Flu and Whooping Cough Jab - 29/10/14

I had myself book in for my flu jab yesterday and had also been told to have a whooping cough jab too.

They always seem to stir up controversy in pregnant women about whether or not to have precautionary jabs when they haven't been tested on pregnant women to see if there are any possible consequences that might effect mum, the pregnancy or the baby.

I'm not a fan of taking the flu jab because I'm fairly certain that you vastly increase your chances of getting flu in the first place by sitting in the waiting room at the GP, but the bottom line is that I'd feel a lot worse if something went wrong because I didn't do enough to protect my child than because I tried to protect my child too much.

As for the whooping cough jab, that's a bit of a new appearance for this year so is creating even more discussion.

They tell you babies have died from whopping cough but they would say that, wouldn't they?

I'd decided to search for whooping cough on YouTube and lost any reservations about getting the jab done. It's basically constant coughing and choking and they can't eat properly and their lungs start filling with fluid and they don't get enough oxygen and there is very little that doctors can do because their strength to fight the illness is constantly spirralling. They just die a horrible death.

When I got to the GPs office I refused to sit in the waiting room because it was heaving with people in a warm room with stagnant air - blurgh! So i sat in the next room on some chairs that they'd placed in the corridor with all the doctors offices.

I wasn't waiting long and the little buzzer went off for the nurse.

She seemed alright but started by asking for my notes which I didn't have with me which provoked some tuts and sighs like I was a naughty little girl who'd "forgot" my homework yet again. I told her that no one had said that I'd need them not even the midwife who I'd seen just the day before and her response was that I should have my notes with my all the time now that I'm pregnant. I clearly should also have psychic abilities as a pregnany symptom.

I rolled up my long and very tight sleeve and I could see her preparing the needle, noticing that it's seemed unnecessarily long and thick. Needles do come in smaller sizes you know!

As I looked away she stabbed me once, stabbed me twice, and I was done. It stung a little but wasn't too bad. She warned me of lingering soreness but I felt fine.

Upon leaving she bid farewell and told me that she'd see me again when I have baby with me and I'm sure she was trying to stir up some excitement but I felt a bit of dread at the thought of having to put my baby through injections.

It was some hours later when I brushed arms with James that I realised that my arm was very sore!

I had a look and I have a large raised red lump where she'd done the injections and James assures me he's never had that reaction from the flu jab so it must be the whooping cough jab.

It doesn't hurt much if I don't touch it, but when I do it feels like a mass of nettle stingers. It almost feels like it need popping and squeezing to release some of the hot pressure under the skin. This morning it's just as sore if not a bit more so.

Midwife, C-sec and blood sugar - 28/10/13

I had my 28 week midwife appointment today which involved her taking blood to check my iron levels and also my antibodies. Antibodies for what, I don't know.

We had a brief chat and she tested my urine sample and I jumped up on the couch to low down so she could do my blood pressure, babies heartbeat, fundal measurement and take the blood samples.

My BP was fine, babies heartbeat was fine at 150, she actually got a tape measure out for the first time to do the fundal height which was spot on and she was a whizz at taking the blood sample so good all round.

I made a point of asking her to check babies orientation after being told she was breech legs extended at the 26 week ultrasound and no surprise she was pretty much the same. I have no idea what that says about the hiccups the other day.

Her head was at about 2 o'clock and when I seemed a bit frustrated and told her that it's been between 12 and 3 o'clock for the past couple of weeks at least and doesn't show any signs of moving she seemed to be a bit sympathetic and explained to me that it's a particularly difficult position for the baby to turn from.

She tried to explain that because it's legs are extended, baby can't use them to push themselves around as easily (imagine trying to swim forward with your feet by your head) and also more room is taken up by the legs.

She didn't say it was impossible and that I had until 36 weeks but I could tell that she was trying to prepare me for the more likely possibility of baby not turning and being a breech labour.

That lead to more questions from me about if I could have a vaginal birth if the baby was breech and the simple answer was no. 

Not only has the skill of delivering breech babies been mostly lost to the csec culture but again, the position of the babies legs was more unfavourable for breech delivery too because her foot could be delivered before I was fully dilated which she implied was not something they'd not want to risk.

