Ouch! Must Learn How to Walk…

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so I was coming home from work tonight and tripped over a curb.  I appear to have landed on my right knee, arm and breast, as those are what hurt.  I apparently did not land on my bump, as it doesn’t hurt.  I think the baby just got shook up a bit, as it has been kicking me since I got home and sat down.

I have really skinned the hell out of my knee, including blood.  And it really really hurts badly.

I do remember thinking, as I felt myself fall ‘PROTECT YOUR BUMP’.

So mummy instincts kick in from the very start.

Mostly I just scared myself.  It was really scary.  And could have used some liniment for my pride as three people saw me fall and said ‘are you okay…OMG you’re pregnant, are you sure you’re okay?!?!’

There, just got kicked again.  Maybe the baby will be a thrill ride seeker. 🙂

Letter to My Baby – Gestational Age 23 Weeks.

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Dear Baby

So, here was are at 23 weeks.  Your Pops Burt said to me on Sunday that he liked the counting by weeks thing, rather than by months.  But if someone prefers it, I am nearly 6 months.  5.75 months to be exact.  The third trimester is in sight.

This week mummy’s boss agreed to let her 4 days a week starting this week.  And even just the idea of it has taken a huge weight off mummy’s shoulders.  5 days a week is just making mummy tired and cranky.  Those Fridays off will be a blessing for all concerned.

And so my years leave is in sight as well.  I am so looking forward to having a whole year to spend with you, just me and you and daddy.  We’re going have such fun!

Since you are a summer baby, we’ll be going to the Botanical Gardens which are just a bit of a walk away.  And we’ll go sit on the lawn at City Hall, if we don’t feel like going all the way to the Gardens.  I imagine we’ll stroll down by the river as well.  It will be very nice.

You now have skin (who knew you didn’t have skin before?!?!) and some people say you are beginning to think.  I can’t imagine what you have to think about in there. Stocks and Bonds? The current economic crisis?  Anyway, in another week you are fairly viable outside of mummy, but please stay in there until you’re completely done.  Thanks!

Overall mummy doesn’t feel too awful!  She’s tired.  And has to go to the loo every 2 minutes.  But other than that she feels pretty good.  Ready to meet you for sure!

Mummy and Daddy made the first major purchasing decision this weekend, when we pick out your Pram.  Since we don’t have a car, you’ll be in that pram quite a bit, I think.  Unless I do follow through with the whole sling idea.  Anyway, its pretty high tech and wicked cool looking, so I think you’ll like it!

23 weeks down, 17 to go.

Love

Mummy

On Advocating for Yourself

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Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows at least three things about me: –

  1. I’m a depressive
  2. I’m knocked up
  3. I have diabetes

Its this third one that is the subject today.

You see, I belong to Diabetes UK.  Its the one and only charity that Simon and I give money to on a yearly basis, in the form of my membership fee.

Diabetes UK has been around for 75 years and has been instrumental in some major advances in diabetes care world wide.  This includes research for a cure, for better treatment and for advocacy with the NHS and World Health Organization for better diabetes care.

Every two months I get their magazine, as a ‘perk’ of my membership.  And almost every month it pisses me off.

Not because of their articles, those are quite good.  Because of the letters page.  Of the 20 or so letters that they publish every other month, at least 5 of them are from people who are bitching about their level of diabetes care.  And this pisses me off.  Not because they aren’t getting better care (although I find some levels of care at some NHS Trusts to be appalling) but because they just accept this horrible level of care.

The one thing I have learned in my 2.5 years of being a diabetic and my nearly 20 years of being a depressive is that you must speak up. If you are not satisfied with the answers you get from a medical professional, ask again.  Keep asking until you understand.  Keep asking until you get the treatment you are entitled to.

When I went for my Glucose Tolerance Test it was a nurse who said to me ‘you have diabetes’ after only looking at my blood results.  I was angry. It was not her place to tell me, or to tell me so bluntly and it was certainly not her place to tell me in the middle of the treatment room (nothing but fabric wall between me and the world) and after only one set of tests were back.  And so, I complained to my GP when I saw her for my official diagnosis.  My GP agreed with me, that was completely inappropriate and promised me she’d speak to the Nursing Sister in charge of the treatment room.  And she did.  And that nurse has never treated me again (although she’s still around).

