hello lovelies - been reading, but not able to post (effing iphone - it drives me to distraction trying to type on it).
first of all - JJ - lovely names - well done!
jam - good news on the pooch and get that insurance sorted
beans - what a lovely party for your dad and how wonderful that he's got that holiday to look forward to. you know, when my mum fell ill, despite the obvious, it was a really intense and sometimes joyful time. finding the joy in life is so so important, even sometimes easier when the horror is staring you in the face. i hope the rt works out well for him.
rubes - loving the sound of the first class ticket and surprising them at the wedding. go for it. exactly the sort of thing my mum would have done.
jolly - sorry doctors are being pessimists - they tend to be, don't they?
avo - a 22 hour day??? that's insane. you poor thing
and i'm sure there are many other things i should respond to, but can't remember.
oh, kiwi - how was the infamous mr T?
right... back to me me me... thanks for all the info re: vbacs - invisible, can i have your mw and birth, please? vg - thanks for the offer of emailing your friend, but i think i've now got some support sorted. zoe - thanks for the info re: continuous monitoring. is that it???
basically... we now have my old school friend being our doula - she is still a trainee, but we are thrilled she is coming to hold metaphorical and literal hands. i also have an appointment with a woman who teaches antenatal teachers about vbacs and she is going to give dh and i a preparation session. i'm feeling a bit more supported, but have yet to speak to any midwives about any of this. avo - i asked to speak to a specialist vbac midwife, like your friends did, but was told they didn't have any (by which i presume they meant they are all specialised in vbacs and there is no one with that title, as it were).
i'm kind of torn, because i know you get the birth you're given, not the one you want, but i also want to give this one a proper go and i'm not sure continuous monitoring is the way to give it a fair chance. also, i'm not completely averse to having a c/s - i just want to give it a go. anyway, feeling much better about it, and what will be will be.
dh and i had our minibreak - in a gorgeous room in a swanky hotel, but with terrible terrible food. it was pretentious, up itself, a-teenager-has-just-seen-heston-blumenthal's-programme sort of food. and i think it poisoned me, as i had a dreadful tummy the first night we were there (and this comes from cast iron stomach girl). but the room was amazing, and in a way it was nice to have a reason to lie in bed and stare at the vaulted beamed ceiling, have a bath in the mahoosive dinosaur egg-shaped stone bath with jo malone smellies. i forgot to take my notes with me, and i was approaching 35 weeks and dh kept saying "a bit of nausea and diarrhoea doesn't have anything to do with going into labour, does it?" to which i had to reply, "well, actually, those are some of the signs". but luckily my wriggly friend is still inside, happy as far as we know. i do love the wriggliness, actually, and will really miss it when it's gone. they are so much easier to take care of in the womb, aren't they? although i do have - touch wood - easy pregnancies, so am v lucky.
am sure there were a gazillion things to say, but they have all disappeared.
oh, someone was asking about gigglebiz characters - i think the characters were all formed before the writing team kicked off. i'll have to ask dh what he's responsible for.
oh, and he has been seeing his "dementaliser" (his words, obviously), and i think it is going well. even when he fundamentally disagrees with him and thinks he is talking out of his arse. but simply the fact he is going is wonderful, and he is so far a much happier bunny for it.
oh, and spot and jj - hope things are going well for you. GULP. HAVE JUST REALISED
I
AM
NEXT
(aren't i?)
big pause.
blinking nora.