Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Good News! Visa Approved!!!!!

Just when I thought our case officer had gone on holidays.....

Glen got a call this morning to say his Visa has been approved!

I am so happy! Lots of happy tears

I was so worried that he'd have to go back to New York a few weeks after the baby arrives, so this is the best news that we could have hoped for :)

Monday, September 28, 2009

It's a beautiful day, month, year, life

Thank you for emails from concerned people, I appreciate it.

Quick update on the baby front...
can't believe there's only 7 1/2 weeks to go!!!

I luckily have a brilliant Obstetrician at JHH who took the time to answer my list of questions, he's also very much for vaginal deliveries after cesareans.
He did a quick scan to check my fluid and said that it hadn't increased which is great! And the baby has turned, it's head down and is still extremely active.

We're kind of ready for the baby. Over the years I have hoarded so much stuff that there's no room for the baby or Glen, plus we live in a tiny 2 bedroom flat, I have been cleaning things slowly, but we're getting there, trying to decide whether markets or a garage sale would be the right way to go. Attempting to make room for Glen's stuff in my cupboard is difficult, I have the most gorgeous, ethereal, gothic, feminine, princess, hippy, etc dresses and I am struggling to part with any of them! Hope all he needs to put in there is a couple of shirts and a suit lol

Things are progressing though, I was trying to decide what kind of car seat I should get, and then I got a sheep skinned lined baby capsule for free! Got the pram off ebay, brand new from a lovely lady in Mayfield who I still keep in contact with, there's lots of clothes, just need somewhere for the little one to sleep when it gets home, I have a beautiful antique hooded basinette that I bought when I was pregnant with A, I need to get it out of the garage (yes I said I was a hoarder, I keep everything) and scrub it and keep it in the sun for a while when all this dust and wind settles down. I've got a new tea tree mattress for it, so looks like all I need now is Glen to get here in 18 days 22 hours and 28 minutes and then for labour to start :)

I have been thinking about my life last year, I was abused and struggling to find my strength. Reading a blog post I wrote a year ago and I found this..

A "
asked me why I was happy today, I told her that if I spent the morning miserable then that is how I would spend my day and isn't it better to have a happy day"
And this
"I said to my mother "what did I do to deserve to be treated like this for so long?" and straight away I answered my own question, I believe that this is a small dark dead end alley on my path, I was given this because I needed it to move on and find my strength, so I am ok."

I found my strength, with the help of many people. Last year I would never have guessed that within a year I would be engaged to a man I have loved for 11 years, and having a baby.
I can honestly say I have no regrets for what the abuser put me through, because it took that to get me where I am now.

I hope everyone has the happies :)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

But it's not cooked enough yet


I had contractions yesterday at 3pm til about 4.15pm.
I didn't realise they were regular, but I was on the phone to a friend who was actually timing them and they were every 5 minutes.
They weren't braxton hicks contractions, they were low and painful.
I called the hospital, they were reassuring and wonderful. Thankfully the contractions stopped and I didn't need to go to in.

There's just too many unexplained things going on,
why the high blood pressure for 15 weeks that suddenly disappeared? the anemia? the polydramnios? my baby being small?

I read that polyhydramnios with a small baby can indicate a chromosomal abnormality

I'm scared there's something wrong and it just isn't being picked up on the scans

Why isn't there a help line for pregnant woman who feel like they're about to lose it?





Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Polyhydramnios - my baby has an olympic pool


Had to blog this tonight because it's my birthday tomorrow and I don't want to cry tomorrow.

I had a scan today because my beautiful baby belly is big and it turns out that I have too much amniotic fluid, it's called "Polyhydramnios"
It can indicate that there's some kind of abnormality, but they've reassured me that our little one looks absolutely perfect, but that's not always 100%. It could mean that because there is lots of room in my belly, the baby will happily stay transverse and I wont get a vaginal delivery which is something I really wanted to experience.

There could be other reasons for the excess fluid, but who knows.
Information on Polyhydramnios

The baby is measuring small for dates and as I was only in New York for 2 weeks and Glen is definitely the father.. we know the dates aren't out, but good news it's not small enough to worry about.

I have to have another scan in 4-6 weeks, I'll wait til Glen gets here in 6 weeks.

I am so in love with my little one, it has the most adorable face, I can't wait til I can smother it with kisses :)




Thursday, September 3, 2009

Cranky pants, a baby belly, 29 weeks and finally a date!

Not much has happened in the last few weeks, I spend most of my time at home because of the anemia and my back ache, they exhaust me, but both are improving.
Weight gain is still tearing up the charts making me into super blimp, but what should I expect when I don't move much because I'm so tired all day every day. Can't wait til the water is warmer so I can do laps down at the ocean pool.

Cranky pants are directed are directed at Vodafone, their service has been super crap over the last couple of months, every few weeks I can't send texts to Glen, one time it lasted almost 2 weeks! And when I ring and talk to someone from India, we go through the same thing over and over, put this into your phone, do that, does it work now... and I am always polite, they're only doing their job, but I really want to scream!

The visa process has been ridiculous. After over a month we still don't have a case officer, they don't answer questions when Glen calls, it's very frustrating considering people who have put their forms in after us have a case officer and their visas are being processed. I think they're punishing us because they think we got pregnant on purpose, and considering I never thought I'd ever be able to get pregnant again, they're very very wrong.


Glen is coming out here in October regardless of whether there is a visa or not, he has to come out on a visitors visa, so it's only for 3 months and he'll have to go back, he has to be here for the birth in November. But as soon as he leaves America, his prospective spouse visa will go on hold, they'll stop processing it, so he'll be back in America in January, and then god knows when they'll grant the visa.

There'll be no wedding before the baby is born, which is disappointing, but we can't get married without the visa, we're talking about having a Handfasting, a
nd then off for a hornymoon, we'd like a few days away, to lay in the sun, just relaxing without having to take a newborn with us.

I'm now 29 weeks, can't believe how quick it has gone!
I am big for my weeks so my dr wants me to have a scan to check on amniotic fluid etc, so next week, the day before my birthday, we have another scan, can't wait to see my little one again :)

I've been taking photos for Glen and yesterday I fell in love with my belly again. I know it would be hard for people to understand, but it's a head thing, I'd convinced myself I'd never be able to get pregnant again, and I had been so overweight for s
o long that sometimes when I see my reflection, I forget I'm pregnant and just see myself from a year or more ago when I was very overweight and unhappy. I only had a few weeks of being a size 12-14 this year before I got pregnant, seeing pictures of my belly yesterday, helps me remember that I am pregnant and a lot of my weight gain is due to really being pregnant :)

Like I said, it's a head thing... I am blessed and my belly is beautiful