Ethan has started his own blog as he's such a computor whiz hehe:)

Ethan's Universe ! It's in my links over there ------>

Ethan is 3 Weeks and 3 Days Old!!

He's bigger lol, prob 11 lbs and a half by now. He still attacks his face alot, hes a scabby face at the moment. I file his nails but they aren't that long, hes just strong I guess. He pulls scratch mitts off!

He's getting very good at peeing over himself hehe, hasn't got me once yet, I shouldn't say that lol. He's also a piggy with the bottle! I gave up trying to breastfeed, he kept refusing and I couldn't pump much, they were sore and I had had enough :( Anyway he adores the bottle lol.

We haven't been for a walk yet, partly due to my sciatica, which seems to be getting better! and also I have no mattress for the pram so ones on order. He loves the car though sends him straight to sleep lol :)

We Are Home!


Baby Ethan Robert, born 2nd March 2010 weighing in at 10lb5 and a half oz.

Laboured approx 15 and a half hours 8 of those at home some using birthing pool with only paracetamol as pain relief. His head wouldn't engage so the midwife rang for an ambulance at about 9.15.

Got to winchester, the ride was fun and got put in a labouring room.

The following hours were a mixture of panic, pain and happiness.

Ethans heartbeat dropped dramatically twice, first when they broke my water, which had meconium in it and secondly when I got up to use the bed pan. I was given the choice of caesarean or more waiting to see what would happen. I chose the c-section. So they took me down and prepped me. The spinal was so weird, I could feel them touching me and moving my legs etc but no pain. Hubby kept watching them work. He cut the cord said it was very tough lol.

I had my first cuddle but where the screen was in the way Ethan was trying to strangle me hehe. They wheeled me to the maternity ward and hubby changed his first nappy :)

40 Weeks + 2 Days

Well I'm 2 days overdue and I feel like it! lol. Pelvis very painful, hurts to walk, baby feels heavy and low.

Had Hospital appointment Tuesday where I had the usual checks done. I asked the midwife about my swollen feet and ankles and she said its because I'm measuring big (it was 50cms!) My feet feel sunburnt and look like an old fat womans hehe.

Anyway obstrician scared me with talk of big babies and stuck shoulders. He says I hope I get my home birth but he thinks I should go to hosp because baby is big.

I saw my midwife yesterday and discussed this with her. She said a birthing pool is excellent for birthing big babies as you have to keep moving about and changing position to get the shoulders out, which is easy in water. Also not everyone has problems birthing big babies, small ones can be equally problematic. She said Dr Heard is very cautious even though he is pro home birth. Also she told me that if I went to hosp and had an epidural that would cause the baby to get stuck. Epi's slow down labour.

Anyway I felt much happier after talking to her, she has booked me in for a membrane sweep Tuesday morning if nothing happens before then. Fingers crossed I go into labour Friday as my midwifes on duty that night :))

39 Weeks and Counting!!!

The average baby is about 51cm long from head to toe and weighs about 3.4kg at birth, but anywhere between 2.5kg and 3.8kg is a healthy range for newborns.

Your amniotic fluid, once clear, is now pale and milky. This is because your baby has been shedding the greasy, white substance (vernix caseosa) which has been protecting his skin. The outer layers of skin are also sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

In TV dramas, labour always begins with the waters breaking – in the middle of a crowded room, of course – just before contractions start. If you've been worrying that this will happen to you, you can stop worrying. When your membranes rupture, your baby's head will tend to act like a cork at the opening of your uterus (womb). If you lie down, however, you may notice fluid leaking.

You should stay calm – it may be hours before you feel your first contraction – and call your doctor or midwife right away. Your body will produce more amniotic fluid until your baby is born, so you may be advised to wait at home until contractions are under way. Find out how to tell when you're really in labour.

And if the week passes and there's still no baby? Don't panic – babies have a habit of not arriving on their scheduled due date. Most doctors wait another two weeks before considering a pregnancy overdue. Check out how to cope with being overdue.


Had a few contractions here and there but they didn't amount to anything. Come on Ethan I'm waiting!

