Friday 4 February 2005

the true benefit of the comforts of home



Good news - although I still have a trace of protein in my urine, my blood pressure has come all the way down to 80. Bad news - still looking like the Doughboy and that will likely remain until a few weeks after the birth. Not a bad trade off, really. I will see the midwife as usual on Wednesday for another blood pressure check, then we need to go back to the hospital next Friday and meet with a consultant. Apparently, according to today's midwife, I was a "low risk lady" and now I am a "high risk lady" (I'm a layyy-dee!), and they will still want to induce if my blood pressure goes up again. Otherwise, they will likely not let me go past term (40 weeks) if I still have signs of preeclampsia, even if it's minor.



I know that induction is not the end of the world - all of my Cambridge friends were induced - it's just that I would really prefer to spend as much of labour at home as possible, and have a birth with as little intervention as possible. On the other hand, I don't have my heart set on any particular type of birth because so much of it is beyond my control. I just don't fancy having to go through the entire induction at the hospital because, as I now know, it's a damn boring place to be. The Rosie in Cambridge is probably a bit more interesting, but my hospital is a little more low key: no electronic equipment to play games or watch films (I think there's a TV in the dayroom), no Internet access, and no food court. Not exactly a thrilling place to be for a couple of days while you're waiting to dilate. There is still hope for a "natural" labour, but we just have to wait and see what happens.



But anyway, I am home and for now, all is well. That's a Good Thing.

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