Do they offer a more natural csec at my hospital and allow skin to skin etc? No.

*sigh*

She said the best thing I could do is get my arse up high and see if the extra room that it creates (at the expense of lung capacity it seems) allows her to correct her legs and then hopefully have more control over her movement.

Feeling a bit glum and picking up the signs that she was willing me to leave, I mentioned that my blood sugar has been a bit low too these past couple of mornings.

James is a diabetic so has a blood sugar meter and I've been waking up feeling a bit nauseous and weak and both times my blood sugar has been at 3.4 and 3.7 when it should always be between 4 and 7. She said that I should just try to eat a more substantial meal at bedtime, but she wasn't concerned because my pee was clear.

I got up to left and she said she'd see me in three weeks which seemed quite soon but I don't know if that is due to the blood results or her being concerned about the breech presentation. She genuinely seemed upset for me because she could tell I wanted to have a natural vaginal delivery which I assume is less common nowadays.

I spent the afternoon shopping for baby stuff and then as soon as I got home I had my arse up. I stayed like that for a while and then got some frozen chips which I placed where she likes to put her head normally because they are supposed to move away from the cold and sure enough she went from 12 to 3 o'clock but then no further. 

I tried sticking at it but I just got a horrible feeling that maybe there was a reason that she couldn't get around any further and I didn't want to hurt her, so I stopped.

I went upstairs and jumped in a warm bath and gave her head a rub... OMG, where was her head?!

Not at 3 o'clock. Dare I hope to find her at 6? No... 9? No.

She was at 12 o'clock, the little sod!

Ages on the sofa with the weight of my boobs and bump crippling my neck and within 2 minutes she was back right where I didn't want her.

We had a nice steamy bath together anyway and I decided that I'm going to go and have another private scan asap just to make sure there isn't a reason for her not being able to move like perhaps the cord is wrapped around her or something.

I am pretty bummed at the concept of a c-section though.

NCT Nearly New Sale - 26/10/13

I surprised myself and went to a nearly new sale being held by the NCT just to see what was up for grabs.

It's not really my kind of thing. I'm a terrible snob when it comes to second hand. It's not that someone else has worn it but I hate existing imperfections implying that we didn't look after the item and I don't trust other people's lifestyles and habits.

I'm far from a super clean and meticulous individual but I need to know the source of the filth to be relaxed about it.

I also hate cheap new stuff.

And I hate overpriced new stuff.

It's a bit of a quandary when I want to have the best for baby but don't want to pay for it, so I've been trying to be more open to second hand and try to think of it as recycling good quality.

I've been doing a lot of window shopping on Ebay and it does seem that there are bargains to be had, although my first actual purchase was a bit of a disaster. I'd bought a second hand high quality maternity dress thinking I'd wear it for Christmas. It was sold as ready to wear, fresh from the dry cleaners.

Well, it came and it had the dry clean label inside and yet it still stunk of BO like it had been set into the material. Urgh. Never going to wear it now and the comparatively small price paid is just down the drain.

Anyway, I went to this nearly new sale thing expecting it to be Ebay type stuff but without the postage price. James even came along.

We got inside, paid 50p each for the privilege and was walking back out again with empty hands exactly 5 minutes later.

I don't know what it was. I was kind of expecting each seller to have their own stall so you could meet the person whose seconds you'd be sticking your baby in but it was just tables full of toys and rails full of clothes that could have been pulled out of the bins for all I knew.

Plus it was just used cheap things for sale.

I thought maybe we'd just missed the best stuff and perhaps we did, but we were only 30mins later than the opening time. Everyone else seemed to have bags packed full off stuff and still eagerly rummaged through more, just grabbing and snatching in a random fashion. It was a bit like vultures fighting over the scraps left by the hyenas.

I'm not even sure anyone was buying for their children with the lack of care they were taking.

I did try looking through the rails but a glance from James said it all, we didn't want our baby wearing this crap.

Sure it might sound like we're putting down people who can't afford better, but these people weren't hard up. At worst they were depriving people who needed stuff like this from getting it for free because that's where it would have gone if it hadn't ended up at the sale. No one needs that many items of clothing, it's just greed or vanity or whatever.

I won't be going to another one anyway. Not my scene.

