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Fat feet and frills
Daughter had antenatal today, legs, feet and hands easily twice their normal size. Midwife told her to give up work now, only another two weeks daughter promised. Apart from the swelling, and the size of Baby Bean, all is well. We went and bought a new mattress for the crib, she's borrowing Jacks, and I became all mushy over the baby clothes. Due to her size I have been cutting her toe nails for the past month or so, and today I gave her a complete pedicure. I'm going to start recommending foot massage to my ladies if they have swollen feet/ankles, it works marvels, by the end the swelling had reduced considerably and the residue was no longer solid.
Jacks Mummy has started childminding this week. She is looking after a really cute little girl, huge brown eyes, cheeky grin, and hair long enough to put in bunches. Ellie is 4 months older than Jack and the difference is amazing. I wouldn't say her vocal skills are much more advanced but her dexterity is way better. It's lovely having Jack, he is a real boy, but being with Ellie I really hope I have a Grand-daughter, at some point. Little pink, frilly socks, pretty little dresses, yes I know 'she's not a dolly', but it would cheer an old ladies heart.
I am really enjoying this week off work, just pottering around doing nothing in particular, and I've still got another week!!! I shall be comatose by the time I'm supposed to go back.
Listen to the teacher
When I was taught massage, body not feet but I suppose the same applies, the instructor said that, after the massage, you should shake your hands to rid yourself of any bad stuff you may have acquired. When I had finished daughters feet yesterday I didn't do that, thought she might consider that I was becoming even more of a 'tree-hugger'. Last night I had really bad lower back pain, just commented to Hubby that I was coming out in sympathy with the pregnant one. Spoke to her this morning and last night was the first night in weeks that she has had NO back ache. Now I am a bit of a sceptic when it comes to 'healing hands', but in future I shall deffo be ridding my body of 'bad things' when I have given someone a massage.
Hubby's taking me out tonight for a quiet meal to celebrate my impending geriatric state, better remember my false teeth.
A 'quiet' meal
So, last night Hubby took me out for our quiet meal. It was at a local, very expensive, Italian restaurant so I did not anticipate us being joined for the soiree, how wrong I was. As we walked in I saw Baby Beans Daddy, and all my ageing brain computed was 'how strange he should be there'. In seconds though I realised that the large congregation of noisy people were my family and my best friends. I was truely surprised. More was to come though. After expressing my happiness and seeing everyone my sister handed me a little pink box, advising me that I should look inside. There, nestled in what she later told me was loo paper, was a teeny, tiny frying pan with two fried eggs, exactly like the one pictured on my blog a week ago. I was so chuffed 'cos I thought how thoughtful of them to have hunted one down, but more was to come. Yes, I have my georgian dolls house, the most lovely of gifts from Sister, BIL, and their family. I am so excited. It has little staircases, and chimneys, I can't wait to assemble it and start turning it into a mini-home. Jack's Mummy, heaven knows where she found the time, had made a birthday cake with the requisit number of candles on it, singed my eyebrows blowing out the candles, and Pregnant daughter had decorated the table with glitter stars and balloons. Much alcohol was imbibed by all and by the end of the evening everything looked rather like the photo. Then the older members of the party decamped back to chez nous to continue drinking, talking, and in one case falling into such a deep sleep that I coloured his hair, eyebrows and moustache with vivid blue hair colour without him waking-up.
Today Hubby is suffering, he is splitting his time between the bedroom and the settee, these oldies just can't take the pace.
Tomorrow is the official B Day. The off-spring are all coming round after work to watch me open my cards and doubtless take the micky about my age. On Tuesday life will return to normal, but I will be left with the most wonderful memories of an evening spent with those who mean the most to me, except Jack, who was left with a babysitter.
It's here, it's now and I'm still able to function, unlike Hubby who is confined to bed with his back pain. I have started him on my Voltarol/Valium cure all in the hope I can head off a repeat of two years ago when he was pole-axed for three weeks. On that occasion the docs were prescribing drugs for me to give him by injection, what a trusting man letting me stick long needles in his bum. Since this is all in confidence, it did get to the point where I realised why I'm a midwife, and not a nurse. I have huge amounts of sympathy/empathy, but they are short-lived. After two weeks of tending to him round the clock, he couldn't even get out of bed to the loo, I started to fantasise about giving him an overdose. On one of his visits the G.P commented that I must be finding it hard going, he had just been witness to how loudly and long Hubby could groan for, and suggested that I might like to go and see him so he could give me something to get through Hubby's infirmity!
