Today was THE DAY- i.e. the day when I get to take Morgan to hospital and get the results of her Genetic Profiling - meaning I would find out if she's a Down's Baby or not. Before getting to the big revelation, I'll give you a background of what a day from hell it has been.
At about 3am, I gave Morgan her bottle and changed her nappy, and then went to the kitchen to prepare her next feeds and to enjoy a middle-of-the-night snack and hot beverage. Yes, I just heard the words 'hot beverage' being spoken in my head by The Big Bang Theory's Dr Sheldon Cooper. Oops - there we go again.
A thunder-cum-hailstorm broke loose out of nowhere. And then it happened. It was 4am. One moment I'm doing a Word Search, the next, a loud POP! was heard and the lights went out.
"FuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckFUCK!" I thought to myself. Hugh, my laptop, was on standby, plugged in. I ran to unplug it, whilst hoping it will still work once I give it a shot, to prevent any other possible damages. I checked on Morgan, and told my mum there was a blackout. Upon checking the circuit breaker, it turned out the issue must be related to the Electricity Main Thingy. Great.
My grandma woke up and herself, my mum and I ended up bickering over what could be the issue. Because you know, each one of us is a Certified Electrician, right? Anyway. Everyone went back to sleep and I nodded off for about an hour until it was time to wake up.
I got Morgan fed and changed and cleaned up, then got ready myself. It was soon after that hell broke loose over how on Earth I was meant to get to hospital. Due to the sudden weather change, bussing it was out of the question, and the taxi service I called was unavailable. After a while, my brother managed to pick us up and drive us there.
A brief struggle to install the car seat and a mostly traffic-free drive later, and we were there. My mum accompanied us to help me carry the car seat + Morgan as they are bloody heavy! The Doc we had the appointment with hadn't arrived yet, so we sat in the waiting room, and did just that - we waited.
The wait was rather nerve-wrecking. In the meanwhile, I received a message via Facebook from Morgan's Paternal Granny to say that Morgan's Paternal Great-granddad had passed away earlier this morning. Yet another death that has affected someone close to me this year - brings the toll up to 5 in total. It is rather sad that Morgan will now never have the opportunity to meet him, but I'm told that he was shown her photos and that made him smile. So at least, there's that. Now, we wait to see if this will impact her Paternal Granny's visit or not. If the visit has to be rescheduled, then so be it. It is a matter of prioritising after all. If everything stays the same though, it would mean that we get Morgan's Paternal Granny over here on Saturday! Exciting stuff!
I was looking around me, observing other babies and children. There was one colicky baby, who went bright red and just wouldn't stop crying. Soon after, another baby joined in and started wailing as well. I smiled, a bit smugly, I admit, at Morgan - who was asleep - and told her "Good girl, not to give in to peer pressure!" This provoked a quizzical look and some chuckles from my mum.
I then was observing a boy - who was perhaps 10 years old - who seemed to have some disability. I didn't realise this until I heard him speak. That is when I looked at Morgan, a bit choked up and thought to myself how easy it is for a disability to stay hidden from the world, and how anxious I was to get the results. I kept hoping and hoping that everything would be fine. Given the day's start though, I wasn't hopeful, to be honest.
Then, the Doc walked in and soon after we were summoned.
Doc said she was still waiting for Morgan's notes, and after a few moments, she broke the news.
Does Morgan seem Down to you?
No?
THAT IS BECAUSE SHE IS NOT A DOWN'S BABY!
The tests came back perfectly fine! I was overjoyed to hear this, albeit it was a delayed reaction since I think I was somewhat shocked. I had been preparing myself for the worst, just in case, so it was a bit of a dream-like situation.
Doc then weighed and measured Morgan - She now weighs 4.09kg [9lbs] and is 52.7cm [20.7inches] tall. She'll be 5 weeks old tomorrow. Quite impressive, at least to me!
Whatever else goes wrong throughout the day won't matter. I know Morgan is well, and that is all that matters to me.
