So, while Selina is having a bounce, I thought I would fill you all in on my pregnancy journey. It wasn't easy but it wasn't the worst.
Ryan and I got engaged in the Summer of 2017, while in Texas visiting his sister. We said that 2018 would be the year that we started to try for a baby. We both thought that it would take a while. We started trying in the February and by the 5th of March, we had a positive pregnancy test! Who knew we were so compatible.
We realised that we were pregnant while we were living it up in South Africa for a family wedding. I had drank and thoroughly enjoyed myself but then as my period due date drew closer, I started to get pain in my lower back and really sore and tender breasticles (they are my woman balls). In the back of my mind i thought that I could be pregnant but at the same time, I didn't think for a second that it would happen so quick! I think we were at the top of table mountain when I told him that I thought I was pregnant but also that I might have just messed up my dates. He convinced himself that I was pregnant. We agreed that we would do a test the moment that we got home...and we did. And it was positive. We were so shocked.
I was so excited! This was a moment that I had been waiting for, for such a long time. I never thought I would ever get the chance to become a mother. I actually spent a long time thinking that I couldn't have children.
Around a week later, I had a bleed, I remember being sat on the toilet crying my eyes out thinking that this little person that I hadn't even met or seen, was being took away from me. I already had so much love for the little one growing inside of me. I had to wait 2 weeks before I could have a scan to see what was happening and if we were still pregnant. Those two weeks were the hardest of my life. But....she was fine. there on the ultrasound screen was my little bubba. heart beating away - measuring around 6 weeks but there. Alive. Words cannot describe how happy I was!
We had another bleed around 3 weeks later but once again, she was fine. She was just keeping us on our toes. The little tinker.
As the months progressed, I had bad morning sickness, turned vegetarian, lost 2.5 stone and became an emotional wreck (I remember being sat on the floor, crying my eyes out because I really wanted a medium rare steak) Standard right? I ended up in A&E a couple of times. my heart rate sky rocketed a couple times and I decided it would be a good idea to pass out while doing some community work in a local school! Fun times.
The one thing that was always a worry for me was my hips. I was diagnosed with Bilateral Hip Dysplasia when I was two and over the years, I have had multiple surgeries to try and correct the problem. In the months prior to falling pregnant, I had been having steroid injections into my right hip to help with pain. These had to stop which killed me. I didn't know if I would be able to have a natural labour or if it would be a planned section. There were so many questions that I had but so few places to find them.
I saw my consultant who confirmed that there would be no issues with my having natural birth and my community midwife confirmed that I could continue to take codeine throughout but needed to stop at 37 weeks to avoid Babalina being born with an addiction ( I was more than happy to oblige with that).
So on we went, weeks turned into months, we found out we were having a girl at 16 weeks 5 days. I had always wanted a little girl. Selina is named after my Great Nana - Selina May Graham. We took the Selina and chose the middle name Rose (yellow roses were her favourite flower). I say we....it was me. Ryan had the job of choosing a boys name. I think I secretly knew that I was having a little girl. It was all I could think about and all the signs were there - including little signs from my Nana in heaven. A bush in our garden which had never flowered, suddenly bloomed - yellow roses. At our gender reveal, the first song that came on after we had burst the balloon was Angel by Sarah Machlaclan. This was the song that was playing when my mum and I went to visit my Nana in the Chapel of rest. Everything pointed to my Nana having a hand in this pregnancy. This being the case, I knew that I would have a feisty little girl, with a massive personality.
I left work early as I had holidays take - September 10th was my last day in work and Babalina was due 04/11/2018. This gave me time to rest. I was finding it progressively hard to walk and get comfortable and I don't think that this was necessarily pregnancy related. I think that this was all down to my hips naturally deteriorating. I saw a consultant who agreed that they would start my sweeps early - at 36 weeks. I was so excited! They didn't work however. I remember having one at 37 weeks +4, then going to a ball the same night - in heels! I'm not sure what I was thinking! That same day, I was booked in for my induction! EEEEK exciting times!
I'm going to leave the pregnancy journey here for now, I will update with my labour journey from induction onwards. It was a fun time! (also, I am currently stuck on the floor with my legs crossed and my hips have locked...so HELP!
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