Problems with Pregnancy

Sorry for not posting recently, I've been having some problems with the pregnancy. I will do a proper post soon.

Pregnancy update - Regular contractions

I had been feeling off since Friday night, I couldn't quite put my finger on what was making me feel sick (headache, nauseas etc), cause it seemed to be a lot of things.

Saturday I was ok, probably because I was outside in the fresh air all day, but come the afternoon I started feeling ill again. Night time came I felt terrible. Again I couldn't pin point what was making me feel like that. I felt like I had a terrible fever but in fact it was nowhere near it. 35.8, normal for me.

We put the kids to bed, Hubby was on the net, and trying to talk to me, but I felt so zoned out I didn't even realise. I wanted to go to bed but had absolutely no energy so I layed down on the lounge with my hubby...big mistake...he thought that was a perfect time to start showing me all these cars he wants on E-Bay lol..

Anyway I went to bed at about 10.30 and fell asleep almost straight away. I woke up at about 1.30ish with terrible period pains and cramping, I tossed and turned for a while, that didn't help...went to the bathroom, got a drink of water, they didn't help... went back to bed, kept tossing and turning... SORRY FOR TMI but thought maybe I needed to go to the toilet... nope didn't need to... got another drink, took panadol... went on the computer for a little while... Nothing I did eased the pain. They were lasting 45-50 seconds and were 4-5 minutes apart. At this stage I'd already been awake for 2 hrs and they were definitely regular. I went back to bed and again tossed and turned for ages.

Any normal person would have rang the hospital. I didn't as I knew it would stop. I went through this for two weeks constantly before I had Mr 1, as I had an irritable uterus and by the looks of things, things are no different this time around. If I was further along, say 35-36 weeks and up, I honestly would've grabbed my bags and headed to the hospital, that's how real they felt.

I finally ended up falling asleep after about 4 or 5 hrs of torture and woke up perfectly fine. During this whole episode I felt like I needed to throw up but never did.

I spoke to my husband and best friend about it, and both of them told me to ring the hospital to see what they say. I didn't want to cause I knew exactly what they'd say... Well I rang Labour and Delivery, and yep they said exactly what I thought they'd say. I explained my history, the cervix size, the low fluid, the ill feeling, the REGULAR contractions etc etc. And asked is it any cause for concern? Is it history repeating itself (meaning irritable uterus or the like)? I knew it wasn't real labour as it wouldn't have stopped otherwise. The woman on the phone goes nah it's only Braxton Hicks because it wasn't regular... I said it was regular. and explained the whole situation again. Then she goes on to say ohh it's not real labour because it stopped. I'm like I KNOW THAT, I'm asking if its a cause for concern due to previous history... her response - (pause) umm.. I don't think so...

Thanks Love, You really put my mind at ease!

Ahh well at least I won't get in trouble from my Dr for not alerting the hospital this time lol.

So I've put myself on modified duties and I'm taking it easier (impossible to say easy when you have kids :)). Hubby is being fantastic, not only is he busy with the retaining wall, but he's constantly checking on me, doing things for me etc. , making sure I'm not doing naughty things like lifting heavy things, or too much physical activity, and it works out well, as he has taken Annual Leave this week, so it'll be good to have him around to help out when things get stressful.

I have my antenatal appt on Tuesday, and will be mentioning this to the Dr. I just wish Tuesday would hurry up.

Pregnancy update - Ultrasound results.

I had my scan done yesterday and got to see bubby again :) He's so cute and his profile looks a lot like our younger son. At the 19 wk scan he looked more like our older son.

The results were ok, apart from having low amniotic fluid and my cervix being on the lower side of normal in size.

I haven't been back to see the Dr as my appt isn't until Tuesday, so I'm not sure whether I should be worried or not.

The reason I am seeing a Dr and not a midwife is due to having a history of low fluid (Mr almost 3, Mr 1.5 and now this one) and was induced with Mr3 because of it, and Mr 1.5 was born a month early (spontaneously), my Thyroid issue and previous preterm labour (I went into labour at 34 weeks).

So I'm guessing this could go 1 of 2 ways. Because both the fluid and the cervix are on the lower side, it might be cause for concern and he might put me on bed rest or what ever he feels is right, or because it is still within normal range he might disregard it. So at the moment I don't know what to think.

The fluid level was normal at my last scan.

I know the fluid can regenerate in some women, and apparently drinking plenty of water can help, but I have been drinking PLENTY of water and it hasn't helped.

I haven't been feeling him as much the past few days, mainly only hiccups.