Tomorrow is the day where I take Morgan to hospital for a check-up, and probably, her test results. It is a daunting task, I must admit. I suppose this is why a lot of people choose to be ignorant. They would rather not know, rather than risk finding out some piece of bad news.
I had the option, you know. The one where no blood tests would be conducted. The one where we'd just sit back and see if anything emerges a few months further down the line. The one where I wouldn't have had to sit in a room and help two nurses hold Morgan still so that they could poke needles in her hands as she cried her heart out in pain.
But. I'm a nerd, heh. I had to know. I'm what you'd call an Infornographer. Knowing will help me figure out how to best look after Morgan.
On a positive note, I got her the cutest Baby Rocker ever. No, not a boyfriend. This:
Picture quality sucks, I know. It is merely a pain to unpack and repack it for no valid reason at the moment. I will post better pics at a later date!
This, on the other hand, is the first vid I'm posting of Morgan since she was born. It was taken a few days ago, [1st of March] whilst she was in the middle of her Tummy Time.
This week is when Morgan's blood tests re: chromosome count should be ready. I probably won't get the results until next week though, seeing as we have a hospital appointment. As mentioned previously, I'm not overly concerned however I can't help but be anxious about it. I just want to see it black on white that everything is in order.
It isn't the challenges we'd face should she turn out to be a Down's baby - it is more a case of knowing she will have a shorter than average life.
A few days ago, someone I know was involved in a car accident and is now in a coma. I'm hoping she pulls through. I can't help but think of all those I've seen die over the years. I miss each and every one of them. A minimum of 1 funeral a year, for the past 12 years, isn't something that has been easy to deal with.
I do believe I've found an optimal solution for drunk driving incidents though. I reckon everyone should skate instead of drive a vehicle. That way, should the person be intoxicated, they'll fall flat on their face/arse the moment they attempt to get rolling. Plus, it is eco-friendly! And would help people get in shape. Win/win/win! So much win!
Everyone is so focused on the bodily changes they go through during their pregnancy, that they don't realise there will be even more changes occurring after you give birth other than the obvious belly-deflation and the need to exercise to get rid of any extra weigh gained.
Your uterus will shrink
By the time Baby is evicted out of your womb, your uterus is about 15 times as heavy as it would've been prior to your getting pregnant. That does not include its contents, mind you! Its capacity will be at least 500 times greater than before you conceived.
That being said, within a few minutes after Baby pops out, there'll be more contractions rocking your uterus that will cause it to shrink. Imagine the contractions as being the reproductive system's equivalent of a fist. This will cause its crisscrossed fibres to tighten in the same way they do during labour. These contractions will allow the placenta to detach itself from your uterine wall and be ejected.
It doesn't stop there! Once the placenta is out, more shrinkage occurs as the uterus closes off open blood vessels in the area where the placenta was attached. These cramps are known as afterpains.
Oh, and besides from shrinking, your uterus will also be moving back into its original location since it would have ballooned up and filled in an area in your abdominal cavity where it usually shouldn't be. This whole process is called "involution".
This cramping process starts a few minutes after Baby is out, yes, however it can take six weeks or more to bugger off. Oh joy! More pain! I suppose it is the body's way of reminding us that we have quite a bit of PMSing to catch up on.
The cramps will be quite intense during the first day or two after giving birth, and start lessening on the third day or so and carry on for the following weeks until the involution is complete.
You will still look pregnant for a few weeks even after the involution is over and done with, and your uterus is back in its original place. Your abdominal muscles get stretched out during pregnancy, therefore it will take several stomach crunches and some time to lose the rotund belly.
Boobies!
There is a fair bit to be said about the wonderful bags of delight commonly known as Breasts. I've already touched the subject - ha. touched. - in this previous blog. The focus was mainly on changes occurring throughout the pregnancy itself, with just a brief mention of the aftermath.
