Hi all. I lost this thread for a while.
bugs has told you my news. After an incredibly stressful week in which the dreaded CS was put back several times (once when I was on the way to the hospital and then several times on the day they eventually did it) centime was delivered at 21:37 a week ago today. She was a teeny tiny 3lb6 but only needed breathing support for a few hours after birth and is doing really well. She has been in and out from under the jaundice lights, but that is par for the course for a premmie. It's hard to see though as she clearly hates it and thrashes her little arms and legs around the whole time. The biggest challenge has been getting her eating. Babies who aren't getting all they should through the placenta tend to "brain save", which means other things don't develop as they should. We were warned that at her gestation it would be the gut that struggled and they were right. For the first few days she couldn't keep anything down (and had one horrible choking incident when I was holding her, which terrified me). However, she is now tolerating milk and they are upping the amount each day, and her weight is finally moving up rather than down. My life is now that of a dairy cow, as I'm attached to the breast pump every 2-3 hrs. Mooooooo.
Everyone told me the CS wouldn't be as bad as I expected. Unfortunately, it was worse. The spinal took ages to work, worked well for about 20 mins while they got the baby out, then wore off while they were stitching me up... I then had a horrible time in recovery, reacting to some of the drugs they had given me, including throwing up, which was the most painful part of the whole process. However, my recovery has been amazing (probably helped by surgeon who thinks he is god, and the fact that the incision did not need to be large for such a small baby). I was up at showering at 6am (having finished being stitched up at 22:00 the night before), and up and walking around that afternoon. A week on and I've got a few twinges as the expressing is making my womb contract but you would absolutely not know I had major surgery a week ago. I'm just waiting to see my GP to see if I can get signed off to drive, as that will make going to see centime a lot easier.
So it has been a crazy week or so. I don't think I have cried as much during any period of my life. But she is here, and seems to be doing well. Now we just have to fatten her up and get her home!