I've been thinking of calling the hospital, but I know a midwife will answer the phone and most don't seem concerned until there's an absolute emergency, for eg. When I went into preterm labour at 34 weeks, midwives tried sending me home, but the head of OB/GYN refused to let me go, so he admitted me on strict bedrest (I was only allowed to get up for the bathroom) and I was supposed to stay there til I delivered. I discharged myself 2 days before he was born, but OB/GYN still made me come in for CTG and other monitoring, and each time I came back for a test he would ask me "So you coming back to us tonight?"

So I'm pleased that I have to see the Dr over the midwife as I know otherwise I wouldn't be getting the care my baby needs. I just wish I had his direct line so I could at least ask for advice.

I better add, I am in no way bagging out midwives here, as they do a great job and I want to study midwifery after I'm done babying, I've just had some negative experiences in the past with certain individuals, and feel more comfortable seeing the Dr.

Well for now I'm going to try and take it easy (kinda hard with kids but I will try), keep drinking my water and eagerly await Tuesday to see what he says. I will update after the appt.

Pregnancy update - 28 weeks

On Tuesday I had my antenatal appt. The Dr's were happy with the ultrasound and Glucose Blood Test results. I had to do a wee test which showed a have a UTI so have been put on antibiotics. That surprised me as I had no symptoms what so ever.

They are concerned about me showing the same symptoms as I showed with my youngest son before I went into pre term labour. So I am being sent for another ultrasound today to check the size of my cervix to make sure it isn't shortening and a follow up on bubbys growth.

They are starting to track his growth now, just in case I do go into labour early. I asked what will happen if my cervix is shortening. He said that I'll have to be transferred to the bigger, more equipped hospital, as this hospital isn't equipped for such prem babies, which I was already aware of, but I thought they might have a drug that could stop/delay the cervix shortening. He told me they don't and they can only interfere once labour has begun.

As frightening as it is knowing there's a small chance he could come early, I know he will be in good hands, as they are preparing for the worst just in case.

I've got a follow up appt next Tuesday and will see what he says. He's mentioned he has a plan in place for me, and has allerted other Dr's. Me being the ditz I am didn't think to ask what the plan was or what it means. I'm guessing it might mean the extra scans, test etc, but I'm not sure, and hopefully I'll remember to ask him next week.

But for now, I can't wait to see bubby again later today :)

Pasta with Creamed Corn and White Sauce

Here's the recipe for the yummy pasta I made for tonight's dinner. I was sceptical about trying it at first, but I saw the kids scoffing it down, so I had a taste and I was hooked :)

Unless I'm following a specific recipe, I don't measure ingredients, so for this everything was chucked in to the amount I thought was good, so I've given a rough estimate to what the amounts looked like. You can change to what suits you :)

500g Pasta
4 rashers of Bacon
1 tin of Creamed Corn
2 cups of grated Cheese
1 Onion
1 tspn Garlic (I use the minced garlic in the jar)

White Sauce -

2 tbsn Butter/Marge
1-2 cups of Flour
2 Chicken stock cubes (just for a boost of flavour)
Enough milk for desired consistency
1 tbsn of Parmesan Cheese

Directions -

Cook Pasta
Fry Bacon and onion in fry pan til onion is almost see through, add Garlic and saute for a couple of minutes, once cooked set aside.
In another sauce pan (I reused the onion and bacon one to get the juices), melt the butter and add in flour and mix well.
Add in milk and whisk until all combined.
Add the chicken stock and whisk til it's a good consistency.
Once almost cooked, add both the grated and Parmesan Cheese, and bacon and onion mix. Stir til well combined.
Mix through the pasta and enjoy :)

Menu planning

I've tried over and over again to write out a menu plan and grocery list and stick to it. But I can't seem to do either. I don't know for sure why I can't seem to do either but one thing I know for certain is that I'm lazy when it comes to cooking dinner. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, and trying new recipes, but I find I only really try out new recipes when it comes to snacks and baking. Dinner in our house hold usually consists of meat and 3 veg (love love love it lol) or something easy and lazy such as tacos, spaghetti, stir fry etc (all from a store bought jar not home made).

We could have a pantry full of food, but if I don't see that stir fry sauce jar, I won't make stir fry, even though I have plenty of items I could easily whip up into a yummy home made sauce.

So as usual, today I got out the sausages for the kids and myself, and a steak for the husband. As much as I love bangers and mash (sausages and potato), I really wanted to use up at least 1 of the 3 tins of creamed corn... I had no idea what I could do with it apart from a side to a salad... So I looked at other ingredients I had in the fridge/pantry/freezer that I could use up and stall my need for going grocery shopping and having to part with our hard earned money.

