So this morning, we were 7 weeks and a day to go and Pinklet noticed something that was a little cause for concern, possibly even an indicator of impending labour.
She rang the midwife & we took her in to the maternity unit we will be delivering at. Funny story - we'd just gone for the tour on Sunday, which they do every week to let upcoming parents get a look at the place, so at least we knew where we were going, even if we hadn't been expecting to be visiting again so soon.
33 weeks is a funny time. The baby is almost fully formed but if it were to be delivered now, there are chances it might have trouble breathing as the lungs are some of the last parts to gain maturity. Another common problem is that the baby has not developed the sucking instinct & will have trouble feeding.
Anyway, we went in & they strapped her belly up with heartbeat monitors to listen in. At one point baby's heart rate dipped, so we had an ultrasound scan to check, but everything was ok.
In fact the baby was the size of a 35 week term, so a little big, if anything. She had 2 more heartbeat scans over 30 min periods each time & in both cases everything was fine & baby is moving lots, which is a good sign. They gave her a steroid injection just in case the baby comes early, it'll help it's lungs to develop quicker. She's due another one in the morning, provided she has no abdominal pain, (a sign of labour, obviously,) and should come home tomorrow. If the baby goes to term, the steroid injections won't cause any harm or overdevelopment, so I can kiss my dreams of sending the kid to Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, goodbye.
I'm kidding - a coping mechanism, obviously, as I'm nervous as hell. I did very well though, Pinklet was proud of the fact that I was very clam and took it all in stride and didn't panic. I don't believe in panicking, it just makes the situation harder to deal with, but like I say, inside I was pretty nervous.
Anyway, everything looks to be ok and mum and baby are both fine. Let's just hope baby decides to leave it's grand appearance for an opening night a little nearer to the due date of 9th May. Sure, I realise I'm going to be spending a good chunk of the rest of my life worrying about it, so I guess starting a little early just means I get some practice in at being fraught & sleep deprived.
She rang the midwife & we took her in to the maternity unit we will be delivering at. Funny story - we'd just gone for the tour on Sunday, which they do every week to let upcoming parents get a look at the place, so at least we knew where we were going, even if we hadn't been expecting to be visiting again so soon.
33 weeks is a funny time. The baby is almost fully formed but if it were to be delivered now, there are chances it might have trouble breathing as the lungs are some of the last parts to gain maturity. Another common problem is that the baby has not developed the sucking instinct & will have trouble feeding.
Anyway, we went in & they strapped her belly up with heartbeat monitors to listen in. At one point baby's heart rate dipped, so we had an ultrasound scan to check, but everything was ok.
In fact the baby was the size of a 35 week term, so a little big, if anything. She had 2 more heartbeat scans over 30 min periods each time & in both cases everything was fine & baby is moving lots, which is a good sign. They gave her a steroid injection just in case the baby comes early, it'll help it's lungs to develop quicker. She's due another one in the morning, provided she has no abdominal pain, (a sign of labour, obviously,) and should come home tomorrow. If the baby goes to term, the steroid injections won't cause any harm or overdevelopment, so I can kiss my dreams of sending the kid to Xavier's school for gifted youngsters, goodbye.
I'm kidding - a coping mechanism, obviously, as I'm nervous as hell. I did very well though, Pinklet was proud of the fact that I was very clam and took it all in stride and didn't panic. I don't believe in panicking, it just makes the situation harder to deal with, but like I say, inside I was pretty nervous.
Anyway, everything looks to be ok and mum and baby are both fine. Let's just hope baby decides to leave it's grand appearance for an opening night a little nearer to the due date of 9th May. Sure, I realise I'm going to be spending a good chunk of the rest of my life worrying about it, so I guess starting a little early just means I get some practice in at being fraught & sleep deprived.
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large brandies and cigars? I think so...