03 November 2005
I am now just over 4 months pregnant (16 weeks) and so far everything seems well (touch wood). My pregnancy has been relatively okay. I didn't have any "morning sickness" but I had plenty of "evening sickness" and a couple bouts of afternoon sickness! It took me a while to figure out the evening sickness but what it boiled down to was eating a small dinner early, usually around 6pm and this usually comprised of a salad and a bread roll or two. Not a dinner I was very used to, so hence the late figuring out bit!
I had most of the typical early signs of pregnancy but I didn't go off tea or coffee (although I think once I had that metalic taste). Smells that hit me hard was bad body odour, vinegar and the cooking of mince. Even now they still smell pretty strong and I try and stay away from them. I have only managed one sip of champagne and it just tasted dry and unpleasant so that is something else I've avoided all together now!
Getting past the 8 week mark felt like a real milestone and then hitting the 12 week mark you feel a bit "safer". Being a half glass empty person (and I am admitting a lot here!) I do worry something will be wrong or go wrong, but I don't spend much time or energy worrying about that as getting this far in itself is amazing.
07 November 2005 - Clothing Dilemma
Over the weekend my tummy has "popped" out. It's definitely there and there's no going back now!
I did spend quite a bit of the weekend looking/shopping for maternity clothes as I no longer fit my regular size pants any more and I just wanted clothes that were comfortable! I even tried low rise pants but they still didn't cut it.
I'm doing a bit of mixing and matching with some pricey pieces along with some cheap basics. The hardest thing is finding clothes for work but I'm slowy getting there! The best advice I have read so far in terms of clothing is below:
"5 key pieces that can be mixed and matched to a huge number of combinations - Basic Bootleg Pants, Great Bootcut Jean, white shirt, little black dress and a basic v-neck top"
I'm working on that little black dress number....!
17 December 2005 - Growing by the day
Am now 22 weeks and 4 days and I feel like I'm growing by the day!
I have had comments ranging from "you're baby seems big" to "you're big" to "are you about due?" to "you don't look that pregnant at all"!. I have read that one will receive various comments regarding your bump size whether it is flattering or not and boy do I know what they're talking about now! The same goes for the "pearls of wisdom" you receive regarding pregnancy. My opinion is:
We are all different and one person's experience during pregnancy (along with symptoms) can be quite different to someone else's no matter how many children you have had!
Luckily I haven't had strangers start touching my tummy (yet) and I think if they did I would take a swipe at them - especially if I was hungry or grumpy. Nausea seems to have come back again but only when the gaps between eating extends for more than 3 hrs or longer.
A new development has been my eyesight. Your eyesight can change in pregnancy due to the increase in hormones and you can build up fluid in your eyes (it's not just your feet and hands) and even your eye shape can change. My eyesight has gone very weak to the point I have had to buy new glasses which are very strong and even after a week of having them, I think my left eye has changed again. It is rather frustrating especially as you depend on your eyesight and my bank account can't afford for my eyes to change every week! I have been told my eyesight will return to their previous state after the birth and I am hoping with all my might they do.
So, apart from the eyesight issue, I am feeling pretty good and am enjoying the pregnancy. Bean kicks and moves daily which is neat and I hear that these movements will only increase in frequency and strength! There are days when you feel uncomfortable, huge and don't think your stomach can get any bigger to days when you feel very feminine and that you are indeed "blossoming"! So overall, it's a pretty good ride so far.
31 December 2005 - Packing, Heat, House
I am now just over 24 weeks and it's hard to believe I am more than 6 months pregnant! Time is going by very quickly actually and sometimes I look at my tummy and think "does the baby have enough time to develop in 3 months and be ready to enter this world?".
I had my antenatal appointment on the 28th December and the specialist said all seems well. We got to listen to Bean's heartbeat again and it is the neatest sounding thing. Really does sound like horse hooves galloping a million miles an hour!
We have sold our house and we move out on 7 January 2006. So after Christmas day which was a nice relaxing day at my in-laws it was onto business with packing. Something I didn't think about when I found out I was pregnant was:
1. What season will I be carrying in i.e. it didn't even occur to me I would be in my second and third trimester in the height of summer!
