My birth story

Charlotte Mia Crompton arrived into the world on the 7th October 2012 at 7.38am weighing in at a whopping 9lbs. I am completely and utterly smitten with her and it was worth every single second of pregnancy and labour. Below is my birth story, sorry if it is long!

I went into Warrington General Hospital on Thursday 4th October to be induced; this made me 38 weeks pregnant, 2 weeks before my due date. Jonathan and I arrived on ward C23 at 3pm; however, they were so busy it was 7pm before anything happened.

I was put onto a monitor to make sure baby was happy, due to the midwife having trouble finding the heartbeat (weight blamed once again) I was sent over to the labour ward to be put on a more sensitive machine. After this I was scanned to check the baby was still head down which it was at 11pm I was given an internal examination and a pessary was inserted into my cervix. I was monitored at regular intervals throughout the night and this time there was no trouble finding the heartbeat.  At 5am I had another pessary inserted. At midday on Friday a registrar examined me and found that I was 2cm dilated and therefore, didn't need another pessary which was a relief as it was quite painful and at that point, one of the most undignified moments of my life. I was told that once there was room on the labour ward I would be taken over for my waters to be broken, this didn't happen for a long time.

On Saturday at 4.30pm I was told there was now room for me on the labour ward, I was again monitored to make sure baby was happy. I then had a cannula put into each hand, well on my right hand after several attempts it was inserted into my wrist. One cannula had the hormone drip to bring on labour and the other had a sliding scale of insulin and glucose. I was unable to eat anything and could only drink water whilst in labour; I also needed to do the finger prick test to check my blood sugars every hour throughout labour. I was then examined and was still only 2cm dilated, my waters were broken and the drips started. I was unable to move during labour which made it really uncomfortable particularly on my lower back as the baby was back to back.

My contractions started at 10.30pm, they felt like bad period pains and were short but regular. My back was still aching and I was very uncomfortable I was given some paracetamol through a drip to ease the pain, however, it didn't work so the midwife suggested that I use gas and air which worked a treat it took the pain away and also regulated my breathing. I was re-examined 2.30pm and at this point I was only 3cm dilated, I was devastated that I still had another 7cm to go before I could even begin to start to get the baby out.

Things are a bit hazy from this point as I relied heavily on the gas and air so was out of it for most of the time. I remember being incredibly thirsty and shouting at Jonathan to get me water. The next thing I remember from being 3 cm was being 9cm dilated, at this point the urge to push was overwhelming but I had to keep breathing through the contractions, Jonathan was shouting at me every time I was pushing instead of breathing as the baby's heartbeat was falling. My Mum arrived back at the hospital at this point and I am glad she was there to see her grandchild being born.


Charlotte got her shoulders stuck during delivery (shoulder dystocia) which meant the alarms were raised and about 20 people rushed into the room to get her out quicker. I have googled it since and it can be fatal and only happens in 1% of vaginal births, so I am very grateful to those who helped deliver my baby safely.

I was in active labour for 4 hours and 43 minutes. I had a 2nd degree tear to my perineum which required stitches and I also grazed badly.

The midwife ran me a bath which Jonathan helped me with whilst my Mum stayed with Charlotte, we were then taken back over to the ward. Once on the ward Charlotte had to have her blood sugars tested 3 times over her first 24 hours, she was also very cold so was placed in a warming cot. We were discharged on the Tuesday afternoon, unfortunately, we ended up back in hospital on the Friday for the weekend as Charlotte was badly jaundiced and had lost 15% of her birth weight (they allow up to 10%), this meant she went down to 7lb9oz. After tests at the hospital it was found she had to have light treatment for the jaundice, she was dehydrated and had raised salt levels. I felt she was breast feeding well however, she wasn't as my milk supply wasn't good enough; I made the decision to switch to formula and expressed as much as I could. I am still devastated about not being able to breastfeed but the most important thing is Charlotte is healthy and she now weighs 9lb 1oz.

Updating from my hospital bed!

Hopefully this will work and mistakes will be at a minimim.I have now been in hospital for over a day. I am currently 2cm dilated and awaiting my waters to be broken, baby is head down but is back to back meaning labour could be longer and more painful.

The staff have been really good and not once have I felt bad about my weight. Official hospital scales have me down as a 15lb gain so 1lb above my target gain :-)

My next update will be when I've had the baby if it ever happens!!!!!!

A miracle!

