The first antenatal Class

I attended my first antenatal class today. An interesting experience. It was due to start at 9am but infact didn't start until 9.30am as the midwife decided to wait for the latecomers. It lasted 2 hours without a break (needless to say that I dying to go to the toilet afterwards).

There didn't seem to be much structure to the class - luckily the midwife went over breathing techniques briefly (I'd missed the previous 3 classes while I was in the UK).

I had a disagreement with the midwife when she was talking about what happens at the hospital and during the birth. Here they tie you to a bed if you have an epidural and I protested and said I didn't think this was necessary, as far as I know this doesn't happen in the UK. She wasn't very sympathetic and said that the British health service wasn't was good as here (she's probably never been to he UK). This is something I feel quite strongly about and I don't like the idea of being tied down during birth...!

She said that in a natural birth (ie without an epidural) you can be in any position you like but with an epidural you have to be tied to the bed. I wonder if this is the same in the whole of Spain? It sounds like this is convenient for the doctors and midwives but it sounds a bit old fashioned to me.

The third scan

I've just got back from a short break in the UK. It was nice to be in a cooler climate. Even though there's a heat wave in Britain at the moment it's nothing compared to here. It's so hot I can't go out and have to stay indoors with the windows closed (the air outside heats up the flat otherwise) and the blinds down. The only way I can cool off is by having frequent cool showers and having the air fan on constantly. When I got back here yesterday evening with my partner the room thermometer read over 30 degrees...and then there's the humidity to cope with too!

Anyway, I went to what I expect to be the last scan before the birth and everything looks fine the baby is a good size and it was exciting to actually see the little person who's constantly wriggling around in my tummy trying to find a comfortable position.

When I was in the UK I ordered a tens machine from Mothercare. It's a small hand held machine which gives gentle impulses into the skin through small pads which are attached to to your back. The impulses are supposed to stimulate the body to release endorphins, the body's own natural pain relieving hormones. Most of my friends who have had children have used one. It was really easy to order over the phone and will be delievered to my UK address 3 weeks before the due date (my mum is going to bring it over for me). I don't think anyone has ever heard of them over here but it's non invasive and totally safe so definitely worth a try.

Another thing I got to help me through the later stages of pregnancy is a special pillow from Mothercare in a wedge shape to help support my bump as it gets bigger and bigger so that I can get more comfortable in bed.

I hope it gets a bit cooler here otherwise another thing I'll need to invest in is a portable air conditioning system to get me through the last weeks.

Preganancy and air travel

This is an update on an earlier blog I wrote about air travel. I've just come over to the UK for a couple of weeks by plane at 31 weeks pregnant. I'll be 33 weeks pregnant when I go back.

I went to a lot of trouble trying to get a medical certificate for travelling as stipulated by the airline on their website. The first one my obstetrician gave me was just scribbled on a piece of paper. The second one I got was a bit better, I also had the added complication that I live in Spain but was travelling from France with a British company (I live just on the border with France).

As it turned out no-one asked me for a medical certificate. The journey was no problem and I felt as comfortable as anyone else given the lack of space. It was a short flight (90 mins).

One funny coincidence was that I was sitting next to a doctor which I found out when we got chatting. That helped me put my mind at rest too!

The only special preparation that I did was to avoid fizzy drinks a couple of days beforehand as I had read in one of my pregancy books that this can give you bloating and make you feel uncomfortable. I also made sure that I drank plenty of water to avoid getting dehydrated.

Although I was a little apprehensive about flying I now realise that it's not really a health risk as long as the pregnancy is normal at the time.

I travel back next week which is the last week I'm allowed to fly while pregnant. I hope the journey is as comfortable as the outward one.

Pregnancy and Feet

There are several disadvantages of being 8 months pregnant during the summer in Spain. Not only the heat, (although I'm writing this from the UK wear we're having some sort of mediterrranean heat wave with temperatures around 31 degrees at the hottest part of the day) I have to admit it doesn't bother me that much apart from the fact that my sweat glands seems to be working overtime. The other problem is that with my growing weight my legs and especially feet ache a lot.

So far I haven't got swollen ankles, maybe that's something that will happen later on...But with the extra weight I'm carrying (so far I've put on 15 kilos and still have 2 months to go...) I find it very hard on my feet. This is exacerbated by the hot weather as I'm not used to wearing sensible sandals and have up to now been wearing flip flops with wafer thin soles. Sensible but fashionable sandals are very hard to find - as I'm in the UK at the moment I tried Clarks but as their sale is already underway there wasn't much left.

Am going to try and get something sensible from a small shop that stocks brands such as Ecco Merrelle and Birkenstock. However will have to go for comfort over fashion...perhaps this is where my fashion downfall begins...