help it!

4. I was suspended from school for drinking when I was 16. I went to a boarding school and we were very bored one weekend. Needless to say it ended badly!

5. As a child I played with dolls for years after the rest of my friends were into make up and boys! The fact that I'm the first to become a mother isn't that much of a surprise really.

6. I don't iron anything! I don't even own an iron, much to my grand mother's embarrassment! It's amazing how many creases you can smooth out while things are still damp...

7. When I'm given chocolates I like to move the ones I don't like to the top layer so that other people don't eat them!

Not the most exciting of secrets I'm afraid but I found that really hard to think of things!

Anyway, now I am tagging the following bloggers to share their secrets:

Cheryl-Ann Taylor

Make Do Mum

Photo Puddle from It's all about the photos

Mwa from Lost in Translation

Andrea from Fin and Gabs

Tanya from Bump 2 Basics

Foodie Mummy

So go and blog your 7 secrets and pass on to 7 more bloggers - don't forget to link back to me!

38 weeks today...

... and I'm still pregnant!

I keep hoping that the baby will arrive soon but I have a feeling it will be after my due date!

Things are starting to move in the right direction though; I'm 3/5 engaged, getting back ache and cramps and the Braxton Hicks have moved up several gears and are getting very uncomfortable. But I know all these signs are to be expected in the weeks leading up to labour and that they don't mean anything is imminent but I can't help the wishful thinking!

I'm trying to keep busy and active to take my mind off it but it is hard not to let my mind wander and start to think about the birth and the baby that will be the product of all these months of pregnancy.

I keep having half hearted bouts of nesting but I don't think the nesting instinct is something that comes naturally to me - I keep thinking I really should hoover that floor... really should sort out that cupboard... but these jobs haven't yet been attempted and it's unlikely they will be!