The day didn’t get off to a great start. First proper day after night shifts is always a bit off. #1 was in good spirits and actually ate breakfast, huzzah! Before we then made out way to preschool. Hung his coat and bag up, he toddled on in and I had “mum, can I have a word please?”
My heart immediately sank. Shit. I’m up to date on fees I know that. #1 better it be being nasty to anyone. Ah, what could possibly be going on?
“Mum, have you noticed a delay in #1? His speech really isn’t on target for his age. I mean, he’s three soon isn’t he?”
*duly nods*
“It’s just, yesterday, during group time, I asked him to do something am he did it straight away, but when I asked him a question he answered in jibberish”
*starts to cry*
“Oh I’m sorry for upsetting you, it’s just we wondered whether you had noticed and if there was anything you wanted us to do?”
*sniffs*
As it happens, yes. I have noticed. It has been a concern of mine but he has improved a lot since going to pre school. I’ve been hoping it would sort itself out. Naive? Possibly. But as we are all told and twitter has reassured me, every child develops at different rates, but seeing as they have noticed and it’s being noted on his record I’m going to take him to the GP. See if they can help. The member of staff was great and really kind and lovely. She’s asked me to tell her when I notice he’s achieving something and when he’s saying new words etc. So that was the start of my day. I won’t lie, once I left I had a moment in the toilet where I did think “you’re doing a crap job with #1, why on earth are you bringing #2 into the mix?” Weak moment as a mum.
Picked him up, he was happy. Home, fed all three of us lunch then I want back out to the midwife appointment. The community midwives are ace. I love them all, and one of my favourites from having #1 happened to be booking me in.
Our hospitals have gone through a radical change. Where I had #1 has been downgraded. SCBU has been removed, totally and no consultants operate from the maternity ward. It’s been declassified to a midwife led unit and is for low risk pregnancies. That’s the hospital in my county.
The hospital in the next county to me has been revamped. It has a brand new SCBU that services three counties… It has a midwife led unit for low risk pregnancies and it also has a consultant led ward for high risk pregnancies. Still with me?
No it’s my choice (well it was initially) where I gave birth. I had already thought I’d go to the hospital in the next county along because I live equal distance between the two. Ace.
However, because of living in the county I do, my scans and midwife appointments will happen in my county because the other hospital is refusing the take on the extra admin etc. When I had #1 if I had decided to have him in the hospital I want #2, all of my care would have been done there. Complicated? Yup, but I sort of grasp in.
As it happens, for a number of reasons, I am high risk. One of them being #1 was a very big baby, 9lb 15oz (I’ve always thought it was 9lb 14oz, after checking his red book yesterday I stand corrected) I had a prenatal bleed of 1000ml, I had SPD, my BP kept dropping and I kept having palpitations. All factors that are causing me to be high risk. Oh, and not forgetting I am a massive fatty. I will probably end up under the same consultant as I had #1, who rather delightfully last time kept telling me how obese I was. I often left those appointments crying. I’m fatter this time so it will be even more riveting, but I may tell him to stop being such a rude ass.
So yes, high risk I am. Giving birth in the consultant led unit, in the hospital I wanted to give birth in, yet I still feel a bit deflated. I’d made the choice, but to have the choice totally taken from me anyway has made me a little sad.
Yesterday was a mix bag. The midwife was lush and made me a coffee, it really did take an hour and a half to on in and I have the coolest hospital number ever.
I know my scan will take place sometime the week commencing the 27/10 that seems ages away, but I’m almost 10 weeks now, so it will fly I’m sure.
Baban Bach 