28 Weeks Pregnant - First Hiccups?

28 weeks cooked and I am officially entering the huge and uncomfortable pregnant lady stage.

You know that you look pregnant when you can wear your husband's coat (because none of your own fit) and you can still see your undeniably pregnant belly poking through.

My back is constantly aching, not painful, but I feel like it needs cracking all the time. It feels stiff and misshapen.

I've had a couple of bouts of rib pain too on my right side. It's difficult to describe the sensation. It felt sensitive, like chewing on foil but in my ribs. Fortunately they were brief and short lived.

I'm so tired that although I'm still avoiding naps, I sleep for 12 hours straight easily. If I go to sleep at 11pm I don't wake until 11am and that isn't like me at all. For as long as I can remember I've been up at 8am at the latest no matter what day of the week it is. Annoyingly even if James sneaks off to get all the morning jobs done, I bolt awake as soon as the bedroom door clicks shut.

Well, not anymore.

My boobs are still giving off milk, kind of. It's not every time I squeeze them or even every day. In fact today I got some droplets out of them but they weren't cloudy anymore. I did tell my pregnant friend (the one for yoga who is due a day after me) about it and she squee'd in excitement.

While I'm mentioning my friend, I'll add that we've been going to Aqua Natal together and plan some more yoga and walks and things. She's turning out to be really nice company as she's up for anything and it's even more of a shame that she's buggering off to Wales soon after our due dates. Such is life.

Another thing is that my teeth and gums are looking a bit neglected. They are giving up a lot of blood when brushed and the gums even look a bit purple so I'm making more of an effort to ensure I do them thoroughly and it seems to be paying off. It might just be the nice toothpaste I've bought though.

I've still been freaking about baby being breech so saw a handy YouTube tutorial and copied some of the moves. I don't know how people do them for any duration though. If it's not my back aching it's my knees and if it's not my knees then it's my hips.

I basically have to sit on the ball and rotate my hips around while being conscious of keeping my pelvis open with a wide stance.

So I did it for a while thinking how stupid it was and then I felt it - hiccups!

Everyone always goes on about feeling baby hiccup. The books go on about it and the girls in the forums go on about it and to be honest I started feeling like it was one of those things that is just bullshit. One person reckons they felt hiccups and then everyone else wants to feel them and before you know it everyone's babies hiccup 24/7.

When I felt them, or think I did, it was as if someone was using one finger to tap 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-etc etc. It wasn't as strong as a kick or a thump, but it was well defined. There wasn't any bucking sensation like I thought there might have been because when I hiccup I feel my whole head and chest jumping.

However, the only problem I have is that the hiccups were so low down. They were on the crease under my belly and if google is correct, then that would imply she is head down already.

I've decided that I'm completely screwed decided which way she is lying. I still feel her "head" in my ribs in the morning and just before I got on my ball I was certain I could feel both her head up high and right and her butt down low and left.

Surely she didn't go head down in the 20 mins I was haphazardly wriggling around on the ball...

I'm going to see what the midwife says on Monday.

Hmmm, what else? Oh, not weighed myself this morning. Woke up late and forgot! I'll do it tomorrow.

Milky boobies?

I'm in the habit of giving my nipples a brief squeeze as I'm putting my bra on, just to see.

Often I get several teeny tiny clear droplets on at least one nipple but didn't think anything of it because I've had that when I wasn't even pregnant. I'd assumed that perhaps it was bath water collecting in the pores.

Well, I just gave them a squeeze and the droplets were cloudy, not clear!

I ran upstairs to James to show him and he reckoned they weren't clear either... So what does that mean?!

Could it be milk already?

James did his usual of asking me loads of vague questions and then rolling over to go back to sleep and I'm left to try and figure out if something is wrong.

I've heard of people collecting and freezing pre-milk called colostrum which is supposed to be really good for baby but it was hardly anything and i gave them another single squeeze and nothing else came out.

I've read that you're not supposed to stimulate the nipples too much as it can bring on labour.

Gosh I feel so shocked and panicked about it. I feel like pacing around the room and packing my hospital bag.

27 Weeks Pregnant - Third Trimester?!?!?!

It's always open to debate, but I reckon being 27 weeks pregnant puts me in the third trimester!!! :O

How crazy is that?!

