GBS

So, as mentioned earlier, I tested positive for Group B Strep. I talked to the midwife about it at my 38 week appointment yesterday and it looks like I will be receiving IV antibiotics during labour. This is apparently standard procedure and pretty straightforward but it worries me that my baby will be getting antibiotics on entering the world. I don't know what to make of it. The midwife said it's a case of weighing up the benefits of it, and if I don't get the drugs and the baby does become sick as a result of GBS it could be pretty serious so it's worth it. I do see that. I'm just bummed.

On a more positive note, it looks like he is 4/5 engaged so he doesn't have much further to drop before he is fully in position. I'm also getting some cramps and a lot more frequent and regular Braxton Hicks so it looks as if we're heading in the right direction. Sleep and comfort are officially a thing of the past now so I'll be really ready for him to make an appearance by end of next week if not before. Not that I'm naive enough to think sleep and comfort will return after having a baby!!

It's never ending!

It seems like it's one drama after another. I just want to get on with my pregnancy in peace and hope for a safe and reasonably uncomplicated delivery resulting in a healthy and happy baby. Is that too much to ask?

"What now?", I hear you ask. Well, I tested positive for Strep B (GBS). I don't know about elsewhere but in the UK they don't test routinely for it, I only did the test because a friend told me about it. They did do a swab test for me at the hospital but were very honest about it being not totally reliable, so I paid to have a lab test done. This came back positive and I will have to discuss the implications of this with the midwife at my 38 week appointment on Thursday. What a drag. As I understand it, I may have to be given antibiotics during labour to avoid the potentially threatening infection passing to the baby. Not all babies are affected by the infection but it is potentially very serious for those who are. The worry about antibiotics is that they may affect either of us following the delivery so it is a case of weighing it up. I'm feeling really confused and anxious about it so I'll see what the midwife says before taking any next steps.

What a drag!

DVT scare

Maternity leave got off to a dramatic start. I ended up in A&E (the ER to my American friends) with suspected Deep Vein Thrombosis. The first day of leave was actually my birthday and that evening my left leg started to swell up and hurt around the knee and lower thigh area. By the time we were coming home from dinner I could barely walk on it. I think Hubby thought I was just maximising the birthday experience and wanting to be spoiled as much as possible when I asked if we could take a cab to and from the restaurant!

I thought I'd sleep on it and maybe it would right itself by the morning if I had it elevated for a while, but it was no better the next day so I called the midwife who told me to come in to the hospital. As it was a weekend they decided A&E was the best place to go. After the initial assessment, an ECG and a long wait to see a doctor, they suspected DVT and gave me a blood thinner by injection. I had to go back the next day for another, and then back on Monday to get an ultrasound on the leg and a follow up with the results. I was pretty freaked out by it all. I presumed having to have anti-coagulant injections daily is not only inconvenient, it would have serious implications for my delivery. So I spent two days worrying about it. Thankfully it was a happy ending. The ultrasound was done and they couldn't find a clot so it was just a false alarm. I can't tell you how relieved I was. I had a follow up with an A&E doctor after the results were posted and he said it looked like it was inflammation of the knee, exacerbated by all the extra fluid and weight gain from this stage of pregnancy. He ordered me to take it easier than I have been and stay off the leg as much as possible, and just generally relax more. Good advice indeed!