Well... the obvious place to start would be Breastfeeding - To Boob or Not to Boob? That is the question! I won't delve into the whole topic as of yet as I am still undecided on how to proceed myself. I tend to like having facts and figures in order to make an informed decision, as you might have guessed by now. Alas, when it comes to Breastfeeding, the facts and figures tend to be tainted heavily by bias - either from a pro, or a con point of view. I don't want other people telling me "This is bad, this is good" purely because they say so. I have brains, thank you very much. I like using them.
One thing to know about Breastfeeding is this - your boobs won't stop increasing in volume until you stop Breastfeeding. When your milk comes in, usually a few days after delivery, your breasts will become swollen, tender, hard, and uncomfortably full. This is called engorgement - and when it comes to finding out how long it will last, you tend to come across a lot of "maybe"s and "should"s. A good way to help ease the pain [yep. MORE FRIGGIN PAIN.] is to refrigerate a couple of cabbage leaves and stick them in your bra. Allowing your Baby to breastfeed regularly and/or pump the milk out can also help - if you're opting for breastfeeding.
To tie in with the previously mentioned Uterine Shrinkage, Breastfeeding can bring on them cramps or make them more intense. This is caused by the oxytocin that is released by Baby's sucking. The release of this hormone causes contractions. The only upside there is to it is that the crampy contractions help reduce postpartum blood loss... which means it is your body's way of preventing you from bleeding excessively.
Weight loss
You will lose quite a bit of weight immediately after giving birth! Let's do the math...
Let us say that Baby is of average weight.... so 3 - 3.7kg [7 to 8 pounds-ish]
Placenta would approximately weight another... 0.5 - 1kg [1 - 2 pounds]
Blood and amniotic fluid would be about another.... 1 kg? [2 pounds]
That brings us to the grand total of 4.5 - 5.7kg [10 - 12 pounds]
To me, that means more than half the weight I have gained so far. Sweet!
It doesn't stop there either! All the extra water that your cells retained during pregnancy, along with fluid from the extra blood you had in your pregnant body, will want to ooze its way out. This means that you'll be peeing more often - if that is even possible - in the days following birth — almost 3 litres of piss a day!!
You might sweat a lot as well. This means that by the end of the first week, you'll lose close to another 2 kilos [4 pounds] of water weight. The amount varies of course depending on how much water retention occurred throughout your pregnancy.
Ladybits!
As to be expected, things down below will be a bit..... eh, how should I put this? It won't be nice, to put it in simple non-graphic terms..
If you go for a vaginal birth, it will cause your vag to remain a little larger than usual. Straight after birthing, it will remain stretched open and may be swollen or bruised. Ouch! It will take a few days for any swelling you may have to start going down... Slowly slowly, your ladybits will start to regain their muscle tone, and within a few weeks, it will mean that your vag will gradually get smaller. Doing Kegel exercises regularly helps restore muscle tone.
*cue mental images of a Body Builder Vag.*
Sorry about that!
If you were unlucky enough to have to have an episiotomy or a tear, your perineum needs time to heal. This means you'll have to wait for the thumbs up to be given by your doctor during your Postnatal Check-up before you can get jiggy with it. Even once you get the go-ahead, you might still be tender and sore, so it is best to wait until you're ready.
On a side note, it seems like Will Smith's dance moves are more effective than I was aware or.... having the tune play in another tab is still making me pause from typing to dance whenever the chorus kicks in. Sad, I know. It is fun though! I dare you try and resist the urge to do the same!!
So yeah - Use the forced break to figure out what contraception you'd like to go for. I'm told by a good friend of mine that in spite of being happy to have gotten pregnant with her 3rd child only 4 months after giving birth, she's sick and tired of being pregnant - 2 years of more or less constant pregnancy takes its toll!
Once it is time to get your freak on again, take it easy. Things might be somewhat different now. You may find that you are lacking a bit in the vaginal lubrication department in comparison to what it would have been like throughout your pregnancy. This is due to lower levels of oestrogen. Breastfeeding will only make it worse as it tends to keep oestrogen levels down. Invest in a good water-based lubricant. water-based lubricant, particularly Oil-based lubricants can lead to condoms to break or diaphragms to get ruined as they tend to weaken latex.
