Tomorrow I am 32 weeks pregnant

And today

Finally

I had my first appointment with a Consultant

An appointment I referred myself for

At the hospital

After a routine growth scan

Because though I was supposedly referred for Consultant Led Care

At 10 weeks

My referral had somehow slipped through the net

Today was such a reassuring appointment for me

But also raised a lot of questions

Things for David and I to consider

As we begin to think about the birth of our fifth and final baby

As I am over 40

It is policy in our NHS trust

To offer an induction at 39 or 40 weeks

They do not like to leave older mums

To go beyond their due date

To be honest I am also not comfortable with going beyond my due date

As I know that there is a risk

With my age

That the placenta will not function fully

As it should

I was induced with Bea

And it was all straightforward and fast

The consultant said that because of this

They know that induction works for me

My age is going to be a big factor

In deciding a birth plan

I am meeting the Consultant again

At 36 weeks

To talk through our options

Because of my age

And the fact that I seem to be growing a giant

There are decisions to be made

The Consultant said today they would be willing to offer sweeps

From 37 weeks

They want to avoid a C Section

As do I

Because of the scars I have from previous surgery

I would be a very high risk case for a section

At the moment baby girl is head down

That can change

But I am going to do all I can

To encourage her to stay in an optimal position for birth

Especially after the Cons told me today

That he would encourage me to consider a vaginal breech delivery

Over a section or an ECV

That does not sound like fun to me

We talked a lot about the size of baby

The Consultant feels confident that I could birth a baby up to 4.5kg

After that size they would be worried for baby and me

If baby continues to be a giant then early induction will be discussed

The problems for baby with this are possible problems with their lungs

Though steroid injections would help with this

The other serious consideration for birthing a big baby earlier than they are ready to be born

Is shoulder dystocia

Large babies born to mothers with gestational diabetes are less likely to have shoulder dystocia

As those babies are large and fat, with fat on their shoulders to protect them

Large babies born to mummies like me

Who for some reason just grow big babies

Are more likely to suffer shoulder dystocia

As they do not have fat on their shoulders

They are not as protected or as easy to birth

This is a reason for inducing as late as possible

To avoid this complication

I think optimum time to induce for us is 39 weeks

I will be 39 weeks pregnant

On Matilda Mae’s birthday

We have a lot to think about

In talking to the Consultant

I shared my concerns about baby’s movements

He had a feel of my tummy

Measured my bump

I am measuring 33 weeks

Ahead of the game the Consultant said!

He then sent me up to Maternity Triage

To have a CTG

Cardiotocography (CTG) is used during pregnancy to monitor both the foetal heart and the contractions of the uterus. It is usually only used in the 3rd trimester. It’s purpose is to monitor foetal well-being and allow early detection of foetal distress.

The midwife at Triage was so lovely

So very very lovely

She stayed with me for the whole of my monitoring session

I think she could tell I was nervous

She also detected that baby has ectopic heartbeats

This will be monitored closely now between my midwife and Consultant

Hopefully it is something that will go away before baby is born

Baby may now have a heart scan when she is born

But I think it is likely she would have done anyway

As William and Bea both had PDAs as tiny babies

On the whole the monitoring went well

The CTG picked up movements that I was not feeling

And this evening baby has been kicking and wriggling away

So on the eve of turning 32 weeks pregnant

I have much to be thankful for

And much to mull over before I see the Consultant again

I am back at the hospital on Wednesday for a second growth scan

Which will give us more of an idea of how accurate the first scan was

And an idea of what size baby is likely to be

Pregnancy is never easy

The midwife and I had a good chat about that today

The worry starts the minute you know you are pregnant

And it never goes away

Not even when your children are fully grown

Being a parent is such an amazing privilege

It is also the hardest thing by far

That I have ever done