Spring

Thursday 19 August 2010

We're expecting!!

Most of you loyal readers (all 6 of you) will already know our great news... we have another bun in the oven! Baby Reynolds number 2 is due on 28 February 2011... although if s/he's anything like Liam it will be more like early March.

This pregnancy has been a little different to Liam's. I'm still fortunate not to have had any morning sickness, but I've been so much more tired, my hair is dry and dull, my skin is super oversensitive and I'm really struggling in the number 2 department.

I had my first midwife appointment at the beginning of the month and had to go back for a fasting glucose test because results from my first test were high. Luckily the 2nd test was normal so no gestational diabetes.
My first hospital appointment was yesterday and we got to see the little bean for the first time. It was very exciting- I don't really feel pregnant, so seeing a scan is important for me. Baby is measuring +6 days, but they're not planning to change the due date. This was the average for Liam too, so looks like we're going to have another big baby (at this stage anyway). The consultant I saw was really nice and had a lovely manner about him. A lot of the time with the NHS healthcare system, you feel like a number at the meat counter. So it was a welcome change. He spent a lot of time with us going over my last delivery, which complications I had never been fully explained. I had a condition called Uterine Atony which is basically the Uterus is too tired to contract following delivery and a postnatal hemorrhage occurs- it’s a fairly common occurrence especially with larger babies and longer labours. I was given a few different drugs at the time to encourage the uterus to contract which it eventually, after a scary 15-20 minutes, did. I lost around 1litre of blood, which is double a normal vaginal delivery and why I needed 2 blood transfusions. He said in the scheme of things (although it seemed a traumatic experience) it was not that serious- the worst case scenario is that if they cannot stop the bleeding in surgery they have to perform a hysterectomy. If you put it on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being a hysterectomy, I was about a 3 or 4. There is a good chance of this extra bleeding happening again with this delivery, but they are not considering a c-section at this stage. They are going to make sure my iron count/blood count remains high to allow for loss of blood through delivery and just keep an eye on the baby's size.
Here are the first pictures of Baby Reynolds...

S/he was kicking around alot and didn't seemed impressed we were disturbing him/her. My big scan is 8 October, the day before I come home. That's when we can find out the sex (if we decide to) and see all of the organs and limbs in more detail. I love that scan... there are always a few nerves worrying whether something abnormal will show up, but it's be best feeling when you are told the baby is looking perfect! Post more picture after that scan.

Musuem and other pictures

We decided to visit the newly reopened Ulster Museum last week. It was closed for 3 years while it underwent a £17m renovation. It was a great family day out. We tried to check out a 3D planetarium show, but Liam wasn't keen to sit still or keep the glasses on.The museum is split over 4 floors exploring Art/Fine Art, Nature, History, Cultural History and Natural History. Each of the floors also has a 'Kids Interactive Zone' which Liam loved. Sculls and other artifacts.
Exploring the nature section... what are the birds up to?
The art section- Liam loved this... they had dress up and drawing and puzzles and loads of mirrors. He wouldn't be quiet or stop running around the galleries, so Mommy and Daddy couldn't really enjoy the paintings... but that just calls for another trip back!
The cultural section had loads of masks and artifacts from around the world. Liam enjoyed trying on some of the masks.
"Wow, a dinosaur!"
Throwing a coin in to make a wish. I'm sure it was something involving food...
We had a great day exploring the museum and will hopefully go again when Liam's a little older.
Here are some other random pictures of Liam.
Smouldering.
Silly kid smile.
Pouting again.
This is a look we get a lot...