The final countdown...last 24 hours.

So we have hit the last 24 hours, and its 9:30am, and depending on where i am on the surgery list we could quite possibly have this baby in the world by this time tomorrow morning!

I started to have a freak out last night, it was bound to start eventually and I'm surprised it hasn't already really.

The freaking out is not so much about beginning parenthood and all that comes after the baby is born, its more so everything leading up to him being out and those few days- weeks afterwards.

After having the appointment with the anesthesiologist during the week i came home a little disappointed as it turns out all available pain meds for the surgery are going to be morphine based, and of course, i have a less than desirable reaction to morphine by throwing up continuously amongst other things.

Anything else they can offer me, either wont have enough of an effect and would be pointless, or would affect me wanting to breastfeed.

So basically i have been told that the whole thing is going to be trial and error, and i few things will be tried and we will go with whatever makes the least amount of discomfort and illness.Oh joy.

I found out also that even the spinal block, which is what i will be having to go in, in the first place is a morphine/anesthesia mix and i can expect to get sick pretty much within 10 Min's of it being inserted.

This is the one fear i have head all along, that, i will be stupid sick and not enjoy the first few days of him being born, and of course, be so much more useless because of it as well.

So lucky Aaron will be there for the days i am in, and i just have to get through the nights on my own until he is allowed back in, in the morning to help again.

That first night, tomorrow night is going to be hell i imagine.

I imagine i am going to be quite ill, and not the nicest of people to be around, going by my post op history with anything to do with morphine.

They have a 12 hour mark that you are not even allowed to attempt to get up until you have hit, as your bladder is the last thing to get complete feeling and movement back in after the spinal wears off, and they will not take the catheter out until they know you can walk...and they WILL push you to do it.

i will hit that 12 hour mark sometime during the night, and no one will be in visiting hours to be there and support me in it.By the time Aaron is back in the morning, i would be expected to have gotten up and gone to the toilet on my own etc, and should be at least able to have a shower when he arrives.

I am terrified of what the spinal is going to feel like when they put it in, Aaron cant even be in the room for that we have been told.

Terrified of feeling that first onset of nausea kicking in and wondering just how long it will last.

The surgery itself i wont even go into! If this wasn't my only option, this whole c-section thing would be my LAST choice in the way this baby comes into the world.

Wondering if Aaron will even be able to handle being in for the whole procedure to start with too, or if it will all be too much for him as well.

Anxious as all hell to see what our little "lumpy" figure is going to look like, and if he is going to be perfectly fine physically and mentally.If he is going to need assistance with breathing etc and if i will even want him near me straight away.

Absolutely terrified of the whole breastfeeding thing.Will i be able to do it, will he be able to do it, how much are the contractions of the cervix going to hurt doing it since that seems to be most peoples complaints after a c-section.

Will he cry and cry all night long when i feel helpless and cant just stand up and get him on my own and Aaron is not there to help?

Am i even going to know how to hold him without breaking him?

Bath him without drowning him?

Change his nappy without picking him up and it just falling off? lol.

I guess when we wake up tomorrow morning, every single one of those things will be answered pretty quickly.

At that is not as comforting as it should be.

Can we turn back time? Can we have a few more weeks to prepare??

No.

This is happening.

This is happening, now.

37 weeks our last week before the BIG week.

It was the final check up with the antenatal team at the hospital this week, i didn't get Nigel again(whom we loved last week) but the lady surgeon i got was still fantastic and very helpful.

Carter was still head down bum up as always, his heartbeat was a steady 115bpm or so.

As usual he didn't like the Doppler on my belly to get his heartbeat, he seems to hate the cold gel anytime someone wants to put one on there and he kicks at it non stop, making it hard to get a good reading at first.Little bugger! The surgeon thought it was very cute.

Friday was Aaron's official last day off work before we are to be parents and so we decided to get dressed up a little and go out for dinner.
It ended up pouring all night long and we ended up grabbing burgers and battling the rain.lol.It was very funny but still quite enjoyable.

