27/06: Birth Story – Mummies POV

Jessica Bibi Hope Rafiq, born at 11:22 (what a magical number!) weighing in at 6lb 12.5oz. 27th June after a birth that has left me totally euphoric!!

I woke up at about 4am getting stonger than BH but not quite strong to convince me contractions. I woke Akeel up at about 5am and we went downstairs to start timing them but they seemed to stop so we went back to bed. By about 9am though, I was bouncing on my ball waiting for the midwife to come and do an assessment, still not convinced though and certain she would say it was a false alarm.

Bouncing at 9am….

At about 10am, she arrived and examined me….I was 4cm dilated and went to 5cm as she was examining me. So Akeel started filling up the pool while I was still bouncing and rocking

I got in the pool about 11am, and after a couple of contractions started feeling like I wanted to push. I told the midwife, who said it wouldnt be time yet and it was just my bowels or the baby coming down ready. I knew though

Chilling in the pool 12 mins before she was born….

I said I might need some gas and air soon as I was starting to think things were about to start getting harder and I was expecting to be pushing for a while. But there was no time!

I suddenly felt her head coming down into the birth canal, and started saying ‘oh my god, oh my god, shes coming’. I was thinking ‘ok this is where its going to start to hurt..relax relax relax’ and forced myself to relax and breathe and accept the pain when it came. The midwife said ‘just take your time’ and then started explaining how the head would come first and then she would check the cord wasnt around the neck, and then a few more pushes and her body would follow.  I smiled and said ‘ok’ then I felt my body wanting to push so I closed my eyes, put my head back, let out one low grunt and went with my bodies urge to push. It didnt hurt, it felt amazing. I felt everything. I felt her body come down through the birth canal and just slip out into the water in one small push!!

The midwife was in shock and so was I lol. I got away with a very small tear that wasnt worth stitching.

We had a lovely cuddle in the pool straight away, then she went to Daddy while I got out ready for the 3rd stage, which was also completely natural and happened nice and easily and quickly

Daddies 1st cuddle…

Then more skin to skin and I breastfed her successfully yay!

I cant even begin to describe how I feel. I had the birth I wanted and it feels amazing! I never thought it would happen like that if i’m honest, but it did and baby Jessica is just perfection

Here are some more pics of her first few hours….

I am  so totally blissed out by her. She is amazing! She is so content and chilled out and only cries a little when she is hungry. She spends most of her time scrunched up on my shoulder asleep or laying beside me looking around. We are doing everything as naturally as possible and she has spent all of about 5 minutes in her basket lol…she wants to be with me all the time and I am more than happy to giver her that. It feels right.

I have asked Akeel to write an account of the birth from his point of view so that should follow shortly  🙂

41 weeks – come on Jessica!!

41 weeks today and still no sign! Had a midwife visit yesterday and everything is looking good…BP good, babies heart rate good, shes still head down and is a little lower down now getting ready.

I decided to give the membrane sweep a go, but she had trouble finding my cervix as its still posterior (high up)  and slants off to the right. She said it was softer from previous pregnancies but was not softening for labour yet. Its no suprise the sweep didnt kick anything off then as we are just not ready!

We went for a lovely walk after through the forest, its been so long since we walked through there. It aggravated my SPD though so i’m really stiff and sore today 😦 Had a couple of mild contractions this morning but nothing to write home about.

Got a midwife visit booked for tomorrow morning for another sweep, but i’m going to ask her to only try a sweep if my cervix is ‘favourable’, ie ready for labour. There just doesnt seem any point otherwise and i’m apparantly only allowed 3 sweeps before they step up to induction. I dont want to get carried away on that instoppable track.

Thats it really, nothing else to report! Just chilling out today and taking things easy.

Over-due and under-pressure UPDATE#1

Hi all 🙂

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my last entry, it really is encouraging to know I am not the only one who believes as I do.

We saw the consultant today and it was surprisingly positive. I think I was so ready for a fight after the midwives attitude that it totally surprised me! He took my concerns seriously and we discussed stillbirth rates after 42 weeks…he didnt actually know the exact figures (2 in 1000 after 42 weeks) so he was impressed when I quoted them to him and it definitely helped to convince him we are making an informed choice and not acting out of fear or stubborness.

