PREGNANCY

Tuesday 22 December 1998
Our first "pregnancy" appointment - 7 weeks. All the routine antenatal tests. Weight, blood pressure, urine.

Tuesday 19 January 1999
Our second appointment - 11 weeks. Weight, blood pressure, urine. Tried listening for the heartbeat ... found it! What an amazing feeling!

Wednesday 27 January 1999
According to the Mayo Clinic's calculations, the end of the first trimester (12 weeks) and the risk of miscarriage decrease.

Tuesday 16 February 1999
Our third appointment - 15 weeks. All the same routine checks.  Listened to the heartbeat again, what a neat sound! Blood pressure a bit high, need another check in two weeks time.

Friday 26 February 1999
Blood pressure is down. The heartbeat sounds more solid than ever and the doctor says everything is progressing nicely.

Monday 10 March 1999
Baby has started doing the womb wiggle - a definite confirmation that a tiny person is living inside mommy's tummy.

Tuesday 16 March 1999
Our fifth appointment - 19 weeks. A sneak preview via ultrasound. How exciting to watch baby's movements! Can't believe how much detail can be seen. Doctor confirmed everything looks good and yes, it’s a girl!

Tuesday 23 March 1999
The halfway mark! Only another 140 days to go...

Tuesday 6 April 1999
Our sixth appointment - 22 weeks. A quick examination and review of antenatal tests. All looks well.

Wednesday 14 April 1999
Another milestone in the Mayo Clinic's calculations. Some preemies can now survive (23 weeks).

Tuesday 20 April 1999
Our seventh appointment - 24 weeks. Another peek at the little one via ultrasound. This time, monitoring the blood flow from the placenta to baby as well as a few measurements to check foetal growth. Doctor confirmed everything is normal.

Wednesday 12 May 1999
The end of the second trimester (27 weeks) as calculated by Mayo Clinic and only ten more weeks to go till the pregnancy is considered full-term.

Tuesday 18 May 1999
Our 28 week appointment. Weight, blood pressure, urine, heartbeat - everything looks good. The one-hour glucose screening test done at 27 weeks to test for gestational diabetes indicates an abnormal result; a more intensive test called a glucose tolerance test is called for.

Tuesday 26 May 1999
Another look inside the womb - again monitoring the blood flow to baby and measuring baby to check foetal growth. Doctor confirmed everything looks good and baby now weighs 1297g. The glucose tolerance test indicates a normal result.

Tuesday 8 June 1999
Our 31 week appointment. A quick examination and review of antenatal tests - everything normal.

Tuesday 22 June 1999
Our fourth ultrasound - 33 weeks. Everything looks good; blood flow to baby and foetal growth is normal. Slight rise in blood pressure, need another check next week. Baby has gained almost 600g in four weeks and now weighs 1852g. Second confirmation of baby's gender leads to a big surprise ... away with girl power, our baby is a boy!

Monday 28 June 1999
Blood pressure is down. Everything is progressing nicely.

Tuesday 6 July 1999
Our 35 week appointment. Another quick examination and check of weight, blood pressure, urine and baby's heartbeat. All looks well.

Monday 12 July 1999
A quick examination and review of antenatal tests. Everything looks good.

Tuesday 20 July 1999
Our 37 week appointment. All the routine antenatal tests, everything is normal. Doctor confirmed baby's head is engaged and baby is in a good position for birth.

Tuesday 27 July 1999
Our 38 week appointment. A brief check up and repetition of all the standard antenatal tests - everything normal. Doctor says baby has grown nicely since last week.

Tuesday 3 August 1999
Our 39 week appointment. All the same routine checks. Blood pressure a bit high, immediate blood tests - everything normal. Need another check in three days time.

Friday 6 August 1999
Blood pressure is down. Trace of protein in the urine, another set of blood tests - everything normal.

Tuesday 10 August 1999
Our 40 week appointment. Doctor is very concerned about the raise in blood pressure and arranges for immediate admission to hospital with induction scheduled for the 11th. After a drop in blood pressure, doctor agrees a night at home would be best.

Wednesday 11 August 1999
Induction is started at 09:00 with regular blood pressure checks and foetal monitoring.15:00 - labour begins. 21:00 - 3cm dilated, artificial rupture of the membranes - still a long night ahead of us.

Thursday 12 August 1999
17:00 - After 26 hours of labour preparation starts for an emergency Caesarean section, due to baby's brow presentation. 18:00 - healthy baby boy is born, 53cm long and weighing 3,5kg.

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