Antenatal Class 1

Saturday we had our first class. It was very informative and really worth attending in preparation for the birth of our little girl.

We are very fortunate to have this facility in our little town. The baby clinic and classes are run by 2 qualified and experienced nurses. They are both great people and very passionate about what they are doing.

During our first lesson we covered the birth-plan, signs of labour, danger signs, pain, effective pushing and positions for labour. We also had some nice snacks and tea and the moms got a foot massage.

I'm looking forward to your next class - which is only in July - in order to gain some more knowledge. It really makes a difference to have someone explain things to you than just to read about it.

The Bump - Week 26

Breathe and Smile

After a couple of really cold, miserable days the sun came out today. I was busy making breakfast when the pink rays of the winter sun dawned through the window. It was amazing. All around in the distance the mountain tops are covered with snow, but we did not have any wind so the day progressed into a beautiful mild winters day.

It also seems like I am finally rid of the flu which was pestering me for the last 2 weeks, so joy all around. I finally feel balanced again. Almost back to happy. I am not an overly happy person and do tend towards negativity sometimes, but this little person growing inside me has engulfed me in a cloud of happiness, not crazy happy but rather a deep feeling of contentment. I guess struggling for 5 years to conceive has wind me up like a spring and when those 2 lines appeared the spring released, set me free.

I do worry a lot about our parents. This being in limbo and not knowing what the future will hold for either my MIL or step-dad is really not easy. But I found that even through the worry I smile.

Each time I feel the baby move I smile. It happens more regularly now and every time I am in awe. That there is actually another small human being inside me that moves... someone that I already love more deeply than I ever thought possible. Someone that I have prayed and hoped and dreamed about for a very long time and at long last created! Isn't that just the biggest miracle? I do hope that as we get to raise our daughter that I will always remember the way I feel now. That even through the tough days, I will be able to be still and appreciate her, and remember to smile.

Hubby and me are off to our first Prenatal-class tomorrow about which we are very excited. It is definitely getting more real now as we are already at the point where we are preparing to bring our little girl safely into this world.

Bright orange Aloes in the garden - yip winter is here!

When Things Go Wrong

Struisbaai - my other mother & me

Thursday before last my Mother-in-Law suffered a stroke. It feels very strange to say this out loud, as the whole experience still feels unreal and dreamlike. She is not yet 55 years old, a fun and kind woman who will bend over backwards to help her fellow man and will fight like a tiger to protect her family. When I met my husband 11 years ago she immediately took me under her wings and welcomed me as part of the family. She's been my mom since then. The day we found out that we were pregnant we called her and when I spoke to her we just cried in each other's ears, too overcome by joy to actually get any words out.

And now is seems like being a strong, hardworking woman who everybody depends on has taken a toll on her body.

We flew to Johannesburg last Saturday and visited her at the hospital. She spoke to us, but with great difficulty. As far as the doctors can tell there is no permanent damage to the brain, which we are very grateful for. She does not have feeling in her right arm and leg yet, and we can but hope and pray that this will be overcome in the next couple of months.

While up there we also took a journey and spend a night at my Mom's. She is also going through a tough time at the moment as my step-dad is currently being treated for cancer. You see, again that dreamlike quality - strokes, cancer... this is all things that happen to other people's families.

We returned on Tuesday and I spend two days at the office in Cape Town before we headed home. By that time I was pooped. All the travelling, late nights and worrying has taken its toll. So by Thursday when we got back home I could feel the first stirrings of a cold coming on. I ended up spending the weekend in bed and when seeing the doctor yesterday morning was told that I have sinusitis and mid-ear infection. And of course I have been worrying about the baby the entire time. I cannot believe that a person can actually worry that much. But the doc confirmed that she is very active and very tall and that she will be fine :-)