He did a quick scan (so lovely to see her humungous head lol) and my fluid levels are good, she is in the optimum position for birth and he didnt think it was necessary to take measurements. Plus my BP and everything else is hunky dory 🙂

We agreed that I would go back next monday for another scan to check amniotic fluid levels and just make sure baby is ok, but if there are no concerns then we can continue waiting for her to make an appearance in her own time. Obviously if the fluids are dangerously low, the placenta appears to be failing or she is growth restricted then we will re-evaluate our position on induction.

We didnt discuss birthing at hospital, as I have decided to take that as it comes and he didnt raise the issue. Again – if there are any concerns about the placenta or fluids etc then I will re-evaluate our position at the time, but as far as I am concerned right now with no problems, we are going ahead with a homebirth regardless of term, and regardless of the midwife!

She is back on wednesday so I look forward to telling her that the consultant appears to be on our side hehe. But you never know…baby might already be here by then!

Over-due & under-pressure

I have to get this down because I am so angry!

My midwife came yesterday for a check and Akeel quite rightly brought up the subject of induction. On her last visit she said that I wouldnt be able to homebirth after 42 weeks, and made me an appointment (for tomorrow) to see the consultant to discuss induction. I had been worrying about this, furiously researching our options, getting my facts straight and made an informed choice that I dont want to be induced, and I will go ahead with a homebirth after 42 weeks.

Induction only works if you are close (ie 24 – 48 hours close) to labour anyway, and a failed induction (which means you and baby are just not ready) can cause a false labour bringing with it anxiety, stress, exhaustion and eventually a possible c-section. Even a succesful induction carries a risk of fetal distress, and even if it doesnt, it does mean constant montioring which means restricted movement in labour, harder and faster contractions, and all kinds of issues that go against everything I believe about labour and the female body and can lead to cascading interventions ie venthouse, epidural, and c-section.

Why on earth would I put my baby through that for the sake of a couple of days?

Then there is the issue of not being ‘allowed’ a homebirth after 42 weeks. This is complete and utter rubbish. There is no reason to treat a 42+ week pregnancy as wrong, or a medical problem. The average pregnancy is 38 – 42 weeks, and the EDD (Estimated Date of Delivery) of 40 weeks is just the middle point of that average. I am not overdue until I am past 42 weeks, and wont be treated as such. This 40 week or 280 day middle point is calculated on the average cycle length of 28 days. Its all just averages and estimations, and as long as baby and mother are healthy there is no reason I can think of to treat a 42+ week pregnancy as a problem.

Yes – there is a risk of the placenta beginning to fail, which means it may be less able to support the baby through contractions, resulting in a stillbirth. But this risk is very minimal and can be detected. It is not an unknown or a certianty. With fetal heart rate monitoring and checking of the amount of amniotic fluid, it is possible to monitor the health of the placenta. Why then do some midwives and doctors automatically treat over-due as life threatening and pressure mothers into induction and/or hospital births with constant monitoring?? It just seems so un-necessary, especially considering the added pressure, stress and anxiety of this can prevent labour from happening naturally!

So anyway. When we raised the issue again with the midwife yesterday and I tried to ask her about the actual risks and not just the percieved risks and to get my point across, she told me that I would be risking my babies life and that it was wrong to be stubbron for a homebirth ‘at any cost’. I have to admit I got a bit upset…she was just going on and on about the risk of a stillbirth, not letting me get a word in, and I burst into tears. She seemed to be saying she cared more about the welfare of this baby than we do, and I was just being silly and stubborn!

I ended up agreeing to daily monitoring at the hospital after 42 weeks delaying induction until 43 weeks, and going to hospital to birth after 42 weeks. I felt so beaten and guilty, so down hearted, she made me feel like I was being selfish and not putting my babies wellbeing first. In the heat of the moment she got to me and I backed down.

And today I have woken up furious!!! How dare she!

I’m only 40 + 3 and already i’m under this kind of pressure and stress? How is that healthy, supportive or helpful? How am I supposed to stay relaxed with this kind of pressure? I hope to god that she is not the attending midwife when I do give birth because I have absolutely no faith in her to adhere to my carefully researched and thought out birthplan. I dont trust her atall. I dont even like her. How dare she play the dead baby card on me just to get me to hospital! She has absolutely no respect for my beliefs and trust in my body, my baby, and my instincts.