I remember all the ttc friends that got pregnant before me, we'd typically lose contact just because of the change in circumstance and then one day I'd catch up with them and was always in awe to them being in the third trimester.

Well, here I am myself and I feel in just as much awe. Where has the time gone!

So, what is the third trimester anyway?

It seems to boil down to it basically being the last three months of pregnancy but it brings with it the reassurance that your baby has a very good chance of survival if born at any point and also signals that the pregnancy is almost over.

I have already been doing some calculations and I'm only 70 days away from being full term, that's just about Christmas Day and we all know how quickly christmas comes around! It'll be here before I know it.

As for my little lady, she's being a pain in the arse.

Since my growth scan revealing that she's breech, I've been freaking out and trying to get her to turn and then just when I think she has it's like Groundhog Day and I wake up to her head being rammed right up the middle of my rib cage yet again.

I keep being told that she has plenty of time to turn etc etc but it doesn't make me feel any better. Go and google any 27 week progression images and the baby us always head down.

That's not the extent of my woes either.

My back is killing. I get dead legs when sleeping. The heartburn is setting in.

I guess I spoke to soon about relaxing into pregnancy. I didn't quite realise how brief my pregnancy high would be.

My weight jumped up again this week, a total of 20lbs gained.

Growth Scan - 26+3

Had another scan today.

We turned up and couldn't believe it - car park full! What the hell do we do if that happens on the day?

I know there are 30 min drop off bays, but I don't want James to have to abandon me while I'm in labour to go and find a bloody parking space. It's rediculous.

Anyway so we get inside and wait for the scan. I'd bought an OK! magazine to keep me occupied as there is normally a long wait to see the consultant after the scan so I was flicking through it and reading some story on Caprice having twins. It was kind of relatable because she had IVF etc but she made it clear that her career was still her top priority. I don't care who you are, you don't have two full time childminders and plans to stop breastfeeding at 3 months when you have more than enough money to dedicate the rest of your life to them nevermind the next 12 months at least.

We get called into the scan room about 15 minutes late so no big deal and I hop upon the bed. The lady kept on referring the "the baby" as "it" even though I kept on saying "she" and "her". She didn't want to acknowledge the gender at all.

She asked me when my due date was and I told her 18th Jan based on my IVF and she seemed to enter it into the computer which pleased me. I'm sick of my notes referring to the due date as the 15th Jan just because of the wonky measurements at 12 weeks.

She started by showing me the heart was beating.

I asked to know what the orientation of her was and her weight because these are things that lots of girls have commented on and I haven't known those things.

She didn't have a problem with that and told me that she was breech, with her spine down my left and her legs extended downwards.

She said she'd have to tell me the weight after the measurements because that is what it is worked out from.

So she did the measurements of the abdomen, the femur and the head. As she did the measurements I was aware of a gestation reading changing and most of them seemed to fall at 25+something so I was a bit worried with me being 26+3.

I asked about a photo but she could only see her from the front view and in the end I declined having one because they just weren't very nice images. They looked like a broken dolls face with hollow features and parts missing.

At one point we could make out most of the face and James started gushing when her forehead started moving. Oh hang on, it must have been looking at her upside down and that was actually her mouth taking in a deep breath. It would have been really cute to see the right way up...

Luckily James was doing a sneaky filming job so I hoped to see it later.

We went back out into the waiting room when it finished and I felt a bit indifferent. I just felt I couldn't see much. James was much more impressed. He really likes the 2D scans whereas I think they are crap. I prefer the 3D scans which of course he thinks are crap!

So we head to the consultant waiting room and discover it's an hour wait so I grab my... What the fuck! Where is my magazine?!?!?! I had it just before the scan so I go back to ask them to look in the scan room, nope not there - some bastard nicked it! James says I had it after the scan so within about 2 minutes it was gone. Bastards. I only read one story :( Fucking bastards. Major sulk.

A looooooooong 50 minutes later we were called in to see yet another different consultant, I'm three for three now. There was strangely no nurse present so he flicked through my notes and commented on the IVF like they all do as if they are informing me of something I didn't already know.

He asked if I'd had any issues and I explained to him that just yesterday I had an awful razor sharp pain in my bum and vagina that lasted for a couple of hours until I eventually fell asleep and woke up to find it had gone, but it was agony at the time.