I saw the big bag of pasta and thought about making a pasta with a white sauce/creamed corn sauce. Well I did and it was fantastic (will post recipe later)! I think I've finally got the idea of using what I have instead of using up the easy stuff then taking the cheats way out and going grocery shopping instead of putting my brain to work and coming up with different foods.

I was supposed to be going grocery shopping tomorrow as we've ran out of eggs, snacks and cordial (we will also need bread soon, but we now buy that from our corner store as its fresher and nicer). So I've been googling egg less snack recipes, so that cuts two items off my grocery list, and as for cordial, we have plenty of milk and water, and plenty of milk flavourings if the kids get bored. Plus they don't need cordial anyway. I've also noticed the kids are eating more fruit since we've ran out of cordial, so that's a win win. That just means we'll have to grab some fruit throughout the week but that's fine, my husband will grab it when he grabs the bread next time.

I had a quick look in the pantry for future meals, tomorrow night I will do the meat and veg as I need to use up that meat I pulled out for tonight. There's a can of diced tomatoes plus a taco sauce jar (and plenty of garlic/herbs) pasta and mince, so I can make a big batch of spaghetti and freeze some. Plenty of carrots, potatoes, peas, meat, pasta, sauces (stir fry and others), so I can make plenty of soups.  I still have 2 tins of creamed corn and noodles, so I could make a similar dish as tonight. Plus have plenty of baking supplies as I did a quick shop yesterday for baking goods, so I can try a dough and make pies and use up some of that meat.

So dinners are sorted, Lunches are pretty much sorted as we'll have left overs where possible and we bought a 4kg box of chicken nuggets which we all love on bread with mayo ( to me it tastes almost like KFC minus the lettuce) and are no where near getting sick of it. Breaky's - there's plenty of cereal, porridge, semolina, bread for toast, fruit etc, if we run out I'll make egg less pancakes or try a new recipe. Snacks - I'll be making, plus there's plenty of fruit. One thing I wouldn't mind getting is rice, as I found this awesome custard recipe and when it thickens right up, it tastes like the rice puddings or rice custards you can get in the cans (I absolutely love them), and they'll be great for the kids snacks for pre school.

Apart from tomorrow night, I'll be trying to use up the "harder" items first, meaning the ones I need to think about, because I know if it slip back into using the easy items, I won't learn anything and will be right back where I started.

I won't aim for a specific day to go grocery shopping again, I'll just try and use what we have and see how we go.

Monday Madness

Here's my whinge session about yesterdays not so nice happenings. Be warned, it's rather long...

First off I was peeved over the rain still hanging around. My poor husband has had nothing but interruptions since starting this project (the retaining wall). Interruptions ranging from the weather, which we understand can't be helped, to people constantly ringing or dropping in and asking/expecting him to help them when they can clearly see he's busy. This is not aimed at any one in particular.

My older brother told my husband not to make plans for Monday MORNING as he was coming around to help install the gate. Well Sunday night he said to keep the afternoon free as he's working in the morning and can't do it. My husband got a little peeved as he'd already changed plans to be available in the morning to help my brother and also, he was working in the afternoon. Well my brother never showed up (My husband has also taken days off work because my brother has said he'll be there and either doesn't show up, or shows up far too late for anything to get done). Then I find out from mum that she's pretty sure he walked out the door in his good clothes, not work clothes, and was going somewhere. So there's the possibilty he has lied to us yet again.

So with the above making me angry, My younger brother and sister in law pop in. I got a little frustrated at first as I was having a break from painting the bathroom, but was busy baking treats for the day, and they just stood there whinging about their own problems. I politely listened as I've always been a listener and a shoulder to cry on, but thankfully my husband saved me by (deliberately) saying "So babe did you get everything finished in the bathroom that you needed to?" Of course I replied no, so that got them moving, but they kindly offered to help out by Sis in law watching the kids, and my brother helping either myself or my husband (ended up helping me). I felt terrible about getting a little frustrated, as they did help out a lot.

In the mean time I almost fell off the ladder, luckily the over toilet storage thing was there...

My husband had to leave for work at 3pm, which tied in with when my brother and sis in law were leaving, also the same time my two boys woke up. So this is where I started to feel a bit stranded and stressed. My boys were very full on and demanding food, drinks, and everything else. So my daughter thought she'd have a go at demanding more food. I was trying to see to all of them, clean up the paint stuff and keep my cool... it was hard to do.