I am NOT going to be induced. I am NOT going to give birth in hospital unneccessarily. I will agree to monitoring and if there is any evidence that the placenta is failing then this will change things obviously, but unless that happens I will continue to treat this pregnancy as healthy and normal, and fight for the birth my baby deserves. I wont be made to feel guilty by the consultant tomorrow or by this midwife again, and I wont be shut down without getting my point across.

I am mama bear hear me roar!

40 weeks today, 3 false alarms!

Eeeek 40 weeks today! Happy due date to me!

Akeels birthday came and went on the 14th – no baby! I did get him a couple of PS3 games though so he is content with that for now lol. He has also started his 3 weeks holiday now so its nice to have these last few days or weeks together as a couple before baby comes.

We have had 3 false alarms in the last 3 days. I dont know whether to be more embarassed or frustrated lol!

Just a few hours after my last entry at 39 weeks, I thought my waters had gone. I got up to go to the loo about 10:30 and felt a gush….went back to bed thinking nothing of it but then started getting a constant period type cramp and a slow trickle of fluid, so we got up and I called the midwife. She came and done an assessment, including looking at my cervix, and confirmed it wasnt my waters. No. I had just wee’s myself! Babies head was right low down in my pelvis though so she suspected the pressure when I had gotten up had caused some leakage.

That was tuesday night. Wednesday night I got Akeel up at about 11pm as I was having strong and regular contractions that I had timed to be about 10 minutes apart. We didnt call anyone this time as I decided to get up and move about and see what happened. We sat up for about an hour and they stopped. I went to the loo and had lost a little of the mucus plug though (like bloody gel) and baby was definitely putting a lot of pressure on me down there! She spent the rest of the night doing acrobatics so I didnt sleep much.

Then lastnight, I woke up about mid-night with strong contractions again. I decided to ignore them but after about 40 minutes of regular and strong contractions, and 2 trips to the loo thinking I needed a poo but nothing there, I woke Akeel up. We came down stairs and I walked about a bit, and continued to time them. They went down to about 5 minutes apart pretty quickly and then I had one almighty contraction that knocked me sideways and lasted about 2 minutes, then another one straight after so I said to Akeel he had better call the midwife!

But, as predicted, by the time she arrived they had stopped altogether *rolls eyes*.

She performed an internal exam to see what was going on down there but she couldnt find my cervix as it was still quite high, which probably means I wasn’t dilating. After 2 hours of strong contractions we really thought she was going to be a rare little madam and actually come on her due date lol! She advised that she reckons baby will come in the next day or 2 though, and being our anniversary tomorrow we all think that will be when she makes an appearance.

We got back to bed about 3am and managed to get some sleep with no more distractions. I have had a couple of random contractions this morning, but I am just going to ignore them now and assume they are stronger than usual braxton hicks. So we are going to get me some new leggings today and then do about 10 laps round the block.

Come on baby!!!

I also just realised that this blog was one year old yesterday!! Wow, one whole year. I have to go back and read from the beginning later I think just to remind myself how lucky we are….as if I really need reminding 🙂

39 weeks today – nothing yet!

Stick a fork in me i’m done!!!

I seem to be getting regular and strong contractions every morning for the last 3/4 days…they last about an hour and then stop. Pretty normal apparantly but damn annoying as I am desperate for it to be the real thing!

I’m feeling very heavy, exhausted, achy all over, stressed and impatient. I’m getting up to wee about 3 times in the night, and then another 3 times to swig my gaviscon as heartburn is really bad. I feel like sleeping all day but when I go for a nap I cant switch off. I’m just generally feeling very ready to have this baby now lol!

Midwife check was fine on tuesday, heartbeat still good and strong and my blood pressure is fine. I haven’t had my iron retested since I started the tablets so i’m guessing they assume everything is fine! I dont feel aneamic anyway.

Nothing else to report atall!

38 weeks today…could be close?

I’m 38 weeks today. Wow how did that happen?? I haven’t taken a picture today because to be honest I look no bigger!

Had a home visit by the new midwife on Tuesday, she is lovely and we had a good old natter about the merits of natural childbirth and went through my birthplan. She seemed to agree with most of it and said she doesn’t take pethidine to homebirths anyway as she doesn’t like it! The only thing she had an issue with was my desire to not have internal examinations, as she felt that these were necessary to see how I was progressing and check for problems. We reached a compromise of only being examined every 4 hours which i’m happy with, as my previous labours were only about 4 hours anyway!