That's right a miracle has happened the baby has finally gone head down after over 36 weeks of deciding it doesn't want to do what every other baby does  it has now got into a position where I can have a normal delivery. I was booked in to be induced next Thursday the 4th October which will make me 38 weeks, so by next weekend I should have my baby.

I have now just realised I have to get this baby out, I  have pretty much spent my whole pregnancy convinced I would need a c-section so haven't really thought about any other way of getting the baby out. I think part of this is denial as I am not great when I am in pain but the options of pain relief given leave a lot to be desired so fingers crossed I am one of these people who just pushes the baby out in a few hours!

My blood pressure is good 120/75 which is lowest it has been for a while, my blood sugars are controlled really well, my urine showed leukocytes and white blood cells so it is being sent off for further analysis, it could indicate an infection. They measured the fundal height as 38cm so just a little over a week bigger than it should be.  I mentioned to the consultant that I had reduced movements from the baby but hadn't worried as I still felt it move a little and assumed it was running out of space to move. Anyways, she wasn't happy so wanted me to be monitored, the midwife couldn't find the heartbeat as she said there was 'too much of me' I mentioned that at 31 weeks the heartbeat was found straight away to which she replied well there is more of you now, baby is bigger and placenta is bigger. For a start I have put a couple of lbs on since 31 weeks and surely if baby is bigger the heartbeat would be easier to find. Anyways, they decided to scan me again (even though I had one on the portable scanner at the consultant appointment) baby's heartbeat was fine, blood flow was fine, it wasn't moving but that was because it was asleep. It's good job I wasn't anxious about it all, I knew the baby was fine otherwise I would have referred myself to the hospital. I think part of the reason that I haven't felt it as much is because it has moved as I am definitely feeling baby a lot more today.

This week was also exciting because I got to meet my best friends one week old son who is so cute and unbelievably tiny considering he was 8lb 6oz when born. I got to hold him for ages he only cried when he wanted feeding and I managed to not drop him or break him. It also made me realise I have no idea about babies, how big they are or how to look after them I am basically only good at cuddles! I feel I should have given antenatal classes a go but at the same time realise that human's do not come with a manual and that women have been having babies for thousands of years and we are all still here. Also, when thinking about it I have learnt much more from life than I ever have in a textbook.

Weight wise I am hovering between 12 and 14lb gain which as always I am very pleased about, I am planning a bit of a 'eat what I want day' before getting back onto Slimming World, I already have meals made up in the freezer including bolognese sauce, lamb and colcannon pie, cottage pie and mince beef stew. I also plan on making some fish pie and some potato and leek soup. I have a lot to do from when I finish work tomorrow until induction day.

Baby's hospital bag

After finally finding a bag I liked for the baby's hospital bag it is now packed and ready to go.

 My bag was £10 from Tesco, I love it an it will be handy for overnight stays. The photo below contains:

• packet of nappies
• packet of muslin cloths
• cotton wool pads
• nappy sacks
• two pre made milk cartons (in case breast feeding doens't work)
• baby wipes
• swaddle blanket
• fleece blanket

For clothes I have packed;

• 3 pairs of socks
• 1 hat
• 1 pair of booties
• 1 pair of scratch mitts

• 4 long sleeve vests
• 3 short sleeve vests

• 6 sleepsuits

• Hungry Catterpillar jacket
• I love Mummy and Daddy outfit

36 weeks pregnancy update

I am now 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant, meaning less than 4 weeks till full term (40 weeks) and 6 days until I am classed as term, meaning that if the baby is born at 37 weeks there should be no complications. 

I am still feeling quite tired and really heavy around my middle. I have to go for a wee several times a day which is annoying and I have some lower back pain. I have gained a couple of lbs meaning my weight gain is now 12lbs, I am still confident that I will be at pre pregnancy weight once baby is born. 

I had another growth scan, obstetrician appointment and diabetic appointment on Wednesday. The scan went fine, the baby is now back following the same line it has been, it is still larger than average measuring on the 75th centile line (anything between the 10th and 90th are considered normal). Measurements were:

• Femur length 71mm which is 3mm larger than 2 weeks ago
• Head circumference is 331.5mm which is 28.5mm larger than 2 weeks ago
• Abdominal circumference is 325.5mm which is 3.5mm larger than 2 weeks ago

The baby is predicted to weigh 2983g which is 6lb 9oz, so in terms of weight the baby is around 6oz bigger than it should be at this stage, so measuring around a week bigger. I was surprised at how little weight the baby had gained in the last two weeks and am glad that the baby hasn't gained more chunk on it's tummy. However, the measurements can be 25% out either way. 

