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Monday 17 November 2014

Well-engaged.

Another midwife appointment today and it was all good news, yay! I still have ridiculous fatigue that made me lie down all weekend while the BFG cleaned the whole house (ok I did the dishes) and painted a wall all on his own. I feel terrible. But I am so dead tired all the time. The midwives tested my haemoglobin and apparently it is at a really good level, higher than most people's at this stage of pregnancy, so the fatigue is not related to that. I guess it is just related to carting around a 2kg lump in my belly.

They asked if I was eating a super iron-rich diet. Um, no? My diet has been horrible the last few weeks. I seem averse to vegetables again and averse to cooking in general. I don't eat meat every day and my spinach intake has dropped considerably. Can I chalk it down to my Clicks prenatal vitamins? They are clearly good stuff.

But position-wise the baby is head down and engaged in the pelvis and anterior, and basically a great position for labour and vaginal birth, so he better not decided to shift because this is all great news. I do find it a bit disconcerting how much focus there has been on the labour and birth part - I've been going to classes and reading natural birth books and gearing up for all that - but I have not put much focus on how to actually be a good parent. You know, the stuff that happens after you just need to feed and clothe your baby - the part when you actually have to make good parenting decisions and stuff. I am so scared of all that but I have not read or prepared for it at all. Not sure how you would even do that. I mean, the labour part IS important. I want it to go well so that both the baby and I are healthy and it is also important that it is not a traumatising experience that could exacerbate post-partum depression. But the actual parenting vibe, that seems so much more important. I guess we all just wing it to some extent.

My general exhaustion and inability to clean our flat has prompted some people to suggest we hire some help around the place. That is a whole other issue for me. Something I am not very comfortable with at all, and wondering if I should somehow face up to my hang-ups over hiring someone to clean up after me or just do what I am most comfortable with, which is how things work in the UK - people clean up after themselves, if they are working they just allocate the weekend for cleaning. This is what I am used to. I think the issue of hiring help in South Africa is a whole other post's worth of confusion for me. I honestly cannot picture myself being anyone's boss, ever. But I do feel bad that G is having to clean and work full time right now. That is not cool. As soon as I am done with university I can at least focus on doing tiny bits of cleaning during the week and hopefully stay on top of it all. But when the baby comes, gosh who knows how things will work out.

I handed in my dissertation last week, hurrah. I just need to get through a presentation of my results next week and then I am freeeeeeeeee. Oh I cannot wait.  Just hope the baby does not decide to come any time soon. There are still major preparations to be done.

4 comments:

Helen said...

Congratulations on handing it in! that was insanely fast...

I also had some hang-ups about hiring someone to help me clean. Eventually P1 promised to pay for half to get out of helping me clean whenever he came to visit. It has been a saga on its own, but the amazing feeling of coming home to somewhere clean is worth it. Plus my lady is a total legend and I think if I didn't pay her to be there I would have to stalk her just to chat.

how is baby-room prep and all that fun stuff going? or all waiting post-presentation? Good luck for that too by the way, holding thuumbs it goes through smoothly and no major corrections to deal with.

po said...

Thanks Helen!! The pressure was definitely on to get the thing in on time, and my supervisor was so on the ball, he churned out my corrections for me at a record pace. I definitely could not have finished without his support.

I have left a lot of preparations until I finished my presentation (today) with the idea that I have 4 weeks off to get stuff ready. But considering one lady i know already had her baby at 34 weeks that might not have been such a wise strategy!

As to having a cleaning helper, well, we will see. It is hard for me to imagine actually doing that. But time will tell.

Anyway how is your studying going? MBA is a one year thing right?

Helen said...

it is, I have 6 weeks to write up the thesis that is half done, but as my supervisor agrees, it is terrible at this point! here's hoping the pressure miracle works for me!

po said...

Yikes, you have a thesis? I did not realise. Am fascinated as to what it is on. I had a friend doing an MBA and he wanted to get involved in biotech companies I remember. What is yours on?