Then he asked for my pee sample and proceeded to dip it himself while he sent me to lie on the bed.

I couldn't believe it when he came over to take my blood pressure himself too. I figured maybe a nurse wasn't always present afterall until he started fumbling to take my reading.

He extended my arm out and seriously I was about 1cm for tickling his balls for him. I curled in my fingers not knowing what else to do and hoped that he didn't get distracted and take a step forward.

He was busy trying to untangle the knot of tube he'd created and finally took the reading. He said that my pee sample was crystal clear from any issues and my blood pressure was perfect so he redeemed himself a little as those kind of bold positive statements are always welcome.

Then he asked me to lift my top to expose my tummy and he started feeling it in relation to the pains I'd complained of. I was a bit concerned he might move onto my bum and vagina area, but he stated that my stomach was soft and therefore the pains were not related to contractions (which I didn't think they were anyway) and he asked if I had any pains in my hips or bladder which I said I did if they were pressed so he concluded I was merely suffering from ligament pains.

Forgive me, but I guess comprehending vaginal stabbing pains isn't really within the ability of a man.

I know the agony I was in wasn't contractions nor ligament pains. I anticipated he might have said something like internal piles (James diagnosis) but I couldn't help but have a big old eye roll at just how useless he was in that regard.

During this conversation a huge nurse came into the room and started fumbling with my pees ample but James told her the consultant had done it already. Then she asked about my blood pressure and was surprised to hear he'd done that too. She made out he'd been really quick to get everything done in her absence but in reality she'd been missing for ages.

He asked if I had any other questions and I asked him about a consultant lead labour but he assured me it wouldn't be by default just because I'd had consultant lead care during my pregnancy.

Another scan at 34 weeks he said. Then he made out he'd changed his mind to 32 weeks, but I know full well he'd just read the notes that the previous consultant had made. Why they do that I don't know.

Then when we left the receptionist had a fit because the date for the 32 week appointment was one where the clinic was closed and she'd told them several times. So off she went and came back with an appointment for 33 weeks but discovered they were fully booked. She huffed off again and came back with an appointment for 34 weeks ironically.

Then we left. I've been worried sick about her being breech since, but it's good to know for definite what movements are the hands and which are her feet.

26 Weeks Pregnant

Another week down in a flash!

Oh oh! And a milestone! I'm now less than 100 days to being a mummy :D

Hmmm. Not done anything pregnancy wise, no aqua natal or anything.

The cold is... cold and I'm not enjoying it. I'm just cold all the time and apparently my body temperature is supposed to be higher than usual which was easier to believe when the summer was long and warm but now it's getting cold outside I'm finding myself just as cold as ever.

My feet are like ice cubes as per and James is away this weekend so I've been sleeping in his ultimate thickest jumper and I'm still chilly, if admittedly only from the waste down.

I'm going to order myself some thermal socks.

My little lady is still wiggling like crazy and I even got her on video a couple of times now and the one I did yesterday I'll post a link to so you can see.

I've been feeling her much lower than usual earlier this week and a couple of days ago I woke up to a very stretched feeling bladder region. It was gone though soon afterwards but I think she'd just pulled the muscles all out of shape.

That said she was also briefly higher than I've ever felt her too just last night. It was strange. She was low and then she went really wiggly and the next thing I knew she was bulging out just under my ribs! My ribs stopped and I could immediately feel her. I had visions of her climbing up her umbilical cord in the same way Indiana Jones would climb up vines :)

The only thing that has been new this week is a sore boob. My left one had some sharp throbbing twinges in it right behind my nipple a few times and then this morning I woke up to both nipples feeling a little bent out of shape. They still feel ok to touch though.

Weight wise, I've put on 0.2lbs which is nothing. I seem to have plateaued for these last few weeks, but I plan to rectify that with a bacon butty this morning!

25 Weeks Pregnant

I think week 24 to 25 has definitely been the quickest so far. Wow I have no sense that a whole week has passed, it feels like it was only yesterday I was writing out my 24 week blog.

What has happened? No idea!

Umm lets think.

I guess I've got a lot done this week in preparation for the baby like buying stuff and decorating and exercising but ill stick all those into their own blog entries as I get around to it. Oh I saw the midwife too.

