Happy to Be Pregnant! 28 Weeks Pregnant Aged 42

I'm so very happy to be pregnant and thought I'd write about this and remind myself about this after an incredibly frustrating evening (more on that later).

This was me a few weeks ago, below, at 25 weeks' pregnant - currently I am 28 weeks. You can see me on Instagram at 27 weeks here.

So, what's happening? Well last week at 27 weeks I had my glucose tolerance test. This is something you have to have if you are at risk of gestational diabetes OR like me, have a high BMI.

They book you for the 1st appointment of the day, as you are nil by mouth for 12 hours before and this is easiest on a pregnant lady if the bulk of it is as she sleeps.

I am scared of needles, so despite having the same thing in 2010 with Aaron, I Googled it and was relieved to see on a NetMums thread that it is just a finger prick blood test.

But, you can't believe everything you read online. Nope! She took blood the proper and normal way and thank God hubby had accompanied me.

I then had to consume a glucose drink, which I collected on prescription just before my appointment (annoyed that the chemist opened at 08:34 instead of 08:30 meaning my blood was taken at 08:40 and I have a thing about punctuality so hadn't wanted to keep the nurse waiting).

She then took my second lot of blood at 10:40 so  it was the exact 2 hours.

That day I was like a pin cushion with a plaster on both my left AND right arms. Blood from left arm at 08:40 and right arm at 10:40. 

Aaron's half term workshop at school started at 10:30 so we rushed straight there which was a great antidote to how shooken up having injections makes me feel.

That was back on 28th October - they said I'd have the results in 5 days but haven't heard a dickie bird yet. Good thing is, with Aaron that was done in hospital whereas nowadays it's done in the GP's. That's local, really convenient, doesn't involve extravagant hospital parking fees AND we were allowed to go home in the intervening 2 hours. RESULT!

Except this week, fast forward a week, now 28 weeks and I had to go in on 5th November for my Anti-D injection, but this time to the Midwife Clinic (also local, also convenient), but I had no idea she was to take blood AGAIN.............. for someone needle phobic it was like gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh but thank God the hubby was with me again, as I'd booked it that way, due to the anti-D injection not knowing I'd get pricked/poked TWICE!!! Eeeek.

So she started preparing my arm for something and asked "which arm do you want it on?" to which I was like "but you've already done it" (I was thrilled with myself as I'd done my yoga mantra and had coped really well) to which she said "nooooo that was blood!". I said "why can't you use last week's two bloods from the GTT?" to which she said "oh that's gone to a different lab!". So she then picked an arm and said it has to be on the outside arm, the fleshy bit on your shoulder and I'd COMPLETELY forgotten that from 2010.

I chatted to hubby as she did it, thinking I could style it out as the blood was so easy but I actually screamed and she then admitted "yes it does sting" but actually, just like holiday injections, my arm actually still hurts now (just on that spot though, not the whole arm).

So I hope that is me done with all the needles now - until the spinal block of course *gulps*.

My next midwife appointment will be the first normal one in ages. She's only ever weighed me once, so no idea how I am doing on that score but she does

• test my urine
• take my blood pressure and
• listen to baby's heartbeat

at every appointment.

Also, bar one, she's been my midwife at every appointment and I love that consistency/familiarity. Feel very blessed as it wasn't at all like that with my first pregnancy, where both the glucose tolerance test AND the anti-D were BOTH done at hospital.

Ironic I was aged 36 then, and am now 42, so presumably I'm higher risk now, but I feel like I am having a more relaxed less invasive pregnancy on a lot of levels.

Big difference this time is I have had a 4d scan (at 25 weeks) as the 20 weeks' NHS anomaly scan did not determine the gender.

I wanted to publish a Vlog and Blog about it, but despite getting our wonderful news that we are indeed having a girl, I was underwhelmed with the 4d scan so haven't felt authentic or able to write about it. Would I have one if I was ever pregnant again? Probably not, or if pushed, definitely somewhere else.

I haven't bought a stitch for baby yet and at 28 weeks am getting somewhat nervous about that fact, BUT I do have baby's first item of clothing as I was sent this (My First Friend Printed Sleepsuit) by Nature's Purest:

Happy post. Haven't bought anything for baby bump yet. And what arrives today? A sleep suit baby grow from @naturespurestuk The cotton is SO incredibly soft and it has feet and fold over mitten cuffs. It's showing me just how tiny she'll be. Long time since I have held a newborn. Holding this is so cute. #ThankYou can't wait to see her in it now #BabyClothes #Newborn #MyBaby #review

A photo posted by Liska (@newmumonline) on Nov 2, 2015 at 1:56am PST

I love that it is made from 100% naturally coloured cotton and that the cuffs turnover to make scratch mitts. Something much needed for warmth too considering she'll be born in deep dark Winter.

I adore it and it's made it hit home how small she is going to be, especially compared to Aaron. Although I had to get 0-3 months, not newborn as this babby is measuring big, so like Aaron will not fit into newborn. Anyway the My First Friend sleepsuit does not come in newborn anyway. The uninformed think ALL babies go straight into newborn, but newborn really is for 7 pound babies and Aaron was 9lbs 10oz.

I have also been lucky enough to have been sent a HushCush feeding pillow, which can be used to nurse baby to you, conveniently and portably, be it bottle or breast.

If you'd like to know more about the pillow, which is a brand new product, then you can watch the video that I filmed at The Baby Show.

So, there are two baby girl products in this house and I have shopping on my mind. First port of call is we must, we really must, build the cot. Just like with Aaron I am not going to use a moses basket as with big babies they just don't fit in it for long enough.

I'll have to be honest I am not giving this blog post my full attention as Eastenders is just too good tonight.

Oh P.S. the reason, at the outset of this post, that I said it's been a frustrating evening is because we spent the whole evening going to and from football even though it wasn't on. But it's because both of his football coaches were in a car crash so I am just relieved they are okay.
 

Bye for now, Liska xx