After the scan I spoke with a obstetrician and was glad it was the same woman I saw last time as I find she listens and will answer all my questions. The baby is still transverse meaning I have two choices at this stage, I could opt for an elective cesarean section or I could have an External Cephalic Version (ECV) where they try and manually turn the baby head down. With an ECV it only has a 50% chance of working and of those that they do turn 6% turn back. Basically they will inject me with a drug to relax my uterus muscles and then grab the baby to turn. I am still researching the pros and cons to this, however, if I opt for this and it works it means I will be able to have a normal delivery. I have to go back next week to either book in for the ECV or the cesarean section. My urine was clear and blood pressure was 131/84.

I also spoke with the diabetic doctor, it was someone who I had never met before but she was lovely, very English, very middle class and eccentric (think a female Boris Johnson!) she also had a student in with her. She was really pleased with my glucose levels and this was the first appointment that I didn't have to up any medication, she did say I may find my levels are getting lower so I need to be aware of having a hypo (low blood sugar) and to contact them if this happens. She also took my blood pressure even though it had already been done 10 minutes before, she got my blood pressure as 128/72! She used the old fashioned way of taking blood pressure, whereas the obstetrician used an electric machine. I much prefer the old fashioned as it hurts less. 

Hospital Bag

I thought I would show what I am packing in my hospital bag.

• Bath towel
• 3 packs of Maternity pads 
• 2 packs of Breast pads
• Nipple cream
• Toiletries 
• Slippers
• Flip flops (for the showers)
• Nightshirt
• 2x PJ's
• Tissues
• Chewing Gum
• Dressing Gown

My toiletries are pictured below:

I have packed, some things aren't pictured as I keep adding things!

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Hand sanitiser
• Toothpaste
• Shower gel
• Moisturising body spray
• Flannel
• Moisturiser
• Eye cream
• Dry shampoo
• Face wipes

My bag is just a bog standard holdall I did want a new bag but it really is pointless for a few days in hospital. Once I have the baby's hospital bag sorted I will do a post of that too. 

35 weeks pregnant

I am now 35 weeks pregnant which means 2 weeks before I am classed term and 5 weeks before I am full term. However, as mentioned on my previous post it is likely I won't go past 38 weeks, so is 3 weeks Baby Crompton should be here!

This week has been rubbish, I am currently sat in work on my 6th day out of 7 which is a lot more tiring that it usually is. I then have 5 days off which will be nice, means I can sort out any last minute bits and bobs. Including tomorrows shift I have 8 shifts left until my maternity leave starts on the 28th September :-)

I have had a lot of lower back pain this week and I am not sure if that's the baby or the fact I have been extremely busy at work and having late nights, I am currently finishing work at 1am. I am still waking up 3 or 4 times during the night which is annoying but I guess my body is getting ready for the baby's arrival.

Today I got a phonecall from the shop that I am buying my pram from, they are having trouble getting the pram in red as the range is changing and they are unsure as to whether or not red will be in the new range. I am fuming! I ordered the pram 8 weeks ago and they have only told me today and I have possibly only 3 weeks to go. I don't like any of the other colours in the range, so I will have to spend Saturday seeing if I like any of the other prams the store has. Otherwise, it's operation pram again. The one I love is a lot more money that the one I was meant to be getting and I am not sure if I can justify spending an extra £200 on what is essentially the same thing.

34 week update

I am now 34 weeks and 1 day pregnant, my due date is 41 days away! However, it doesn't look like I will get that far.

I had my growth scan, diabetic appointment and consultant appointment on Wednesday. At the scan the baby was bigger than expected, it's head and femur measurements are within target, however, it's abdominal circumference is measuring 3 weeks ahead and as the sonographer put it 'baby has a chunky tummy' The measurements were:

Femur Length: 68mm
Head Circumference: 303mm
Abdominal Circumference: 322mm

The estimated fetal weight is 2637g which is 5lb 13oz around 10oz more than it should be. I find it amazing that the baby has gained over 1000g in 5 weeks! The sonographer also checked the blood flow through the cord which was perfect. The baby is now transverse, head on my left side, bum on the right with it's hands and feet pointing downwards, meaning baby is still not where it should be, again like the breech position if it stays that way it will be a c-section.

At my diabetic appointment I had more insulin added in as my evening levels have started to creep up. I am now on 10 units with breakfast, 10 units with dinner, 8 units at tea and 14 units over night. I'm still eating well and am still finding that certain meals that work one day will not work the next day, it's so frustrating and I cannot wait until it goes away!

