Pregnancy + homebirth in NZ

[jubjub]

Good news baby seems to be doing well, but not so good about your heart murmur, hopefully its a pregnancy related thing, and wont cause you any problems in the future, fingers crossed.

Sophia, you better get used to peeing on sticks, you have to do it every time.....

I remember my first scan here, they were really hard on my belly, (but they did have a lot of fat to get through!)

Heres to a quick echo appt, and relax...

[nippa&pippa]

Thanks jubjub, hope heart murmur is nothing to worry about as GP think it is ASD (hole in the heart) but just want to check if he is right or wrong.

I can't wait for evening sickness to stop otherwise i am fine!

[Tia Maria]

Just been catching up on your story, great to hear the baby's scan went so well, hope yours does also!

It is great not waiting for the scan, especially if you've drunk a lot of water . Like you say definitely worth the money.

Looking foward to more updates.

Cheers

Tia

[nippa&pippa]

Scan was so funny as baby was aslept, then lady woke baby up as it was on wrong position for nuchal scan....After few attempts to get baby to move, she sent me off to toilet and came back with baby move into correct position but won't sit still, bouncing off the wall! She did managed to caught the baby sit still for bit to take picture for nuchal!

[nippa&pippa]

Right...

Childcare

I forgot to mention in last post...Childcare is one of most concern we need to sort out as we have two young children, 3 and 13months old and with no family at all nearby to looking after during labour/birth. A friend who live down the road offer to looking after them despite she got her own 3 and 4 months old Unfortunately, she had already booked go to canada in Sept/Oct. Other friends are not ideal, even one of them run busy motel in riccarton.
I mentioned to my midwife during first visit. She came back for second visit with informations about childcare available to us if we are happy with the plan........
Her daughter is training at Rangi Ruru Early Childhood College www.rangiruru.ac.nz/ and she offered herself to look after our children at our house. Which it is great ideas even she prepare to come out with her mum in early hour of morning if I am in labour....bless her...

I thought I mentioned about this college and possible other early childhood colleges in other cities in NZ that they always looking for families with young children for their students to have 10 days placement to work with you and your children. They have to have responsibilities looking after your children, take them to usual clubs/kindy/schools and feed them, bath them and put them to bed for you as practical placements and give you a time to yourself with extra hand helping you....ohhhhhhhh that nice!!....I am not sure if midwife's daughter will spent 10 days with us yet.....(my OH think it is too much for her to do it, but I pointed out it is part of the course, they need to learn skills before they become nanny full time, otherwise how they do know how to deal with children in home properly?). Feel free to contact local college to find out more if you want to take part......

[nippa&pippa]

Update...

Had routine checks as usual by midwife monthly at end of march and now another one next week..

Scan

Had 20weeks scan yesterday, all very well but very detailed scan, much longer than usual UK's 20 weeks scan, about 3/4hour long. She took pictures of every single important bit, head, brain, lip, nose, spine, heart, lung etc. I am surprised on how good the service is, again very short waiting for my turn and very clean place. She showed us everything on the screen, children was interesting to see their sibling then bored quickly after that and causing mayham in the room, playing hiding and seek with curtain and the baby was so active too. She must be thinking we are hyper family that she had troubles to take picture of baby! So with baby is fine, so far all clear for homebirth...

[jubjub]

Glad everything is going well, and in the style of Rolf Harris "do you know what it is yet?" or are you waiting for a surprise....

[Tia Maria]

Great to hear it went well and everything is just where it's suppose to be!

We hadn't decided if we'd wanted to know the sex of our first but when the women doing the scan said:

"If you don't want to know the sex don't look now"

we guessed there was probably only one thing we could have spotted!

Cheers

Tia

[nippa&pippa]

Glad everything is going well, and in the style of Rolf Harris "do you know what it is yet?" or are you waiting for a surprise....

Yes we do, but keeping secret from friends and families.....
It was spur of moment as we discussed early on about it but never talking about it again till at hospital, my OH changed his mind as he pointed out we got one of each, boy and girl as surprise, and this is 'last one' we opt for to know it this time....nice surprise to know it so we can start think of name again.

[nippa&pippa]

Realised not been update since april ...sorry..

Had monthly check up at home up till 28weeks and with we have moved outside of christchurch (31km away!), mean I have to meet Lynda at Midwife Resource Centre (MRC) on Manchester street, christchurch (north side of city)...a place to go for free pregnancy tests, for advice etc as well as midwives run a clinic there if they haven't got room at dr etc..with my midwife is homebirth midwife, so she meet her patients at MRC or home.
I got a student midwife allocted to me as part of her courses to study my maternity care and hopefully to attend birth. I gave my permission to Lynda, who let the midwife college know as they always looking for pregnancy women for their students, hint hint to anyone expecting a baby in christchurch!!
Her name is Sarah, she was allocted to me because she live just down the road. I was pleased to found out she is a british ex-pat, emigrated 3 years ago with her family

Had 28weeks (well had it bit late at 29weeks!) blood test on tuesday night and came back with result tonight via email..can't believe that quick for results to arrived! Got very low iron levels at 4 out of 20-200... that explain tiredness.
And the check up has now increase to forthnightly till 36weeks, will continue to meet at MRC.
Then 36weeks onward will be meet at my house weekly.
MW, sarah and I have been discussed about early labour plan just in case as can't have homebirth if going into labour before 37weeks as classed 'prem'..found out that I will have to go to christchurch women if happen and discussed the back up plan on childcare for children (also for my OH's job, to find someone to look after puppy too )

BTW Jubjub and Tia Maria, Did your mw in NZ use this same system as UK's mw of using tape to measuring the bump? my mw doesn't use it at all I am glad cos i got small bump, enough to caused emergency scans with my other two..and found i got a huge baby anyway!! She just examination my bump to work out the size of baby! I wondering is this normal practice in NZ, to not have a tape???