My car got taken away finally, and so that's the end of that era.Time to start thinking about another car for the near future, once baby is born and i am over that initial 6 weeks that i cant drive we will look at what we want to get.As the car will basically be my mode of transport and Aaron would rarely use it, we have to wait until i am able to test drive and make a decision.

The baby really dropped this week, and i have been able to breathe so much easier which is so fantastic, although the pressure down below now is a little unbearable at times.

This also meant that i got more lovely stretch marks...they are horrible and i hate them and its not even fair that women do this whole baking a baby thing and have to have their body ripped up this way.Its depressing.And i am so sick of hearing people tell me they will fade, or go away completely, those are the people that either haven't had their body go through 9 months of growing a baby, or who did and were lucky enough to avoid the marks all together.

I'm not stupid, these things are deep, and red, and hurt like hell and they aren't ever going to go away.

My two best friends have booked their accommodation to come up for his birth this week.

They arrive on Monday and will be staying for 7 days and are pretty excited to see the little man come into the world.It will also be nice to have some people up here from back home to spend some time with before the big day too.

Its still crazy to think that we have less than a week to go...i never thought this day would come and its so terrifying now its almost here.lol.

Week 37

This week the average size is about 6.3 pounds (2859gm) now and 19.1 inches (48.6cm) length.
She is official full term now but can still benefit from extra days in the womb.
Your baby continues to practice breathing movements. Isn't it amazing how she can breathe "under water?"
Grasp is firm now. It won't be long until you'll feel that strong little fist confidently grasping your finger (or tightly clenching your hair)!
A few weeks ago, your baby would move her eyes toward light. Now she turns towards light outside the uterus.
" As the uterine wall stretches and thins allowing more light to permeate, he develops definite daily activity cycles. You will want to be sure to establish good patterns yourself at this time, thus encouraging them in your child. Ever heard of a baby getting his days/nights mixed up? Now's the time to try to avoid that!

Week 36 and we are booked in!

We have a date!! This week we had our big appointment with the hospital to talk about what our plans were and to schedule the c-section.

We all agreed on June 26th.

The Dr wanted to actually go for 29th or 1st but they were both booked out anyways, and he wouldn't allow me to go as early as 24th...so we negotiated in the middle.lol.

The surgeon we met with was fantastic and i really would like to hope by some chance i get him on the day to get this baby out.

He had Aaron get up and find the heartbeat with the Doppler, instead of him doing it, which was a really cool thing to do and i think Aaron enjoyed playing Dr for 2 minutes.

My pelvis has split, i found this out by the crazy amount of pain i felt when he went to get my fundal height and i flinched in pain not expecting it at all to feel like it did.

He is still head down and i assume will stay that way from here on out.

His heartbeat was in the 120's, which hasn't changed since we had the trip to hospital for the kidney infection a while back.

My blood pressure came back great so the migraines i have been experiencing every 2 days or so is not due to pre-eclampsia like i had feared.Which is fantastic.

My urine was clear of infections etc. So all in all it was great

We got the admission papers and were sent up stairs to book in, that's now all done and i meet with the anesthetist on 22nd to discuss pain relief options and how i go under anesthetic etc. A quick physical will be done.

Outside of the baby stuff, we had another series of unfortunate events this week when Aaron's car was stolen.Yes.

Yes.

We seem to be that unlucky.We now have both cars gone out of action with 2 weeks to go until our baby is born.Woo.Not.

It is now inevitable that we purchase another car in the very near future...as soon as we work out just how we can go about doing that.

So as it stands, if all goes to plan, we have 2 weeks and we will be parents.

