Having Scott at home

Having Scott at home wasn't my 1st choice, but in the 70s if you already had one child and it was a normal birth then you had to have the second and third baby at home, the forth you had in hospital for reasons I never understood. But it was the best decision in the end. Because of having Justin I knew what was happening and I didn't have to leave him to go into hospital. Scott was a planned baby I didn't want to leave a big age gap between the two of them, all though I didn't quite plan for a Xmas baby.

I had a bit of morning sickness in the early months then the rest of the pregnancy went pretty smoothly, I had a little bump the size of a football and weighed 10 stone at 9 months We didn't have scans then, there were baby books but they didn't have much information I didn't already know. I had to go to the hospital for anti natal and blood test appointments and the hospital booked the midwife. Scott was due on the 21st Dec 1971 so I knew who the midwife was going to be. She also brought another trainee midwife with her. She had delivered many babies before and was very qualified, she was an Irish Midwife and very lovely.

I went into Labour on Thursday the 23rd Dec 1971 about 6.30 am, just after Bob left for work on the last day before the Xmas holidays. He had severe back pain and no one could get hold of him. Bob’s mum came over to look after Justin. We lived in a tower block on the 12th floors and we didn't have a telephone so someone, I can't remember who, went to phone the midwife. She had to cycle from the other side of Barking and climb 12 floors, because the lifts had broken in our building, so she was knackered when she arrived. After her examining me she told me that the baby would arrive at 9 o’clock that night and would come back later with the trainee midwife. I think she did pop back at some point in the afternoon but went off again. In the mean time I was pottering about at home in labour trying to organise Xmas.

Both the midwifes turned up about 7 o’clock I think, by that time the pains had stopped temporally of course so we sat around drinking tea and coffee for the next hour. By 9 o’clock Scott was born, no complications everything went well. I had gas and air the last hour to help with the pain. Both the Midwifes were brilliant, especially the trainee she came in every day for 2 weeks. You wasn't aloud out until they discharged you. She would stay and wash and dress Justin for me and leave the flat nearly drunk having a whisky every time she came round.
It was a strange feeling having a baby over Xmas we had our Xmas dinner in the bedroom, Scott asleep in his cot, Justin in the high chair, me in bed and Bob with his dinner on his lap.

Scott weighed 6 pounds & 14 ounces and was 20 inches I still have all the anti natal books for both of them. I didn't know what sex it would be, they didn't know back then and I didn't particularly want any girls although I'm glad to have a granddaughter and a grandson would be nice.

Half Way Point

Yes, we are there, we have reached the halfway point! The first part went by so quickly! I am looking forward to the second half - the bump and I are developing a relationship! Although Scott and I have found that we can not really hug properly any longer - it ends up being a sort of halfway sideways thing. I have also found a greater understanding for why fat people always have stuff down the front of their shirts and cleaning our small floors with a floorcloth on all fours is now not quite the quick thing it used to be, but apart from that we are all good!

I can feel her or him move but you can not detect the movement from the outside yet, but any day now I think. Scott keeps on putting his ear close to the bump and saying: "Nah, I can't hear anything!".
I am just hoping we will have some quiet time in the afternoons soon so the baby can hear Scott play the guitar finally.

Thursday we are flying to Kathmandu for the 20 week check up at the private CIWEC clinic there. It is a long time since we have seen the baby now so I am looking forward to it. An ultrasound scan for the home must be the next new pregnancy accessory.

As we returned to Nepal the weeks have just been flying past as we have been extremely busy getting the season started, the monsson cleaned out of the hut, the garden in shape and the birds trained for the start of the commercial season two days ago. In fact it looks like we are going to have the busiest November ever so no let up any time soon. We are an excellent Parahawking Team this season which makes all the difference, Heather has just fitted in perfectly and we could simply not do it without the Mota team. With everyone staying at Maya Devi this season including Jess and Ivan dinners at homa at Maya Devi have turned into a mini event. In fact even Graham now orders a banana lassi when we go out for dinner - fitting in with the rest of my great pregnancy companions. So we feel we have the support we need for stressful events like being told we will be banned by the local paragliding association. Still not resolved - so updates to follow, but we feel we have a handle on it now!

Promise it will not take that long before we update the blog next time around - as that does sort of defeat the purpose of this blog. So until next week....