If you don’t speak up, nothing will change.  If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never get answers.

So, please, I beg you, be your own advocate. In your health.  In your job. In your life.  And especially for your children.

Thank you.

I Have Noticed

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now that I am definitely pregnant and not just fat, that everyone assumes this is my first baby.  Not bad for a 40 year old to look like she’s on her first baby!  Which, of course, I am.

Went to test drive prams today.  We are 99.9% sure we are buying this one.  In black.  Simon’s a bit shocked at the sticker price, but that’s what they cost!  Its very maneuverable, easy to collapse and bring back up and looks kind cool!!  We are being given a Maxi Cosi car seat, from a friend of mine at work, and that slots right into the base along with the carrycot (for 0 – 6 months) and the regular seat (6 months to 2.5 years).

So that’s one huge baby equipment decision made.  Now we just need some nursery furniture. Oh, and a baby. 🙂

This is A Rant…

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I’m warning you now.

So I belong to Mumsnet.  Its exactly what it says on the tin, a network of Mums, on the internet, in the UK.

They are obsessed with protecting their true identities, to the point that yesterday, when a regular poster posted a thread asking for help/advice because she had a 40C fever and was alone with her kids and then disappeared, and some other posters played Sherlock Holmes and tracked her down, yet more posters were appalled that her real name and location were *anywhere* on the ‘net.

Listen up people.  Your information is already out there.  Places you haven’t even thought about have it.  There is no privacy any more.

Deal with it.  I am not saying you should post your name address and phone number and ask people to stop by, but do not think that just because you haven’t done that that there isn’t 10000 different ways to find the information.

Its out there.

I Am Really Annoyed

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I am tired.  I have been saying how tired I am and how I can’t wait for the baby to be here.

To which my supposed friends keep laughing at because ‘just wait until the baby is here.’

I am not stupid.  I know I will be even more tired when the baby is here.

HOWEVER, I will…

  1. Not be going to work for about a year
  2. Not be having to get up at any particular time, except when the baby gets me up
  3. Be able to rest during the day, provided the baby naps
  4. Be able to ignore parts of the house, like having to hang my work clothes to dry.  I won’t have any dirty work clothes!
  5. Even if the baby doesn’t nap, at least be able to sit on the sofa with it and veg in front of the TV, at least until its old enough to need a bit more interaction!!

This is not my first experience with a newborn, okay?  It maybe my first baby, but I’ve been around other small babies.  And yes, I know it is different when it is your own.

So will everyone please stop treating me like an idiot?

Kthxbai.

Letter to My Baby – Gestational Age 22 Weeks

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Dear Baby

This week has not been easy for Mummy.  She’s been feeling very poorly and kind of ‘off’.  Sniffles and total exhaustion.  And she is still waiting for her 2nd trimester burst of energy.  Since she is 2 weeks from being in the third trimester, I don’t think she’s going to get it.

This week you are about 19 cm long and weigh about 460g.  A whole pound!!!  You now have eyebrows and you are certainly moving around a lot in there!

You are most active over Mummy’s lunchtime, so around 11:30 – 1:30.  Mummy is hoping this means you will sleep well at night once you are born, but she can find nothing to support this theory!  Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  Although she rarely, if ever, feels you move after dinner or during the night.  Unlike your Aunt A’s baby, who is due around the same time you are.  Aunt A’s been getting woken up at night.  I appreciate you not doing that!

Daddy is waiting very anxiously to feel you move.  So if you could kick Mummy harder, he’d appreciate that!

22 weeks gone…18 weeks to go.

Love

Mummy

So, Did Come Home Early on Thursday

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And stayed home on Friday.  Cold seems to have settled and I feel much better today.

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Or as I prefer to call it, Half Price Chocolate Eve. 🙂

Simon and I have taken advantage of Marks and Spencer’s Dine in for £20 Meal Deal.  We got: –

Scallops in their shell with cheese

Pan Seared Rump steak with pepper sauce

Chips

Chocolate Souffle

Wine

A red rose.

All for £20.  Much better than eating an overpriced meal out!  Now if they would only send someone round to do the washing up…

Baby has been getting more and more active.  Especially around lunch time.  I am hoping the lack of movement when I am sleeping means he/she will be a good sleeper, but I have found nothing to prove that!  Guess I’ll know in 18ish weeks!