2. Will we be selling our house and be moving.
As it turned out, I'm doing both! The heat hasn't been too bad in all honesty but when you're packing/doing physical work and the sun is blazing and there is no wind, then it's pretty hot. And I'm talking about HOT to the point where if you looked long enough I'm sure you would see heat waves radiating off me because it feels like that! I have now resorted to wearing a sarong and t-shirt when doing any sort of packing because it is the most comfortable thing to wear (and this is after trying several different items of clothing I'll have you know!).
So here I am at 6 months pregnant, in summer and packing up a house. Not ideal timing but really it could be a lot worse and Daniel has been great through out all of this which has made it a lot easier.
21 January 2006 - Baby Position
3 days to go before I reach the 3rd trimester - hard to believe how quickly time has gone by!
We had a scan done on Friday and it was great to see Bean again. Bub is head down and feet up (otherwise known as "cephalic presentation"). Feet are on my upper right hand side thus get very strong kicks there and a foot or two under my ribs from time to time. Not very comfortable and it feels like a stitch when that happens. The hands/arms are a bit lower down on the right hand side and that's where I can feel little punches or movements so it was neat to know how Bean is positioned. Also made sense that whenever I lay on my right side there would be a lot of wriggling/movement going on!!!
Bean is perfectly average size for the gestation that I am (27 weeks and 4 days now) so that is good to know! Fluid was all good and so was the blood flow and we even got to hear it. Whilst there was no reason to think anything might be wrong, it was reassuring to know everything was fine and well.
We did get to see Bean's face and from what we can tell so far it looks like bub may have my face/cheek shape. I am quite content for bub to cook a while more but at the same time, can't wait to see Bean either!
11 February 2006 - Antenatal Classes & Baby Shower!
We have also started our antenatal classes (have had two so far) and they have been great. Really informative as well as being good fun. There are about 10 couples and all first time parents so we're all in the same boat together in terms of our lack of knowledge and not knowing what to expect!
So far the first class was an induction and also about the pelvis and signs of labour etc and the second class was about the stages of labour. The classes go for 2 hours and the 2 hours go by surprisingly quickly. It's good to know that these people will become your support system after baby is born and that you will be meeting up with them weekly in order to ask advice and bounce ideas off (your "coffee group").
Am just over 30 weeks and today was my baby shower and it was one of the best days I've had!!! My friend Karen organised it and she did a fantastic job as did my mother-in-law who did the food and had the shower at her house.
It was great having about 20 female friends all together to celebrate the anticipated arrival of baby Bean by opening presents and doing some games. We got terrifc presents and this is going to be one trendy baby with the clothes we received! As we do not have much baby stuff, having this shower we have been well set up with items ranging from clothes to blankets, bibs to toys, a bath tub to a bouncer and nappies to books!!! Daniel and I cannot thank everyone enough for their generosity.
The games we did were good fun. We got to taste and guess what was in the 4 different types of baby food we were given and I have to say, some of them tasted revolting! Guests were also asked to write down when they think Bean will be born and what Bean's weight will be, so it will be interesting to see who has guessed correctly. And guests had to guess how many squares of toilet paper fitted around my middle. The number of squares guests wrote down varied from 9 to 24. The correct number was 9 and two people got this right!
So it was a good fun day and one that I will remember. Am quite tired after the excitement and activities of today - I can understand why children get exhausted after birthday parties so I shall sign off now!!!
04 March 2006 - Little Giant
Since 28 weeks I have been measuring 2 weeks ahead of what I'm meant to be and so I was ordered to have another scan done as bub seems large for the dates. As it turns out, it seems that I am carrying a little giant!
Based on the Average Ultrasound Age I am at 36 weeks today but according to dates I'm meant to be 33 weeks and 4 days! Also the weight is 5.4 pounds or 2.4 kg and to think I have another 4-5 weeks to go!!!
We got to see bub's face and Bean looks very much like me - big cheeks and little nose but the stubborness of Daniel as bub would not turn around so that we could see Bean face on!
Also the possible due date based on the ultrasound age is 2 April now. There is also a very high possibility that I will have this baby by c-section due to the size and as my obstetrician put it "a big head won't fit through a small pelvis"! We will only really know what will happen at my next appointment which is on 14 March and if it is medically advised that I have a c-section then we will go with that - I'd rather have that than 18 hours of hard labour only to end up having an emergency c-section.