Taking the piss are we?
Alas, nope! Guess what? Even peeing will be a challenge!
It might come to pass that you won't be able to feel the need to pee for the first few days - especially if you've had a prolonged labour, or a forceps or vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery, - or more commonly, an epidural. All of these scenarios cause your bladder to temporarily become less sensitive.
Recall the constant peeing I mentioned earlier in relation to weight loss? Remind yourself to try and pee whenever you can as you will most likely need to, even though you don't feel the urge. If you don't, you'll end up pissing your pants. Sad, but true.
Besides from wetting yourself, you're likely to face other issues. For example - your bladder might over-distend itself and therefore lead to urinary problems, besides from making it harder for your uterus to contract, leading to more afterpains and bleeding.
If you can't pee within a few hours after giving birth, a catheter will be put in your bladder to drain the urine. (If you deliver by c-section, you'll have a urinary catheter for the surgery and the following 12 hours or so.)
It must be a tough life being a nurse... you get to deal with peeing issues woman might face after giving birth too!
Tell your nurse about any difficulties you may be facing when it comes to peeing - be it an actual difficulty to pee, or merely producing just a tiny amount of pee every time you have to tinkle. If your bladder gets too full, it can actually prevent you from being able to urinate.
Moody McMoody is still in town!
Thing is, once you give birth, your hormones need time to get back to pre-pregnancy mode. This means mood swings will still be around - very much like that irritating house guest who just does not know when it is time to sod off!
Besides from hormonal issues, you'll also be dealing with discomfort you may still be experiencing from labour and birth, sleep deprivation and the other demands of caring for a new baby, as well as the emotional adjustment to motherhood. It is extremely common to feel somewhat down in the dumps, or even overwhelmed. Just make sure to keep an eye on it. If the moodiness lasts longer than a couple of weeks, speak to your doctor as there may be more to it.
Hair loss
Some women experience a spurt of hair growth during pregnancy, only to find it falls out in handfuls once they give birth for the first few months. It's ok though - you won't go bald.
What may have seemed like a hair growth spurt is in fact a delay in hair loss caused by high oestrogen levels. Once the oestrogen levels drop once more, so will your hair.
By your child's first birthday, your hair should return back to its old self.
On the up side, if you became excessively hairy throughout the pregnancy [think hairy nipples, pronounced pleasure trail on your belly, gorilla legs etc] - you'll go back to your old self within 3 - 6 months.
What about the Skin?
Hormonal changes can cause, or get rid of acne. Some pregnant women get all pimply throughout their pregnancy whilst others get that 'glow' everyone keeps going on and on about. The tables might turn once you give birth. Everything will return back to normal in due course though.
If you have chloasma (darkened patches of skin on your lips, nose, cheeks, or forehead), it'll begin to fade in the months after giving birth and probably go away completely, as long as you protect your skin from the sun.
To conclude - you're probably going to encounter the most dreaded post-pregnancy side effects of them all.
Stretchmarks.
Unfortunately there is no way to know how badly you'll be affected by said stretchmarks. There are numerous claims for miracle cures out there. Different people swear by different remedies. To me, your best bet is to eat healthily and drink plenty of water. This will keep your skin hydrated and less likely to encounter really bad stretchmarks. If you're the kind of person who bothers with these things, perhaps massaging the afflicted area whilst using some sort of unscented cream - maybe containing Aloe Vera or Shea Butter - or even just making your own Avocado Pulp may help.
I'm sure there will be more changes you will face that I can't think of right now. I'll keep you updated as to what happens once I'm in that particular situation!
I am pierced and tattooed. I have suspended from hooks that were pierced through the skin on my back. And yet, I have this tremendous phobia - I can't bear the idea of someone sticking a needle in my vein and either sucking out, or injecting fluids.
Whenever I go to the dentist, I'm in tears. Literally. If I need to have blood taken, I'm in tears. And if I need to get vaccinated, I'm in tears.