Pregnancy wise, I'm definitely feeling like I'm there. I am definitely pregnant. In fact I feel more pregnant than I have in all the previous weeks combined. 

I don't know what has clicked exactly, it's just that I look undeniably pregnant and I feel perfectly normal except for the movements in my tummy that couldn't possibly be anything other than a baby.

I'm assuming that I'm at that pregnancy peak where briefly everything is great.

My little girl is regular in her movements and even if can't remember when I last felt her, I'll give her a poke and she pokes me right back, cheeky little swine that she is.

Actually her movements have changed. She is more boney. Sometimes I can feel scratching which I assume is her hands and then thumps that I assume is her legs. Just tonight I shouted James over to feel my tummy because I could really feel her, like literally feel a large hard mass protruding out of my right side. James said head but I was thinking more bum and spine. It was really cool.

Long gone are the days where I'm worrying and looking for symptoms of anything and analysing everything constantly, yet I fear that the days of persistent aches, pains, heartburn, stretch marks and labour symptoms are just around the corner.

My skin is amazing, comparatively speaking, and my only other thing is the vivid dreams which I quite enjoy and... you're not going to believe it, but sleeping in!

I've been awake on average from about 6am every morning since I got pregnant but these past few days I've woken up at 10:30!!! And I've woken up feeling well rested, not groggy. It's bliss.

Oh, one annoyance is my hair. I thought I was supposed to drop it all after the birth but I have balls of hair all over the house already.

Besides that, life is good! In fact it's great. Amazing!

Weight wise, not put anything on this week at all so another plus :)

One slight thing that is frustrating me is not knowing when I'm in the third trimester. My book says I'm in the third trimester now, some forums seems to say week 26 and others say week 27 or even 28 and I don't know if they mean for example when I turn 26 weeks or when I enter my 26th week which would be when I'm 25+. I think I'm going to go off when I'm week 27, so in two weeks time xx

Aqua Natal - 03/10/13

Shit, you know I just realised that I put 03/09/13 on a medical form I had to fill in for the aqua natal class.

I've been meaning to go to aqua natal since the beginning of my pregnancy but I put it off to 12 weeks and then 20 and then 24 weeks and even then I already missed Mondays class and was so close to backing out of today's class too!

It's because I have to drive for 30 mins each way and I hate hate hate getting out of the pool and having to get washed and dressed while still stinking of chlorine.

I'd already made plans with James for him to take me on the next Mondays class instead of going tonight but at the last minute I found myself throwing my costume under my clothes, grabbing my pre packed swimming bag and jumping into the car.

My local pool is really small so I was looking forward to seeing a proper pool but as I entered the building my first thought was "ick". Everything had a funny brown tinge to it and it was so dated. I went to the desk to pay for my admission and was asked if it was my first time at the class and then handed the previously mentioned medical form to fill out.

I looked around and tried finding the changing rooms. None of the signs said changing rooms and there was a door with a ladies sign on the front... Just the bloody toilets. I asked at the desk and with a roll of the eyes was directed through some unmarked doors and told they were on the left.

I threw my clothes off and asked a cleaner women who was pushing water into the drains which way to go to the pool.

The pool was also ick. Not much bigger than my local pool and more brown. Crap, still got my glasses on so back to the changing rooms i went.

Returning to the poolside there was no sign of any aqua natal class so I double checked with the lifeguards who confirmed I was in the right place but it wasn't time yet. There was only 10 minutes to go so I got into the pool and I actually thought it felt quite warm for a couple of minutes but it soon started to feel pretty chilly so I did a couple of lengths while keeping an eye out for any pregnant women but couldn't see any.

I bobbed around for a bit and looked around and spotted a sinewy women walking along the side of the pool dragging a suitcase with her who paused briefly to acknowledge a couple of ladies sitting in the observer seating area. The instructor and some pregnant women?

It was time for the class and the lifeguards started removing the ropes that were dividing the pool into lanes and booting everyone else out. The two pregnant women in the seats entered the pool and a third women appeared from the changing rooms. Actually the third women looked familiar, I think she was at the positive birth meeting but she didn't seem to recognise me at all. Charming.