My consultant appointment was really useful as I went in with a list of questions due to not really having a clue about what would happen at the birth. I was told that I would be induced or c-sectioned at 37-38 weeks. If I am able to have a natural birth and there are no complications I should be out of hospital after one night, with a c-section it will be a 2-3 days stay. So slightly longer than average if there are no complications. I was also assured that my baby wouldn't be taken away to special care just because of my diabetes, I had read that they are automatically taken away for their glucose levels to be monitored but this is not the case. I was also assured that I would have community care once I was out of hospital as it didn't matter that I had refused to see the community midwife, the labour ward would let the local team know to expect me.

My blood pressure has also begun to rise which is concerning me, it was 143/83 and I also had a trace of  protein and leukocytes in my urine as this could mean preeclampsia but could just be an infection, the urine has been sent off for further analysis.

Baby's Room

We have finished the baby's room, well we still need a mattress for the cotbed but it shouldn't be in the cotbed until after Christmas as hopefully it will settle in the moses basket or pram carrycot.

Below are pictures of the completed room, it's a bit difficult to get really good pictures as the room is small.

I have linked some of the products below:

Paint - Crown Happy Daze

Star light from Ikea

Table lamp - Ikea

changing table - we got this for £5 from a local baby sale, however it is available in Ikea

Cotbed -Kub Madera
Curtains - Littlewoods
Lamp shade - Argos

The cassette cushion was from Matalan in the sale, the bookshelves and wicker baskets we already had, the laundry basket was a present from my Mum and Dad, my friend bought s the baby monitor and the teddy bear is what I rescued from our carboot sale. The chair was my Grans, then my sisters and now mine :-) So all in all our nursery cost less than £250 to complete.

In the cot is a baby bouncer I picked up from Ebay for £5.50 and a play gym that my Mum got us.

32 weeks update

I am now 32 weeks and 2 days pregnant, less than 8 weeks to go now. This week has been quite an active week in getting things ready for the baby, well active for eeveryone else I have been mainly co-ordinating or watching! First off all the furniture was removed, my sister took my single bed and shelving unit, the charity shop took my sideboard. My sister, her boyfriend and my brother took various items to the tip. My sister also cleaned the nursery, landing and my stairs including cleaning the carpets. My parents came up midweek and cleaned my living room carpets whilst Jonathan painted the nursery.

The nursery has been painted yellow, the shade we choose was Happy Daze by Crown, below is a picture of the painted nursery, the colour hasn't come out too well but you will see it better once the nursery is complete.

Below are a couple of items bought for the room, a light shade, night light and a star shaped light. They are on top of the changing unit which we picked up for £5 at a local baby sale, it also included a change mat and top and tail bowl.

We are basing the nursery on the star curtains mentioned in a previous post, we wanted the nursery to be full of bright colours. 

Last week we also had a bit of a scare I hadn't felt baby move for the whole day so we ended up in hospital on Saturday night hooked up to a fetal heart monitor, heartbeat was found straight away and was completely normal. The heart rate averaged at 155bpm and accelerating when the baby moved, when the baby moves the heart rate sound was interrupted by a scratching sound, I did start to feel some movements but not every time! The heart rate suggests baby is a girl but not sure how accurate the theory is. Below is the print out where you can see the movements where the gaps are. If you can't see any of the pictures clearly if you click on the picture it should enlarge.

On Tuesday I was put on insulin! I have to take 6 units with breakfast along with continuing my metformin. It has bought my levels down at breakfast but they are still not below target. Next week it is also possible that I will have to add in some slow release insulin overnight to help my fasting levels, again this have come down a lot but are not below target. After having my HbA1c (blood sugar) checked again by the lab last week the level is 42 which is the same as it was on the 6th July after my initial glucose tolerance test which is really good. It means I am still just over the limit, less than 42 is non diabetic 42-53 is diabetic. 