Baby wasn’t quite engaged yet but her head was resting on the brim of my pelvis, and we suspect she may be popping in and out as some days (like today for example) she feels lower down and its all a lot more uncomfortable, but other days its fine. This is all quite normal for subsequent pregnancies so i’m not too worried. She is where she needs to be and not breech or back to back so thats the main thing! Blood pressure ok, and baby’s heartbeat still a nice constant 140 bpm 🙂

I finally have all the last bits and pieces for the homebirth. Loads of cheap towels from Asda’s (I cut up a bath towel that was £3.75 for 2 into muslin size squares for use as burp cloths, got 24 out of it!), some ‘labour clothes’ consisting of a long baggy cotton shirt for land nesting and a couple of long stretch vests for the pool to cover my dignity. I will no doubt be completely starkers once she pops out for the skin to skin contact but dont want to spend all of my labour in the nuddy 🙂

I also have got some lavender bath and massage oils,  and some pure Clary Sage essential oil that we have mixed with some Sweet Almond base oil for massage. Lavender is for relaxing and the clary sage is apparantly quite potent for pain relief (pure on a cotton wool ball and inhaled can have the same effect as gas and air) and can also help the contractions along.  It can bring labour on so I’m not touching the clary sage until my due date  – but I am then planning a pure clary sage and lavender bath, followed by a clary sage massage of my lower back and abdomen (Akeel willing that is lol) and some hot curry and long walks. I dont want to go too overdue as Akeel has holiday booked from the 13th as he cant get paternity leave. It would be a shame if he had to go back to work a day or 2 after she is born 😦

So any niggles or signs yet?? Well…i’m getting much more Braxton Hicks contractions, and my bowel movements have changed (pre-labour clear out hehe). I also feel ‘odd’ most of yesterday and this morning, kind of spaced out and not quite with it. I managed to get my final uni assingment submitted today and gawd knows how I managed it!

I am going to be questioning every little niggle and pang now aren’t I lol.

So bets are on! Akeels birthday is on the 14th June, its our 5th anniversary on the 18th June, and Fathers Day on the 20th June!! Her due date is the 17th, so I wonder if she will be born on one of those days?

37 weeks today – full term!!

37 weeks today!! This is now classed as full term so if I went into labour today, I would not need to go to hospital and have the go ahead for the homebirth I want, as she is fully cooked. I am so excited, scared, nervous, happy…overwhelmed by so many different emotions! Hormones dont help lol.

We had an antenatal check at the hospital with the consultant on tuesday and they are happy for me not to go back there, so I akm discharged into my community midwives care. Baby is still in the anterior position and i’m pretty sure has engaged now. I feel a lot heavier down there – which has made the SPD a thousand times worse – and am going to the loo every 20 minutes. She feels a lot lower and when she sticks her bum out against my belly, it is around my belly button area instead of higher up under my ribs as before. Im getting a sensation loke being pinched in my nether regions too which is quite bizarre!!

No signs of labour yet and i’m hoping she can stay in there until the 13th atleast – in fact that would be the perfect day to give birth as Akeel starts his 3 weeks holiday then! Any sooner and I will be on my own with a new baby all day, and any later and he wont have as much time off with me and Jessica to get to know her. So, 13th will be a day of curries and walks and maybe a bit of something else to try and get things going! Its Akeels birthday on the 14th so what a present that would be! [The baby that is, not the ‘bit of something else’ 😉 ]

Curtains for the nursery are finished and up, my neighbour is amazing she did such a good job putting them together, I reckon she’s going to be an adopted Nana to this baby!

Not much else to report other than I’m feeling pretty good in myself..not too tired and feeling very positive about everything. Physically, the SPD is much worse as is my back and heartburn problems, but its small potatoes compared to some problems that other pregnant women have and I know I have been very very lucky with no sickness or major complications! So I cant move much as its too painful…but you know what? I have the most amazing partner who makes sure I dont have to, so its not a problem. I love him so much and know he is going to be an amazing Daddy!

Antenatal apt and birthplan!

35 + 5 today, and had my 36 week antenatal appointment with the new midwife. I miss my old midwife who is on mat leave as we really connected, but this new one is lovely – she said I look like i’m in my 20’s so she has my vote haha!

