Withdrawal

Well, baby seemed to like the codeine. No need for pain relief yesterday - hurrah! - as my jaw is recovering well from the extraction and the tooth of pain is out. But baby didn't seem to appreciate this, she'd been quite content and kicky with the pills, and without the pills she was positively manic for several hours. Addicted so quickly...

I jest.

Part of her excessive movements were in response to her father's excessive snoring. This has happened before, every time he emits a large snore, I get a kick. Not that conducive to sleep, and an ominous image of sleeping with the pair of them in the same room; it is I who will need my own room when we move.

I ended up doing rather a lot of fruitless to-ing and fro-ing yesterday which meant I was very sore. Walking is getting less and less ok, even with crutches. Although that is presumably at least in part due to my ever decreasing levels of fitness.

As I have undertaken to take the boys swimming today, last night required a feat of depilation. Upper thighs and bikini line are easier just ignored at present to be honest. All done though, I think, I can't actually see.

They say swimming (aka existing in the swimming pool as opposed to doing anything energetic) is brilliant when pregnant as the water supports the bump. I haven't tried it before with a bump so this could be a whole new blissful experience. Or not.

Rough rough rough

I think I am getting used to feeling rough, for it doesn't seem so noticeable any more but if I think about it I actually feel quite terrible. Today I have indigestion to add to my joys. My chest has ceased to be quite so sensitive and intent to expand, so that's something. It's still ginormous and fragile, but ok.

The tiredness is ridiculous, and I continue to find it very difficult to sleep at night. Part of it is discomfort, another part is the perpetual hunger/nausea thing, but the main part is simply not falling asleep. Napping or not by day has little bearing on whether I sleep, so I have concluded I may as well nap when I can as that is as least some sleep.

I appear to be accumulating all the fluid I shall be requiring for the duration of the pregnancy all at once. I am taking in gallons of fluids - milk, water, more milk, juice - and not that much comes back out. My lips are all chapped which is a sure sign of dehydration. I have this firm little bump already, which doesn't indicate twins as it's too high, but it does make me look considerably advanced to what I actually am.  Although I have a sinking suspicion it was this non bump that made me suspect twins last time.  Oh god...

3 weeks and 2 days until scan day. I cannot wait, it's such a very long time. I wish they did the dating scan at 8 weeks, I really do. I kind of understand why they wait till 12 weeks as it must be much harder to accept a baby has gone if you've seen it on ultrasound and until the 12 weeks have passed there is a higher chance of loss. Then again, the potentially at risk ones are the ones that get scanned early. No matter what, my scan is 3 weeks on Friday and then I may relax a bit.

Number one fear: "sorry, there's nothing there/no heartbeat"
Number two fear: "there's two babies in there"

The latter is obviously far preferable to the former and would be delightful in actuality, but one single baby would be an awful lot easier. Especially a girl. I may be cooking two boys though, and this time we are old hands at it so it'd be easier regardless.

One girl. One girl. Please. I know it can't change now, but...
The God of traffic lights says it's a girl, I am craving sweet things mostly and I believe the breasts of enormity are due to excess oestrogen, ie a girl. No scientific basis for that last one, I made that one up optimistically.

We'll see. There's nothing I can do except wait and fret.

"Bad" parenting

I am going to be a bad mother to this baby. It cannot be helped for I have been tainted by experience.

I do not undertake to breastfeeding against all odds until my child is 14.
I fully intend to try; if - unlike my firstborn - they manage to latch on within 72 hours, then they shall have my milk. Combined with formula, pretty much from day one. Reasons for this are many:
1) 2 healthy boys who never had breastmilk
2) 1 allergy ridden, UTI prone, asthmatic mother who was exclusively breastfed (thats me!) unlike her exclusively formula fed sibling who has none of the above
3) I'm not that good at eating nutritionally great food and would have palpitations at the thought of depriving my child. I also need rather a lot of medication when I'm not pregnant. I like the security of measured nutrients, safe milk and confirmed amounts.

I shall be offering my child a dummy.
It is called a soother and it soothes. People who think they are a cop out are idiotic; if a child is offered a dummy when something else is desired, the dummy is swiftly returned. Besides, current wisdom decrees it protects against SIDS.

I shall be fighting to NOT have a natural birth.
I want a caesarean. The survival chances and health of my child are significantly better with a planned caesarean. I have good reason to think that my pelvis would be rubbish at the whole delivery thing (also, son 1 has a ginormous head) A failed VBAC (vaginal birth after caesarean) bodes very ominously for mother and child. An elective caesarean has the most positive statistics. I don't remotely feel that I will miss out on a natural birth, I had no trouble bonding with my caesarean born twins and I am prepared to fight for the right to have a section. I'm not incidentally too posh to push, I don't have issue with pain, I do have issue with endangering my unborn child.

I shall be destroying the planet.
It's disposables I'm afraid. No child of mine is having nappy rash because I chose a different type of nappy from the one that I know works beautifully.

I shall be weaning at 17 weeks.
I liked the puree stage, theres something immensely satisfying about making a tiny pot of goo and feeding it to your child, and experimenting with foods. Given that the period from 14-17 weeks was a trial of not being able to satisfy hungry boys, I embraced the arrival of 17 weeks and weaning. No way could we have waited till 6 months. There are better first weaning foods now, I weaned mine on (gluten free, sugar free) rusks (don't tell my health visitor!!) as they understandably balked at baby rice, which supposedly means "they are not ready". Bollocks, it means baby rice is rank.

My child might well go straight into their own room.
Unless we haven't moved of course, but if we have they will. The boys did, we had no choice as there was no room for four of us in one bedroom. A midwife made me cry by insinuating that I was going to be tantamount to murdering my babies by not having them in beside me. My obstetrician arrived as I sobbed, he tsked at the midwife's words, informing me all three of his own children had gone into their own rooms. It makes sense to me, to have them settle early rather than having the heartbreak of separation later.

Shoot me now. I'm uncaring and old fashioned. I believe in happy children, I don't need to complete myself as a woman or save the planet. I want my children to be secure, loved and well. I shall do all of the above and if this baby is as healthy and happy as my twins are, I shall be satisfied with my job of mothering.

For the record, Dr Spock talked a lot of sense as far as I can tell. I am going to read his book and see if he was as awful as I've been told...