Due to everything being moved forward, I am now finishing up work on 10 March and can't wait. Physically I'm now finding it hard going and getting a good nights sleep is a thing of the past. So, I'm really looking forward to finishing up work and on the 11th we move into our new house. So hopefully Bean will stay put for now and I'll keep you posted about any more developments.
25 March 2006 - Bub Engaged
Some time yesterday (and I think it was during my facial!) Bean "dropped" or seems to have engaged meaning bub's head has descended into my pelvis.
I may be wrong but I do think my bump has definitely lowered and my side profile shape has now changed. I also have a bit more of a "ledge" between my breast bone and where my bump starts.
All quite exciting but also a tad scary - not long to go now really and hopefully Bean won't arrive before the 2nd April as that's the date my folks arrive and I don't want Bean to come before then!
Date wise I am 38 weeks today and we were told we can expect bub any time from 2 April 2006. We are eagerly waiting for bub's arrival (especially my folks who arrived in NZ on 2 April and are stoked they arrived before Bean did!) but at the same time I am still enjoying having bub inside my tummy and enjoying being pregnant - I think everyone else is wanting Bean to arrive more so than me!
I have been having regular Braxton Hicks so things are getting ready and 'practising' for when the true labour starts and it's just a matter of time before that happens.
A baby releases a hormone into the womb which signals that they are ready to be born and thus this starts the whole labour and contraction process.
I often wonder how will I know when I'm in labour but apparently I will know - it's a different sort of pain, it's lower down, it occurs regularly....I am hoping they're right.
I have an inkling bub may come around 5 April and Daniel thinks 7 April. We will either be completely wrong or one of us will be quite correct but then as a friend pointed out, Bean could keep us all waiting a little while longer...
21 April 2006 - Lucas Daniel Wright
Born on 11 April 2006 at 2:51pm at North Shore Hospital, weighing in at 7.2lbs/3.25kg.
Yes, the little one FINALLY arrived after a long labour but it was definitely worth it. My waters broke with a great gush at 7:45pm on Monday 10 April (we were watching Piha Rescue on TV and that day I had also done 20 laps at the pools so there was a bit of a water theme going on here!). I called my obstetrician as my contractions were about 5 mins apart. They started at 5pm but were irregular but then once my waters broke them came on pretty regularly. My obstetrician said to meet him at the hospital at 10pm to get settled etc.
Once at the hospital I was examined (ouch!) and was about 2-3 cm dilated. So I was told to lie back and wait for the contractions to get closer etc. Well, they stayed at 5 mins apart and lasted for about 15-20 secs ALL NIGHT. By 7am on 11 April my obstetrician ordered oxytocin (a drug) to be given to speed things up. That did get the contractions going faster and stronger and by 9:30am I had my first epidural (a god send). By 10am or so I was examined again and not all of the amniotic fluid had broken so they ruptured the rest. This got things going and my obstetrician said he'd be back at 12:30pm to check on me again.
Well he didn't come back until just before 2pm (and now I know he did this on purpose) and when he did come back he said I was 10 cm dilated and could push! I was really tired by now and hungry but something said I could do this and I was determined I would push this baby out and not have a c-section (which people were starting to think as things had gone on for a while and it was evident I was tired).
So with Daniel there and my parents (my dad hiding in the background and my mum up by my head and with one foot on Daniel's hip and the other on the obstetrician's hip, and with 2 midwives coaching me along) I started to push for dear life. 40 mins of pushing and me determined this baby was going to be born by 3pm he finally arrived! It was pretty amazing and I'm still quite amazed I managed to do it but oh so worth it. It is a very unique experience giving birth.
I am enjoying being a mum and we learn something new every day. We know so much more now than we did a week ago and they say it takes about 6 weeks before baby settles into a routine. Lucas wakes up between 2-3 hrs for feeds but goes for longer stretches during the day so hopefully he will get his night and day round the right way soon! He is a little gem though and we are enjoying him heaps. Kali is very good with him - not jealous and is very maternal and gentle. I think she thinks he's not much fun at the moment but soon he will be pulling her ears and chasing her tail!
Welcome to our world Little Lucas.
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