Baby has good strong heart beat at 144 and is the anterior position – the ideal position as she is head down (finally!!) with her back to my tummy….lets hope she stays like that until she engages now! She is coming to the house on the 1st June for a homebirth assesment and to go through our birthplan, but all looking good for a homebirth! Just have to give a copy of our birthplan to the consultant on the 24th May at our next apt there, and hope we can be discharged from his care. If I go into labour before 37 weeks then I will have to go to the labour ward, but there are no indications that I will so I am feeling really positive, in control, and confident now. Well most of the time anyway!

We spent £40 on some gorgous pink silk fabric with green emroidered flowrs for nursery curtains, I should have enough left to make a cushion cover, or bumper, or maybe even a pelmet…we’ll see. Going to my neighbours (ex-seamstress) on thursday to user her sewing machine and get some guidance from her as I have never made curtains before! Will post pics when they are done.

Here is our birthplan…its quite long and detailed, and I know not everything will go according to the plan, but it was a great exercise to do so I could make some final decisions and Akeel could learn a bit more about what to expect and have an input into what happens to0. It will be interesting to come back and compare after the event!

Birth Plan

Place of delivery:

Home birth using pool. The pool will be set up in our living room. It will be just me, my partner Akeel, and attending midwife/wives present.

Ideally, if all goes smoothly, I hope that the midwife who attends me in labour will support and encourage me, using her experience to guide me through labour and offer suggestions.

We would like to keep the atmosphere calm and relaxed using soft lights, candles and music as much as possible. Akeel will be in charge of the labour play list.

Labour:

I would like to remain active and use whatever position I find comfortable. Please encourage me to stay off my back!

I may wish to move throughout the house and use both the bedroom and living room, depending on where I feel most comfortable at the time.

I am happy to have one internal examination to check presentation, but would like to avoid them otherwise, unless there is a particular reason why you think one is necessary.

Please do not offer to break my waters, and please be very careful to avoid doing so during any internal examinations.

If the baby appears to be poorly positioned or labour is not progressing well for some reason, I would appreciate it if you could suggest changes of position or movements which might help.

I may wish to use aromatherapy in the form of lavender oils, and would like to sip raspberry leaf tea throughout.

Birth Pool:

I have bought a birth pool and will use it if it helps me.

It is important that the pool temperature is comfortable for me so, unless it is outside normal safety limits, I will choose the temperature myself. I understand that I would probably want a cooler temperature during the first stage of labour, and warmer – nearer blood temperature perhaps – for the second stage.

I would like to have a water birth if possible and would appreciate your support in encouraging me to give birth underwater.

Pain Relief:

I hope to manage using no drugs for pain relief, and would appreciate your encouragement to use other methods. For example, movement, massage, relaxation, or the birth pool. However, I would like Entonox to be available during the birth, but not offered unless I ask for it. (But if I am in so much pain that I cannot speak, then please offer it!!)

Please do not bring Pethidine or other opiates to my home as I do not wish such drugs to be used under any circumstances.

The Birth:

I do not wish to have an internal examination to confirm whether or not I am ‘ready’ to push. I shall only push when I physically cannot do otherwise! If there is any reason to suspect that I might have a premature pushing urge then I would like to discuss this on the day.

Please no yelling encouragement as I would prefer calmness, but would appreciate gentle encouragement and support.

I would like to give birth in an upright, kneeling, supported squatting or all-fours position to give the baby maximum space to descend through my pelvis. I do not want to be on my back or semi-reclining unless that position seems right for me on the day, having tried alternatives. If I am too tired to maintain an upright position then please encourage me to lie on my side instead of my back, to allow maximum mobility in my pelvis.

During the pushing stage, if I am making a lot of noise, please remind me to make low, chesty vocalisations instead of loud throaty ones, as I have read this can help with opening and would like to try it.

I would rather not be told how to push, or guided in the second stage, unless there is a particular reason to suppose that I need assistance, or unless I ask for assistance.

Please only administer an episiotomy if the baby needs to be born quickly. Please do not offer to do one to ‘speed things up’ for me, as I may be impatient then, but regret it later.

I intend to ‘catch’ my own baby, and would prefer the midwife not to unless there is a problem or I am in the wrong position to catch her safely, when I would like the midwife to catch her and pass her straight to me.

I would like the lights dimmed when my baby is born, and for the minimum amount of noise to be made. I hope that it will be a gentle entry into the world.

