Quick update!
It's now 12.55pm the next day after my waters broke, and I'm still at home. Having the most fabulous care from the head of community midwives, Jackie, who is calling me from home regularly to check on me, and telling me she plans to come out to attend my labour and birth when it starts! HOW WONDERFUL!
The only thing is, I am still not in labour. I have had NO contractions whatsoever, so far. This morning I have been having light pink staining on my pad along with the continuing waters draining, and that's really encouraging because Heather says that is a bloody show - labour should not be far off. Last time I had a bloody show without any other signs of labour was with Benjamin, and contractions started probably 4 or 5 hours later. So far there's still nothing, and I am not sure what to expect.
A midwife is on her way over right this minute to give me "a really good sweep", which is a slightly nerve-wracking thought! :S The idea is that it should put me into labour pretty quickly (today) and then I can hurry up and have my little manny. If it doesn't, then I will need to go into hospital - there's no exact time-frame, but probably this evening? Or tomorrow morning? Because the risk of infection to the baby is gradually increasing (it's tiny, but still there), and will become more so once somebody has done an internal examination and a sweep. The Group B Strep is the only reason for any pressure of any sort, but even so the risks are still low to Elijah. I have to keep remembering that, because there is so much HYPE about GBS, but the risks are actually really really (really) low. Jackie and Heather keep reminding me which is very reassuring and helpful! Jackie says she would probably be erring on the side of caution later today if nothing was happening, and suggesting (though she said I absolutely don't HAVE to) that I go into hospital and get labour started so that it isn't going on too long. I am open to that, I just wish I would start contracting already so that I can have this baby at home! I will be anxious about him when he's born even so, hoping that he's okay. But I just want to HAVE him already! Please please body, pleeeease start contracting.
Heather brought round some clary sage oil last night and put it in her oil burner, because apparently it can get contractions going. But it did nothing at all for me - I had the quietest evening for BH contractions for ages, even! Ah the irony! ;) Today I have refreshed the clary sage and have been on my birth ball bouncing a bit. There's not that much in the way of waters leaking. They are draining continually but in very small amounts - it's a tiny leak more than a gusher, and I should think he is still surrounded by pretty much all of his amniotic fluid still. I don't think I've lost all that much in total. I've soaked through three maternity pads since last night, so that's not that much considering the pints and pints that are in there! ;) The fluid is still nice and clear, and Elijah is moving around a lot today.
I didn't sleep too well - well it took me a while to get to sleep with RLS again, but eventually I got up and stretched my legs and directed the fan at my feet, and went to sleep pretty quickly after that. I don't know what time it was, maybe 2am? Then I slept solidly until about 5.15, and dozed until 6.30 when I got up (the boys were up already). I had a horrible headache, which I had last night and it didn't go away with painkillers. It was fine while I was sleeping, but within about 60 seconds of being awake it came back. It's in my eyes and sinuses and forehead, ugh. It's definitely the most bothersome thing I'm dealing with today. I have had another round of painkillers this morning but it has persisted all the same.
Heather is running a stall at a craft fair this morning and for the next hour probably, but it's in our local area, and she has her phone with her. She took her hubby and daughter with her so that they can take over the instant she needs to dash off to be with me. I would sort of like her to be with me now, especially for the sweep, but there's nothing actually happening so she might as well finish her craft fair. I've phoned her several times though, for advice and to update her, so we can be in touch just fine.
I have had a bath (having cleaned it first) - Heather said it was fine to have a bath in my own bath tub! Now I have laid a maternity bed pad on the bed and I await the midwife! Please pray that this sweep will work almost immediately (the last one got me very crampy from about 10 mins after being done, but Matthew's did not work until the next morning) and I will have my baby today - at home would be so so so wonderful. But I want what's best and safest for him. At this stage, hospital is not yet the safest place for him to be born. Home is safer until there's enough of a risk to him, and there isn't just yet. I am taking my temperature every 4 hours as they've instructed me to, so if that goes up then I will go in straight away.
I will try to keep my blog posted, but if I can't, I will update when I can afterwards. If you know me on Facebook, please please don't mention Elijah's name by mistake when commenting on my statuses! If you happen to see someone who's done so, would you please mind sending them a quick message so they can delete it asap. His name is the only thing I haven't announced to my real life friends and some family members and the entire of my church, all of whom follow me on Facebook, and there have been a couple of slip-ups already from online friends who know Elijah's name - thankfully I saw them quickly and deleted the comments, hopefully before anyone who didn't know saw them! I can't wait to announce his name and birth details - that part is SO much fun! :)
Okay, better get off the laptop ready for the midwife. I think I will lie down and rest until she's here because my head is sore and I feel quite tired now. I did sleep again from about 7.45 to just before 9am when the phone woke me (Heather was checking on me). It felt like good sleep, but the headache started again right after I woke. I'm eating and drinking, and otherwise feeling fine, but it's juuuust starting to become a little bit too hot for comfort in terms of the weather, even with the windows open and a good strong breeze blowing. Hopefully I'll keep cool enough. The weather could easily cause me headaches like this, but I did have a hormonal cry yesterday morning and it seems like every time I cry I end up with horrible sinusy headaches the next day, for ages! Hopefully it'll go away soon though. Will be back when I can! :)
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