Yesterday was my latest hospital appointment, it was surprisingly one of the quickest so far. They did the usual wee sample test and blood pressure and a (very quick!) ultrasound, I was a little disappointed that I couldn't see the screen as the nurse was standing in the way but it was over in just a few seconds anyway, just long enough for them to hear the heartbeat I think.
Only once here have they used a doppler to check the heartbeat, unlike in the UK I've had I think 5 or 6 scans in total. That seems to be the way they check for the heartbeat. In the UK the midwife used a doppler each time but I would see her in the local health centre rather than the hospital where the ultrasound machine was.
In the UK, I'm sure the appointments got a bit more in depth by this stage, I seem to remember them measuring my bump, giving me an estimate of the size of the baby, and feeling to see how he was lying. (I guess they do that here via the ultrasound but they didn't say anything to me about it, although I know he is head down!) I'm sure they also told me how 'engaged' he was.
I did leave feeling a bit deflated as nothing interesting had been said! My next appointment is in one week, then the week after and they will let me go 7 days after August 21st.
I guess I could be wrong as I was with Leo but I'm SURE I won't still be waiting by then! I quite fancy Sunday as it will give a nice birth date of 12.08.12 :)
Today has been a hard day and although its all calmed down now, I was getting a little nervous earlier - lots of pains (contractions? I have no idea!) and I've felt sick and very tired all day, bending is so painful. I'm not actually worried about getting to the hospital in time as I can see it from my apartment, I'm more concerned about my Doula getting here in time but without false alarms!
Now, I'm currently suffering from what feels like bad period pain, which does come and go, along with backache and a few random contractions thrown in for good measure! They are over in just a few seconds though with no real pattern to them. I guess it's my body getting prepared - I do like to be organised after all!
Ooh, sounds like its getting close! Exciting! It does sound like a very quick appointment and I can understand why you were deflated. Here in portugal is much like england where as you said, they measure the bump, use the doppler and feel where the baby is. Im surprised they didnt do a more thorough exam being so close to time. Good luck, hope things will happen soon so you can be more comfortable.
ReplyDeleteGood morning how are you?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very
interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of
life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes
of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys
traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.
I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but
unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small,
so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our
planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because trough
them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from
all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some
years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters
addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country
in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of
countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various
territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war,
either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever
reason the postal system is not functioning properly.
For all this I would ask you one small favor:
Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Cyprus? I
understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place
to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would
call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that
country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Cyprus in order
to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I
have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the
arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an
original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the
following one:
Emilio Fernandez Esteban
Avenida Juan de la Cierva, 44
28902 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain
If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of
all the letters that I have received from whole World.
Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether
you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness
for you, your family and all your dear beings.
Yours Sincerely
Emilio Fernandez