Friday, July 27, 2007

Are we nearly there?

Story contd.

I did as much work as possible the first month and then it became difficult to hide my blooming-ness. Also I didn’t enjoy racing round town with luggage, so I told Paula I was booking myself out until the expected baba was six months old. It was a time for reflection and for seeing the family. Gran was getting older and not so eager to visit her daughter and family in the States, so to give Mum and Dad a break, I had her to stay for a fortnight. She really was convinced that her natural life span was three score years and ten, and she was almost seventy.

Maddie and her husband had a party at their house in Caterham and I saw Liam (Jamie’s brother). He was over from the States and told me Jamie now had a daughter and was living in Essex. Jamie had dropped out of my consciousness although I still had the odd dream about him. Later in the year Liam’s wife was visiting with her child, who was getting over German measles. Maddie asked if she could bring them over – she said I should be out of the danger period for harming the baby. I couldn’t believe she would even ask. As if I was going to take the slightest risk with my baby.

We didn’t have much in the way of monitoring in those days but I did go to relaxation classes and became a dab hand at deep breathing. Now I was at home every day I got the chance to meet the neighbours. At first they treated me as if I were something from outer space but soon realised I was an ordinary young woman, excited about my expected baby and I made some friends. William was just as excited as I was and we found the long, last months dragged interminably

My increased weight gave me back- ache and when Mum saw me waddling with one hand behind me, clutching my back, she said I needed a corset for support. So I got a horrid pink thing with laces and it really helped. I did have a chat with a midwife and told her I was worried about my waters breaking. She roared with laughter.

‘They’re not going to suddenly break, and flood Epsom Market love!’

I continued to gain weight. One was meant to put on a maximum of 21 pounds: 7 for the baby, 7 for the mother and I can’t remember what the last 7 pounds were for. At last the date arrived but no baby. By this time I was thoroughly fed up and wished I could change my mind and have it later on. After a further nine days I went to the hospital and they suddenly decided to weigh me – for the first time since the start of my pregnancy. They were horrified that I had gained over 4 stone and had gone from 7 stone 4ounces to eleven and a half stones. Clearly it was too late to do anything about it, but they said don’t eat any salt - and sent me home.

Mum had suggested I scrubbed the kitchen floor to bring it on but I was afraid once I got down I wouldn’t get up again. I decided to walk into Epsom from the hospital to get the bus home.

This was a strain – not only was I suddenly very tired, my stomach felt hard and tight as if it were going to burst and I found I was involuntarily grunting with the effort of walking. I got home about the same time as William and he told me to go and lie down and he would bring me some supper. We had an early night and I must have fallen asleep. Suddenly I was awake with this tight pressure feeling, pressing down on me and to my horror the bed was awash. The mid-wife was wrong – I could easily have flooded Epsom Market.

42 comments:

Zinnia Cyclamen said...

Oh my goodness, Pat, that's your best cliff-hanger yet!

Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness. How well you have described a first time mum-to-be. I can relate to so many of your experiences; the weight gain (my cousin said I was as round as I was tall, the late arrival (both mine were two weeks late) and the neverending last few weeks.
My waters broke while I was walking into the hospital - terribly embarrassing - it was like wetting oneself in public.

Z said...

That extra 7 pounds must have been a gallon of water...

Sympathy for the 4 stones - I did gain a stone and a half to 2 stones in each pregnancy and felt heavy enough then. And then there's the stretch marks!

I've a feeling it'll have been worth it though

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Well, How much is a stone, in pounds, my dear..LOL..I am imagining ALL sorts of amounts....if 21 pounds was supposed to be the norm...I am anxious to know what all 'the stones' are worth???(lol)
This is definitely a GREAT story, Pat....It's like "The Perils Of Pauline" in a way, isn't it?
Really looking forward to the next installment...!

Monozygote said...

In Imperial measurements, a stone is 14 pounds. And a pound is 16 ounces.

HOORAY FOR PI! The day has finally arrived! Can't wait till tomorrow!

granny p said...

Next instalment SOON. Please....

I feel for you; or felt. My first baby was 3 weeks late... agony; nothing budged it not even driving very fast in our rattly old car up and down a road by the river in Battersea, and criss-crossed with railway tracks. When my waters did finally break, that was brought on, irony of ironies, by doing my ante-natal exercises! (I was booked in to the first British hospital, ever, to put on ante-natal classes.)

Anonymous said...

This is very interesting. Can't wait for the tidings after the floodings!

Michele likes this too!

Bernie said...

I will have to 'hide' this post, as we are in the waiting zone! We are inbetween having the first IVF treatment implant almost two weeks ago and finding out next Tuesday if it was a success... So, if it has been, I will be not directing her here, lol lol lol ...

Sort of here from Michele's, Gautami beat me too it!!!

zoe said...

great story, pat - and now what ?!

kenju said...

HA! I could have flooded the market too, Pat. My first baby's water broke when I was on the sofa watching Johnny Carson on TV.

Please don't wait too long before posting the rest!!!!!

Pat said...

Zinnia: but i bet you can guess what happens.