And yet, I plan to donate blood as soon as I can.
The thought has been running through my head for quite a few months now - it seems like the fact that my Creature might someday need a blood transfusion has done the trick for me. I've made him/her my Number 1 priority - so I am willing to face my fears in order to help him - and anyone else whose life might depend on a pint of my lifejuice.
For the past 3 days, there have been articles published on local newspapers trying to bring to everyone's attention that BLOOD IS URGENTLY NEEDED - in particular Type O Positive and Type O Negative. Much to my horror, on the first article I read there were people posting comments as to why they are "boycotting the system" and "refuse to donate blood". Three days later - and no one has answered to the appeals.
SERIOUSLY?! Are you really willing to allow another person to die just because you want to defy the system?! What sort of person are you??
Yes, there are some restrictions which are archaic and stupid within the blood donation system. In fact, I am hoping that I will be allowed to donate blood. I'm O Positive - meaning I'm a Universal Donor.
I'll briefly explain the differences in blood types:
There are 4 blood types - and each blood type can be said to be either positive [ +ve] or negative [-ve]. These are Type A +ve/-ve, Type B +ve/-ve, Type AB +ve/-ve and Type O +ve/-ve.
Blood group AB individuals have both A and B antigens on the surface of their RBCs, and their blood plasma does not contain any antibodies against either A or B antigen. Therefore, an individual with type AB blood can receive blood from any group (with AB being preferable), but can donate blood only to another type AB individual.
Blood group A individuals have the A antigen on the surface of their RBCs, and blood serum containing IgM antibodies against the B antigen. Therefore, a group A individual can receive blood only from individuals of groups A or O (with A being preferable), and can donate blood to individuals with type A or AB.
Blood group B individuals have the B antigen on the surface of their Red Blood Cells [RBCs], and blood serum containing IgM antibodies against the A antigen. Therefore, a group B individual can receive blood only from individuals of groups B or O (with B being preferable), and can donate blood to individuals with type B or AB.
Blood group O (or blood group zero in some countries) individuals do not have either A or B antigens on the surface of their RBCs, but their blood serum contains IgM anti-A and anti-B antibodies against the A and B blood group antigens. Therefore, a group O individual can receive blood only from a group O individual, but can donate blood to individuals of any ABO blood group (i.e., A, B, O or AB). If a patient in a hospital situation were to need a blood transfusion in an emergency, and if the time taken to process the recipient's blood would cause a detrimental delay, O Negative blood can be issued.
So, what does +ve and -ve mean?
This refers to something called the Rh [Rhesus] blood group system.
Wikipedia describes it as follows:
"The system (including the Rh factor) is one of thirty current human blood group systems. Clinically, it is the most important blood group system after ABO. At Present, the Rh blood group system consists of 50 defined blood-group antigens, among which the 5 antigens D, C, c, E, and e are the most important. The commonly-used terms Rh factor, Rh positive and Rh negative refer to the D antigen only. Besides its role in blood transfusion, the Rh blood group system, the D antigen, in particular, is a relevant cause of the hemolytic disease of the newborn or erythroblastosis fetalis for which prevention is key."
How is this relevant to my pregnancy?
If you notice the last sentence in the above paragraph, it is quite important actually!Hemolytic Disease of the newborn or Erythroblastosis Fetalis occurs when there is an incompatibility between the blood types of the mother and the fetus. There is also potential incompatibility if the mother is Rh negative and the father is positive. When any incompatibility is detected, the mother receives an injection at 28 weeks gestation and at birth to avoid the development of antibodies toward the fetus. These terms do not indicate which specific antigen-antibody incompatibility is implicated. The disorder in the fetus due to Rh D incompatibility is known as erythroblastosis fetalis.
The above explanation is extracted from Wikipedia - for more details, clicky here.
How do I know whether I can donate blood in Malta?
Most of the information you need can be found here. There may be restrictions not listed on the website [sexual orientation, stupidly enough, being one of them] - however there is no harm in trying to donate.