Pregnancy update 31 weeks

I am 31 weeks pregnant which means only 9 weeks left until baby is here, it is looking more and more likely that I will not go past 40 weeks, I am glad as I am really fed up of being pregnant. It is an amazing thing to be doing, I am growing a whole new human being but to be honest I am not really enjoying being pregnant. I feel awful saying this considering I have had a relatively easy pregnancy apart from the scans and gestational diabetes. I have not had any of the really good things that come with being pregnant like having an obvious bump, I just look fatter. I don't feel movements as often as other pregnant women due to my anterior placenta and I also suspect due to my weight. As long as I feel the baby move at least once in the morning, again in the afternoon and in the evening I am not worried, but generally you are meant to feel the baby at least 10 times in 12 hours which I never have. Jonathan hasn't been able to feel the baby moving, as I generally feel it a couple of times in a row and then it will move somewhere unexepected or somewhere I cannot feel it. I haven't been able to see any movement on the outside either. However, I am glad baby appears to be healthy and at the end of the day this is all that matters but I am jealous I don't get all the good stuff.

I am starting to get a little more tired now and feel really heavy around my stomach. It is so frustrating not being able to do as much as I could before being pregnant, for example I have to take a lot more breaks when cleaning and going shopping is knackering! It's so weird feeling heavy, I did gain 14lbs but when I weighed myself Tuesday and Wednesday this week I have lost 5lbs so total gain of 9lbs so I am still nowhere near the weight I started at in 2011.

I had my latest appointments yesterday. I got to meet the diabetic nurse who is slightly concerned that my glucose levels have been high, I had an ear infection which I had to take antibiotics for so she thinks that may be the reason for them being a bit higher I have to ring her on Monday and if my levels are still not within target I will be prescribed insulin. I asked if there was anything else I could be doing and she said sometimes things are just out of your control. I also saw the obstetrician who was different to the person I usually see, she was lovely though. The midwife checked my blood pressure, it has gone up since last time it was 138/80, they didn't mention it but I am concerned as my bottom number has never been above 70 and am aware that I am nearly at the cut off of it being normal, I am hoping it was just the stupid traffic and muggy weather that affected it. The heartbeat was checked which is perfectly fine. The midwife also felt the baby and it appears the baby is still breech which I guessed as my movements are still in the same place. She said I felt a lot bigger than 31 weeks, she measured me with a tape measure which also said I was bigger than 31 weeks. I am not too worried as the 29 week scan had me measuring normal for the gestation and I really can't see the baby growing that quickly in just two weeks. I have to go back in 3 weeks which is the same date I have my next growth scan. 

29 week scan

Today was my 29 week scan to check the growth of the baby, I am expected to have a big baby. Anyways, scan was good baby is measuring spot on for my dates.The baby is in an extended breech position at the moment, if the baby doesn't turn before 38 weeks I will need to have a c-section which I really wanted to avoid. Baby is lying in a longitudinal position and the spine is to my right hand side, basically baby is head up lying up from my pelvis. I'm not sure if this is a problem but being breech definitely is.

My amniotic fluid is normal and at it's deepest is 5cm which doesn't seem too deep but my note say this is normal.

The measurements taken were: Femur length 55mm which is 13mm longer than 5 weeks ago; Head circumference is 263mm which is up 47mm from last scan and abdominal circumference is 253mm up by 53mm. The estimated weight of the baby is 1351g which is just less than 3lbs.

Just 11 weeks left now, but 9 if I have to have a c-section at 38 weeks. I am just glad that my baby is measuring normal and that my gestational diabetes hasn't caused it to be big.

Birth Weight

Even when not pregnant I'm a sucker for articles in the news about health especially those that have had studies. I came across this article this morning in the Daily Mail. It explains that Mothers who work late into their pregnancy, that is, work into their ninth month are more likely to have babies with low birth weight and the effects have been described as 'equal to that of smoking whilst pregnant'

I fail to see how working longer can be as dangerous that taking toxic chemicals into your body on a daily basis, most women working late into pregnancy have to do it and most will have understanding work places that will not demand as much from you. The reality is most women have to work this late because Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) is a measly £135.35 a week and most will want more time off after the baby is born. I am in a lucky position that I will remain on full pay for 18 weeks and I have decided to take another 8 weeks off on SMP followed by 2 weeks annual leave. Whilst on SMP it will be a stuggle and I will have to keep things tight so I have enough to cover the bills and the basics, this is something I am willing to do to spend as much time as I can with my baby.

Other things that can affect birth weight are caffeine that will give you low birth rate, being overweight that will give you a high birth weight and now with having gestational diabetes this can cause a high birth rate. I still drink caffeine (within what is allowed most days),  I am overweight, have gestational diabetes and will be working up until I am 37 1/2 weeks. I am wondering if the things I'm doing will cancel each other out and I will have a baby with a normal birth weight!