Sablonneuse: golly ! that's even worse than mine!

Z: I think you're right about the water! As for stretch marks I slathered unguents all over which transferred to William's silk dressing gown - the only one that would fit me. Seems to have worked. Mind you I am a bit short sighted these days :)

Naomi: sorry I should have realised. A stone is 14 pounds but I won't do the math - it's too embarrassing. 'Perils of Pauline' I thought my life was fairly normal:)

Dandelion: I did know that - honestly! It won't be tomorrow but I'll try and do the next before you have too many sleeps:)

Penny: three weeks! That must have been unbearable. It's a wonder it didn't put you off for life!

Hi Guatami! I hope we don't put people off having babies!

Hi B and welcome! I've got everything crossed for good news on Tuesday.

Zoe: as if you didn't know:)

Judy: I'll do m;y best.

Anonymous said...

Michele sent me back to ask, if it was well delivered?

Pat said...

Naughty Gautami! You'll have to wait like everybody else:)

OldHorsetailSnake said...

But having avoided the salt, nothing floated away, right?

Anonymous said...

Too funny. I wouldn't call my experience a flood rather a leak. ;-)

Excited to read the rest.

Cheers,
Heidi

Michele sent me.

Pat said...

Hoss: deluged rather than floated. Don't want to put you off your pork and beans.

Heidi: good! So you'll return:)

Catherine said...

I had five, and didn't have my waters break with any of them except the one who was breech and therefore not engaged properly - I actually felt the swift kick that she gave me that did the trick! I've just been enjoying the wedding photos. Hope you are not too wet over there, and that all the rain stops before September when we come over for a month.
Michele sent me

Pat said...

Catherine: I hope you are lucky also in September. No promised:)

Jean-Luc Picard said...

Well written, Pat. Look forward to hearing more.

Michele sent me.

Pat said...

Thanks Jean-Luc - I'm dreading the birth:)

Carli N. Wendell said...

I look forward to what is hopefully a happy ending.

I used Google to convert stone to pounds. (All you have to do is type in 4 stone = ? pounds, for anyone who's interested in Google measurement conversions.) That's a shy bit more than 21! Hope it all worked out.

Pat said...

Hi Carli! That was sweet of you not to shout it out loud:)

Pat said...

Hi Carli! That was sweet of you not to shout it out loud:)

jsdaughter said...

Hi- Michele sent me- I'll definitely be back to continue reading!

Anonymous said...

Michele sent me to read this...and now I have to go hunting through previous entries to find the beginning...but...wow, what a cliffhanger...

Pat said...

jsdaughter: welcome and come again:)

Missmeliss: welcome! Hope it a worth it:}

kenju said...

Michele sent me to day we are still anxiously awaiting the sequel!

Pat said...

Judy: I'm bracing myself for the delivery.

Monozygote said...

Yes, I knew that you knew. Someone asked the q though, and I thought, since I was passing....

Looking forward to the next installment oh I'm so excited. I bet your stats are going through the roof....

Pat said...

Dandelion: I'm always grateful for info, feed-back whatever. I love having readers. Probably Monday.

Melody said...

Heehee...I'll have to look through your previous posts to find the beginning of the story! You've just brought memories of my pregnancy flooding back!!!

I'm here via Michele today...

Pat said...

Hi Melody! To differentiate between the story and other articles - certainly in recent months - the story has 'story contd' instead of 'aside' under the title.

Anonymous said...

Michele sent me here to check out if the next episodeis on?

Where is it?

*waiting impatiently*)

Pat said...

gautami: if you scroll down I'm sure you will find something you haven't read.
Now listen carefully mes enfants - I shall say this just once. Maman is busy today and you will get the rest ot your story on Monday - that's after just one more sleep,. IF you are good.xoxoxo

yellojkt said...

great drama. I was at the kennel and the girl at the counter had her water break while I was there. She didn't think it was time. Everybody else said to go to the hospital.

michele sent me.

Pat said...

Hi yellojkt: my post seems to have unleashed floods of recollections:)

Jess said...

I just stopped by to say 'hi' and 'michele sent me...'

I already got through two coffees this morning at michele's...have just made myself a third in an extra large mug, plus a pot full, and settled at my computer with a plate full of hot crumpets as I know I'll be here a while...your place has me hooked! I'm so glad to have found a fellow-Brit Blogger too!!

Pat said...

Welcome Jessica! Living dangerously with coffee, crumpets and computer:) Hope you enjoy and will be along to visit.

BreadBox said...

Speaking of flooding, how has the weather been treating you? Did you manage to ride out the storms and floods okay?
Michele sent me to check on this!
N.

Pat said...

Thanks for asking breadbox! We are fine in this part of Somerset and we live on a hill also. My friend Margaret's daughter who lives in Cheltenham has been without water for over a week. Has to shower at work and take hee washing to relatives.

shoeaddict said...

Hello! Michele sent me to read this beautiful story. I 'm going back to find more and will return to see if the rest is here tomorrow.

Pat said...

Thank you shoe addict! It will be DV.