Please do not suction mucus from the baby’s nose and mouth ‘just in case’ – only suction if necessary.

Third Stage:

I plan to have a fully natural (physiological) third stage, and to cut the cord only after the placenta is delivered. I want to allow the placenta to turn up in its own time. It is important that the cord is not clamped or cut until the placenta is delivered. Please do not administer any drugs unless you feel there is a real need. I would appreciate your advice to help me deliver the placenta naturally. **Please do not pull on the cord or use fundal pressure unless there is a specific indication to do so, as I have read that this is contra-indicated in drug-free third stages**.

If I give birth in the pool, I have no preference to stay in or get out for the 3^rd stage, it depends on what is most comfortable and convenient at the time.

Please do not offer my partner Akeel to cut the cord, as he will most likely faint! I am happy for the midwife to do this.

We do not wish to keep the placenta.

Care of the baby:

I would like to keep the baby unclothed and close to my skin immediately after birth, to maximise skin-to-skin contact.

I would like to breastfeed my baby as soon as possible after the birth. Due to previous failures (due to lack of support), I am very nervous about being able to breastfeed, so will need some extra support and encouragement to get her latched on properly.

Please do not administer prophylactic Vitamin K after the birth. If the birth is traumatic for the baby or there is some other risk factor for HDN, I will be happy to discuss this with the midwife and allow vitamin K if we both decide it is appropriate.

Repair of Perinium, if necessary:

I am happy to have stitches with Entonox for pain relief.

In case of transfer to hospital:

If transfer by ambulance becomes necessary, please do not strap me in on my back – I would prefer to be on my side, to make contractions easier to deal with .

Please do not offer Pethidine/Demerol as I am concerned about its possible effect on my state of mind in labour, and on my baby’s health. I would prefer to have an epidural if this level of pain relief is needed.

I agree to female student midwives being present in the delivery room, but not student doctors.

I am very keen to avoid a caesarean section if it is at all possible. I particularly would like to avoid a caesarean just for slow progress. If labour is simply taking a long time but my baby is not in immediate danger, please would you encourage me to keep going and perhaps to try changes of position or movements which might help. Please do not offer a caesarean unless my baby is in danger.

If a caesarean section becomes necessary, I would prefer to remain awake with epidural or spinal block anaesthesia. I would like my partner to stay with me at all times, and would like to breastfeed the baby as soon after birth as possible.

If there are problems after the birth:

If I suffer a severe post-partum haemorrhage, I have no objection to a hysterectomy if it is deemed absolutely necessary.

Please do not admit my baby to Special Care simply for observation, but only if there is a specific reason for concern.

Baby Feeding:

Please do not give my baby supplements of glucose water or formula milk without my permission. I would expressly like to avoid having any formula supplements unless it is unavoidable, and certainly not in the first two days in any event.

Under no circumstances is my baby to be bottle-fed as this could lead to nipple confusion and hinder breastfeeding. If supplements are necessary, please give them by spoon or other method, not by bottle.

If I have trouble breastfeeding, I would greatly appreciate the help of a midwife who is fully supportive of breastfeeding, and would also like to be given contact details for local breastfeeding counsellors.

Going Home:

I would like to go home as soon after the birth as I am able to move, unless I or the baby have health problems which require hospital treatment. I do not wish to be separated from my partner in the first days after birth due to visiting times, as I feel this is detrimental to the bonding process.

34 weeks & nursery done!

Wow its getting close now! I keep getting these waves of intense terror followed by intense joy…..I am petrified in the most positive way! She will be full term in 3 weeks so aslong as she hold on till then I should get my homebirth yippee!!

We got the nursery furniture and now that is all set up and done barring curtains and a nursing chair, with all her little clothes and blankets washed and put away and all her other bits and pieces put away, it feels like we are ready for her. We love her room so much, we just wanted to sit in there all day yesterday once it was done!

Heartburn, farts, constipation, back ache and pelvic ache all keeping me awake at night…stick a fork in me i’m done! I am now up to 4 cups a day of Raspberry Leaf Tea and still loving it, hoping it makes a difference as anything to make labour easier naturally is all good. I’m still sure I dont want any drugs and want to do things as naturally as possible.

Off to vote later this eveing, Lib Dems it is. I hope our daughter isnt born under a Tory government and Labour are not much better!

Here is my 34 week pic followed by pics of the nursery.