2 weeks to go...

Hmm. The health visitor visited on Thursday and while she was suitably appreciative of E's notable genius and general wellbeing, I feel a little narked. Not at the HV herself, she was very nice, but at the "preterm" thing.

E was delivered at 36 weeks (almost, a day short) at the recommendation of the obstetricians. 36 weeks is enough time for a baby to mature. 37 weeks, one week later, is considered full term.

Now, E is considered preterm. By one week according to the above. No. 4 weeks. So everything she is expected to achieve and all her checks etc are "adjusted" by 4 weeks and it will be as if she had been born on her due date. She doesn't graduate off the preterm growth charts until she is 6 weeks old at what would have been 42 weeks. Her immunisations follow her actual age thankfully, otherwise she is currently -2 weeks old, which doesn't help the whole making sense of it all in the raddled old head.

She is perfect though, and is eating for Britain (if there ever was a need to suck milk for one's country) as well as being astonishingly aware and alert. Small downside of her apparent early growth spurt (she would be gaining fat at a rate of noughts in utero right now, and fat she is certainly lacking) is the frequency with which she wishes to feed.

And poo. Ten or so dirty nappies a day, HV says it is because she is early and it should rectify by E's due date.

Due date. So much is pinned on that:

E will reach "normal" weight and will cease to struggle with feeding enough, temperature etc.
I shall feel normal about her being here.
I shall be normal shaped (if be-uddered).

BP update: is measuring NORMAL. Wooooo!! And that's not even a touch sarcastic. Now on extra high doses of drugs, concerned BP may drop TOO much now. We'll see.

Tried E out in her baby sling, she liked it a lot although I wasn't convince she was safe in it an constantly checked she was breathing. She was, it is safe. It doesn't feel it though.

Insomnia is a thing of the past. If I lie down, I go to sleep. Any time. Awakeness is decreed by awakened offspring.

Night all.