Moved the pool and stuff to downstairs, not sure if the upstairs floor will take the weight, also more room in the front room and its not far to the sofa lol. Plastic sheets everywhere!

Had a good chat with my brother yesterday he's excited about becoming an uncle:))

Hospital sent a letter Saturday asking me to come in for an appointment on my due day! What are they thinking? Hopefully I will have had him by then. Last app to see the Ob took hours, all they did was what the midwives take 30 mins to do! Waste of time. Can't handle that at this stage my back will rebel! Besides I'm dreading he will try and make me go to hosp to have ethan, his reasons last time were IVF, (which doesn't make a difference!) and my age! Midwifes have all said those things are not a problem. Theres no other reasons, no GD, hes not breech, no pre-eclamsia, my irons at a much better level now too. He's been head down for months. See sensible boy lol. OK end of rant :))

38 Weeks - 2 Weeks till 40!


"Can you tell if you're carrying a boy or a girl? One hint may come from the size of your baby – boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls. Babies at week 39 weigh between 3kg and 3.2kg and continue to build the fat stores that will help regulate body temperature after birth.

Your baby's organ systems are fully developed and in place, but his lungs will be last to reach maturity. Even after your baby is born, it may take a few hours before he establishes a normal breathing pattern. After he's born, he'll have a series of brief tests which will measure his health on what's called the Apgar scale.

Wondering what colour your baby's eyes will be? Most white European babies are born with dark blue eyes and their true eye colour – be it brown, green, grey or blue – may not reveal itself for weeks or months. The colour of your baby's eyes in the first minutes after birth won't last – exposure to light changes a baby's initial eye colour. Most babies of African and Asian descent have dark grey or brown eyes at birth, but it won't be clear what precise shade their eyes will be until after the first six months or year.

If you go into labour this week, find out how to cope in the early stages. Have a look at our newborn section to learn all about the precious load you are carrying. "

Judging by what the sonographer said, well guessed, Ethans going to be 9 and a half to 10 lbs. I want him to come out now lol, don't want to try and handle 10 lbs hehe. But they might be wrong it was only a guess.

I am so ready for him to come out now, everythings set up just got to buy a fishing net (use your imagination its a water birth lol), a floating thermometer and some nipple shields :)

Another midwife appointment tomorrow with Debbie. I am so worried that I will go into labour when there are not 2 midwives available, that means hospital. I will use my birthing pool!

37 Weeks! Not long now :)

"Your baby weighs close to 2.8kg and may be about 48.6cm long from head to toe. Your baby's head is now cradled in your pelvic cavity – surrounded and protected by your pelvic bones. This position clears some much-needed space for her growing legs and buttocks.

Many babies now have a full head of hair, with locks up to 3.5cm long. But don't be surprised if her hair isn't the same colour as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes taken aback when their children are born with bright red or blond hair, and fair-haired couples likewise can produce babies with dark hair. And then, of course, some babies don't have any hair at all.

Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered your baby from 26 weeks has disappeared, and so has most of the vernix caseosa, the protective whitish substance that also covered her. Your baby will swallow her lanugo and exterior coating, along with other secretions, and store them in her bowels. These will become her first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium.

Around now many women start worrying about whether they will know if they are in labour. Look no further than our labour and birth section. "

Had another scan as uterus seemed large again, they said baby was fine and my fluid was ok too. They estimated baby weight at 7lbs 11oz but that could be upto 2lbs out so not accurate lol.

Went to ABC (Andover Birthing Centre) for blood form and they did it there. Asked if we could talk to someone about homebirth, lucky we did as it needs to be sorted out by 37 weeks!!! No one told us that! Anyway we were booked in to see Debbie next day to discuss it:)

Appointment with Debbie (my midwife) went well BP ok, urine ok, HB ok baby kicked her hehehe. She sees no reason why we can't have Ethan at home :) She popped round Sunday with the pregnancy box. It contained lots of stuff I didn't have a clue about lol I'm nosy. She said the pool was great similar to one they used to have at ABC. And she loved the cats lol.

All set now just got to wait, hope obstetrician doesn't want to see me she said hosp might ring depending on what he thinks of my scan hmmm. Fingers crossed he doesn't try to talk me out of home birth.