It’s already the 11th of January! And how many of us have already failed on our New Year resolutions?
Did you have a specific New Year’s resolution this year? Was it the same one that you make every year?
Broken resolutions?
It’s already the 11th of January! And how many of us have already failed on our New Year resolutions?
Did you have a specific New Year’s resolution this year? Was it the same one that you make every year?
Celebrity overload?
You may think it an odd subject for a University to have an entire module on, but the study of ‘Celebrity’ in film and media courses is becoming very popular.
Just last week the Inaugural Celebrity Studies Journal Conference was held in Australia where over 120 delegates met from around the World and subjects such as celebrity philanthropy, ‘queer’ celebrity, the production of celebrity and digital celebrity, feminism, political celebrity and the list goes on.
Facebook us mums - government
Now the British government says it backs women using sites such as Facebook to share their questions and experience - but wants them to link to its advice site.
Call to shake up early pregnancy care
The services would aim to identify and help women who may have an ectopic pregnancy - in which the baby is growing outside the womb.
The guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence also sets out new advice for GPs to help them recognise these problems.
Hospital for pregnant duchess
Breast-feeding booms
In just six years the rate of women attempting breast-feeding at birth has increased by six percentage points, reaching 81%, according to the report.
And a third of women now continue breast-feeding until the baby is six months old. In 2005 it was just one quarter.
Major change of plan
This pregnancy has just taken a turn for the unexpected! At a routine appointment, the midwife wasn't able to tell what position the baby was lying in, so referred me to hospital for a scan. And thank goodness she did, because it revealed that he is in fact breech (head up), and therefore a normal birth would carry much higher risks.
What a surprise! He'd been in the right position a fortnight earlier, and by that point - around 36 weeks - they generally stay put. I spent hours reading up about breech babies, and saw a consultant the following day. She suggested a technique called "external cephalic version" to try to turn the baby head-down. I was given an injection to relax the womb, lay on a bed which was tilted so gravity could help (!) and the doctor tried her best to push him round. But apparently he's firmly wedged in, so no luck.
After that I was talked through the process of having a caesarean, which the hospital recommends for breech babies, agreed, and signed the consent form. It's booked for just four days before my due date, so there's a chance of labour starting before then! In that case, the doctors would decide whether to go straight to a caesarean, or if I've already progressed quite far, whether it's safer to have a vaginal breech birth.
I'm trying to look on the bright side - although the recovery from a caesarean is longer, it's more predictable in timing and risks than a normal birth would be. It'll be annoying not being able to do much for a while, but I'm determined to be lazy because I don't want to risk overdoing it and delaying the time when I'm back on my feet. Above all, I'm really looking forward to meeting our newest family member!
Packing my second hospital bag
I think that, at 35 weeks pregnant, the time has probably come to pack my hospital bag. However it's much easier to sit down on the sofa and just make a list, so that's what I'm going to do.
One slight problem is that I have no idea how long I'll be in for. A very straightforward second labour (yes please) and I could be out a few hours later. On the other hand, anything could happen and I may be there for several days. Better be on the safe side I think, especially as I won't be the one carrying the bag!
Number one child reaches two
Ben has just turned two, and my little baby is quite definitely no longer a baby, in fact he's very nearly a big brother.
I actually think that once things have settled down and he's used to not getting all my attention, he'll love being the eldest. He'll enjoy being slightly better at everything and teaching little (name yet to be revealed) all about the world.
How do you choose someone's name - for life?!
We've now only got eight weeks, roughly, until the baby's due and have finally reached a decision about his name.
What a huge decision it seems! Having had Ben around for nearly two years, I realise I'll be saying whichever word we choose approximately 500 times a day for the next several years. Added to which, anyone who crosses our path - that's dozens of people every day at the park, toddler groups, etc. - could form an opinion on its ordinariness/weirdness.
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