Scary, Scary and exciting...
Week 36

Your baby is almost ready and so are you! The only organ still to mature is the lungs. While certainly you are both growing anxious to meet, remember that each day (up to 42 weeks), that your little one stays within your womb will multiply his chances to breathe on his own.
If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal. While breathing for mom becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labor.
Fat is dimpling your baby's elbows and knees, and forming creases in the neck and wrists.
His skin is growing smooth and, shall we say it, "baby" soft.
His gums are very rigid. It won't be many months before you'll see his teeth.
She has a fully developed pair of kidneys and her liver has begun processing some waste products.
Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g). Between now and birth she will gain about an ounce a day!

Week 35

I am now officially at the point where i DO NOT want this baby in me anymore. I have had enough. I am so uncomfortable, tired and miserable.I have stretch marks from here to Timbuktu from having no room at all left for him, i was doing so well up until this past week, when 4 billion decided to show up, they are red, deep and sore as all hell!
This is worse than morning sickness in the first trimester.My back is KILLING me, day and night, my legs and feet are constantly swollen.
I feel like a whale now.I am not used to this weight and my body cant take it anymore.This is the most horrible feeling!!The next 3 weeks CANNOT go quicker for me.
I am now up to 70kgs!I did not at all expect to get to this weight, not in a million years, but it seems i was never going to be able to prevent it really, although i admit i could have done ALOT better food wise.But its too late for that now.
I have started to get very severe migraines this week.
I have suffered from them since i was about 12, but i only ever got them maybe 4 times a year where they knocked me off my feet and actually affected me to the point where i was incapable of doing anything.
I have had THREE, yes THREE this wee alone since Tuesday.
I am getting no warning for them, like i used to (the dotty eyes etc) they are just coming on and hurting like a bitch until they leave.Thursday a actually lost feeling in my right side, from my fingertips and all along that side of my face.I didnt know what the hell was going on.
And last night i was bought to tears after waking to the pain instantly during the night.
I really hope this is just my bodies reaction to this stage of being pregnant, and that it is normal and that it goes away as soon as i have Carter out of me.It could be hormone related, as i think the hormones start to drop off at this point? I;m not sure.
I intend on asking the hospital when i see them Tuesday, and speaking to my OB on Wednesday when i see him.I am hoping it is not blood pressure related and i am developing pre-eclampsia!

Anyways, we have our big 36 week appointment on Tuesday, and the c-section will be booked in and we will know 100% when this baby boys birthday will be unless he comes on his own before then.Cant wait!

Week 35
The average baby weighs five and a half pounds now.
Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
Her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).
The testes have completed their descent in males.

34 Weeks

We may be starting something!
I started to loose my mucous plug this week. I have no dialation or effacement, but its a good start at least.Things are getting so different. Each and every night i am having so much trouble moving around, especially in and out of bed due to my hips obviously moving and separating and Carter moving down.
I'm starting to get very anxious/impatient for him to make his arrival so i can 1) be comfortable and 2) see him!
He may make it to this C-section date after all.
We had a regular OB appointment this week too, and we were actually going to get away with the first ever visit without a cervix check because we are so far along and dont need to worry about it anymore...but after Dr Dunn asked me how i was and i explained the Mucous and the pain he had to take a look and see if i was making any progress.
Carter looked good, as usual.He was actually sucking his thumb!!
He is still just on average size/weight from the u/s.I'm very interested to see what eh is like when he comes out though, those things can be so off.
I am still on and off with this cold i got last week, i dont even want to think about the fact that swine flu has hit my local area.
Aaron and i bought ourselves our first "family" investment this week too...a shiny new Video Camera!!Its a JVC Everio HD-30.We have wanted one for about forever and thought there was no better time than now to finally buy it with Carter's arrival coming and family being so far away.His life will be documented always now, and hopefully everyone wont miss too much this way.Now we must just remember to always have it with us and use it! heh. It was ALOT more than we had intended to spend but i think it will be worth it.

Week 34
Your baby acts exactly like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized!
Antibodies from your blood are being transferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breast milk will add even more protection against disease.
Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. She may scratch her face even before she is born!
Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).