Mark and I were both excited and nervous for the final sonogram on the 25th of June. Mark hadn't been able to attend previous sonograms, so he was excited to see the baby in the live scenario and we were both looking forward to seeing how different he looked compared to earlier pictures. I was also anxious to see if the placenta had moved and whether the decision about the birth was taken out of my hands.
The baby was facing down and towards my spine, which unfortunately made it difficult for the sonographer to get a good angle for us to see him properly. It was amazing to see the intricate bone structure of the baby, his spine etc.. The sonographer performed several checks, including making sure the kidneys looked healthy, which she advised is an additional Down's check. She said that everything was great, and that also the placenta had moved away from the cervix.
Following the sonogram we met with Dr Holden and during our appointment he ran through all of the risks associated with a caesarean birth (http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1029062/caesarean-birth-what-are-the-risks-and-benefits). Many of these are very scary, however as I have mentally prepared myself for a caesarean throughout my pregnancy, I have decided to continue to plan for the caesarean birth. Dr Holden said that I could change my mind at any time, but I know that my decision is unlikely to change at this stage.
We discussed the date that the baby would potentially be born, and Dr Holden is going to check the days he is in the hospital during my 40th week (19th-25th July), so that we can schedule in the caesarean.
I finished work and began my leave on June 30th. I'm now on 'short-term disability' leave in advance of the birth of the baby, and my twelve weeks maternity leave begins from the date of birth. In recent weeks, my hip has become extremely painful during the night and I'm not getting much sleep at all, so it's a huge help having the time prior to the birth to prepare both mentally and physically for the arrival of the baby, as well as to have the time to make sure that everything is in order before it all gets crazy!
The baby was facing down and towards my spine, which unfortunately made it difficult for the sonographer to get a good angle for us to see him properly. It was amazing to see the intricate bone structure of the baby, his spine etc.. The sonographer performed several checks, including making sure the kidneys looked healthy, which she advised is an additional Down's check. She said that everything was great, and that also the placenta had moved away from the cervix.
Following the sonogram we met with Dr Holden and during our appointment he ran through all of the risks associated with a caesarean birth (http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a1029062/caesarean-birth-what-are-the-risks-and-benefits). Many of these are very scary, however as I have mentally prepared myself for a caesarean throughout my pregnancy, I have decided to continue to plan for the caesarean birth. Dr Holden said that I could change my mind at any time, but I know that my decision is unlikely to change at this stage.
We discussed the date that the baby would potentially be born, and Dr Holden is going to check the days he is in the hospital during my 40th week (19th-25th July), so that we can schedule in the caesarean.
I finished work and began my leave on June 30th. I'm now on 'short-term disability' leave in advance of the birth of the baby, and my twelve weeks maternity leave begins from the date of birth. In recent weeks, my hip has become extremely painful during the night and I'm not getting much sleep at all, so it's a huge help having the time prior to the birth to prepare both mentally and physically for the arrival of the baby, as well as to have the time to make sure that everything is in order before it all gets crazy!