Finally chosen cotbed and pram

So this week we finally chose our pram, we have definitely gone for the Baby Merc Zipy in red, Jonathan and me went back to the shop and the carseat does fit with the seatbelt, not sure what my Mum, me and the shop assistant were doing the day it didn't fit! My Mum is off to order it this week :-) Below are some pictures of the pram, we are going to get a red one. Pictures are a little rare as they are a German company. For £380 we will gave everything, car seat, pram, carrycot and changing bag.

We also decided on a cotbed. Jonathan's Mum and Uncle are getting this for us but Jonathan told them it would be £120 and I couldn't find one that cheap that I liked and was sturdy enough. We had a trip to Pramworld in Pemberton and saw the Kub madera cotbed which I loved, however, they wanted £50 delivery which on top of the £176 and the mattress price is ridiculous. I have found it online for £174.99 which 10% off making it  around £157, now to decide on the mattress. I have put a picture below of the cotbed. 

Gestational Diabetes update

I had my appointment last Wednesday and I have been put on metformin as I was still unable to control my morning glucose levels. I was fully expecting this, even the Dr said he could tell by my face I was expecting it. I have to take 500mg with breakfast and 500mg with my evening meal for two weeks, after that I will have to up the dose to 1g. The Dr said overall my average glucose levels were fine and he wasn't concerned about what I was eating, he also said that it is common for people with gestational diabetes to have raised morning levels. My urine this time was free on ketones but did have a trace of glucose which again was expected as I had my breakfast just before leaving for the hospital. I go back in three weeks for a check up and if it is still bad I will have to go on insulin.

I also saw the obstetrician who just checked I was OK, my blood pressure was 128/70 and also did a mini scan on the baby which showed it is still wriggling around a lot. I asked about when I should be feeling regular movements and big kicks, he didn't really answer me and just said that baby is healthy and moving. I do feel it a lot more now, in fact yesterday it didn't seem to stop. I am still not being kicked really hard just lots of wriggles and the odd small kick. I have my next growth scan next week and hoping to see that baby is measuring good for it's age rather than being bigger (or smaller). My main worry is having a baby that is really big as I will probably end up with a c-section which I really don't want.


I am now 28+2 which means less that 12 weeks before my baby is due and another 8-9 weeks left in work if all goes well. 

Six Months Pregnant!!

Today I am officially 6 months pregnant, I know a lot of people say at 24 weeks you are 6 months but there is more than 4 weeks in each month. Today is the 18th July, my due date is 18th October, so exactly 3 months or 92 days until baby is here.I am 27 weeks tomorrow meaning I am officially in the final trimester, I just hope this goes quicker than the previous trimesters. 

I still feel OK apart from a lot of tiredness but this is due to not being able to sleep for more than 4 hours at a time. I am on nights at work for the next five days (6pm-2am) so not sure how this is going to affect me, hopefully it won't be too bad.

We got the first thing for the nursery yesterday, some curtains which are white with multicoloured stars on, we wanted a room that had bright colours and because all the unisex stuff is really boring we thought they would be perfect. We ordered them from Littlewoods, click on the link and you will see them hung up. We also thought that you can always get things with stars on so we can do some kinda matching up.

First Gestational Diabetes Appointment

I had my appointment yesterday to discuss my Gestational Diabetes. I only had two days worth of readings to show the diabetic doctor. The hospital send me home with enough test strips and lancets (needles to prick my finger) to last until Monday dinner time, so upon returning from the hospital on Friday after I went to my GP's to request new supplies telling the receptionist that I needed them for Monday. Monday arrives and my prescription hasn't been signed by the GP, in fact it took until Tuesday dinnertime for my prescription to be signed so by the time I got home from work at 6.30pm on Tuesday the only pharmacy that was open didn't have any lancets left.

The doctor was fine about this we discussed the problems that could happen if my blood sugar went uncontrolled like a big baby, birth defects and baby having low blood sugar at birth, he said the problems that could occur with me are that the diabetes may not go away after the birth I will tested after 6 weeks to see if my glucose levels are normal and that if it was a big baby I could have more issues with blood loss. He asked if I wanted to see a dietician, I said I would like a chance to be able to control my sugar levels myself but if I am unable to then I would see a dietician. He said that due to the fact I have PCOS it is not a surprise that I have Gestational Diabetes. I have to call the diabetic nurse with my glucose readings next week and I have an appointment the following week to discuss my options. If I am able to control with diet then I will continue testing and have appointments every 2-4 weeks, if not they will look into prescribing me insulin and will see me more often.

