positions breathing and pain

Last night saw our second NCT class...

Each couple had to write down their names, their due date and something they liked doing together...

...I had gone into the toilet before joining the group so James wrote the stuff down for us ;o)

We were the first couple to say anything and James had wrote down that we liked watching cookery tv shows (although we dont do any of the cooking we just like watching them).

LOL all of the other couples had put down eating out and socialising (so at least we were different ;o)).

The lady taking the class then  put down on the floor a whole load of cards showing different positions to be in during labour (I have to admit some of them were really strange).

Last week we were told to bring some cushions with us so that we could practice some of these, so we chose three positions that involved him holding me which seemed to work.

We then moved on to breathing techniques which essentially involved breathing in and exhaling very slowly during the contractions, and the different ways to visualise them...

...the way I am going to visualise is the coffee caffetier (you breath in and pull the plunger up and when you breath out you push it back down again) this worked fr better for me than imagining colours or feathers.

Next was pain relief - we had to split into groups of two couples and were given four sheets of paper each with a different method of pain relief on, and had to write down a maximum of four things (good or bad) that you knew about that method...

...I heard a few not very nice stories about pethidine but as they say everybody is different...

We then finished off with relaxation techniques and that involved James rubbing my back while I breathed through the contractions (I did enjoy the back rubbing I must say).

We were told to practice these techniques ;o)

one for mummy and one for baby

On Thursday lunchtime I went out and bought my Advent Calendar (chocolate of course ;o))...

I told James when I got back and he said that I should buy one for the baby too (what a fabulous idea ;o)), so I said that it would mean me eating two chocolates a day (I mean I am not likely to object to that am I?) ;o).

He then said that he meant that I buy one for her and to keep it for her so she can see what they were like when she was born...

So that evening on our way home I bought two more advent calendars...

...a milky bar one for Mummy to eat for the baby (so she knows what they taste like) and a Pepper Pig one to save ;o)

third time lucky

On Monday night we went to our first NCT class.

I had decided that the NHS parentcraft class was lacking and decided to go to some other classes where we would learn some more things.

LOL one of the questions that the lady taking the class asked was "where will your partner be in the middle of the night?" because statistically you are more likely to go into labour in the middle of the night!

I had to really bite my tongue not to say "downstairs eating cereal" I mean I dont want them knowing what complete nutters we are...

...well not yet anyway ;o)

Yesterday I wasnt in work because I had a Cardiologist appointment...

...we got there in plenty of time and James was going to come in with me.

So we got there and I was signed in, and I get called about 5 minutes later, so we both got up and the lady told me that I was having my bloodpressure taken, so James went back and sat down.

So I got back after having my bloodpressure taken and sat down and then I got called again so we both got up and I was told that I was having an ECG so James went and sat down again!

I went in and had to remove my t-shirt and bra and she put the electrodes on and she said "thats an impressive scar how did you get that" now surely the fact that I had come for an ECG it would be fairly obvious that I had open heart surgery of some sort, but thinking about it she was trying to relax me ;o)

So I told her about the operation and stuff, and then I went back to the waiting room.

And the next time I would be called it will be to see the actual Doctor!

So a couple of minutes later finally get called and me and James go in...

She asked me about my operation and what aftercare I have received etc, and then wanted to have a listen.

So I sat on the bed and she had a listen and said it sounded ok and there were no murmurs but my heart was beating really fast.

She then said that when some people have been in hospital a lot when they were children they panic at having to go to hospital again...

...this set me off crying (it was a mixture of the memories and all of the hormones flying about at the moment), anyway she gave me a hug.

I was then told that as far as she is concerned that there should be no problem with me having a natural childbirth!  Yikes that means that I will have to go through labour.

But I do have to go back for another Echocardiogram in 11 months time because they couldnt see my heart very well where everything has been pushed up.

Im not sure what answer i would have preferred but I dont do pain too well!

where...

I have been thinking about the urban legend that if your waters break in Marks & Spencer then your baby gets free shopping for life.

So this has set me thinking what is the best deal that I can do for my baby...

LOL I did ask the manager in Starbucks if the baby would get free coffees for life if my waters broke in there?  She laughed and said "it didnt bear thinking about" but they would be able to deliver me once the store had closed ;o)

I am now weighing up the pros and cons of different shops and what I feel they could offer me before taking up loitering in a particular store...

...I know for sure that I will be staying away from the likes of Poundland or any charity shops (just in case)!

If it wasnt such a trek to the local Hotel Chocolat then I would surely take up residence in there ;o)  So I may just have to lower my sights and go to Thorntons and my local one does have a cafe so it wouldnt look so obvious what I was doing ;o)

Those of you wanting to see the video of me waddling ;o)

is that a waddle

That is what my boss asked me this morning ;o)

LOL I will have to watch out if ducklings start to follow me ;o)

I will get James to video motion picture me so that I can see how I look ;o)

not as nice as the gingerbread latte

Christmas has officially started as the Christmas drinks are out in Starbucks ;o)

So I had to try the new praline mocha skinny and decaff (thank you very much) all I can say is thank goodness for decaff coffee ;o)...

...the drink is ok but I much prefer the gingerbread latte or the toffee nut latte...

...so the praline mocha is going on the "if Starbucks ever runs out of gingerbread, toffee nut syrup or eggnog" reserves list.

all of the right ticks

Yesterday I left work at lunchtime as I had an appointment to see the midwife.

She told me that I had all of the right ticks in relation to the bloodtests I had a couple of weeks ago ;o)

My glucose levels and my blood count were all within the normal ranges ;o)