Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Knocked up! And more…

Dugong family, with hapu dugong. Drawing by Mr Meet-Cute.

Things have been preeeeetty quiet here this year, but with good reason, I assure you. The thing is, I'm knocked up - about six months gone in fact! I've been wanting to share this news on banana meet-cute for some time. I had planned to do a bloggy announcement around Christmas time, but much like Kate Middleton, things didn't quite go to plan. I may not have hyperemeses gravidarumwhich sounds like absolute hell, but things haven't gone exactly smoothly. 

Pregnancy is often a touchy subject, I feel incredibly thankful to not know the heartbreak of miscarriage, or problems with fertility, but I've had some troubles. I also don't want to freak people out about getting knocked up, but I do want to share what's been going on.

Early in the pregnancy I had some very heavy bleeding (maybe I ought to warn you now that this post may be a bit TMI for some. Shit is gonna get real) This was only a week after I found out I was pregnant, and when you first find out everything seems to go incredibly slowly, so a week had felt like a month. However, everything turned out to be fine, but that was one of the scariest nights of mine and Mr Meet-Cute's lives, and our first of many trips to emergency. I had another bout of bleeding a few months later, then, right after my last post, and the first night of our camping trip I woke up with bleeding, and leaking fluid - another trip to emergency! Luckily we were only an hour out of the city, and I was too wired/scared to get any sleep so Mr Meet-Cute and I decided to abandon the campsite and drive back in to the hospital. The fluid tested positive as being amniotic fluid, so I was admitted for 4 nights, including New Years! The leakage didn't continue, so the Doctors then decided that I could go home, under strict instructions to rest and stay off my feet, as they thought the test may have been a false positive.

Unfortunately, my troubles did not end after this. I got to go home for three nights, then had a follow up appointment at the hospital, including scans where I was found to have a shortened or 'incompetent' cervix. This means that my baby will not likely go to full term, so I was admitted then and have been in the hospital on bed rest ever since. The first few weeks were terrifying, and I was so scared I could barely sleep. I've been here nearly four weeks now, and am in week 26 of the pregnancy, which gives Tiny Dugong (just a working title) better odds of survival if I go into labour. It feels like a real milestone and I've finally stopped feeling so terrified all the time. 

This is stuff that I never dreamed could happen, I had no idea. My plan was to keep working, and being really active, doing heaps of antenatal excercise and yoga classes and to be super healthy and glowy until giving birth! Early on I was advised to stop doing anything strenuous, including no swimming or riding my bike, and my bike is my main transportation! I don't want to freak anyone out about scary pregnancy stuff, but since going through this I've heard many similar stories from friends who've had weird things like this during their pregnancies. The friends we were camping with included three mums who had all had dramas and hospital stays, but - all their kids are absolutely fine. In fact they were all running riot like happy feral beasts round the campsite!

More than my blog, my instagram has really suffered these past weeks. I was thinking of starting a 'hospital food' hashtag, but it'd probably lose me some followers. See below for some examples!

I must disclose that the strawberries in the top left pic were not hospital provided.

Even though the hospital food is depressing, and it's noisy and there's no privacy, it's free for me to be here, and I certainly feel fortunate to live in a country where I don't have to worry about hospital bills. And what's even better, I have friends and family who have been amazingly supportive, bringing me healthy treats, and not so healthly treats, and baking, and books, and DVDs - I've got about a million hours of telly and movies to get through. My friends have just been the absolute best, organising bedside craftanoons, and making me laugh, even though I'm a crazy worry wart who thinks that laughing might somehow upset my stupid cervix, before then convincing myself that laughing is the best so I should stop being an idiot worrying about every little thing. 

And Mr Meet-Cute has been too bloody fantastic for words, I'm sure he knows how much he means to me (moon of my life), so I won't go into too much gushing here. Although, my roommates and hospital staff have all told me how lucky I am to have a partner who brings me home cooked meals and is so supportive. Except they keep calling him my husband and I can't be bothered correcting them!

So, this epic post explains the quietness around here. I'm out of the scary danger zone now, but I want this baby to stay in for a lot longer still. I've heard stories of other patients like me who've been on bed rest and just waited it out and lasted to almost full term, so that's really encouraging. And Tiny Dugong is growing and healthy and kicking! I'm just taking things a day at a time, and each week is another milestone.

9 comments:

  1. A very sad post, but we are so proud of you and Mr Meet-cute. You're being so brave and doing so well for my little nephew Tiny Dugong xxx

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  2. Oh wow... what a brave post to write, and what courage you have. Keep up the positive thoughts and we wish you all the best xxx

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  3. What a great post Banana Meet Cute. You are doing so well for your time in hospital. As the nurses and Doctors keep telling us, it’s just a small step in a long journey and I keep reminding myself of that. I never really spent much time in hospitals and am now just starting to realise how lucky we are to live in a country that provides free healthcare to people in need. Though we poke holes in the food, I would much rather a crappy meal than a crappy service, and so far the service has been exactly what we need it to be – caring, diligent and safe. The medical technology today is amazing and the things they can do with drugs and equipment is incredible. Being able to see and measure the heartbeat of something that is no bigger than a pinkie nail is a wonder and though we get bombarded with information - I think not knowing would be scarier and must have been such and anxious wait for people only a generation ago. You are doing an amazing job Banana meet cute.

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  4. I'm so sorry about all your troubles, Hannah!! But so exciting about your little dugong :) Hang in there and best wishes.

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  5. TEARS HANNAH. And Ivan. Beautiful brave and honest post. I know that one day you will both look back at this as "The Thing That Was Totally Worth Having To Go Through To Get Our Precious Bebeh Dugong"

    Can't wait to be on the other side there with you! It will be so amaze :)

    You guys are a true inspiration to still find it in you to be so positive and grateful even though things aren't going exactly the way you would like, and that stands out in every word you wrote. Tiny Dugong will be the luckiest bebeh in the world to have two parents who can teach him how to live in this way. And I am lucky to have two friends who do the same for me. LOVE YOU GUYS :)

    xxxxxxxx

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  6. Hannah! This is amazing. You are amazing. Tiny Dugong will be amazing!
    x

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  7. Hannah! I'm so sorry that you've had such trouble, but I'm glad that you're out of the danger zone & that you have awesome people to cheer you up & wonderful tv & movies to watch (fictional drama always helps ME escape real life drama). I'm also glad that you don't have to worry about insurance bullshit, although - as a fellow worry wart - I'm sure that your brain is just churning with hundreds of other worries. Thousands. But hurrah & hurray about the baby!

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  8. Thanks so much for the lovely comments everyone!! It's been almost a week since writing this and Tiny Dugong and I are both still hanging in here. Got to keep this bebeh inside! xxx

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  9. Dear Ms. Meet-Cute -
    I just wanted to send my best wishes - I'm a reader from Minnesota. I really enjoy your blog, I LOVE your photos (great eye), and I like how you always post what you're reading. Actually, it's your Dogs Inside Tumblr that I would look at all the time, and I would visit here every now and then. And it's been awhile since I saw a post there, so I came here to see what was up, and found your whole story - not TMI for me, it was a well written post. Your blog for me is about the little things in life that can make us happy (dogs, food, places to see, pretty things etc.) but life always seems to hand out a big thing to shake us up every now and then, so I'm glad you included this story. I really appreciated you sharing how you are living with this - I wish you and Mr. Meet-Cute and Tiny Dugong many blessings - "growing, healthy and kicking" is a very good place to be - be well and be healthy!

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