After seeing the diabetic doctor I saw the obstetrician who is the same person who has does my scans. My urine was tested and it contain ketones, I should have asked what these were, in fact I probably should have known but I didn't so I googled it. It means that my body has been using stored fat as energy and it could be caused by not eating enough carbohydrates. I didn't have much to eat or drink before going to the appointment as I had to go to work beforehand then was rushing about trying to get to the hospital on time. I am hoping this is just a one off and I possibly need to make sure I am having some small serving of carbohydrate at each mealtime. My blood pressure was taken and it was 128/60 which is the lowest it has been so at least that isn't another problem I am facing. The obstetrician also scanned me, baby is doing well and was kicking away :-) I couldn't feel that it was moving and I'm still a little weirded out that something that is about a foot long can be moving that much and I don't feel it as often as I should (my placenta is at the front so shields most kicks)

I now have my supplies to test regularly, although I was prescribed 200 lancets and only 50 test strips, this makes no sense to me so I will have to order some more as I have to check 3 times a day and on 2 days a week do a fasting test in the morning. It means I need 23 strips a week and I've already used one yesterday that showed an error on my machine. I cannot wait until I can go back to not having to see medical professionals and more importantly not have to deal with receptionists!

Gestational Diabetes

I had my glucose tolerance test (GTT) on Thursday, the day didn't get off to a good start I woke up late, my car wouldn't start (I had managed not shut my boot properly so the warning light drained the battery) so I had to use Jonathan's car which I had never driven before, but despite the best efforts of people to cause a crash I got there half an hour late.

The midwife took my blood, it's took three attempts but it was a student midwife. I then drank a sugary solution and had to sit for two hours before a final blood test. I rang later that afternoon to be told that my levels were slightly raised and they wanted me to go back in on the Friday to discuss this.

My fasting levels were 6.3 and normal is up to 5.5 and after my test my levels were 8.5 and normal is 8 two hours after a meal. The normal ranges have been taken from Diabetes UK. I now have to test my glucose levels one hour after each meal and I need to aim for a figure of 7.8 or below. I also have to take a fasting level twice a week and need this to be 5.9 or below.

I wasn't as devastated as I thought I would be I think because I knew in the back of my mind I was going to get it and the nurse who spoke with me about my levels and diet treated me like a normal, intelligent human being. She has recommended that I try and reduce my carb intake, eat no chocolate, swap large bananas for small ones and only have handful of grapes or strawberries at a time. For me, reducing my carb intake is going to be the most difficult of all.

I have now been referred to another consultant which I see on Wednesday where I will also meet the diabetes nurse and a dietician. I have of course read all the bad side effects of having gestational diabetes like still births, abnormalities, big babies, premature birth and placental abruption, however, the rational side of me knows that all these things can happen in 'normal' pregnancies and I haven't been able to find any statistics of how much more likely it is that I will get these things.

They will keep an eye on the baby by doing regular growth scans, at my 24 week scan the baby was measuring fine, some measurements were just below what is classed as normal. I am more likely to give birth between 38-40 weeks meaning I could have as little as 12 1/2 weeks left.

I have been testing since yesterday and I have already found it beyond tedious.I did my fasting level which was 6.8 so above what is recommended. After my meals most results have been 7.2 which is not bad considering I have to test one hour after a meal and Diabetes UK say it should be below 8 after two hours. However, this morning one hour after breakfast I had a reading on 12.1, I was informed by the nurse that fat free yoghurt is fine, however, after being shocked at the result I checked the sugars on my muller light to find out that the sugars in it are 6.8g per 100g and the yoghurt is 175g tubs which means the sugars are 11.9g!!

This week I am going to play around with my food to see what gives me the best levels to ensure my baby doesn't have to work too hard to counteract the fact that me and my body are bobbins (rubbish) So far eggs, veggies, brown bread, salmon and salad are good. Muller lights are not.

What's in a name?

First off this isn't meant to cause any offence to anyone it is my opinions and people may have the same feelings about my shortlist of names. It's just I feel that naming a child is a really important job as generally it stays with you for life.I have come across a lot of names whilst looking around and below is a list I have taken a particular dislike to.


Dexter - this is a surname, one of my good friends is a Dexter so this should stay as a surname.
Lewis - this is my own surname, should not be used as a first name.
Remie - just reminds me of being at school when the name 'rem' was used to describe someone being thick/stupid.
Wesley - this wrong, no reason, just wrong.
Molly - this isn't as bad as other's mentioned but when you team it with May it becomes hideous.
Daisy -  this is a lovely name for a baby/child but could you really take an adult seriously with a name like Daisy? "Nice to meet you PC Daisy" it just doesn't work. A friend of mine wants to call their baby Daisy Jane! aarrgghh.
Jasper -this reminds me of Jasper Carrott.
Brodie -  is this even a name?


