39 weeks.

Starting to freak out slightly!

I don't remember if I posted an update after my last Resident appointment on Friday (38+3wks) so I'll give you a rundown on that.

:: Appointment was for 9.15. I got there at 9, i left just after 12. Thank god Isla was a good girl.


I saw the same idiotic Dr as last time. She checked the swelling in my feet but said it was okay, they only worry if you can leave an indentation in your legs/feet which I can of an evening. She said as long as the swelling goes away when I put my feet up then not to worry about it, and it will continue (probably get worse) until little sister gets here. Have only put on 550g since last week, although I really should weigh myself after I go to the toilet and not before!!

I told her that I tried to book into the anaesthetic clinic last week but I didn't have the right forms, so she gave me the forms for my GP to fill in and told me to see the ladies at the desk and they'll book me in. I go and see the ladies, the woman takes one look at the forms the Dr just gave me and said, "you have to go back and get these filled out by the doctor before I can book you in, you don't even have a booking date for the c-section". So, I told her that I was booked for the 20th and she said to get the Dr to write it in.

So, after waiting over an hour to see the Dr, I then had to go back and wait to see her again (it was now 11.15) she filled in the forms, then said that she couldn't fill them in because she's a resident, I had to have a registrar or LMO to sign/fill them in. BLOODY HELL. I got moved to another clinic room to wait for another Dr to come in and fill out all the forms. In the meantime, Jane, the nice midwife saw me in the corridor looking less than impressed, so she called the theatre rooms and double checked my booking for Thursday - and it's all in there - 8am.
The next Dr came and filled in the forms, she was the Dr who booked me in again for the 20th anyway, as soon as she saw my name she knew all about what had happened, although still couldn't explain why I'd been taken off in the first place.
I'm booked in to the Pre-admission Anaesthetic Review Clinic for Tuesday the 18th at 2.30pm. I have no idea how long it takes or what's involved, but we'll find out on Tuesday.

The Dr asked whether I wanted a General, Epidural or Spinal, and I said Spinal. She thinks that will be the best option, even though I really have no idea, I just prefer 2 injections (a local, then the spinal) to having the epidural catheter inserted. Someone remind me to speak to the anaesthetist about that ::

So that was a massive pain in the arse. I went to the GP on Monday to have the forms filled out, but after sitting for nearly 2 hours in their waiting room, I couldn't be bothered going to the hospital to hand in the forms and took them with me yesterday when I had the anaesthetic clinic.
Pre-Admission Clinic: Was really good. Kate came with me, bless her cotton socks, I'd be lost without her! We had a lengthy wait again, but at least they warned us about it this time. We got there around 2.30 for the appointment and left after 5 - again! The anaesthetist was SO lovely, I am so bummed that she's not working TOMORROW (OMG tomorrow!) but she assured me that the man who will be there with me is lovely too!

I am allowed to take in an iPod - Yippee! The more distractions the better! She agreed that a spinal is the way to go, but did warn me about a) shaking b) nausea and vomiting and c) headaches. She also said that once you've decided to go for a spinal you are completely awake, they can't give me any of those magical drugs that take you away to la-la land because they'll affect the baby - but if I feel like I'm not coping I can have a General at any stage (unless of course there is only about 5 minutes left). She said that I'll have the spinal put in in the anaesthetic bay not in the theatre which is a MASSIVE relief to me, even though this will be my fourth surgery I've never seen the inside of an operating room, so the prospect of having to sit on an operating table while they did the spinal has been something I have been dreading. Unfortunately, she doesn't think that Kate will be able to be with me while that's being inserted, but fingers crossed I'll be a.o.k.
She said that the Dr's are really quite fast at c-sections at this hospital and it would probably be all over and done with in about 30-45 minutes. Wow. She said that once the baby is out, she'll be wrapped up and given to me for cuddles, then while I'm being stitched etc she'll go to the birthing unit to be weighed and cleaned up properly and given the vitamin K shot etc. They said Kate will go with her to have all that done and I'll meet them back in the BU after I've spent about 30 minutes in recovery - BUT, Ian will be waiting out in the waiting room while we're in theatre, so hopefully he'll go with the baby to get weighed etc and Kate can stay with me for a while longer, I think the longer I'm left on my own, the more likely I am to freak out. We'll see anyway.
As we were leaving the pre-admission clinic, I thought I probably should hand in my admission papers, given that the actual birth would be less than 48 hours away. Imagine our surprise when I hand the forms to the lady at the desk and she tells me that there are "lots of pages missing". GAH! I explained that the Dr's in the antenatal clinc filled some forms out, ripped them out and told me to get the rest filled in by the GP. The lady told me to take the forms to the antenatal clinic because they needed them not her, and they were closed! I may never have this baby!

Isla is getting super excited about her baby sister arriving. We told her that she'll be here on Thursday but she doesn't really get what Thursday is unless we say today is Thursday, so she'll be off to kindy first thing in the morning and Ian will collect her in the afternoon and bring her in to meet her little sister! I can't wait for that moment, I get all teary just thinking about it. Isla keeps telling me how much she loves her baby sister already, I just hope the love continues when we come home.

I'm sad that I'll be in hospital away from Isla for so long, somewhere between 3-5 days. I want to stay as long as possible so that I have the help of the midwives etc, I don't want to over-do anything by coming home early, I just hope I can cope being away from Isla for so long - even though she'll spend lots of time visiting, it just wont be the same :(
I have really no clothes for this little girl if she's less than a 000! Isla's 00000's absolutely swam on her when she was born, although she was 5 weeks early, so that makes sense. I have a box in the garage of her little stuff but I can't find it anywhere and haven't really been bothered going to the shops to buy little things for her, so Ian may be forced to go clothes shopping - I shudder to think what he'll come home with, although I really should just tell him wondersuits, how wrong can he go??
Starting to crap myself, I was awake from 5am this morning thinking, "this time tomorrow..." Cross your fingers that I get some rest tonight (doubtful after I fell asleep for 3 hours this afternoon) and I can relax and enjoy this experience...