T minus 10 days

So back to the gynae this week to hear that Milea is now 2.8kgs. Gynae is still worried that she has fallen below her growth path and thus still not growing sufficiently. My amniotic fluid (pockets of water she's floating in) was measured at 7.5. Anything below 5 is a concern so I was advised to drink LOTS of water which may prevent the fluid from decreasing further. Gynae highly recommended that my working days should be over and my maternity leave should commence immediately. So Friday 13th May couldn't have been a better time to complete my last day at work. (not that I'm superstitious or anything!)

Now I can stay in bed for as long as I want, loaf in front of the TV, stay in my PJs all day and take advantage of afternoon naps with my electric blanket on. I'm not sure when I'm going to have time to cook all these dinners that Jaco is expecting when he gets home from work.......mmm, I might have to do a bit of expectation management here!

I wouldn't say that I'm going to be a paranoid mother but I thought it a good idea to get some basic knowledge about what to do if baby stops breathing or chokes on a piece of biltong. Jaco and I attended a baby CPR and first aid course on the weekend (http://www.supernannies.co.za/) which was super informative and gave us the confidence we need to deal with this sort of situation.

So to refresh your memories:

H = Hazards (make sure the room / surroundings of the victim is safe before you start administering help)

H = Hello (try and get a response from the victim. Put your ear to their mouths and look at their chest while listening for breathing for 10 seconds). If not then CPR is required

H = Help (Call for help & get someone to call the Western Cape Emergency number 021 480 7700 or 170 from a landline)

C = Compression (Take off clothes and find the nipples. For a child, take 2 fingers and start pressing midway between nipples 30 times. For a child older than 1 years, use the palm of your hand, for an adult use 2 hands)

A = Airway (lift the child's head by pushing the chin slightly backwards to open up the airway)

B = Breathe (Cover the nose and mouth with your mouth and blow twice making sure the chest rises)

Repeat.

We also received a lovely surprise when we received a message from one of Jaco's colleagues, Mark and Caryn, who were also pregnant, but 1 week behind me. She went into labour on Saturday night and delivered a 2.1kg baby girl naturally (yes NO drugs!!) early on Sunday morning. So it really is min dae now and we wait in anticipation. We keep telling Milea that she has lots of friends in the world now, so its her turn.

Remember to follow all the action on twitter: @Jacocron