Pregnancy Update: My Consultant Appointment at 21 Weeks

Pregnancy Update: My Consultant Appointment at 21 Weeks

(Photograph at 23 weeks)

Pregnancy Update: My Consultant Appointment at 21 Weeks

I last wrote a pregnancy update after our 20 week scan, but last week at 21 weeks (nearly 22 weeks) I had an appointment with the consultant to go over my history and birth plan. There is something about these appointments that make me nervous, I think it’s the uncertainty, worry that something is going to crop up, they make me feel a little bit out of control, that you are a little bit subject to the rules and procedures of someone else. But if I’m really honest I think it has more to do with what happened during my son’s birth.

The appointment started with the usual checks by the midwife, my blood pressure was slightly elevated but I think this was because I was nervous. Then I met the consultant we discussed my previous births and complications – my son’s birth can often make me feel emotional as it was so difficult and at one point I had to fight off the tears when discussing it – which I hate.

I knew beforehand that the doctor was going to recommend that I have a c-section. Due to my previous history and the fact that I have two uterus scars as the first scar from Logan was so ragged they couldn’t reuse it for Aria. The midwife had already warned me that this gives me double the risk of rupture as so ideally they do not want me to go into spontaneous labour. The consultant confirmed this. We also talked about a drug to manage haemorrhage as I have a problem with this in the past too. Even writing about this all now, makes me feel nervous.

I have a specialist appointment with the anaesthetist in a few weeks, to discuss what happened with my son during his birth and how they can prevent it from happening again. I really must write about it at some point, but to date I have never really felt ready. But to put a very long story short, the spinal block wore off during his c-section. Hopefully I will feel more confident when I have spoken to him or her.

In terms of managing this pregnancy, the consultant wants me to have a scan at 28, 32, 36 weeks to monitor the baby’s growth. So I am back for the first one at the end of March. As I am an older mother I am at a higher risk of stillbirth, so monitoring the growth is apparently a really good way of preventing this. This is the part of pregnancy I really hate, and that you wish you can protect your baby from so much you are not in control of. But I have to remind myself that this is just the doctor looking out for both of our interests and this is a good thing.

At this stage, when I was pregnant with Aria the consultant booked me in for her c-section straight away and so I knew her birth day then and there. The planner in me loved this as I was able to arrange the childcare for my children in preparation and get everything sorted. But the hospital no longer does this and make a decision on things closer to the baby’s due date. I guess this will be based on the baby’s weight and how the pregnancy is going. So we shall just see how things are.

So good news is that baby is doing well and the hospital are definitely on top of things. I think I am feeling unsettled as it has brought up old feelings that I really do need to face to feel calmer about this child’s birth. But as you can see from my photo above I have really popped out with this pregnancy and baby is growing well.

I am linking this post up to Let’s Talk Mommy’s Bumps and Babies Linky.

2 thoughts on “Pregnancy Update: My Consultant Appointment at 21 Weeks”

  1. It sounds like you are being looked after well…
    Sending love and hugs. The spinal wore off when I was having a c-section with my youngest too. It was so traumatic. Good luck x

    Reply
    • Thanks Kim, I don’t actually know anyone else it has happened to and yes it was so traumatic. In a way it’s nice to know I’m not along but sorry you went through that too.

      Reply

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