However, I think this proves just why I am struggling to come up with names and it is possible I will end up hating my shortlist and liking a name I have completely dismissed. For example, a work colleagues daughter had a daughter and called her Darcy which I thought was hideous but now thinking about it I wouldn't mind calling any daughter of mine Darcy.

I hope you have all taken this with a pinch of salt and are not offended by what I have written I am an awkward person who changes her mind frequently and it's more than likely in a few years I will regret whatever name I have chosen. At least I still have just over 15 weeks to make decisions. Plus, to be fair, I would never tell anyone to their face I hated their child's name as it's all down to personal opnion

24 week scan

Thursday was my repeat anomaly scan which went so much better than last time. The sonographer was like a different person, really friendly unlike last time when he just didn't bother with me.

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, see the baby moving around and get all the measurements. The baby is measuring fine for 24 weeks. On this website it has the average measurements for each week. My baby's head circumference is 216mm which is 4mm smaller than it should be, the abdomen circumference is 200mm which is 1mm smaller than it should be (yay for non fat baby!) and it's femur length is 43mm which is 2mm shorter than it should be. However, I still think my date is a day out from the scan and it's all average and this can change is the coming weeks. Jonathan has short legs considering his height, in fact I probably do too. I was worried the head would be massive as I have a huge head!


All checks could still not be completed due to the baby being curled up in a ball with it's legs over it's head by my spine again. However, the heart, stomach and bladder are all fine it still has all it limbs and as my work colleague said 'what more do you want?' Which is true I am sure that the baby is fine and healthy and cannot wait to meet him or her. 

24 week midwife appointment

I had my midwife appointment on Wednesday and as a result I have made the decision not to engage with anymore midwife care and am also writing a letter of complaint about the way I was treated. I am tired of being belittled and judged because of my weight. I have weighed up the pros and cons of this and for me I don't think there are many risks. I am under consultant care, my next appointment is 28weeks which is when the midwife said to come back so my blood pressure and urine will be checked then, my sonographer also supports this move and has said he will get someone to check my blood pressure at scans, my next one being at 29 weeks. I just don't think getting upset, stressed and angry is going to help me or the baby. I have had an easy pregnancy so far and fingers crossed it remains the same until the end.

Below I have put a few examples of why I was so upset and disappointed with my midwife appointment.

My first issue is that I don't have a named midwife so far I have seen four different midwives which makes it hard to build up rapport or trust in the person, the care between the midwives varies massively.

My first issue with the appointment was the fact my blood pressure was taken with a small cuff, my blood pressure reading was 140/70 which I was informed was high, after reading the British Heart Foundation website I found that high is classed as 140/85, I must point out this is the highest my blood pressure has been. The midwife did try and find a larger cuff but none was available, the obesity levels in borough are high so I feel that this is a piece of equipment that is need by staff to ensure accurate readings.  I also would like to point out that the other two midwives I have seen at the surgery both had large cuffs to use.

Secondly, the midwife went on about my weight problem for most of the appointment, she wanted to refer me to the Lose Weight Feel Great scheme which I told her what they can offer me doesn’t work for me as I have tried before, she kept going on about it until I gave in and said to refer me just so we could move on from the subject. I informed her that I had lost 5 stone since January 2011 by following Slimming World from home to which she replied ‘so you've put it all back on then’ which I haven’t I have gained a stone back.  She then went out to tell me to start over and get rid of all the chocolate, crisps and cream cakes in my kitchen.

She asked about my exercise, I told her I swim once a week, go walking and am also very active at my job which involves site checks, she then said ‘well your body will be used to what you do at work so you still need to do extra’ which I had told her I do extra.

She said my breathing was heavy and asked if I had asthma, again another assumption, I don't have asthma I have a number of allergies that I am unable to take medication for at present. So if you have hay fever and allergies to dust then your breathing is going to be heavy especially when you cannot possible breathe through your nose.

She didn't feel for my uterus or listen to the baby's heartbeat as she didn't want to embarrass me by not being able to find it, the midwife I had at 18 weeks had no problem finding my uterus and even got me to feel so I knew where it was up to. 

Sorry for the long post and thank you for reading if you got this far.