Be prepared this week for a very grumpy blog post, I think I’ve finally hit my limit and am very fed up, waiting for a baby can be very frustrating.

So, where to start! I went for a midwife appointment on 10th November 2016 with the intention of getting a stretch and sweep performed. I was advised to go to a drop in centre to get the procedure completed, so I went to a place that I wasn’t familiar with and met with a midwife that I haven’t met before. When I arrived I had a very different experience then what I have had with my own midwife. The midwife was very positive and put me at ease, she completed the normal checks of my urine sample, blood pressure and listening to “little aliens” heartbeat. She explained that she would need to have a feel of where the baby was laying before completing the stretch and sweep. She then delivered the disappointing news that it would be dangerous for her to complete a stretch and sweep as “little aliens” head wasn’t fully engaged. As I am sure you can relate, I was devastated, I had built myself up and prepared for the task to be completed.  The midwife also booked the induction date with the labour ward so I have a new date to focus on.  She gave me advise of how to try to make the babies head engaged which included the normal advise of having sex and bouncing on a ball. She also advised me to try getting into the Walchers “Opening the Brim” position. I didn’t have a clue what this was and after researching it on the internet, it looks like a very uncomfortable position to get into. However, I’m willing to try anything now!

My actual due date was the 11th November 2016, but after receiving the news the day before about “little aliens” head not being fully engaged I had lost all hope of the baby turning up on due date. Through the day we had a vet visit on the farm, where the vet tests the cows to see what is pregnant and to find any problem cows which need help with fertility. After the visit I came into the house for a rest whilst it was milking time for the cows. when Gavin came in we both got ready to go out for a meal in the evening. We went to a restaurant in town which we haven’t been to before.  Thankfully it did take my mind off “little alien” for a short time, it was nice to spend time together, enjoying each others company as we both do know that eventually we wont have many nights like this ever again.

Finally, I thought I would go through my birth and delivery plan. As always plans don’t always work and ultimately I am very open to this plan changing at any point but this would be my ideal! If my labour does start naturally, I do hope to stay at home for as long as possible.  The plan is to firstly have a bath to relax me, have the hypnobirthing music playing in the background so I can concentrate on my breathing and then to use the TENs machine after the bath whilst bouncing on the ball. I have also (very cheekily) wrote a to-do list for Gavin to keep him busy whilst we are at home, mostly so I can just focus on my body instead of thinking about what we need etc. When I do go to hospital I would love to experience a water birth and to have no pain relief, apart from gas and air. Gavin and my mother are going to be present at the birth and they are under strict instructions to document every stage of the labour, I certainly don’t want to forget any part of it. Once “little alien” has arrived I do hope to stay in hospital to establish a good breast-feeding routine before coming home.

After my depressing week, I hope to give you happy news in the next couple of weeks!

Much love
Rebecca