Other little normal kid things happened like the constant bickering, not sharing, hurting each other etc, but with each little thing I was getting more and more heated.

Then I remembered I had my antenatal appt booked for this morning so I started searching for my antenatal card. I could not find it anywhere. I ripped the whole house apart and was getting really angry by this stage and found myself snapping at the kids (normally I'm a very cruisy, fun loving, happy person.. It takes a lot to get me to this point)...

I was angry over my brother stuffing us around after all we'd done for him (We were the ones who opened our hearts and home when he needed it the most, but I understand why the others couldn't do it)

I was frustrated with all the interruptions...

I was upset with everyone leaving me at once...

I was frustrated with the kids constant damands and whinging...

I was starting to get angry over other issues going on in our lives -  related or not...

I was fuming over not being able to find my antenatal card. I felt like such a failure and that all my effort and hard work trying to organise this place has flown straight out the window.

Then as I was looking for my antental card, I asked my daughter where Mr 1 was ( we were all in the main bedroom, I was on one side of the bed, bub was on the other, so I couldn't see him) I asked her what he was doing and she said drinking his bottle. I was like oh ok that's good... She started laughing and says haha silly boy drinking glue hahahaha... Me.. whaaatttttt? She grabbed the "glue" bottle which was actually my ultrasound gel for the doppler. The lid was still perfectly intact so that was good. I thanked her for taking it off him and then she laughed again at his ''big bottle'' I ran over to him and he had the bottle of bleach to his mouth!!!!!! I went into panic mode, I felt like the worst mother in history. My 1 yr old son got into the bleach... Could this day get any worse... I could not believe it. Where on earth did he get that bleach from... I put that in the bathroom high out of his reach... then it dawned on me... my little brother had to move everything in order to help paint. He'd put the bleach on the floor and I hadn't realised. Thankfully the lid was still on, but it had leaked and his face wreaked of bleach. I called the poisons centre straight away. The guy that answered was helpful, asked a few questions and advised me he'd be ok, he may get a little tummy ache and to just give him milk, water or food. I gave him milk straight away and he was fine. The only time he'd cry was when he didn't get his own way....yep that's normal so he's fine lol.

I felt so defeated. I felt like I'd fallen off a speeding wagon and was trailing along behind it hanging on by a thin rope. I couldn't seem to get any control over the situation even though I tried. I was stressed, upset, alone and defeated. I wanted my husband. I wanted to be in his arms. I have not felt like that in months and months, more like a year.

I decided to take a break from searching for the antenatal card and spend it with my kids. I felt terrible for snapping at them, they're only kids they don't understand. So we played for a while had dinner, baths and bed.

My daughter stays up an hr later then the boys, so I decided to put Dora on for her, and I was going to go through EVERY drawer in this house until I found that card. I went through the first drawer, nope. Second drawer, nope. Third drawer, is the new baby's newborn clothing, so I smiled and decided to look though his clothes. Then there it was. The antenatal card was in the babies newborn clothes drawer. I cuckled to myself. Is this a sign?? Is bubby trying to tell us something?? Lol, well I'll never know, all I know is that I found my card, and my son was happy and healthy and didn't have any ill effects from the bleach. What more could I ask for :)

I felt instantly calm after that. I had so much stress build up through out the day, and for it to go like that was strange. But I was happy none the less. Then my hubby came home and he was the icing on my cake :) I love that man so much! He's my best friend :) Nawww lol...

We've sorted out the gate. Hubby called my oldest brother (yes, I have a lot of brothers lol, 3 brothers and 1 sister.. and of course me) Who owns the company my (older) brother works for, and has asked for someone else to be sent out and that we would pay him. But we refuse to pay my brother because of his attitude, my (oldest) brother agreed and said to leave it with him and he'd call one of his guys and find out the price he would charge (my oldest brother isn't profiting from this and doesn't expect to). He called back later with the price - $220. We accepted. Yes it's a lot of money, especially considering my (older) brother was doing it for free, and yes the money will have to come out of the emergency fund. But the way we look at it, our driveway is a steep slope, so many times we've had to run after balls, bikes and kids on bikes due to the slope, so to us the gate is a necessity. We're happy to pay that price, as we've still got a bargain in the end.

So that will be getting done soon, providing they have time to do it, and also we received a call from the blinds company, they will be getting installed tomorrow morning between 9-9.30. I can't wait :)

So if you're still with me, thankyou for reading that and sorry for boring you with my issues lol. I'll blame these pregnancy hormones for making mountains out of mole hills :)