Through gritted teeth
Moan number 1
Hubby still has his bad back, and he is driving me MAD. If I'm not feeling too good I retreat to a spare bed, venturing out for the necessities. He lumbers around, moaning and groaning, demanding attention like some slightly under the weather toddler. I've tried upping his Valium, but unfortunately all that does is make him more clumsy and noisier. I'm sitting here now and there he is, in the background, talking constantly, and demanding instant responses. I know I should be more sympathetic, but I have tried that and all it does is encourage his calls for attention. I nipped out to the shops earlier and the minute I came back in he was calling to me, from infront of the TV, wanting a 'cuppa'.
Moan number 2
I have a mobile phone for work. On it is a clearly recorded message that informs the caller that if they hear it please don't leave any messages that are of an urgent nature as I may be on leave. From previous experience. I have learnt that some of my ladies ignore this and leave, in some cases, messages that require urgent attention, e.g I'm bleeding, I haven't felt baby move for two days. For this reason I have taken to switching my phone on every evening and listening to the messages and dealing with anything that is left on there. I've just switched it on and found that one of my more demanding ladies had left a message, this morning, 5 minutes before her clinic appointment, to say that ' Oh sorry, done it again, forgot about my appointment. You know how last time you came and saw me at home on Saturday, well can you do that again as I really find the clinic times inconvienient. 10 or 4 would be good cos we're going out for lunch. Bye, see you.' Well, I wasn't doing clinic today, my colleague was, and I'm not working Saturday because I'm still on holiday, and didn't she listen to the message? Supposing all my women, 180 of them, decided that clinics were inconvenient. Whilst I'm moaning about work.... The Portland Hospital, yes maternity unit to the stars. We have one of them at the moment. Never saw her whilst she was pregnant, had her baby in this exclusive establishment, but has deigned to have her aftercare with us. Okay, would have been good to meet her once or twice antenatally, but she was paying so it's her choice. She is now home, but with no paperwork. Nowhere for us to chart her's and baby's progress. The Portland were contacted about this lack of information and communication, don't they require some record of progress? Apparently not, I would have thought they would have tightened up their record keeping after their recent high profile disasters, obviously once they have the money they close the file. How foolish.
Cracked - but not broken
Last week we had massive tremors which took everyone by surprise, the very ground a relationship was based on shook, the quake spread out and totally floored as all. On the surface all now appears calm, almost as if nothing happened, there will be aftershocks, but at least we are all prepared for them, so life goes on.
We are now in the 'calm after the storm'. Tonight I'm going to a retirement 'do'. It's for a lovely midwife I worked with at my first hospital so it will be a chance to catch-up with people I havn't seen for years, I'm really looking forward to it. My favourite memory of this lady is from when I was a student midwife. I went on duty one day and next to a lady's name were written three numbers 11, 12, and 13, I stood and tried to work out their relevance but eventually gave up and went in search of the midwife-in-charge. I found her in a store room and asked for clarification as to what the numbers signified. With an extremely serious expression on her face she said 'they are the measurements of the pelvis, the woman in that room is having a breech delivery, let's pray'. Yes, she is religious, and yes we did say a little prayer. Two things I would like to thank her for, one - I never forgot the diameters of the pelvis, two - for allowing a student to see that even senior midwives are human!
I'm not drinking tonight, or any other night until Baby Bean has arrived. Daughter sees the consultant tomorrow, please, please let her make a decision.
Saw the consultant today, 36 weeks & 5days, Baby Bean is estimated as weighing 8lbs 7ozs today. The consultant was really reassuring to daughter, and I quote ' Your hips don't look too small, but with a large baby there is always the chance that the shoulders will be too big. There are positions we can get you into, should the shoulders get stuck, legs right up and back, well your Mum will tell you all about those'. I could see that daughter was on the verge of tears, so just checked with Doc what she wanted us to do if daughter goes into labour, she is quite happy for us to stay at home for as long as possible, not for birth though (does she think I'm mad?), but if there are any complications she will come in and deliver Baby Bean. We got outside and the floodgates opened, daughter is soo uncomfortable now, what with Bouncing Baby Bean and double the amount of fluid, methinks I shall have to try some witchy powers to start things off. Next Wednesday would be good. Just off now to her house to paint the sitting-room, her new carpet goes down tomorrow.
P.S I think I saw what variety of baby is coming!!! And, you could see it's hair on the scan.