The three women went right past me as I bobbed around in the shallows not knowing where to go or what to do. The instructor went to her "suitcase" and she pressed the top of it and it started blaring "Oh Mickey your so fine your so fine you blow my mind! Hey Mickey! Hey Mickey".

Fucking hell, you've got to be kidding me.

Without a word to any of us the instructor put a headset on with a microphone and started barking out instructions in a tone that expressed a total lack of any enthusiasm for her role.

The other girls started following directions and there I was still bobbing around in the shallows so I swam over and didn't even know where to stick myself. How deep was a supposed to go?

The instructor - no she never introduced herself either - limply attempted to show us what we should be doing but it's a bit different considering she was on dry land and we were all at varying depths of water.

A fourth girl appeared from the changing rooms and swam to the back of the class and it seemed to me that it was her first time too because she seemed to know as little as I did but also lacked the confidence to give it a proper go too. I noticed she had a lot of makeup on too which seemed like a rookie mistake.

It was basically aerobics but in water. March forward, march backwards, march sidewards and then back again. Do some star jumps, making sure your shoulders go into the water and out again.

Again and again and again.

It was slow going at first and I looked across the clock and was surprised to see that 20 minutes had gone. I was still chilly, my skin was pruning up and my mind started to wonder. Every so often the instructor would show us what to do and suddenly start limping and grimacing as if she was suffering from some kind of injury in her leg. She'd stagger and I'd amuse myself with visions of her walking off the edge and into the pool.

I also noticed none of the other girls had any goggles with them (don't worry, I wasn't wearing mine they were on my head) and they all had tight high buns and so far managed to keep their hair bone dry. I was soaking.

Then there were a few new moves added into the mix. Coordinated kicks and arm stretched on opposite sides and side kicks. Instead of just marching to the side we were told to gallop and push the water with our hands. Repeated again and again.

These were better and it felt a bit more like dancing.

Then with about 15 minutes of the 45 minutes left, she handed out some floats that resembled giant foam hair curlers. Long tubes that we were instructed to place between our legs and balance upon as we "cycled" with our legs into the deep end.

Needless to say this was my favourite part of the lesson. I haven't had any decent action in the the knicker department for way too many months to actually count so it was nice to be reassured that I still had any sensation down there at all.

Then it was more of the same, star jumps and kicks and things but I did find doing it this way to be more taxing. The floats were so long though that every now and again it would slap me across the face but besides that they were good.

Hang on a sec, the instructor actually seemed to be attempting eye contact with me and ventured to even flash me a smile! I suppose from her point of view she was watching a load of pregnant women getting poked in the eye every so often by the giant strap on they were each riding. Even the most miserable or people would find it hard not to crack a smile.

All too soon it was back to the more shallow water where we did some stretches and that was that. Almost. Unfortunately right at the end we had to join hands to form a circle and go around one way and then back the other and then she actually expected us to come together in the middle of the circle and clap and cheer at our selves. We just kind of gawked awkwardly at each other instead.

It seemed like a mad dash to the  changing rooms but I found myself next to the newbie however on asking her if it was her first time too she revealed she'd been a few times but not for a while. Go figure.

That seemed to be the general consensus as I attempted conversation in the showers with the couple of girls that actually spent some time washing the chlorine off themselves. Neither "had been for ages". Their names remained unknown but one was 27 weeks and the other 30 weeks and neither knew the gender. Neither bothered saying bye as they left the showers not to be seen again.

The showers were bloody hot so it took me a while and then as I went back towards my locker the same women was still pushing water in the drains! I said something like "still here?" as I approached and I suppose as I said it I meant to suggest that her job was never done and that is how she took it as she playfully huffed. It was only as I dried myself that it occurred to me that in actual effect she'd done fuck all for the last hour.

I'd managed to get dressed and then I realised that I still had to brush my hair and it felt like a giant knot on my head. Since I've gotten pregnant my hair has been really tricky to get the knots out of and I've become quite hair sore. I got out of it though, it turned out I'd forgotten my hairbrush!

I've still got the knot of hair on my head now as I lie in bed. Surely it will be easier to do in the morning when it's dried...

Anyway. I still hate the swimming baths but I guess the aqua natal is worth another go. I'm not totally convinced though.